This week, rather than focusing on the individual amud of the week, I would like to focus on the Amud-a-Week program in general. This is specifically appropriate at this time of year when we are all busy taking stock and planning for the coming year. There is a famous contradiction that is found both in the Talmud regarding the nature of the judgment from Hashem on Rosh Hashana, as well as in halacha regarding the appropriate mindset we must have for the holiday itself. On one hand, the gemara analogizes our judgment on Rosh Hashana as an extremely personal experience, like a shepherd counting his sheep and passing them through a narrow door. On the other hand, the gemara says that Hashem judges all mankind with one glance.