The most important mitzvah that we have during the Yamim Noraim (High Holidays) is the mitzva of teshuvah – to repent, to change, to become better. But, as we know, most of us don’t really change. We tend to leave this season no different than we were when they began. There are several reasons why this happens. One reason is because we don’t really believe we need to change. We feel that we’re basically ok, we’re good people, we’re generally religious, and we’re good enough. We might not be perfect, but for the most part, we’re good. Another reason is that we look at our lives and think, “Hey, I made it this far, so it must be working.” We feel ok with the way things are going, so we don’t feel a desperate need to make significant changes. Yet a third reason is because change is really, really hard. We know our habits, our natural tendencies, the things we’re used to doing, and we know how hard it is change them. The solution to this problem lies in the custom we observed on Rosh Hashanah – the custom of tashlich . Many people misunderstand tashlich as an easy way to rid ourselves of our sins. We go to the river, recite some texts, and our sins end up in the water, so they’re no longer on our record. But this isn’t how it works. The Rabbis explain that we recite tashlich to commemorate Avraham’s journey to akedat Yitzhak – to fulfill Hashem’s command to sacrifice his son. As he made his way to the place where Hashem told him to offer his son as a sacrifice, the Satan tried to stop him. He created a river that blocked Avraham’s path. Avraham and Yitzhak walked into the water, and they continued walking until the water reached their necks. Avraham turned to Hashem and pleaded that he be allowed to proceed so he could fulfill the command he was given. The waters subsided, and Avraham continued. (In the end, of course, Hashem told Avraham to withdraw his knife, and not to actually slaughter Yitzhak.) When we go to the river on Rosh Hashanah, we are commemorating this river which Avraham walked through on his way to akedat Yitzhak . In order to perform teshuvah , we need to follow Avraham Avinu’s example. We need to be so determined, so passionate, so strong in our convictions, that we do not let anything get in the way. Avraham showed us what determination means, the way we pursue excellence without letting anything stop us. All the reasons we listed above for why we are reluctant to change immediately fall away once we remember that we are the descendants of Avraham Avinu, that we bear his legacy, that we are to follow his example. Once we realize that we are here not just to be ok, but to be great like Avraham Avinu, then we won’t think that we’re good enough, or that we can’t be better. We will pursue greatness relentlessly, with fierce determination, like Avraham Avinu. This is what this week – the period of the Aseret Yemeh Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) – is all about. It’s about achieving greatness. It’s about the realization that being generally ok is not good enough. If a person wants to hold his job, he needs to do his job very well. But if he wants a promotion, he needs to do his job excellently. He needs to be the top. This is our goal during this time of year – to strive for excellence, with unrelenting passion and determination. There is no comparison between waking up in the morning with the mindset of “I want to be ok” and the mindset of “I want to be great.” If we only want to be ok, we’re going to have a hard time getting out of bed. But if our mindset is that we want to be great, then nothing will stop us. We will never be too tired or not in the mood. No river will stand in our way. If we look to Avraham Avinu as our model and our inspiration, then this period of Aseret Yemeh Teshuvah can truly be a time of real, permanent change, an experience which propels us forward to the standard of excellence which we are expected to achieve – and which we are fully capable of achieving.