When you go shopping to buy something, let’s say a piece of furniture, and you see that it has a small scratch, you might decide not to buy it. But if you do buy it, probably the little imperfection doesn’t bother you that much. However, if you buy it and the furniture gets further scratched at home, chances are that you will be very disappointed. Why is it that the imperfection had less significance in the store than it does when it is at home?
The reason is because while the object was in the store, you were looking at something that was not yours. You had the option to choose it or not. However, once it becomes yours, it has been chosen—you and the object are one. Therefore, every imperfection is a reflection on you.
Now we can understand an interesting law connected to our weekly Torah portion. It says that metal should not touch the stone that is used for the altar. The Talmud and the code of Jewish law say that there is a difference if the stone was chipped before the stone became part of the altar, or if it was chipped after the altar had been built.
If the stone was chipped before, then it only becomes unusable if the chip is of a “measurable” size. But if the altar was already built, then even the smallest damage rendered it unusable and therefore it must be replaced.
The reason is as follows: Before the stone became part of the altar, the stone hadn’t been chosen yet and therefore a small infraction was not a big deal. If, however, it became part of the altar, then it was “chosen” and perfection was required.
This teaches us a profound lesson relating to Rosh Hashana: When we see an imperfection in another person we should be accepting and forgiving. But when we see an imperfection in ourselves, even if it is the smallest imperfection, we should work on changing ourselves to the better.