2012-09-26 – The gate of heaven closes tonight. But don’t worry, it happens every year at the close of Yom Kippur. Jews have confessed their sins and repented. If you did it right, you are inscribed in the book of life and the verdict is sealed for the coming year.

Do you believe that?

What if you are a day late? What if you are totally repentant tomorrow? But you didn’t quite make it today? Do you miss your opportunity to be inscribed in the book of life? Or worse: what if you did the repentance thing to a tee, but tomorrow you change your mind and return to a life of sin. Do you remain sealed in the book of life? Even the question sounds odd.

Of course, my perspective on all this is that there isn’t a God and there isn’t a book of life to be inscribed in. Is there any truth or value to all this?

I think so. I think we make our own heaven or hell right here on earth. Doing t’shuvah, turning over a new leaf, mending your ways – it all makes a difference. Here. Today.

So the deadline is not something you can miss. If you change your life tomorrow, it’s not too late. But deadlines do focus our attention. And there is ultimately one deadline that is enforced.