The way of Moreinu HaRav shlita is that when people come to him and they want to take a picture, he reminds them and says, “Remember, here we photograph only want we want, but in Heaven they photograph even what we do not want to be photographed. Here, we photograph only on weekdays, in Heaven they even photograph on Shabbos. Here, we only photograph deeds, but in Heaven they even photograph thoughts.
The way of a person is that when he transgresses a sin, he closes the shutters and the curtains, he is concerned that someone might see his actions, but in Heaven they photograph even through the shutters and curtains!”
They say in the name of the holy Baal Shem Tov where the person’s thoughts are, there he is. They relate that once the Baal Shem Tov approached one of his chassidim after davening and blessed him with ‘Shalom aleichem’, and the student was surprised, since he had not gone anywhere, he had always been there. But the Baal Shem Tov explained, “You just came back from the bazaar in the big city...” The chassid understood that during his Tefillah he was thinking about the bazaar that had just ended, and the holy Baal Shem Tov saw his thoughts and demonstrated for him that where your thoughts are found – there you are.
One of the berachos in our Parsha is (28:13), 'ונתנו ה' לראש ולא לזנב והיית רק למעלה ולא תהיה למטה' – ‘Hashem shall place you as a head and not as a tail; you shall only be above and you shall not be below’. Based on our way, perhaps we can explain that your thoughts should only be above, categorized as in know what is above you (Avos 2:1) and not below – this world, with its nonsense and cravings. Then you will be for a head and not a tail, that is, you decide if you will be a head or chalilah a tail.
On Rosh Hashana we all request with great kavana, ‘shenihiye l’rosh velo l’zanav’ – we should be for a head and not a tail’, and this truly a great request. But before we request this, we can do something to make this happen, by correcting our thoughts and guarding them that they always be only ‘for above and not below’. Now, this is the right time to work on this, whether what needs to be corrected with Teshuva or whether to start thinking good and kosher thoughts, and b’ezras Hashem when we come to Rosh Hashanah and we request, ‘that we be for a head and not a tail’, then our request will have a different flavor, and we will have on what and Whom to rely on.
-Tiv HaTorah – Ki Savo
