Dear Friend,
An editor is the writer’s natural enemy. And a great editor is the writer’s greatest enemy. As any writer can attest, it is painful to watch someone deftly decide that a carefully chosen word or delicately constructed paragraph is unnecessary. Painful, but healthy. Because the skilled editor trims away the static and allows the message to shine through.
People tend to think of the teshuvah we do on Yom Kippur (which begins on Tuesday evening) as some sort of punishing exercise. Perhaps it would be better to see it as a form of self-editing. We take a look at what we have done and where we are going, and then cut out the behaviors and patterns that are keeping us down. Freed from the baggage of our old habits, we are healthy, pure and pristine.
Let’s get editing!
The Chabad.org Editorial Staff
