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SHOFTIM 5784
Fifty One Days
Rabbi Andrew Shaw Chief Executive, Mizrachi UK
Rosh Chodesh Elul
Over the years, this day has been such a memorable day for me.
There was Rosh Chodesh Elul 1990, my rst day in Yeshivat Hakotel, I was both nervous and excited as a whole new world was opened up to me.
There was Rosh Chodesh Elul 1995, my rst day at Darche Noam, as I began my learning for Semicha. This time I was just excited for the challenge that lay ahead of me and where my career would take me.
There was Rosh Chodesh Elul 2023, my eldest son’s rst day in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh. With many of the same Rabbeim that had made feel at home a generation ago. My emotions then were mainly one of pride and excitement to see how he would take to Yeshiva.
And then there was Rosh Chodesh Elul 2024 – just a few days ago
Standing at the Southern Walls in Yerushalayim with communities from across the world as well as families of kedoshim from the last eleven months, was the most
emotional I think I have ever felt on Rosh Chodesh Elul as we launched the Simchat Torah Project.
If you haven’t yet watched, I recommend it highly Whether the powerful words of Rav Doron Perez, the beautiful music of Yonatan Razel, or the heartfelt Te llot. To see family members hug the community representatives, people who had never met before, bound by a sense of peoplehood and tragedy was beautiful and heart breaking to behold. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdLSYD3i BA
I was asked a simple question at the launch
Why did we choose Rosh Chodesh Elul to launch the project?
The answer is both powerful and meaningful.
Elul is the beginning of a very special period in the Jewish year. A reconnection of the Jewish people to Hashem.
Rabbi Shimshon Rafeal Hirsch famously said about Elul:
‘The summer is drawing to a close. The earth receives the nal glow of the sun. And its fruits approach their full maturity. Everything that grows and lives seeks to extract the maximum of ripeness from the last rays of the year The apple paints itself with its nal shade of red, the wine receives its richest sparkle. The squirrel drags the last grain of corn to his winter store. The returning swallow carries the last straw to the nest. There is no time to be lost; the end is in sight; The Master will soon call. Everything seeks while there is still time to attain and to achieve the best that is in it It does not wish to appear before its Master with its year ’ s performance still defective. Shall then negligence, remissness, and perversity dwell in the haunts of man. ’
So begins a 51 day journey.
The 29 days of Chodesh Elul and 22 days of Chodesh Tishrei
Those 51 days take us through the haunting Selichot, the majesty of Rosh Hashanah, the solemnity of Yom Kippur, the joy of Succot and nally the conclusion, the private party of Shmini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah as the Midrash explains:
Our Sages said: The seventy bulls the Jewish nation sacri ced in the Holy Temple during the holiday of Sukkot corresponds to the seventy nations, and the singular bull sacri ced on Shemini Atzeret corresponds to the one, unique nation – the People of Israel. This may be
compared to a mortal king who said to his servants, ‘Prepare for me a great banquet’; but on the last day he said to his beloved friend, ‘Prepare for me a simple meal that I may derive bene t from you. Bamidbar Rabbah 21:24
So, 51 days after hearing the call of the shofar, the Jewish people come together to rejoice with Hashem. That is the power, the beauty and the joy of Simchat Torah. It concludes the memorable 51 day period from Rosh Chodesh Elul.
We then wait through the winter months till we come to Pesach and we begin the next 51 days from 1st day Pesach to Shavout. However, that is a different Dvar Torah!
This year and for many years to come, Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah will have an added aspect, that of pain and loss.
That is one of the ideas behind the Simchat Torah Project, to allow us to connect to both aspects.
The pain and the loss. Eit Spod – a time to mourn.
The beauty and the joy. Eit Rekod – a time to dance.
And that is why we launched on Rosh Chodesh Elul.
The project is not simply linked to Simchat Torah, it is the Jewish people’s project, linked to our very psyche as a nation. Just as we will be linked together at the end of the journey, linked by hundreds of shuls across the world (over 500 so far) dancing with their Sifrei Torah We were also linked at the beginning We can create that link of the 51 days, to focus ourselves on the holy task of personal Teshuva whilst not forgetting the holy task of national remembrance.
I also feel that our return to Hashem this Elul/Tishrei must also be with a renewed cry for unity and togetherness. Rav Doron spoke passionately at the opening dinner for the launch about how when we are united as a nation, nothing can defeat us. We dare not fall back into the divisions of October 6th
The shuls around the world who are taking part are not homogenous, they are all stripes of our nation. We would not agree on all aspects of Halacha and ideology with some of the communities, but we would all agree we are part of the same family, a family that is bleeding at the moment, but a family that needs to try and begin to heal.
So, this year Rosh Chodesh was the same but different
The shofar sounded, we began the recitation of ‘L’david Hashem’
Yet for the Jewish world collectively, it was not the same Rosh Chodesh Elul. It will not be the same Chodesh Tishrei either I have already heard in many places that numbers for Yamim Noraim will be far higher than other years. There is a need to connect with our people.
Elul - Ani le dodi, v’dodi li – I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.
We are told that ‘Dodi’ our beloved is Hashem – it is a call for a closer connection between us and the Divine
This year we need also to view ‘Dodi’ as our people, a call for a closer connection between Jews globally To bring the Jewish nation together
Which will also make our Avinu Malcenu so very happy.
Shabbat Shalom
WATCH:
DvarTorah from Rabbi Benjy Rickman >
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