For The Sin of “I’m Just…”
There are many different ways we receive the message we’re meant to hear.
Today, it came to me through a sales call from a woman named Jen, offering preschool software.
As I began to explain that I’d pass her information along to our preschool director, I started saying, “I’m just…” when she stopped me mid-sentence. In her distinct Australian accent, she said:
“We must never say ‘I’m just…’ about ourselves. Right?”
She was absolutely right. And the fact that she called with that message just before Shabbat Teshuvah felt almost heaven-sent.
There is the teshuvah for our misdeeds, offenses, and shortcomings—that was last year’s work, and truly should have been addressed before Rosh Hashanah.
The teshuvah between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur focuses on a different mistake: the words “I’m just…”
- For not calling a friend in pain because “I’m just… an acquaintance.”
- For not supporting a cause because “I’m just… a small donor.”
- For not speaking up because “I’m just… a small voice.”
- For not standing tall as a Jew because “I’m just… a layperson.”
- For not giving encouragement because “I’m just… not good with words.”
- For not taking initiative because “I’m just… not a leader.”
- For not chasing my dreams because “I’m just… too small to matter.”
The woman on the phone was right: We must never say “I’m just…”
Each of us carries within a spark that can shine brighter and stronger than we ever believed possible.
On Yom Kippur, we dress in white and refrain from eating or drinking, like the angels do. It is a day that calls us to see within ourselves the light and soul that our Creator already sees in us.
