In Part I, we followed Moses' advocacy that averted God's decree of destruction against the Israelites, and his decision, upon witnessing the people's failure firsthand, to shatter the tablets at the foot of Mount Sinai. That was only the beginning of his response. What follows — rooting out the problem, confronting his brother, rallying his most trusted allies, and climbing the mountain once more — completes the picture, and gives Elul its name.
Read MoreOn the first day of Elul, 2448 — more than 3,300 years ago — Moses climbed Mount Sinai for the third and final time, to carve out a second set of tablets. That climb came at the end of a grueling stretch of tefillah and advocacy, all aimed at restoring God's closeness to the Israelites after the sin of the golden calf and the shattering of the first tablets. Because that mission succeeded, Elul was established for all generations as a season of cheshbon hanefesh — self-accounting — and teshuva.
Read MoreMy wife had a wedding to attend. No dinner was planned and the clock was ticking. In a lot of households, that's a five-alarm fire.
In ours, my 13-year-old son solved it before I even started worrying. "I've got the grill, Dad."
I stepped back and gave him the tongs, supporting him as needed.
Read MoreLast week, our networking group ran ahead of schedule. Everyone had given their one-minute pitch, and instead of sitting in dead air, I picked up the mic and started riffing on networking, branding, and differentiation. Somewhere in there, I mentioned that I'm an introvert — and that I still show up with energy and actively seek out connection.
Afterward, someone pulled me aside. "If you're an introvert," he said, "you hide it very well."
He meant it as a compliment. But it stuck with me, because it revealed something most people get wrong: the idea that introversion and extroversion are costumes you either wear well or don't. They're not. They're wiring. And once you understand how that wiring actually works, you stop mistaking performance for personality — in yourself and in everyone you lead.
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