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RIP OUT AND START AGAIN! 

09/28/2022 04:46:11 PM

Sep28

Some of you may know that I am a weaver. I have dabbled a bit in knitting and crochet as well. I once read the following in a book about crochet: "Ripping out in crochet is a way of undoing something that's been done incorrectly, a technique I would find very useful in life." 

I typed out this quote and keep on a bulletin board. Anyone who has sewn, knitted or crocheted, or woven knows that ripping out and redoing a section is emotionally painful. It reminds me of the process of what we call TESHUVAH. The word TESHUVAH literally means returning. It is a returning that we do in order to correct and improve. We return to our deeds, revisit them and try to improve our behavior in the future. There are four steps to "doing TESHUVAH". The first is to admit our wrongdoing. The second step is to apologize to the person who has been offended or injured by our actions. Then we try to correct our action and finally enact a plan to ensure we do not make the same mistake again.  

I agree with Mark Dittrick, the author of the quote above. The technique of ripping out and redoing is very useful in life. Often the first step is the most difficult. The step of acknowledging that we did something wrong is often very hard to absorb or recognize. We try to gloss it over: "It isn't that bad", etc... 

I can tell you from my own experience that more often than not, as painful as it was to go back, rip out and start over, I was always happy I did. The times I decided to "live with the flaw and maybe no one will notice"... left me very disappointed in the end result. Not everything can be fixed, but we can at least try. 

Shanah Tovah. 

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784