LOST SOULS

    A young man asked me,"Why  are we here and  what are we going to do while we are here?" I found it to be an astute inquiry. It reminded me of the railroad ticket collector who routinely asks the passengers "destination please?" That is the same question that Hashem asks of all of us, "destination please?",especially  as we come closer to the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashana.

   I once came across a cartoon that showed a three lane highway, with overhead signs for each of the three lanes. The arrow over the right lane read North, the arrow over the left  lane read South and the arrow over the middle lane, which had the most traffic read "Lost".  So many seem to be in the "Lost" lane when it comes to their goals and and their purpose in life.  They are not sure of their destination. 

     Keeping this in mind, I would like to reflect upon a very interesting law from this week's  Sedrah, Ki Tetzeh. 

    Herein, we read of the laws of Hashavas Aveidah, of returning a lost item to its proper owner. In Judaism there is no such thing as "Finders keepers, losers weepers". The law is clear. If you find something that belongs to someone else you are legally required to return it. If you don't know to whom it belongs, you must take care of it and do what ever is possible to find the rightful owner.

     The concept of Hashavas Aveidah fascinates me.  I believe it can  be extended further than the returning of a physical lost item. I sense we can extend this idea of Hashavas Aveidah to apply to the mitzvah of returning souls of the many that have lost their way, to their rightful owners. 

   Hashavas Aveidah not only applies to the spirituality of the Jewish soul but applies to the souls of all humanity.  We are seeing senseless killing throughout our society desensitizing the value of life.  The soul of man has, in many cases, become so tarnished that we need greater evaluation of the 'True Worth of Man'.

   There is a need, today, to have a 'recovery' and to bring back man to where he belongs.

     How do we accomplish this goal? How do we answer the young man's question, "Why are we here and what are we going to do while we are here?" 

    My answer is, we need to search for a meaningful life for the lost souls of those around us.  We need to tune into the spiritual needs of those who are "Lost", to help them find their way back to a more positive Judaic way of life and in doing so to recapture their lost Jewish souls.

     Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are upon us and our destiny is to fulfill the mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah of those around us and, yes, even for ourselves.

     With this in  mind  and with the effort of K'lal Yisroel we will be Zocheh to bring the Moshiach, quicker  in our time.

    שבת שלום