Holy Holidays

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

5780 2019

OU ISRAEL CELEBRATING 40 YEARS Special Tishrei Torah Journal

y k s f o n r e h C l i h P f o r o n o h In 1 SPECIAL EDITION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

26

THE POWER OF PRAYER

15

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

30

THE STRENGTH OF TEARS

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

64

3

GREETINGS

12

40 YEARS’ TIMELINE The OU Israel Center

16

OUR PROJECTS Exciting times ahead

25Rosh Hashanah DIVREI TORAH

Aseret Yemei Teshuva Yom Kippur Hoshanah Rabbah Sukkot Epilogue

17

IN PRAISE OF PHIL

NCSY ISRAEL

72

60

52

GREETINGS FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES

TRIBUTE TO PHIL CHERNOFSKY

THE REJOICING OF WATERS ON SUKKOT

58

TRIBUTE TO PHIL 38 Years of service!

72

GREETINGS From friends & colleagues SPECIAL EDITION 3

BEHIND THE SCENES INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the: Jewish Agency for Israel Ministry of Education Ministry of Absorption Ministry of Welfare Jerusalem Municipality Jewish Agency for Israel Ministry of Education Ministry of Absorption Ministry of Welfare

ORTHODOX UNION Moishe Bane President Allen Fagin Executive Vice President Dr. Shimmy Tenenbaum OU Israel Chair Shlomo Schwartz CFO We would like to thank the entire OU Israel Center staff and the many volunteers for their hard work in making this 40th Anniversary Torah Tribute to Phil Chernofsky a great success.

40TH ANNIVERSARY JOURNAL PROJECT Journal Editor Menachem Persoff Art Director Yael Hauftmann With the assistance of: Ita Rochel Russek Laya Bejell David Katz David Barel Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Mandy Hurwitz Rikki Liff Verna Gartner Chana Spivack Mimi Lowinger Arlene Safra Batya Morris

OU ISRAEL Rabbi Avi Berman Executive Director Zvi Sand President Rabbi Emanuel Quint z”l Senior Vice President Prof. Meni Koslowsky Vice President Va’ad Members Dr. Simcha Heller Stuart Hershkowitz Moshe Kempinski Sandy Kestenbaum Ben Weiner Harvey Wolinetz Dr. Michael Elman Norman Shmutter

OU ISRAEL CENTER ‫בסיוע הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל‬

22 Keren Hayesod P.O. Box 37015 Jerusalem 91370 Tel 02-560-9100, Fax 02-560-0156 E-mail: office@ouisrael.org Website: www.ouisrael.org

4 SPECIAL EDITION

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OU ISRAEL 40 YEARS’ TIMELINE 1979 Establishment of the OU

Israel Center on Rechov Strauss in downtown Yerushalayim. The Mission: To strengthen the bonds between the Jewish people, Torah, and the Land of Israel

1980 The OU Israel Center

becomes a “home-away-from-home” for Anglos in Israel, especially for overseas students studying in Yeshivot and seminaries in Israel.

GAM for senior adults CHIDUSH for older singles l NITZOTZ volunteer program for overseas students l NESTO for teenage olim l TIKKUN counseling program for Russian olim l Extensive English language library l ACHIM for adult Russian immigrants and children l l

1980s 1984

Shai Solomon (Director, center) and Phil Chernofsky (Education Director, back left) create activities for students: social, educational and cultural events; entertainment and leadership training.

14 SPECIAL EDITION

1986

With Jewish Agency assistance and with help of the new project director, Menachem Persoff, several new projects launched:

OU ISRAEL 40 YEARS’ TIMELINE 1992 First-ever Torathon

and first issue of Torah Tidbits

Establishment of the new center in Rechavia, the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center.

l

Rabbi Dovid Cohen appointed executive director of OU Israel Center amuta

New programs included: l Expanded program of shiurim and lectures l In-house Shabbatonim

Incorporation of the OU Israel youth programs in Israel under the umbrella of the Israel Center amuta.

1990s

Expanded premises allowed for dedicated Beit Knesset, Beit Midrash and lecture rooms and vast growth of projects and programs and library and video collections.

SPECIAL EDITION 15

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OU ISRAEL 40 YEARS’ TIMELINE NEW PROGRAMS WERE ADDED l MAKOM BALEV youth clubs l The AVROM SILVER JERUSALEM COLLEGE l GESHARIM Bar-Bat Mitzva program l LEV YEHUDI community outreach l DOR LEDOR intergenerational family project l THE PEARL & HAROLD JACOBS ZULA OUTREACH CENTER for “kids-at-risk” l BEIT KHARKOV ABSORPTION PROGRAM for Russian olim youth l TRAVEL DESK l CAMP DROR for Israeli Anglo-teenagers l BEIT DIN for financial matters l CHARITY FUNDS

SEVERAL ANNUAL DINNERS l Three OU biennial conventions (under the aegis of the OU Israel Center) l During Gush Katif crisis, Center staff reached out to the distressed communities

NEW PROGRAMS WERE ADDED l THE JACK E. GINDI ORAITA program for at-risk Israeli youth l The KASHRUT DIVISION of the OU in Israel doubled l OU ISRAEL HECHSER PROGRAM l MACHON MAAYAN SEMINARY for girls l MASHIV HARU’ACH outreach project for IDF soldiers

2000s 2006

Rabbi Avi Berman took on the role of Executive Director

16 SPECIAL EDITION

OU ISRAEL 40 YEARS’ TIMELINE The last ten years have seen OU Israel go “Michayil el Choyil”, from strength to strength, with the inauguration of even more educational and social initiatives targeted towards critical populations, as well as the public at large. These programs include:

L’AYLA WOMEN’S INITIATIVE

l

SCP Semichat Chaver Program

l

NCSY ISRAEL - For Angloteenagers

l

2010s JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative - IDC Herzliya)

l

YACHAD ISRAEL for individuals with disabilities

l

We look forward to the next decade, continuing to inspire Am Yisrael with the beauty and spiritual messages of our Torah...

SPECIAL EDITION 17

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OUR PROGRAMS

The Seymour J. Abrams Jerusalem World Center Each year, more than 110,000 people visit the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center (also known as the OU Israel Center).

Since 1979, The OU Israel Center has provided a warm and welcoming environment, spiritual inspiration, and social connection for English-speaking Olim and tourists - from young professionals to families to active retirees. Our 5 story, 840 square meter building in central Yerushalayim, complete with lecture halls, an English language library, classrooms, and event halls, is home to more than 80 weekly programs, and is a home-away-from home for English speakers of all ages.

OU ISRAEL CENTER PROGRAMS INCLUDE: -The Avrom Silver College for Adults - Inspirational Torah classes for English-Speaking Olim.

- JCHAT - The Jerusalem Community Hub for Anglos and Torah, “home base” for young English speaking professionals.

-L’Ayla Women’s Learning Initiative - Empowering women of all ages through Torah and inspiration.

- OU Israel Travel - Exploring the history and natural beauty of the Land of Israel.

18 SPECIAL EDITION

OUR PROGRAMS

NCSY Israel The teenage years are challenging even under optimal conditions; add the additional trials and tribulations of Aliyah to the mix, and the challenge is even greater.

Anglo teens in Israel confront tough questions of identity and acculturation: They have left behind communities and familiar surroundings, and are not yet comfortable in their new environment. They struggle with cultural differences, social limitations, the language barrier, and the desire to contribute to society without a framework in which they can do so.

NCSY Israel helps English-Speaking teenage immigrants integrate into Israeli society by providing a framework that allows them to take pride in who they are and where they come from, as they become fully acculturated members of Israeli society.

For a growing number of immigrants from Englishspeaking communities, NCSY Israel is a crucial stepping stone in the process of absorption, producing socially well adjusted, emotionally healthy, proud Israeli teens.

SPECIAL EDITION 19

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OUR PROGRAMS

Yachad Israel Yachad Israel, launched in 2012 after decades of success in North America, enriches the lives of people with special needs through social, vocational, and recreational programming. Yachad Israel chapters, located throughout the country, serve people of all ages and with a wide range of disabilities, and provide support and resources for their families.

Yachad Israel is a member of the National Jewish Council for Disabilities. Regularly scheduled programs include art and sports classes, as well as our Relationship Building Course, Yachad Gifts packing, a weekly Buddy Program held in cooperation with local schools, the Slice of Torah Learning Program with Yeshivat HaKotel, and monthly bowling nights.

20 SPECIAL EDITION

OUR PROGRAMS

Camp Dror Since its establishment in 1995 by OU Israel and NCSY, Camp Dror, a two and a half week Orthodox Jewish sleepaway camp for youth entering grades 5-10, has provided hundreds of boys and girls from Israel and around the world with a unique combination of summer fun, Zionism and Torah learning. Located in Israel’s majestic north, Camp Dror offers a wide array of activities, including hiking, kayaking, learning, Chesed projects, swimming, sports, arts and crafts, and more.

The boys’ camp is located in Chispin, and the girls’ camp in Moshav Keshet, both in the beautiful Golan Heights.

Our mature and experienced staff create a warm atmosphere in which deep and lasting relationships with the campers and between the campers flourish. The easygoing and open atmosphere allows campers to grow, each in their own unique way, while meeting new friends from diverse backgrounds including Hebrew- speaking Israelis, English-speaking Israelis, and youth from all over the world. While they enjoy all the fun of a summer sleepaway camp, our campers also learn about themselves, their heritage and homeland, and about other Jewish communities and traditions.

SPECIAL EDITION 21

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OUR PROGRAMS

JLIC Herzliya The Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) was created to help Jewish students observe key aspects of Jewish life on college campuses. Currently, young couples serve as teachers and Torah role models on 23 university campuses in North America, learning with students one-on-one, coordinating weekly classes, event and community building. In September 2017, OU JLIC expanded to include its first Israeli community in Herzliya.

In two years the JLIC couple, Rabbi Josh and Margot Botwinick, began to enhance the entire dynamic of religious life in Herzliya. They have Minyanim 3 times a day, an unbelievably vibrant Shabbat community with personal and Halachik guidance, Chavrutot, Shiurim and Chesed events.

Thanks to JLIC, Jewish life for Olim and Anglos in Herzliya is flourishing and dozens of students are moving in.

22 SPECIAL EDITION

OUR PROGRAMS

OU Israel Free Spirit Taglit - Israel Birthright Israel Free Spirit, an official trip provider for Birthright Israel, helps keep the global Jewish community vibrant, relevant, and growing. Every year, Israel Free Spirit provides life-changing trips to Israel for thousands of college students and young professionals from diverse backgrounds: Customized trips catering to NCSY Alumni, Yachad special-needs adults, Modern Orthodox participants, and more.

The Israel Free Spirit continues with Jewish follow-up learning opportunities that connect Birthright trip participants with their Jewish heritage. Some of our posttrip extension options include classes on basic Judaism, unique tours, and housing in Yerushalayim’s Old City, with facilities that cater specifically to Israel Free Spirit. One of our most successful and sought-after post trip “Plus” extensions is called ‘Eilat Heart and Soul.’ This 5-day extension trip, an add-on to the 10-day Birthright Israel Trip, offers a mix of sun, fun, and spiritual exploration. After completing the Birthright trip, participants spend 5 additional days hiking, snorkeling, and touring the south of Israel while taking an opportunity to meditate, practice yoga, study Jewish texts, and explore Jewish values and Jewish identity.

SPECIAL EDITION 23

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OUR PROGRAMS

The Jack E. Gindi Oraita Program The Jack E. Gindi Oraita Program serves as a supportive environment for at-risk teens, primarily in low socioeconomic communities. At-risk young adults are often forced to deal with a variety of personal, familial, and social problems. The majority of the adolescents lack a significant role model and require assistance in a myriad of fields. The Oraita program reaches youth who are exposed to street culture; it provides them with a safe place and stepping stone towards independent living. We strive to help the young people construct a positive self-identity, and help them create and improve various life skills.

Oraita offers a balance of fun and values, games and growth. Whether in a discussion group or around the billiards table, kids form close relationships with counselors who serve as mentors and role models, creating friendships that last a lifetime. We take great pride that 96% of our OU Israel Youth Centers graduating seniors have enrolled in Pre-IDF Mechinot, Yeshivot, Sheirut Leumi or the IDF.

24 SPECIAL EDITION

OUR PROGRAMS

Makom Balev OU Israel Makom Balev Youth Centers offer leisure activities and leadership programs for kids aged 10-18 from the National Religious school system in Israel’s peripheral and low socio-economic areas.

Since Makom Balev opened its doors, tens of thousands of teens and pre-teens have participated in Clubhouse activities and Barand Bat-Mitzva ceremomies throughout the country. They enjoy programming that deepens their connection to Jewish values and the Land of Israel. Moreover, Makom Balev offers constructive, empowering experiences that connect the young participants to the community.

The counselors organize and oversee volunteer projects in which Makom Balev participants assist the elderly, help needy families, volunteer in hospitals and senior-citizen homes, and distribute holiday gift packages to soldiers in the IDF. Makom Balev’s impact is gratifying and significant. Many Makom Balev members have gone on to take on leadership roles at the vanguard of Israeli Society.

SPECIAL EDITION 25

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

OUR PROGRAMS

The Pearl & Harold Jacobs Zula Outreach Center The Pearl and Harold Jacobs Zula Outreach Center is a safe haven for at-risk teens, primarily from Religious Zionist backgrounds.

Typically, these teens and young adults have become estranged from their families, teachers, and normative frameworks, and are often experiencing a crisis in faith.

Many are involved in substance abuse or other antisocial behaviors.

Located in the heart of Yerushalayim, The Zula’s team of counselors and educational professionals guide troubled teens and help them return to normative social, religious, and scholastic frameworks. The Zula is a place of warmth and acceptance where teens are welcome to drop in and “hang out,” as an alternative to the night life out on the city streets. The Zula’s come-as-you-are policy creates a non-judgmental atmosphere of mutual trust and acceptance that allows troubled kids to hear and be heard, to learn, to connect with positive role models, and to find their way back to their families, schools and communities.

26 SPECIAL EDITION

DIVREI TORAH A Message for Everyone

In the following pages, we are proud to present Divrei Torah by several of the outstanding TT contributors and teachers who have shaped the OU Israel Center’s educational programs in the past and present. All the writers have been associated over the years with Phil Chernofsky to whom they joyfully and respectfully dedicate their essays.

In these columns, you will find a variety of approaches to the Yamim Nora’im, Asseret Yemei Teshuva, and Sukkot. There are eternal messages for everyone. We offer our thanks to these fine teachers and our special thanks to Phil for providing the teaching staff of the “OU Israel Center” over 38 years with a personal example of dedication to Limmud and Ahavat HaTorah.

s ROSH HASHANAH s ASSERET YEMEI TESHUVAH s YOM KIPPUR s HOSHANAH RABBAH s SUKKOT

SPECIAL EDITION 27

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ROSH HASHANAH

The Power of PRAYER ZEMIRA OZAROWSKI

I

t is Rosh Hashanah morning. It is a new year, a day of judgement.

We get to the Haftarah and read about a woman, Chana, who for many years suffered from infertility and is finally blessed with a son, who becomes Shmuel HaNavi.

What does this story have to do with Rosh Hashanah? Wouldn’t we expect a stronger connection to Teshuva or judgement? But, no! Chazal actually formulated the Rosh Hashanah Mussaf prayer with nine Berachot that correlated with the nine times that Chana mentions Hashem’s name in her thanksgiving prayer. So, what is this intrinsic connection?

Let us look at the story in depth.

Chana is suffering, frustrated, lonely, and desperate. The Midrash tells us that her co-wife Peninah constantly

28 SPECIAL EDITION

taunts her, and her husband tells her to get over it. And Chana is stuck; she has no-one to talk to.

What does Chana do? Finally, she gathers up courage and takes action. She goes to the Mishkan and pours out her heart in Tefillah – not your typical rote Tefillah, but the real deal. She cries out to Hashem from

This is what real Tefillah is about – it’s a private, yet urgent, direct prayer to G-d.

the depths of her very being. She doesn’t daven out loud, because the essence of her Tefillah is what she’s feeling inside. The Kohen Eli has never seen anything like this. He thinks she must be drunk, for usually people daven out loud: prayer is more of an outward, physical, act.

But she answers, “No, I am just Marat Nefesh – there is something burning so deeply in my very core that this is how it comes out.” This is what real Tefillah is about – it’s a private, yet urgent, direct prayer to G-d.

www Following the Midrash, Vatitpallel al Hashem (literally “She davened on Hashem”) means that Chana spit out her words and threw them up at Hashem. She demands a child! She calls out to Hashem, “You created every part of the body for a purpose. What about my breasts? Give me a child who can nurse from them”. She continues, “Hashem…! You have billions of people at your disposal: Can’t You just give one to me?”

Chana can talk to Hashem with such chutzpa because she has worked on herself. Chana starts out as a jealous, sad woman, but we see her transform before our eyes.

The root of the word lehitpallel is ‫פלל‬, to judge or to clarify. ‫ להתפלל‬is the reflexive tense, a transformative process of self-definition, in which a person clarifies his or her relationship with Hashem and the world. Through her prayer, Chana becomes a new woman, who now understands her role in this world. She analyzes her desire for children and is able to transform her motives into pure, completely selfless motives.

And thus Chana’s prayers are answered. She says this request is not for me; it’s for You, Hashem.

I want a child purely for Avodat Hashem and I can prove it to you: I will give him up to you to be trained in your service. Can you imagine a woman who spends her whole life yearning for a child and then willingly gives him up?

www We learn many halachot of Tefillah from Chana (e.g., to have Kavanah and to daven quietly). The themes

of the Berachot of the daily Shemoneh Esrei are structured after Chana’s Tefillah. Chazal chose Chana as the model of Tefillah because hers is true Tefillah. She understood that she was really talking to Someone and that there was a ko’ach to her Tefillah - and she davened with completely pure intentions.

We don’t daven like this because we don’t believe in the ko’ach of our prayers. Imagine a doctor who could cure a family member’s fatal disease. Wouldn’t we beg and bargain with that doctor because we know he has the power to change our family member’s fate.

Chana’s Tefillah of thanksgiving closes the theme, with Chana recognizing that it is Hashem who has the power to affect change and to make anything happen. But the key is that we need to have pure motives so that we can have the audacity to come to Hashem with our request and demand that He

give in because it is for Him.

www We now understand why this story was chosen as the Haftarah for Rosh Hashanah. We are all in the same boat as Chana. We may not be dealing with infertility, but we all have our own personal struggles.

Often, after many years, we despair.

The Haftarah comes to wake us up on Rosh Hashanah, to remind us of the ko’ach of Tefillah.

We need to transform ourselves, to introspect and to figure out what our life goals should be – and then we can daven productively. We need to recognize that we want our personal issues to be solved, not just so that we can live happily, but also so that we can better serve Hashem.

When we come to that realization, we can then have the audacity to really call out to Hashem. Be’Ezrat Hashem, when, on Rosh Hashanah, we approach Hashem with pure motives and complete faith in His powers and ability, then things can change. w SPECIAL EDITION 29

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ROSH HASHANAH

The Power of the

SHOFAR MENACHEM PERSOFF

I

n writing about the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the Rambam alludes to two aspects of the blowing. He writes that, “There is a requirement to hear the sound [kol] of the Shofar” and that “It is a positive biblical mitzva to hear the blast [Teruah] of the shofar…as the verse states: ‘A day of Teruah it shall be for you’.” Following Rav Soloveitchik, one could describe the hearing of the shofar, per se, as the objective, physical, or mechanical side of the mitzva, while one could describe the attention to the Teruah as inner fulfilment.

30 SPECIAL EDITION

Why would that be so? For the Rav, the connotation of Rosh Hashanah as the “Day of the Teruah” reminds us that the Teruah blast was blown in moments of crisis: For, to use Rambam’s famous explication, the Teruah is meant to awake the slumberer. During the Asseret Yemei Teshuva, the shofar raises our consciousness to the fact that we are pleading for our lives!

The shofar expresses what words cannot. As we say of Hashem every morning in our prayers, namely, that ultimately G-d “chooses musical songs of praise.” That is, perhaps, because

our words fail us or because, as mortals, we mistakenly believe that we can adequately express praise of the all-powerful, infinite One. Thus, woefully, we need the Teruah sounds. They emerge as a stuttering, mournful cry from our innermost reaches to fly up towards the heavenly throne, most surely turning our pitiful prayers into sweet melodies in G-d’s ears.

The Rav notes that the one who blows the Shofar is both active and passive; he is both “Ram” (exalted) and “Nissah” (passive).

He is passive insofar as he hears his shofar blasts; active insofar as he creates the shofar sounds.

This bifurcation represents our mixed personality: The passive side represents the sinner or our impure aspect; the active side is representative of our ability to choose to imitate G-d and to unify both sides of the “split” individual that is essentially us. And, for the

Rav, it is this engagement with our impure aspect that enables Teshuva to take place and that triggers that process.

When we are just listeners [of the Shofar], when we are but the passive object, and when we are “transformed from a creator to a victim,” then, notes the Rav, we are subject to sin. The “active” shofar blower, however, is in effect reproving himself; the shofar blast reminds him that he has a pure side and that he no longer has to be a slave to his material desires. Just as the Teruah sound is blown at the beginning of the Jubilee year to announce that the slaves are now free, so does the Teruah blast on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur’s end free that part of our personality that has been “in exile.”

www

Amazingly, if ascent signifies activism and descent passivity, then Hashem can, in His infinite wisdom, mirror these actions.

How so? The Rav explains that when we describe G-d in our prayers as “Ram Venissah,” this implies that Hashem can,

The shofar expresses what words cannot

at one time, be both exalted and passive (in the sense of responsive). For when, in response to our shofar sounds, Hashem reverts, as it were,

from the status of King (cool judgment) to that of Father (mercy), it is as if He, too, is doing Teshuva. For is it not written that “G-d has gone up amidst the sound of the Teruah; the Lord amid the sound of the Shofar” (Psalm 47)?

Yes, when we are in sin, we are like an object, passive. Teshuva, however, enables us to become a subject, to act once again.

To paraphrase the Rav: The shofar alarms us that sin pulls us downward; the cry of the shofar, however, awakens us to engage in Teshuva, thus to regain our dynamic personality.

In a way, we might be brazen enough to suggest that the Teruah reminds G-d that, “He does the will of those who fear Him, and He will hear their cry and save them” (ibid 145) – Speedily and in our days, Amen. w SPECIAL EDITION 31

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ROSH HASHANAH

The Strength of

TEARS RAV ZEV LEFF (Adapted from Rabbi Leff’s book, “The Festivals of Life”)

T

he Torah instructs us to simulate crying through the vehicle of the Shofar, so it is not surprising that the Targum translates Yom Teruah as “Yom Yibbava” – ‘A Day of Weeping’ (Bemidbar 29:1) and that the Netziv (Ha’emek Davar, Emor) entreats us not only to sound the Shofar but also to contemplate and comprehend the concept of this crying.

One can appreciate the power of tears when one relates to the Midrash (Yalkut, Tehillim 823) that tells of how Nevuchadnezzar instructed Nevuzaradan not to permit the exiled Jews to rest until they crossed the Euphrates,

32 SPECIAL EDITION

“I bring heaven and earth to testify that had you shed one tear while you were still in the land, you would not have been exiled.” lest they have time to weep and entreat Hashem to redeem them.

Only after crossing, the exiles rested and by the Rivers of Babylon they sat and wept. Yirmiyahu met them there and declared: “I bring heaven and earth to testify that had you shed one tear while you were still in the land, you would not have been exiled.”

www We find in the Torah readings on Rosh Hashanah several references to crying episodes. Hagar cries for fear of losing her son, Yishmael; Chanah cries for a child; following the Midrash, Avraham cries openly at the Akeidah; and Rachel weeps for her children in exile.

Weeping is the manifestation of the deepest, inner emotions. This is why, in Lashon Hakodesh, weeping is “Bechi,” which is connected to the term, “Bechah” – ‘Within you.’ The numerical value of “Bechi” is 32; it corresponds to that of “Lev” – ‘heart.’

Crying conveys total submission; it is an expression of helplessness and dependence. In this light, crying expresses the value of something lost and it is an extremely powerful force. This force is embodied in the cry of the Shofar itself.

The Shevarim (lit., the “broken” aspect of crying) is a sighing and weeping over a state of something absent and lacking; it is an intense

recognition that one is being judged and found incomplete.

This corresponds to Chana’s crying for the child she lacked.

The Teruah aspect of crying is a staccato alarm, an intense feeling of imminent danger and insecurity, the feeling that one has, perhaps, when realizing the danger of sin. Such was Hagar’s cry when she expressed her alarm at the imminent peril inherent in her son’s condition.

The combination of the ShevarimTeruah alerts us to the awareness that our state of imperfection is in itself cause for alarm. These Shofar blasts correspond to the cry of Rachel for the lost glory of the past and to the dangers of her exiled children losing their spiritual heritage.

The Tekiah, the long unbroken blast, notably, is less an expression of abandonment and more a recognition of our dire plight and the resolve and hope that it can be changed and improved.

www We sound the Shofar a hundred times, corresponding to the number of cries ascribed to Sisra’s mother as she waited for her son to return from the battle with Devorah and Barak. She was unsure whether she was crying for joy in anticipation of the spoils of victory or whether she was weeping over her son’s demise. She was, perhaps akin to a baby, unable to understand fully his needs and how to express them. But the baby knows that if he cries, a parent will attend to him. So do we express to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that we ourselves do not fully know what to cry for or how to cry. Thus, like Sisra’s mother, we cry with a combination of cries – the various Shofar blasts – from cries of joy to cries of mourning. And in that spirit, we hope and trust that our Merciful Father in Heaven will heed our cries and attend to our needs. w SPECIAL EDITION 33

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ASSERET YEMEI TESHUVA

Revolutionizing

REPENTANCE RABBI AARON GOLDSCHEIDER

I

n his breathtaking work Orot HaTeshuva, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook zt”l wonders aloud whether he is suited to pen a new treatise on the topic of repentance. After all, he submits, the subject matter has been richly treated by a multitude of sages throughout the generations. Rav Kook counters that he has no choice.

He feels compelled to share his own understanding for a new generation in need of learning about the topic of Teshuva in a language and from a perspective uniquely suited for them.

One hundred years later our generation remains indebted

34 SPECIAL EDITION

to Rav Kook for pouring his immense spiritual and intellectual energy into each and every word of this precious volume.

RAV KOOK’S TESHUVA

‫היא שישוב‬...‫והתשובה הראשית‬ ‫ אל שרש נשמתו‬,‫האדם אל עצמו‬ )‫י‬:‫(אורות התשובה טו‬ “The primary role of Teshuva... is for the person to return to himself, to the root of his soul.”

(Orot HaTeshuva 15:10) Teshuva should not be translated as ‘repentance,’ a word which conjures up a negative sense of feeling defeated and broken because of our misdeeds and

moral shortcomings. Teshuva is empowering and invigorating.

Teshuva is a return to our true selves; bringing ourselves back to center. For the Rav, “Teshuva is, in essence, an effort to return to one’s original status, to the source of life and higher being in their fullness…” (Orot HaTeshuva 12:8) Rav Kook lovingly encourages us to focus on the positive. There is no denying the work we need to do to overcome our impatience, stinginess, laziness, ingratitude or whatever aspect of our character is handicapping our lives and our growth. However, when we take a step up on the spiritual ladder we feel the

immense satisfaction in reaching for more and striving to attain our true potential.

‫התשובה באה משאיפת המציאות‬ ‫ יותר‬,‫כלה להיות יותר טובה ומזככת‬ ‫חסינה ומעלה ממה שהיא‬

“Teshuva is…the return to…the source of life”

“Teshuva is inspired by the yearning of all existence to be better, purer, more vigorous and on a higher plane than it is.” (Orot HaTeshuva 6:1) Rav Kook understands the process of return as a natural process. Sin is nothing but a deviation from man’s true nature.

‫התשובה היא ההרגשה היותר בריאה‬ )‫א‬:‫של הנפש (אורות התשובה ה‬ “Teshuva is the healthiest feeling of a person.” (Orot HaTeshuva 5:1)

to it, but rather it is facilitated by virtue of nature and because of it.

A verse from Tehillim bears out this unique and empowering approach of Rav Kook:

‫אור זרוע לצדיק ולישרי לב שמחה‬ Teshuva is not undertaken despite nature or in opposition

“Light is sown for the righteous

(tzadik), and joy for the upright (yashar) of heart.”

(Psalms 97:11) We generally assume that the term tzadik describes a person who attains the highest place in religious devotion, and yet this verse suggests that the yashar attains an even higher level. The Talmud (Ta’anit 15a) confirms that this verse teaches that the yashar is more elevated. Who then is the tzaddik and who is the yashar? Rav Kook answers that the tzaddik is identified as one who overcomes his inclinations and subdues his yetzer hara to do God’s will. The yashar, on the other hand, aligns his will with God’s will. The yashar does not feel tension. He cleaves to God. His inner world harmonizes with the will of the Divine.

SPECIAL EDITION 35

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

It is beautifully fitting that we commence the Kol Nidre prayer on the holy night of Yom Kippur reciting this very verse – ‫אור‬ ‫– זרוע לצדיק ולישרי לב שמחה‬ aloud several times. This practice may be best understood as an opportunity for self-reflection or as a meditation. Rav Kook’s breakthrough teaching suggests that when we turn to God in Teshuva, the focal point is not on conquering one’s desires and evil impulses. Rather, our hearts aspire to attain a Teshuva that is suffused with simcha, tranquility and joy.

WHEN TO DO TESHUVA? Rav Kook was careful to emphasize that the act of Teshuva should not be practiced only during the Yamim Noraim; rather it is a continuous endeavor. Strikingly, he suggested that Teshuva is especially propitious during the lofty moments as Shabbat is entering: 36 SPECIAL EDITION

“At the start of a new year, it is incumbent to aspire to a path of Teshuva that brings healing and renewed strength”

‫בערב שבת קדש צריכים לעסק‬ ‫בתשובה על כל העבר בימות‬ ‫החל‬ “On the eve of Shabbat one should engage in Teshuva for all that transpired during the previous week” (Orot HaTeshuva 14:33).

Erev Shabbat is an opportune time for Teshuva because it is a time when we begin to cleanse ourselves from the many

distractions which interfere with aligning our will with God’s will.

The arrival of Shabbat awakens us to our higher selves and to our truest yearnings. As Rav Kook says, “When a person forgets the nature of his essential soul, when he distracts himself from looking at the core of his inner life, then everything becomes confused…”

(Orot HaTeshuva 15:10). The arrival of Shabbat gives us a new perspective on our week.

This insight from Rav Kook is reminiscent of a wonderful chassidic story which relates the unique practice, every Friday afternoon, of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizensk zt”l (1717-1787). As the sun would begin to set, the Rebbe would enter the kitchen and ask each member of the kitchen staff for forgiveness if he had not been sufficiently sensitive to them over the past week.

The Rebbe would then go and gather his family members, his wife and his children, and with tears in his eyes he would ask them for forgiveness. With this deed the Rebbe would bring

back a wholeness that was lost during the week.

As we stand at the start of a new year, it is incumbent upon us to aspire to a path of Teshuva that

brings healing and renewed strength: the kind of Teshuva lovingly taught by Rav Kook, which brings us into harmony with ourselves, our families, our community, and with God. w

SPECIAL EDITION 37

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ASSERET YEMEI TESHUVA

Transforming Our Simple Words to the

PUREST OF PRAYER RABBI SAM SHOR

T

here is an interesting teaching in the important Chassidic work, Sefat Emet,

38 SPECIAL EDITION

written by Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, zt’l, the Gerrer Rebbe.

THE REBBE WROTE: “There are four mitzvot which

form our daily routine: The recitation of the Shema, the wearing of tefillin, the donning of tzitzit, and Tefillah.

It is written in many holy

works that these four mitzvot correspond to the four-letter Divine name. Also, the various holidays each parallel one of these four mitzvoth: Pesach is representative of the tefillin, which we bind to our arm, recalling the “outstretched arm” that redeemed us from Egypt. Shavuot is linked to the recitation of the Shema, which includes the passage: ‘I have instructed you on this day’ (recalling the giving of the Torah at Sinai).

Sukkot brings to mind the mitzva of tzitzit, as the Sukka, much like the tzitzit garment, represents being enveloped by Divine protection. [And] the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are in essence all about prayer…”

Let us take a closer look at this piece. The Sefat Emet suggests that there are four daily rituals, each symbolically paralleled by the essence of one of our

four biblical holiday periods.

One might infer that the Rebbe is suggesting that the extra fervor, inspiration, and joy that we often experience during these festivals, should somehow inspire us to experience the parallel daily rituals – and all of our daily conduct – in a more meaningful and spiritually conscious way.

Given that we are currently between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, let us then explore further the parallel daily mitzva of Tefillah, which the Sefat Emet views as the essence of this entire ten-day period.

www Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, zt’l, said the following in a public discourse on prayer (Mishnat HaRav, p. 72): “The difference between an individual who prays and one who does not pray is not that the one sets aside time each

day to pray and the other does not set aside time for this purpose. Rather, there is a profound fundamental difference [between the two individuals]. The quality of life of each of these two is completely different! That time set aside for prayer makes a profound impact on the entire day.”

Thus, according to Rav Kook, Tefillah is much more than taking time out of our day to recite some Hebrew words as quickly as we possibly can. And Tefillah is much more than an opportunity to make requests or to plead our case before G-d, as so many people envision as the prime objective of the Asseret Yemei Teshuvah and Tefillah, in general. Rav Kook suggests that the experience of Tefillah somehow can transform our entire outlook, our entire daily routine, and our entire quality of life.

SPECIAL EDITION 39

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, zt’l, wrote that many perceive prayer as a conversation, as a dialogue with the Divine. The Rav suggests, however, that Tefillah is much more than a conversation or a dialogue between acquaintances.

Tefillah, said Rav Soloveitchik, should be experienced as though we have come so close to the Divine within each of us that we feel that we are colliding with Hashem’s presence. Thus, Tefillah is not a random discussion between two distant acquaintances; rather, prayer constitutes the most intimate of conversations between man and Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

www If the goal of Tefillah is not to petition or to make requests, but rather to enter into a pure, 40 SPECIAL EDITION

“The very essence of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Tefillah”

loving, intimate discourse with G-d, how are we to understand the words of Rav Kook and Rav Soloveitchik within the context of these days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?

And if, as the Sefat Emet indicates, the very essence of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Tefillah, then how are we to make sense of the many liturgical references in the prayers of the Yamim Nora’im to forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and judgment? Indeed, it seems clear from much of the traditional liturgy that we have gathered to make many pleas, both personal and communal.

There is a well-known verse that is part of the Hallel prayer we recite on Rosh Chodesh and festivals that is also is one of the many we chant immediately before the Shofar is sounded on Rosh Hashanah. It reads as follows: Min Hameitzar Karati Ya, Anani Bamerchav-Ya. “From the depths, I called out to God, [and] with Divine relief, he answered me.”

(Psalm 118) In his incredibly moving work on the Torah and holidays (Aish Kodesh), written during the period of the horrendous atrocities of the Second World War, the Rebbe of Piascezna, Rabbi Kalonimus Kalmish Shapira, zt’l, wrote regarding this verse: “For people like us, especially in such terrible, bitter anguish, it is impossible not to cry out

and pray to G-d about our pain and suffering, even on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, This in itself is a source of distress…

And our souls cry out bitterly that even during such holy days as these we are reduced to praying: ‘Give us life! Give us food!’ instead of loftier, altruistic prayers for the needs and sake of Heaven. … [So] this is the meaning of the verse ‘From the depths I called out to G-d, with Divine relief he answered me.’ At present, I am calling from the depths of my pain, but please G-d, respond with divine relief, so that I can pray from comfort and plenitude, so that I can pray properly, unselfishly, for the sake of feeling close.”

From the depths of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Rebbe teaches us a very profound idea regarding the experience of Tefillah. He is imparting that in our human frailty, Tefillah is often very

calling out to G-d, not from the depths of despair and pain, but rather from a space of comfort, heightened spiritual consciousness, and love.

www

self-centered, either out of a sense of obligation or as an outgrowth and response to a personal need or challenging circumstance. As echoed by Rav Soloveitchik, the Rebbe asserts that Tefillah in its purest form is the experience of

Perhaps, now, we can better understand the words of the Sefat Emet that “the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are, in essence, all about Tefillah.”

The opportunity that the Asseret Yemei Teshuvah present us is the ability to move up the ladder, to be inspired to leave behind our mundane, commonly selfcentered prayer, and to begin to view Tefillah as a regular opportunity to speak with, feel, and embrace G-d’s presence in our daily lives.

With warmest wishes for a Shanah Tovah Umetukah – A sweet new year full of joy, good health, clarity, and success.w SPECIAL EDITION 41

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

ASSERET YEMEI TESHUVA

The Key to

TESHUVA

RABBI SHOLOM GOLD

A DILEMMA The Midrash Tanchuma relates that, following the sale of Yosef, “They (the brothers) said ‘let us make a ban [Cherem] between us that no one of us will tell our father Yaakov [what we did].’ Yehuda said to them, ‘Reuven is not here and the ban cannot be 42 SPECIAL EDITION

affirmed without a quorum of ten (a minyan) [because there are only nine of us here].’ What did they do?

They made the Holy One Blessed Be He a party to the ban not to tell their father. That night Reuven went down to the pit to raise him (Yosef ) and he did not find him there. He rent his garments and wept. He went back to his brothers and said to them, ‘the lad

is gone – and I, where can I go?’ They told him the deed and the ban [not to tell Yaakov] and he remained silent.

And even concerning the Holy One Blessed be He, although it says, ‘He relates his words to Yaakov’ (Tehillim 147:19), this matter He did not tell because of the ban. Therefore Yaakov said, ‘Yosef has been torn to bits.’’”

One must stand perplexed and mystified by the words of the Midrash. How do we deal with such a Midrash that seems to challenge the rational mind? Everything in it defies honesty, morality, decency. Is this the depths to which they, the brothers, have fallen?

Let’s deal with it by clearly spelling out the questions. It seems that the brothers are attempting to conceal the terrible sin they have committed.

This is the great cover up of an unconscionable act. So why does G-d agree not only to be part of this great conspiracy of silence, but also to give it legitimacy and affirm its validity? We would expect G-d to thunder with anger, to express His contempt, to

bring down His wrath upon them.

Yet that’s not what happens. It appears that Hashem is an equal coconspirator in the “sinful” attempt to hide the deed from the light of day.

Hashem joins in the “unholy” alliance.

Why? And there are more questions: Where is there a halachah that requires a quorum of ten, a minyan, to give power and force to the cherem? We are well aware of the halachah that “a matter of holiness,” - such as saying Kaddish, Kedushah, public prayer or reading of the Torah - requires a minyan. But a ban, a cherem that people accept upon themselves: That does not need a minyan!

When Reuven is informed of the ban, he is extremely distressed, but nevertheless he “meekly” agrees to abide by it. Why? He will wait twentytwo years until he will blurt out, “Did I not speak to you saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ but you would not listen! And his blood...behold [it] is being avenged” (Bereishit 42:22).

Finally, was the ban ever lifted from

upon the brothers? What could have permitted them to remove the restrictions they placed upon themselves by the oath?

One must stand perplexed and mystified by the words of the Midrash THE SUBLIME MEANING OF THE MIDRASH Let’s go on an imaginary journey to try to discover what could, or would, have happened if there was no ban.

The brothers would witness day after day their father in mourning, inconsolable. They would hear his sighs, his sobs. They would see the signs of his grief etched in the growing lines in his face. What was once a happy normal home is now a place of much pain. The brothers have to be constantly on their guard to refer to their brother Yosef and of adding Zichrono Livrocho, “of blessed memory.” They would be

dangerously playacting roles for which they were not prepared. Their hearts will go out to their father for the suffering they have brought down upon him: He doesn’t deserve to be so broken up because of them. In that charged, tense, and unbearable atmosphere someone is going to break, someone is going to blurt out the terrible truth to their father Yaakov. Who would break first and what would he say?

My considered guess is that the “someone” who has convinced himself that he personally is not guilty will eventually tell his father.

How will he say it? “Do you know what they did!?” He will cast the blame completely on the others because he believes that he is blameless. At that moment the family of Yaakov will begin to be torn asunder by accusation and counter accusation. The family will implode and shatter itself from within. The wounds they will inflict on each other will never heal. No Klal Yisra’el will ever come into being. There will never be a minyan of Jews to say Kaddish or Kedushah. Moreover, that SPECIAL EDITION 43

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

no people of Israel will ever emerge constitutes the greatest desecration of G d’s name. And that’s why they must impose the ban.

www The very first necessary step in the process of Teshuva (repentance) is one’s ability to see clearly his own guilt. If an individual shifts the blame elsewhere, the path to return is closed before him. If the Jewish people can’t do teshuva, they will be stillborn.

In fact, the tragic process of shifting blame had already begun. The Torah says immediately after the sale of Yosef, “It was at that time that Yehuda went down from his brothers (Bereishit 38:1). Rashi comments, “Why is this passage here interrupting the story of Yosef? To teach you that Yehudah’s brothers took him down from his greatness when they saw the distress of their father. They said, ‘You said to sell him.

Had you said return him to his father we would have listened to you.’”

Rashi continues, “And he (Yehuda) turned away from his brothers.” The split in the family has commenced.

44 SPECIAL EDITION

One can only imagine what would have happened if they had not imposed the ban on telling their father. So Hashem joins the brothers in order to preserve the fragile unity of the family, and in the hope that they would acknowledge their guilt and repent.

A TIME FOR SILENCE There is yet another reason why Hashem joins the brothers. Because He knows that wherever there is tragedy, sooner or later someone is going to point the finger at G-d. Where were You when this was happening? Why didn’t you intervene? That accusation would be the greatest desecration of Hashem’s name. So the brothers imposed a time for silence. The brothers now have the opportunity for introspection. Unable to blame others, each one begins to see that he shares the guilt equally: Why didn’t anyone speak up and say, “Let’s return him to his father.”

Therefore, twenty-two years later, as they stand accused of spying against Egypt, the brothers exclaim as : ‘We

are guilty concerning our brother as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us and we did not listen; that is why this anguish has come upon us’” (Bereishit 42:21).

So the puzzling and mystifying Midrash turns out to be profound and majestic, a Midrash that speaks to all generations.

NONE IS SO INNOCENT None is so innocent that he can accuse others. In our time we have experienced the destructive force of casting blame on others and the concurrent inability to see our own guilt. We have heard the blasphemous cries of “Where was G-d?” It takes strength, honesty, and integrity to say that we all share guilt.

We could have done more maybe.

None is so innocent that he can accuse others.

In the aftermath of every folly, a serious miscalculation or tragedy – of a personal or communal nature, affecting the few or the many, the individual or the nation – the same pathetic scene plays itself out. The blamers know exactly who is at

fault, and the destructive backbiting game begins. A death in the family: Someone blames the doctor, the nurse, or sibling. A loss of a job; a business failure; a child who strays…

Yes, someone else is always at fault.

People find it very difficult to be objective and honest enough to admit that they share in the blame.

I don’t know how many people have accepted blame for the Oslo Accords or for the ugly expulsion of Jews for Gush Katif. There is a whole list of the others who are at fault. Until this day, there are accusations and counteraccusations between groups in our community as to who carries the guilt for the Holocaust. In the midst of all the confusion, we forget the evil ones who are truly guilty. Moreover, the time has come to look into ourselves and to be able to say what the brothers said: “We are all guilty.”

THE NEXT STEP TO SUPERIOR TESHUVA So, looking back at our narrative, when Yosef hears the brothers’ contrite regret, he chooses to help

them reach what the Rambam calls “Superior Teshuva,” namely, the state of mind that when faced with the same circumstances, one does not repeat the sin: His Teshuva is complete.

Yosef tells the brothers to go home; but their brother Shimon will remain imprisoned as a hostage. Yosef hopes that the brothers will do all in their power so that no Jew is left behind. He prays that they will plead on Shimon’s behalf. Much to his dismay not an objection is made, not a voice is raised. The brothers have failed to translate their repentance into action. Yosef now knows that he will have to reconstruct the circumstances in the hope that the brothers will not fail again.

Upon their return to Egypt, Yosef carefully plans to provide them again with the opportunity to achieve complete Teshuva. His prized cup is planted in Binyamin’s baggage. Yosef sends the “one in charge of his house” to pursue the brothers, to find the cup and bring the brothers back. Upon their return, Yosef tells them that Binyamin will

remain in Egypt and not return home to his father.

We now have the same ircumstances as pertained to Yosef when he was sold, and Yosef prays that they will not fail. Then Yehuda comes forward and pleads for Binyamin. He offers to stay as a slave in Binyamin’s stead, “for how can I go up to my father and the lad is not with me?”

Now the brothers have finally passed the test. The Cherem has saved the family from disintegration and the brothers admit their guilt.

The ban, having served its purpose, is no longer binding.

What emerges from the Midrash is that even at the time of the betrayal of Yosef, the brothers acted with great wisdom by imposing the ban.

Moreover, it has becomes clear that Yosef did not intend to cause his brothers pain or suffering. He was not motivated by anger or revenge, but by the compassion he exercised in order to helps his brothers take that final step to superior Teshuva.w SPECIAL EDITION 45

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

YOM KIPPUR

Blowing Shofar on

YOM KIPPUR? RABBI DR. AARON ADLER ‫שבעִ י‬ ִ ‫בחדׁש ַה‬ ֶ ‫ׁשֹופר תרּועָ ה‬ ַ ‫וְ ַהעֲ ַב ְר ָּת‬ ‫כפרים תעֲ ִבירּו‬ ִ ‫חדׁש ביֹום ַה‬ ֶ ַ‫בעָ ׂשֹור ל‬ :‫ׁשֹופר בכָ ל ַא ְר ְצכֶ ם‬ ָ )‫(ויקרא פרק כה פסוק ט‬ Much is known about the popular commandment of hearing the Shofar sounds on Rosh Hashanah.

The general Jewish public is surely acquainted with the sounds and sequence of the Shofar, while, at the same time, many have been successfully educated to comprehend the depth, significance, and impact of this central commandment, which defines the very day of Rosh Hashanah.

So says the Torah in Bamidbar 29:1 46 SPECIAL EDITION

‫בא ָחד לַ ח ֶֹדׁש ִמ ְק ָרא‬ ֶ ‫שביעִ י‬ ִ ‫ַּובח ֶֹדׁש ַה‬ ‫ק ֶֹדׁש ְיִהיֶה לָ כֶ ם כל ְמלֶ אכֶ ת עֲ ב ָֹדה ֹלא‬ .‫ַתעֲ ׂשּו יֹום תרּועָ ה ְיִהיֶה לָ כֶ ם‬ In Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23:24), we also read of this commandment in terms of “a remembrance of the Teru’ah sound” (‫)זכרון תרועה‬.

While this verse is not the biblical source for the commandment, it, nevertheless, alludes to the purpose and function of the Shofar sounds on Rosh Hashanah.

The alarming sounds – specifically of the various Teru’ah sounds (Shevarim and Teru’ah) – are intended to jolt and awaken the individual to repent. Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 3:4) states this emphatically:

‫אע”פ שתקיעת שופר בראש השנה‬ ‫גזירת הכתוב רמז יש בו כלומר עורו‬ ‫ישינים משנתכם ונרדמים הקיצו‬ ‫מתרדמתכם וחפשו במעשיכם וחזרו‬ ‫בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם‬

www Less known, however, is the commandment of Shofar blowing on Yom Kippur. The reference here is not to the popular custom of sounding a Shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, which – for many – signals the moment one is permitted to break the fast. This custom carries with it various understandings.

The most popular reason has something to do with remembering the commandment to blow the Shofar on the day of Yom Kippur every

fiftieth year, commencing the Jubilee Year (‫)שנת היובל‬. Although the biblical commandments surrounding the Jubilee Year have not been in practice for over 2,500 years, in a symbolic way we annually remember this commandment by sounding a token blowing of the Shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur.

Indeed, the Biblical commandment, both the details as well as the ideas, ought not to be forgotten!

www In Parshat Behar (Vayikra 25:8-13), we read of the commandment to count out seven times seven years. At the conclusion of this cycle, the next year, the fiftieth year, is to be proclaimed “the Jubilee Year.” Jewish slaves are freed and land previously sold is returned to its original owner.

Among other things, the Torah speaks of the commandment to blow the Shofar on Yom Kippur at the onset of the Jubilee Year.

The Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 3:4) teaches that an equation exists between Rosh Hashanah of every year and the special Yom Kippur of the Jubilee Year regarding the commandment of Shofar and the inclusion of the three extra blessings (‫מלכיות‬ ‫ )זכרונות ושופרות‬in the Musaf prayer:

‫שווה היובל לראש השנה לתקיעה‬ ‫ולברכות‬ Rambam (Hilchot Shmittah V’Yovel 10:11) equates the type of Shofar to be used on the Jubilee Year with that of Rosh Hashanah, along with the number of sounds to be blown.

Hashanah and its counterpart on Yom Kippur during the Jubilee Year. Contrasting Rambam’s language in his Mishneh Torah in the two relevant sections dealing with Shofar blowing, one quickly notices that the two commandments do not share identical definitions.

Addressing the commandment of Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah (Hilchot Shofar 1:1), Rambam defines the commandment as one of hearing the Shofar sounds:

‫מצות עשה של תורה לשמוע תרועת‬ ‫השופר בראש השנה‬

‫שופר של יובל ושל ראש השנה אחד‬ ‫ ואחד ראש השנה ואחד‬,‫הוא לכל דבר‬ . ...‫היובל לתקיעות‬

Whereas in the parallel case of the Jubilee Year, Rambam (Hilchot Shmittah V’Yovel 10:10) defines the commandment as a personal requirement to blow the Shofar, and not just to hear its sounds.

Yet, something quite fundamental distinguishes between the commandment of Shofar on Rosh

‫מצות עשה לתקוע בשופר בעשירי‬ .‫לתשרי בשנת היובל‬ SPECIAL EDITION 47

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

This is not at all a question of semantics. Rambam himself was questioned regarding the exact language of the blessing for the commandment of Shofar on Rosh Hashanah (Responsum #142). Is it proper for the blessing to focus 48 SPECIAL EDITION

upon the hearing or rather upon the blowing of the Shofar?

‫ מה ההבדל בין לשמוע קול‬:‫שאלה‬ ?‫שופר ובין על תקיעת שופר‬ Rambam states unequivocally that on Rosh Hashanah the

commandment is to hear the Shofar sounds. Had the commandment be defined as blowing the Shofar, then each and every individual would have been required to physically blow the Shofar, just as each individual

is obligated to personally sit in a Sukkah or take the Lulav. In that case, no-one on Rosh Hashanah would ever fulfill his obligation by simply listening to the Shofar sounds.

.‫ ההבדל ביניהם גדול מאד‬:‫התשובה‬ ‫וזה שהמצוה המחוייבת אינה הת־‬ ‫ והיוצא‬,‫ אלא שמיעת התקיעה‬,‫קיעה‬ ‫ שאלו היתה המצוה המחוייבת‬,‫מזה‬ ‫ היה חייב כל אדם‬,‫היא התקיעה‬ ‫ כמו שחייב‬,‫ואדם מן הזכרים לתקוע‬ ‫כל אדם ואדם לישב בסוכה וליטול‬ ‫ לא היה‬,‫ שלא תקע‬,‫ והשומע‬,‫לולב‬ ‫יוצא ידי חובתו‬ In the Jubilee Year, however, this is precisely the case. Every individual is required to actively blow the Shofar on his own, no differently than eating Matzah or putting on Tefillin.

www Conceptually speaking, the particular definitions for Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah

every year, as opposed to the once-in-fifty years Yom Kippur blowing, are indicative of two different ways of returning to G-d. On Rosh Hashanah, human perfection is most certainly the desired goal. However, it is not a critical factor in experiencing closeness to G-d. People who are simply attentive to the Shofar sounds can be spiritually swept up in the multitude of people who have joined to hear the Shofar. Judaism views with tolerance those who have linked themselves with the crowd in search of belonging and other social conveniences. This is far from the ideal picture. As far as Rosh Hashanah goes, this kind of quasi-religious practice will begrudgingly pass.

However, the Yom Kippur experience leaves no room for hitch-hikers. Anything less than the personal self-sacrifice and active commitment in the Name of

G-d will not suffice. A Yom Kippur Shofar blowing must necessarily be performed in a personal and active way. On Yom Kippur, an individual forgoes his acquired life of frivolities, and returns back to his ancestral roots symbolized by the returning of the sold land, as instructed by the Torah (Vayikra 25:10):

‫שבתם ִאיׁש ֶאל ֲא ֻחזתֹו וְ ִאיׁש ֶאל‬ ְ ְ‫ו‬ ‫שפחּתֹו תשבו‬ ְ ‫ִמ‬ The ideal spiritual world of Messianic days will be characterized by specific features, including the return to a full Jubilee Year experience, as Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 11:1) notes:

‫המלך המשיח עתיד לעמוד ולהחזיר‬ ‫מלכות דוד ליושנה לממשלה‬ ‫ ובונה המקדש ומקבץ‬,‫הראשונה‬ ‫ וחוזרין כל המשפטים‬,‫נדחי ישראל‬ ‫ מקריבין‬,‫בימיו כשהיו מקודם‬ ‫ ועושין שמטין ויובלות ככל‬,‫קרבנות‬ .‫מצותה האמורה בתורה‬ Speedily – and within our days, Amen.w SPECIAL EDITION 49

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

HOSHANA RABBAH

The Secrets of Hoshana Rabbah SHIRA SMILES

I

It is a day shrouded in mystery, laden with customs. Some people follow the tradition to learn Torah the entire night; others complete Sefer Tehillim. In shul, the Chazan dons a Kittel, the Shabbat morning Tefillot are recited, the bimah is circled seven times, and special Tefillot and supplications are said. We wear festival clothing, eat a special festive meal, and wish each other a ‘gut kvittel.’ The aura of the day is one of particular intensity.

Let us explore some of the significant secrets of Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh and final day of Sukkot. The Midrash notes that Hashem told Avraham Avinu, “I am one and you are one, I will grant your descendants one single day on which they can atone for their sins – Hoshana Rabbah.” Matte Moshe explains that Hoshana Rabbah accords us an extra chance

50 SPECIAL EDITION

to achieve atonement, if we haven’t done so on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Moreover, Hoshana Rabbah offers us an opportunity to ensure that our judgement will be a favorable one. How is this so? Sukkot is the time when the world’s water supply is determined. Since our lives are dependent on water, the final day of Sukkot is a day of imploring Hashem to sustain us and the world overall.

This is symbolized by taking the Aravot, which grow by the water, to use as part of our supplication.

www Rabbi Pinchas Friedman in Shevilei Pinchas shares a different aspect of the day. The sukkah is referred to as the “tzilta demehemenuta” – the shadow of Hashem. In the sukkah we have the zechut of feeling Hashem’s intense love embracing us and we respond with feelings of tremendous love towards Hashem.

It is in this atmosphere that we now involve ourselves in a different dimension of Teshuvah, one of love.

Rabbi Hadar Margolin in ‘Crowning Him with Joy,’ expounds on this deeper feature. The passuk in Yirmiyahu (2:27) tells us: “Ki panu eilay oref” – ‘they faced me with the backs of their necks.’ How can one face another with the back of the neck? The passuk is describing those who perform Mitzvot without joy and spirit, creating a distance evoked by the imagery of the back of the neck. Teshuvah is a “face to face” encounter, when we transform our actions into ones of passion and connection. Sukkot is referred to as the holiday of joy, exhibiting the most Mitzvot of any holiday. Hoshana Rabbah is the culmination of this time, and therefore potentially has the highest level of joy.

In this light, Ohr Tzafun explains the name Hosha-na as related

to the word, Vayisha, to turn, as in Bereishit (4:4), when Hashem turned to Hevel and his offering. On Hoshana Rabbah we request that Hashem turn to us and find favor with us. We are asking Hashem for the culmination of the “face to face” relationship.

Rabbi Avraham Schorr in Lekach Vehalibuv notes that this is hinted to in the Arvei Nachal that we take on this day. Nachal is an acronym for “nafsheinu chikta laHashem” - ‘our souls yearn for Hashem’ (Tehilim 33:20). When we hold the Aravot, circle the Bimah and repeat the phrase Hosha na repeatedly on this day, we are expressing our desire for connection and love. What a kindness from Hashem that at this time of judgement we have the fortuity to build such a close connection!

www This element of love is also conveyed in the Tehillim that we recite on this day. Rabbi Moshe Wolfson, in Emunat Etecha explains

that the inner essence of Hoshana Rabbah is characterized by the number seven, which has deep creative significance: The world was formed in seven days and there are seven musical notes. It is at the peak of seven when it is most appropriate to sing Shirah to Hashem. Hence, Shabbat is ushered in with singing six

On Hoshana Rabbah we request that Hashem turn to us and find favor with us. chapters of Tehillim, followed by Mizmor Shir Lyom Hashabbat, which is the seventh. There are seven kosher animals listed in the Torah; the seventh, the zemer, is the one that also sings Shirah to Hashem. The seventh of the Usphizin is Dovid Hamelech, who

is celebrated for his composition of song. Each year, the world is recreated on Sukkot, and the seventh day, Hoshana Rabbah is the day of completion. How appropriate it is that we say the special Tefillot of Shabbat in our davening and recite the entire Sefer Tehillim. It is a day dedicated to singing the praises of Hashem and connecting with love.

Dovid Hamelech teaches us “gilu breadah” – ‘rejoice with trembling’) Tehilim 2:11). It is a day when we know that our fate is being determined, that this is our final time to plea for ourselves. Yet, Hoshana Rabbah is also a day filled with joy and praise to Hashem. It is a day of yearning and connection for a deep relationship with our Creator. It is therefore no wonder that the Arava, the species without taste or smell, beaten on the ground, is placed as a crown above the Aron Kodesh, ushering in the day of ultimate love and attachment - Shemini Atzeret. w SPECIAL EDITION 51

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

SUKKOT

“And You shall Rejoice in Your Festivals” RABBI NEIL WINKLER

E

ach of the Shalosh Regalim in our calendar has a dual purpose. On the one hand, the festivals are times of spiritual elevation with historical importance, based on specific events; on the other hand, the holidays have an equally important agricultural significance.

PESACH – Chag HaMatzot We are first introduced to the Yom Tov of Pesach in Sefer Shemot (13:3-10), where we are told of the mitzvah of eating matzot and of the prohibition of chametz. The holiday is mentioned again in Shemot 23:14-15 and 34:18. In each of these places we are told of the positive mitzva of eating matza. Every time that Pesach is discussed in Sh’mot, the Torah mentions that the holiday 52 SPECIAL EDITION

occurs in “the spring month.” That the Torah repeats this fact three times is puzzling, unless we understand the significance of the word “Aviv” – ‫אביב‬. Although we commonly use the term as a synonym for “spring,” the original term referred to the first ripening grain (from the root ‫)אב‬, as found in Sh’mot (9:31) and Vayikra (2:14) and, therefore, the term gave its name to the month when the grain began to ripen.

Essentially, therefore, the Torah is teaching us that the holiday has a dual message: The festival is Chag Ha’aviv, the historical, national holiday, as we are to remember what we ate as slaves upon leaving Egypt. It is also Chag Ha’aviv, an agricultural, personal celebration of the season.

These two messages reflect

the duality of our calendar: The historical/national observance is tied to the lunar calendar (see Shmot 12:2), while the agrarian/ personal celebration is based on the solar calendar, upon which our agricultural seasons are based.

SHAVUOT – Chag HaKatzir As the Torah describes, Shavuot is an agricultural, solar-based holiday tied to the celebration of the grain harvest.

It is also tied to the observance of Pesach, the celebration of the ripening grain, by the culmination of the Omer count and by the special “Shtei HaLechem” (Two loaves) offering. However, we are mostly more familiar with the spiritual/historical/ lunar-based significance of the chag, namely, the anniversary of Matan Torah (“Zeman Matan Torateinu”).

Here too, the duality of the chagim is apparent, sensitizing us to recognize how we live in both the world of nature and that of the supernatural, in the lunar calendar and the solar calendar.

SUCCOT – Chag Ha’Asif.

Succot seems to be the most “agriculturally-focused” of all the chagim, with the mitzvot of Succah and the Arba Minim closely tied to the land and its produce. We find the agricultural aspect of the festival included in Shemot (23: 16 & 34: 22), as well as in D’varim (16; 13). Chazal called the chag “Zeman Simchateinu,” referring to the great joy of this “Chag Ha’Asif,” when the harvested fruits and vegetables (a reflection of agricultural success) are gathered inside to protect them from the expected rains.

The rabbis’ reference to Succot as Zeman Simchateinu has roots in the Torah for, although we rejoice on every festival, the command in Sefer D’varim (16: 14-15) to rejoice on Succot – ‫והיית אך‬....‫ושמחת בחגיך‬ ‫ – שמח‬is repeated twice.

But that is not the whole story.

This Yom Tov, as found in Sefer Vayikra (23: 34-43), presents us with a puzzling textual anomaly. After teaching the requirements of the seven day chag, the Torah seems to

Our holidays have a dual message: historical-national and agricultural close the entire subject of holidays, using the same terminology as the opening of the perek: “‫אלה‬ ‫‘ – “ ’מועדי ה‬These are the appointed times [festivals] of Hashem.’

Understandably, we assume that we have reached a perfect “bookend” to the laws of the holidays. However, the Torah continues with the Hebrew term ‫אך‬, meaning “but” – and then proceeds to discuss another aspect of the holiday, the requirement to dwell in the Succah as our forefathers did when leaving Egypt. That is the historical/ spiritual/lunar-calendar aspect of the holiday! So, why does the Torah stop and start again in the middle of discussing the same festival?

Rav Yoel bin Nun proposes an

innovative answer. He suggests that Succot is actually two separate chagim. One, Chag Ha’Asif, is the agricultural holiday, and Succot is the historical holiday – and they both happen to occur on the same days! As “extreme” as this approach might seem, Rav bin Nun points to the text in B’midbar (chaps.

28-29) to prove his point. There we find that, excluding Shabbat, each special day (Mo’ed) requires a Musaf sacrifice and shares the same offering. Thus, Rosh Chodesh, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur all require one ram and seven lambs. But on Succot two rams and fourteen lambs are required – exactly double the amount of any other day. Why? Because Succot is two holidays in one, requiring a double amount of animals to be sacrificed.

Succot is that special holiday that combines the solar and the lunar, the agricultural and the spiritual, the supernatural and the natural.

Chag Same’ach! w SPECIAL EDITION 53

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

SUKKOT

The Rejoicing of Waters on Sukkot

GOLDA WARHAFTIG

O

nce again it is Sukkot, and the holidays of Tishrei are drawing to a close. The days are growing shorter, and coolness is in the air. The summer sun has dried the fields of grain, and the colors of the land are changing. The time of sowing has come. Human beings and the land want water.

But not only do we mention the rains in prayer, we ask for water with a sacrifice. In this week of Sukkot we have the commandment of pouring water on the altar. This act of pouring is in connection with the great rejoicing called “Simchat Beit HaShoevah” – the water-drawing festival. What is the significance of this festival?

It appears that this festival is hinted in the Torah, since the commandment to rejoice on the pilgrim festival is specifically for Sukkot. Rejoicing is not mentioned in the Torah in connection with the Passover holiday. In connection with Shavuot it is mentioned once, but

54 SPECIAL EDITION

with Sukkot it is mentioned three times.

What is the meaning of this rejoicing?

What is the connection between the request for rain and rejoicing?

goodness of the rains, and when man came and knew that the world needed the rains and prayed for them, they came down, and trees and verdure sprang forth” (Gen. 2:5).

1 On the natural-existential level.

Without water man cannot exist. Water quenches thirst and refreshes the soul. The tree also receives its vitality from the rain. The seas, the rivers and the springs fill up with gladness, and the whole world sings with the joy of growing. Man gives thanks and rejoices over this marvelous gift which allows him to live and flourish.

Moreover, the whole creation waits for man to ask for rain. On the verse: “And no plant of the field was yet in the earth…for the Lord G-d had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground,” Rashi says, “What is the reason that G-d had not caused it to rain? Because there was no man to till the ground, and there was no one to recognize the

2 On the emotional-psychological level.

Man cannot be indifferent to the power of water. Indeed, King David, the greatest of poets, discovered HaShem through water: “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters” (Psalm 29); “From the many waters, the mighty waves of the sea” (Psalm 93); and “Let the rivers clap their hands” (Psalm 98).

Man contemplates the sea and is moved by the murmur of the waves, the calm, and the endless horizon. The sea is a response to his varied feelings.

When its waves flow tranquilly, he experiences the Eden that is hidden within him. When its waves are stormy like a man in a fit of rage, he is freed from his own anger by its projection on something outside of him. And he is also impressed by the constancy of the

waves, by their persistence in the face of their constant rejection by the shore.

3 On a deeper level. The Talmud states

in Berakhot 59b: “From when does one recite the blessing on rain?

And the answer: From when the groom goes out to meet the bride.”

What does this mean? Water is a vital component of living things. In the story of Creation it is said that on the second day, the Holy One, blessed be He, divided between the upper waters and the lower waters. The upper waters represent the male principle, while the lower waters symbolize the female principle (see the Malbim, Chemdat HaYamim, on Genesis, and also Sefer Shivtei Israel, p. 480).

Thus, it is said: “What did HaShem do? He stretched out His little finger, and [the waters] were torn into two parts, and he thrust half of them down against their will, as it is written: ‘Let there be a firmament.’ Do not read ‘firmament’ [raki’a] but ‘tearing’ [kri’ah] “(Midrash HaGadol, Genesis 6). This

tearing, or this parting, was difficult like every parting. The lower waters wept because they were distanced from their source, until the Holy One, blessed be He, promised them that He would not give the upper waters permission to sing a song before Him until they had gotten permission from the lower waters, as it is said: “From the many waters, the mighty waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty” (Psalm 93).

Division is undesirable and even painful, yet from it, blessing can grow. Indeed, blessing is only found where there are two, a giver and a receiver. The Malbim writes: “For every drop that descends from above, two ascend from below.” Likewise, Rashi explains the Gemara’s reference to the groom and the bride: “The waters are gathered upon the earth, and when a drop falls on them, another drop rises toward it from below.”

Similarly we can explain what our sages state about Eliezer, Jacob and Moses who came to that well: “With joy that well received them…The

waters rose toward them like a woman who rejoices with her husband.” These are the reciprocal relations of a couple, for the creation of Adam and Eve parallels the creation of the waters.

Now it is clear that the great joy in the pouring of waters flows from the recognition of the depth of harmony that can and should be created out of division. Thus Rashi says on the verse, “Thou shalt not suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking”: “For a covenant was made with salt from the days of Creation, when a promise was given to the lower waters that they would be offered on the altar with salt and the pouring of water on the festival.” (Leviticus 2:13). “Gladden the beloved companions as You gladdened Your creature in the Garden of Eden from aforetime.” For from the beginning till this day, the world receives its vitality from that union of waters with waters, as it is written, “ The entire world drinks from the runoff of the Garden of Eden, as it is stated: ‘And a river went out of Eden to water the garden’” (Taanit 10a). w SPECIAL EDITION 55

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

SUKKOT

SUKKOT HARAV NACHMAN KAHANA We read in Pesachim 119b: HaShem will make a great banquet for the righteous on the day He manifests His love for Yitzchak’s seed. After feasting, the Cup of Grace will be offered to Avraham, that he should lead the Grace after Meals. But he will respond, “I cannot lead because Yishmael issued from me.” Then Yitzchak will be offered this honor, but he will reply, “I cannot, because Esav issued from me.” Ya’akov will be asked, but he will reply, “I cannot, because I married two living sisters, [a circumstance] that the Torah was destined to forbid.” Then Moshe will be asked, but he will reply, “I cannot, because I was not 56 SPECIAL EDITION

Yehoshua is Not Among the Ushpizin

privileged to enter the Land of Israel, neither in life nor in death.”

[Then] Yehoshua will be asked, but he will respond, “I cannot, because

The Succah is a substitute for the punishment of exile

I was not privileged to have a son”...

Then David will be asked, and he will reply ‫כוס ישועות אשא ובשם‬ ‫ה’ אקרא‬: [“I will lead in saying Grace, and it is fitting for me to do

so, as it says,] ‘I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call in the name of the Lord’ (Tehillim 116:13).”

Now, if Yehoshua deserves to be amongst those invited to lead the Grace in the End of Days, we might ask the following question: Why was Yehoshua not included amongst the Ushpizin, the leaders of the Jewish People whom we invite each year as guests into the Succah?

I suggest the following: Yalkut Shimoni, Emor 653 states: “Rabbi Eliezer bar Maros said, ‘Why do we build a Succah after Yom Kippur?” (Answer) On Rosh Hashana HaShem sits in judgment over all mankind, and on Yom Kippur the judgment is sealed. Should the Jewish People ever be condemned to exile by

making Succot and going into “exile” from their homes, Hashem [would] treat them as though they were indeed exiled.”

w YOSEF lived almost his entire life in exile and died there.

w MOSHE and Aharon never entered the Land of Israel.

From this text, we understand that the Succah is a substitute for the punishment of exile. And, in that respect, all seven Ushpizin [Succah guests] are identified to a degree with the exile. How so?

w AVRAHAM lived in the Land of Israel, but not as its possessor. He lived there as a Ger, as a stranger and not as a Toshav, a resident (Rashi on Bereishit 23:4).

w DAVID was King of Israel, but lived in the exile for an extended time, as we find in Ketuvot 110b:

One who lives outside the Land: It is as though he worships idols

w YITZCHAK never left the Land of Israel; but he, too, was a second-class citizen. Wherever he attempted to establish his home, the Philistines stopped up his wells.

w YA’AKOV lived for many years in exile and he died in the Egyptian exile.

“One who lives outside the Land: It is as though he worships idols. We thus find [that it was written] regarding King David: “For they have driven me out today, so that I cannot have a share in the

Lord’s possession, saying, ‘Go and worship other gods’” (I Shmuel 26:19). [Now,] did anyone actually tell David to worship other gods? Rather, this teaches that if someone lives outside the Land of Israel, it is as though he worships idols.”

In contradistinction to the above seven Ushpizin, Yehoshua bin Nun, who liberated and partitioned the Land amongst the tribes, is entirely associated with the Land of Israel. Yehoshua was different from the Ushpizin: He was a man of redemption, not of exile.

Consider, then, that on Shemini Atzeret – “Atzeret” meaning ‘assembly’ – that the Jewish people’s natural and heavenly bidden place of assembly is the Land of Israel. Consequently, it is no surprise that the Haftarah we read on that day is from Chapter 1 of the Book of Yehoshua. w SPECIAL EDITION 57

INSPIRING THE WORLD FROM YERUSHALAYIM

EPILOGUE

THREE RESOLUTIONS

for the New Year of 5780 RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS

W

hat would be some Jewish advice for the coming year?

FIRST, LET US THANK GOD. Many years ago in the shtetls, we Jews were poor and persecuted, but still deeply religious. If you were asked “How is business?” you would answer: Baruch Hashem. “How is the family?” – Baruch Hashem. “Your health?”

– Baruch Hashem.

You might be ill, your children may be struggling or rebellious; your business could be terrible, but you always thanked God. We always knew how to rejoice, even in the midst of hardship.

We laughed, we celebrated; we had the gift of simchah, joy. We

58 SPECIAL EDITION

were not fools. We knew our fate was wretched. But we felt close to God. After all, He prayed in the same synagogue that we did.

www SECOND, LOVE. Love your spouse and you will have a happy marriage. Love your children and you will have a happy family. Love your work and you will have a happy career. Love your friends and you will have a strong support system for each other. Love life and you will be blessed. “If only” is the opposite of love.

If only my partner were more attractive, my children more appreciative, my colleagues

more friendly; if only I earned more, achieved more. “If only” is toxic to happiness. It focuses on what we don’t have, instead of what we do. The consumer culture invites us to an existence of “if only.” It’s the worst investment in life.

True faith is all about love. Love God with all your heart, your soul, and your might. Love your neighbour as yourself. Love the stranger because to others you are a stranger. You don’t have to be religious to love, but you have to love to be religious. Love is the space we make for that which is not me. By opening ourselves to something bigger than ourselves, we grow.

www

THIRD, PRAY. Tefillah is our dialogue with the infinite Other. It’s also hard, which is why we have our prayer books, our siddurim. The finest collection of prayers is the book of Psalms, Tehillim. It embraces the spectrum of feeling from despair to jubilation. Prayer is to the soul what exercise is to the body, and without it we become emotionally flabby.

Some people don’t pray because they try it and they feel it does not work. They forget that prayer is done best in the company of others, in a holy place, in song, the language of the soul as it reaches out toward the unsayable. The most lifetransforming prayers are choral, not solo.

Iris Murdoch has a lovely analogy for what prayer can achieve. She describes looking out of a window in an anxious

Live, love, give, forgive, celebrate and praise

says, “everything is altered.

The brooding self . . . has disappeared. There is nothing now but kestrel. And when I return to thinking of the other matter it seems less important.”

She calls this “unselfing,” and that is what prayer achieves at its best. It opens our eyes to the wonder of the world.

www

and resentful state of mind, oblivious of her surroundings, brooding on some resentment, feeling sorry for herself. Then, suddenly, she sees a hovering kestrel. “In a moment,” she

THREE SUGGESTIONS. But the principle is simple.

When the outlook is bad, invest in the spirit. Life is too full of blessings to ignore them. Live, love, give, forgive, celebrate and praise: These are still the best ways of making a blessing over life, thereby turning life into a blessing. w _________________________ To learn more from Rabbi Sacks, please visit www.rabbisacks.org SPECIAL EDITION 59

CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF IMPACT

with a commemorative OU Israel at 40 bottle of wine

Inspiring the World from Yerushalayim All proceeds from the sale will support OU Israel’s diverse educational and social programs