Yearly Cleaning

"It's clean up time, it's clean up time. Let's make our SOULS shine!" 

Are you ready for your appointment?
Don't wait for decay - clean right away!

We currently find ourselves in the month of Elul. In just a few short weeks, we will be standing in shul pleading for a healthy and positive year as we sway back and forth with heartfelt devotion. The question that many ask is, "I already bought my seats. What do I need to prepare for? I'll get my machzor ready, dress in my holiday finest, and go to shul. What else is there to do?"
So, what is this month of Elul all about anyway?

I recently visited the dentist for my annual, much unanticipated cleaning. As is the ancient custom, I brushed my teeth better and longer that morning. Feeling confident and proud, I walked into the doctor's office and confirmed that I have taken good care of my teeth. "Yes, doc," I calmly answered, "I brush twice daily. I take good care of my teeth."
It didn't take long before the dentist began sighing while slowly and deliberately moving his head from side to side discouragingly. 
"You know, Rabbi," he said patiently, "you have some plaque build up on your back teeth. You really ought to clean better."
"Really?" I said surprisingly. "I brush religiously!" 
"Are you sure?" the doctor questioned. "It isn't good enough to brush well once or twice a week. Certainly not just once before coming here. If you let time pass with plaque sitting on your teeth, it causes decay, which may force me to drill or even worse."
After I assured the doctor that I would do a more diligent job of cleaning my teeth, I made the appointment for the same time next year. 

Our greatest Sages advise us to conduct a daily accounting of our deeds. We are instructed to mull through our daily actions each night so that we can adequately repent for our wrongdoings and accept upon ourselves change for the following day.
Sins cause spiritual decay. If we don't fulfill our daily quota of "self-cleaning," we are almost assured that it will cause tremendous harm in the long run. When we arrive at the Doctor for our annual "cleaning," our single day's worth of last-minute preparation will surely not help. The build up will be self evident, and, for our personal long-term well-being, He may have to cleanse us through an intense process.
During this month of Elul, it is in our best interest to prepare a bit better than to simply remove the machzor from the shelf and dry clean our most handsome suit. Let us make it our greatest responsibility to get cleaning ... and quickly! That appointment is fast approaching!

(A good friend of mine, a dentist, tells me that in truth, a person needs a cleaning twice a year. I guess that's why we also clean for Pesach!)

Say to yourself ten times today:
"Doctor, please help me treat my soul better so that it is cleaner for my next appointment, iy"H!"