39 minute read
Judaism
ASK THE RABBI
Looking for answers? Send your question to Rabbi@RabbiSchochet.com
I FORGIVE YOU – NOT REALLY
Dear Rabbi
Is it right to tell someone that you forgive them even if in your heart you don’t really mean it?
Sandra
Dear Sandra
The question to consider is, why are you telling them you forgive them when you don’t? Is it because you don’t like the tension and would rather just keep the peace? On some level that suggests that you have forgiven them, because clearly your engagement with them is important to you. Or to put it differently, your relationship with them is more important to you than your own ego.
Or, is it because you don’t want to be seen as, what the Talmud describes, “A stubborn person,” especially where they may have sought your forgiveness. In which case, it is worthwhile bearing in mind how the Talmud emphasises the importance of being “one in mouth and heart” (echad b’peh v’echad bilev). Indeed the Talmud extols the virtue of Jacob’s sons who were consistent in what they felt and how they expressed themselves towards Joseph, even as it was in their negative feelings towards him. The point is, if, for whatever the reason you find it difficult to forgive the other, then don’t just pay lip service. Tell them why. Speak it out. Don’t harbour the grudge within because the only one it’ll be eating up is yourself (and even more so when you know they think you have forgiven even as you haven’t). Finally, one of the central themes of the whole “Selichot” service in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and again in the days in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and indeed on Yom Kippur itself, especially at Neilah, is the thirteen attributes of G-d’s mercy (you will be familiar with them as they are sung in many Synagogues). The Talmud tells us that these thirteen attributes are essentially a “secret code,” as it were that G-d gave Moses. It is the secret to achieve atonement even if sometimes undeserving. In doing so, G-d says to Moses, “and so you shall do.” It doesn’t say, “And so you shall ‘say’ rather ‘do.’ By definition, just as G-d is all compassionate and forgiving towards us, if you want to achieve Divine mercy then “so shall you do” – be compassionate and forgiving towards others.”
MOBILE PHONE BANS – MY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
Dear Rabbi
Picking up on your response last week about social media, you might think this absurd but I undertook as my resolution for the coming year to ban smartphones from my house altogether. Like your letter writer from last week, my wife is quite displeased with me that I am banning her phone and it has become quite contentious. Can you advise the best way forward?
Tzvi
Dear Tzvi
Just to be clear, you decided to undertake a new resolution for the New Year at everyone else’s expense? Did you even think about discussing it with your other half?
As I wrote last week about social media, Halacha does not have a clearly defined ruling on smartphones. My opinion on the general matter is where do you draw the line? I think the dangers of gossip are increased exponentially on account of mobile phones however kosher they are. These too should be banned especially when our Rabbis tell us that gossiping is a sin tantamount to idolatry, adultery and murder in one.
To reiterate the point from last week, there is an unprecedented amount of Torah being studied as a result and the potential for outreach has increased beyond all fathomable imagination. Should we devise methods by which to ensure we don’t get ensnared into the potential risks? Sure. Should kids be restricted? Certainly. Can it be morally dangerous? Absolutely! But so could many other things. Self-control is a concept no one seems to advocate anymore. Needless to say if one feels they are at risk because of the vast exposure then there are options including filters etc. But that’s your issue and your resolution. What gives you the right to impose that on others without a conversation? Maybe your resolution for the coming year should include respecting your wife as well.
A YOM KIPPUR BABY
Dear Rabbi
My wife is highly pregnant and due to give birth sometime within the next month. If the baby is born eight days before Yom Kippur can the brit take place on Yom Kippur?
James Dear James
The circumcision can take place on Yom Kippur or any other Jewish holiday - if it is the 8th day. But there is no celebratory meal until after the fast, of course. Consult your rabbi if it becomes a reality and wishing your wife an easy birth. What a great way to start the New Year – with a simcha! Long may the happiness continue for you and indeed for everyone.
Wishing all readers a kesiva vachasima tova. A year in which all the negativity dissipates and we experience only true blessings, goodness, immense prosperity and good health for one and all.
Follow Rabbi Schochet at: RabbiSchochet.com Twitter: @RabbiYYS Facebook: facebook.com/Rabbiyys.
Pirkei Avot
For Refuah Shalema for Mordechai Ben Chaya Sara Perek 3: Mishna 17 pt2
I was zoche to learn in Yeshivat Midrash Shmuel in Rechavia, Jerusalem under the tutelage of the great Reb Binyomin Moskowitz Shlita.
He always enjoys flavouring his Gemarah Shiurim with sprinkles of mussar, and this week’s Mishnah provides one of his favourite ever lines!
It says ‘im ein kemach ein Torah,’ if there is no parnassah, then one can’t possibly learn Torah. ‘Aha,’ he says with triumphant sarcasm, ‘proof from pirkei avos that it’s more important to work for a living than learn Torah.’
And then he adds in a small voice, ‘but the Mishnah also turns it around and says the opposite, namely im ein Torah ein Kemach!’
People often choose which part of the Mishnah to adhere to and it’s not too difficult to guess which is the more popular option.
Except that it’s not an option it’s a fact. One can’t exist without the other. If a person learns Torah all day without a care for earning a living, he will end up stealing. If a person works countless hours every day and never learns Torah at all he will have some very awkward questions to answer when he meets his Maker at the end of his life. People need a healthy balance, and it’s up to each individual to really and truly during these days of selichot and introspection have a good look at himself and honestly assess how much time he can dedicate to his Creator each day.
As Reb Binyomin often says with a smile, ‘the Rambam was a doctor… but he was also the Rambam!’
from
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The concept of chatzitzah applies regularly in matters of mikvah, n’tilas yodayim, wearing tefillin, and t’vilas kaylim. In this extraordinary new work of practical halacha, Rabbi Bodner clarifies and presents the laws of chatzitzah in an organized manner, accessible to scholar, student, and layman alike. An ideal learning and reference guide.
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volume 2
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Gedolei Yisroel
On the Parashah & Yamim tOvim vOlume 2
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The battle continues…
Four Jewish partisans narrowly escaped the Nazis’ concentration camp, but that was just the beginning. They now find themselves in Japan’s most heavily guarded prison, and with time running out, freedom is nowhere to be found.
In exciting, comic-book format, this action-packed adventure – steeped in emunah and hashgachah pratis is graphic storytelling at its captivating best.
Money may not grow on trees, but HAPPINESS does…
In fact, not only on trees, but in all the countless gifts bestowed upon us each and every moment, each and every day. Just follow Avi around as he recounts the many joyous gifts that go into making him the “happiest boy alive.” Charming illustrations, a timeless lesson delivered in rhyme, come together to instill your children with the essential tools of gratitude and Simchas HaChaim for the gifts & blessings that surround us all.
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Disaster-prone but always smiling, PJ Pepperjay is back with two fantastic stories that will keep you laughing. Get ready for another super fun read… because nothing is predictable with the Pepperjay family!
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Torah from Israel
BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN
“All of humanity pass before You as sheep”. On Rosh Hashanah every human stands before G-d in judgement. He reviews our behavior, scrutinizes our hearts and determines our fate for the coming year. On this solemn Day of Judgement, we also celebrate Divine sovereignty. Our shofar blast recalls watershed moments in history: creation, the binding of Isaac, Jewish selection, Sinai, and, of course, the Messianic vision. Rosh Hashanah is both a day of solemn judgement but also one of Divine majesty and religious splendor.
G-d is infinite and omnipresent, spanning the entire universe independent of human detection. His “status” on our planet however, is an entirely different matter. By vesting humans with free will, G-d abdicated control of His presence in this world. Humans are free to bolster G-d’s presence in this world or to undermine it. Our Jewish mission is to draw G-d into our world, speak in His name and hoist humanity to higher ground. Rosh Hashanah is the great day of Divine authority, human free will and Jewish destiny.
On this day of gravitas, with both trepidation and anticipation, we look toward the future- praying for prosperity and success. We dream of augmenting G-d, religion and moral spirit in this world. This year, especially, we yearn for a healed world and a repaired society. But on Rosh Hashanah we also look back upon the previous year: Which events over the past year have enhanced the presence of G-d in our world, and which events have diminished His presence?
COVID-19
We have been overwhelmed by a once-in-a lifetime crisis which has altered every nook and cranny of our lives and every sphere of human endeavor. Our once cheerful and upbeat world has been cloaked with the darkness of death and suffering. Periods during which the presence of G-d is veiled are referred to as ‘hester panim’- literally “concealed presence”. Unfortunately, for many, over the past year, G-d’s presence has been masked. How could a G-d of mercy allow such seemingly random death and suffering? For some the pandemic has provoked a crisis of faith. For others, the pandemic has actually amplified the voice of G-d in their souls. My teacher, Rav Yehuda Amital, was once asked where G-d was during the Holocaust and he replied “that G-d was with him in the concentration camp.” In the face of adversity and even catastrophe, often times, G-d becomes more accessible. During this year of “retreat” we have withdrawn from the busyness of our world into a quieter and smaller space. So many layers - from our social lives to our professional occupation to our educational ambitions- have been shed. When these external layers are cast aside we more deeply sense our core self. For some, this existential moment actually brings the presence of G-d into greater focus.
Additionally, the epidemic has underscored the limits of human achievement. We had become intoxicated with human prowess, technological innovation and the limitlessness of science. Soaring above our world, we presumed ourselves invincible. We flew too close to the sun and our wings have melted. Covid-19 has lessoned us about the limits of human convention. Science has revolutionized our world, but it hasn’t prevented this calamity. Medicine has extended life, but hasn’t been able to fully overcome this virus. Democracy is a powerful tool and empowers people with individual choice. Sometimes though, that freedom of choice can endanger lives. Those who decide not to vaccinate are exercising their freedom of choice but imperiling others. The epidemic has reminded us of the inherent limits of human achievement. Everything of human construction is flawed and vulnerable. Perfection lies in Heaven and can only be delivered by G-d. Until we receive His perfection we try our utmost, despite our limits, to advance our condition with the impressive tools He endowed to us. This year we stand before G-d, determined to utilize His tools, but humbled by our overall inadequacy.
ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AND THE HIJACKING OF G-D
This past year, the Radical Islamic Fundamentalist movement has made significant advances. After a twenty-year failed experiment with democracy, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. Sanctions upon Iran have been removed, freeing this hub of violent Islamic fundamentalism to disseminate its vitriol, and sow terror and instability across the world. The attacks in the airport in Kabul may signal the return of widespread ISIS terror. Our battle with Islamic Fundamentalism isn’t merely political or military. It is theological. Radical Islamic Fundamentalism murders in the name of G-d, preaches a culture which celebrates death and depicts G-d as elated by human suffering. By doing so, these religious terrorists deface the image of G-d in our world. G-d isn’t angry, nor is He militant. He doesn’t crave revenge or suffering, but desires human welfare and prosperity. Denying the true traits of G-d is tantamount to denying His presence. Those who wrongfully describe G-d as angry and ireful, are, effectively no better than atheists.
This theological vandalism is misrepresenting G-d in the modern discourse. Sadly, many people associate religion and G-d with death and anger. As the protectors of G-d’s image in our world we must speak a different voice and must remind humanity of G-d’s true “colors”: compassion, mercy and the dignity of the human condition.
SURGING ANTI-SEMITISM
Anti-Semitism has been on the rise for the past few years, but this past year it has exploded. The BDS movement has been emboldened and economically weaponized, as evidenced by the recent Ben and Jerry’s boycott. The war in Gaza provided ample fodder-material for Israel’s enemies eliciting absurdly simplistic accusations devoid of any context or nuance. Fringeleft politicians across the world allied with anti-Israel movements, have normalized virulent anti-Semitic statements.
Rising interest in social justice and in racial and gender equality is heartening. We all pray on Rosh Hashanah, for a kinder world of compassion, equal opportunity and less exploitation. However, often, these “equality” movements are wedded to broader agendas such as the politics of intersectionality or the culture of “woke”. These eccentric alliances incite more people into open hostility against the State of the Jews.
Finally, months of being locked-in and quarantined has taken its toll, both upon our social fabric as well as upon our emotional welfare. Stress, frustration and social tensions have historically been vented at history’s scapegoat- the Jewish nation. Sadly, this epidemic hasn’t been much different from previous disasters.
On a more positive note, the Abraham accords have entrenched peace between former adversaries. Based on common strategic interests, these alliances have outlasted shifting tensions in the region, as well as the war in Gaza. Settling our homeland while establishing harmonious relations with our neighbors, delivers harmony and welfare to our region while advancing the Jewish historical trajectory.
We represent G-d in our world and any attack against the Jewish people reduces the presence of G-d in this world. Alternatively, recognition of our distinct historical role and of our right to Israel solidifies the Divine presence. We pray for more coalitions and less anti-Semitism.
Politicalization of Religion in Israel
Unfortunately, religious life in Israel has become highly political. A mix of politics and religion never ends well for religion. In particular, the role of the Chief Rabbinate has become more controversial and more politically charged. The core of the problem lies in the Chief Rabbinate being tasked with two contradictory functions. On the one hand it is assigned as caretaker of basic religious services and standards. As custodians of kashrut, conversion and marriage, the Rabbinate must uphold exacting standards which aren’t always popular or even properly understood by the broader public. The average Israeli citizen can’t be expected to fully understand the intricate laws of kashrut or the complicated process of conversion.
On the other hand, the Chief Rabbinate should serve an honorary function, functioning as a national religious icon for the State, its citizens and Jews across the globe. This second function is not unlike the Office of the Israeli President: a non-political figurehead and office representing the entire population and symbolizing our joint national aspirations.
Sadly, we haven’t yet discovered the winning combination. We haven’t succeeded at juggling these two opposing agendas and, for many, the Chief Rabbinate has, unfortunately, become a polarizing issue. As it officially represents religion in the Jewish State, its loss of popularity diminishes the public prestige of religion. It is of yet unclear how proper balances can be restored to enable the Chief Rabbinate to inspire broad interest in religion, while upholding rigorous religious standards. Restoring the luster of this office would lend greater national status to religion.
These are just some of the events and trends which have impacted our agenda of drawing G-d into our world. On Rosh Hashanah we ponder the bookends of history: the day the world was created, when G-d’s authority was uncontested and the end of history when His presence will be unmistakable. Rosh Hashanah is the day to ponder this great journey and to assess the state of G-d in our world.
KETIVA VACHATIMA TOVA
The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion/Gush, a hesder yeshiva. He has smicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a masters degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
Weekly Dvar Torah
FROM ERETZ YISRAEL Moshe’s Message for the New Year
BY SIVAN RAHAV MEIR
What was the last will and testament that Moshe Rabbeinu left to us?
It is difficult for me to speak about Parashat Nitzavim and do it justice. It would be better to let this parasha, a parasha that is full of wonderful passages in beautiful Hebrew, speak for itself. It is also extremely timely, as if Moshe Rabbeinu’s speech was actually written this week. A moment before he passes away, a moment before the new year, Parashat Nitzavim presents the parting speech of Moshe Rabbeinu, which includes several eternal principles:
“You are standing this day before the L-rd, your G-d – the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel… even your woodcutters and your water drawers.”
Moshe gathers the entire nation of Israel together, a single unit with no one missing. This is a unified gathering around Torah, around meaning, and not a superficial unity devoid of content. And all sectors of the nation need to be part of the story, as Rav Kook wrote: “The intellectual elite think they can separate from the crowd, which will be healthier for them alone, giving them a greater sense of well-being and ennoble their thoughts. But this is a fundamental error.”
This covenant also has a connection to the past and the future: “Yet not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath, but with those standing here with us today before the L-rd, our G-d, and also with those who are not here with us today.” Rashi explains: and even with future generations to come!
The following story illustrates Rashi’s thought: Before the founding of the State, during an international debate regarding division of the Land of Israel, Ben-Gurion asked Yitzchak Tabenkin, among the fathers of the kibbutz movement, what he would do. Tabenkin answered: “I need to take counsel.” Tabenkin returned to Ben-Gurion telling him not to agree to the offer of the international community, explaining, “I took counsel with my father who is no longer with us and with my grandson who has yet to be born.” In other words, I took counsel with the past and the future generations; I have responsibility for them even if they are not physically here today.
Our commitment or lack of to Judaism today has repercussions with our ancestors who kept our traditions with love, as well as with all those in generations to come who will either, heaven forbid, disappear or serve as links in the unbreakable chain that stretches to eternity.
The mitzvah of teshuvah appears in Parashat Nitzavim as follows: “And you will return to the L-rd, your G-d… and you will listen to His voice… you and your children.” And immediately afterwards, it is explained to us that this is not a far-off dream, but within easy reach. “…this thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.”
In closing, Moshe Rabbeinu parts from us with a crucial message: We have free choice. The future is in our hands. “Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil… You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live.”
Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe once told high school students: “If they were to ask me what I believe in, I would say I believe in the greatness of man! And part of this greatness is his capacity to improve himself, his surroundings, and the entire world. Many people believe in G-d. This is not something rare. Yet not so many believe in the greatness of man. But I do.”
That’s it! As if Moshe Rabbeinu wishes us a year of unity in 5782 which encompasses past and future generations; a year of teshuvah, a year of free choice. May everyone enjoy a good and sweet new year!
Translation by Yehoshua Siskin Sivan Rahav Meir is the World Mizrachi Scholar-in-Residence and an Israeli journalist and lecturer.
Nitzavim Sidra Summary
“If your dispersed will be at the ends of heaven, from there the Lord, your G-d, will gather you in” (Devarim 30:4)
1ST ALIYA (KOHEN) – DEVARIM 29:9-28
On the last day of his life, Moshe gathers every member of the nation, of all ages. He enters them into a covenant with G-d, which will be binding for future generations too. Moshe warns them against idolatry. Forsaking the covenant will result in the Land being destroyed and the nation being exiled.
2ND ALIYA (LEVI) – 30:1-6
If the nation does indeed stray and finds itself in exile, it will return to G-d wholeheartedly. G-d will have mercy upon the people and bring them in from wherever they have been ‘scattered’.
3RD ALIYA (SHLISHI) – 30:7-14
persecuted her. G-d will bless the nation like He blessed their forefathers. The Torah is not hidden, nor is it so far away that it is inaccessible. Rather it is ‘very close’ to us.
4TH ALIYA (REVI’I) – 30:15-31:6
G-d has placed ‘life and good, death and evil’ in front of the nation, who are urged to ‘choose life’. That means loving Him and walking in His ways. Heaven and Earth are called to bear witness to this decision and its consequences. Parashat Vayelech starts with Moshe reminding the people that he is not going into the Land with them, but that Yehoshua (Joshua) will lead them and that they will conquer their enemies in the same way that G-d allowed them to defeat the mighty kings Sichon and Og.
5TH ALIYA (CHAMISHI) – 31:7-13
Standing in front of the nation, Moshe tells Yehoshua not to be afraid. Moshe writes the entire Torah and gives the scroll to the Kohanim and the elders. Moshe instructs the people in a new mitzvah, known as hakhel – just after the end of every seventh year of the agricultural cycle (shemitah), on Succot, all the people are to gather in Jerusalem, young and old, to hear the king read parts of the Torah. Point to Consider: why was just after the shemitah year the chosen time for hakhel?
6TH ALIYA (SHISHI) – 31:14-19
G-d calls Moshe and Yehoshua to stand by the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (ohel moed), where He tells them that the nation will turn against Him to other G-ds. G-d’s anger will flare against Israel, and he will ‘hide His face’ from them, as if He is unaware of their sufferings (Rashi). He commands Moshe to write the Song of Ha’azinu, next week’s sidrah (Rashi).
7TH ALIYA (SHEVI’I) – 31:20-30
G-d continues with His message; excessive enjoyment of the Land’s abundance will lead the nation to idol worship. Reading the Song of Ha’azinu will remind them that they were warned of the consequences of rebellion. Moshe finishes writing the Sefer Torah and tells the Levi’im to place it next to the aron (ark).
HAFTARAH
Taken from the book of Yeshaya, this is the last of the seven ‘haftarot of consolation’ read after Tisha B’Av. The redemption will come, with the nations of the world recognising Israel’s splendour. Though sullied by the blood-stains of the struggles of exile, the nation should always be aware that G-d loves them and is guarding them.
Nitzavim: The future’s bright, and certain
BY GAVRIEL COHN
This week’s Torah portion makes an astounding claim: “It will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse from among the nations where G-d has banished you, you will return to the Lord, your G-d and you will listen to His voice.” After centuries of wandering and displacement, exiled due to their sins, the Jewish People will eventually return to G-d and be brought back to their Land. As the Rambam writes: “The Torah has promised that, ultimately, Israel will repent towards the end of her exile and, immediately, she will be redeemed.”
This bold assertion is representative of Judaism’s great optimism regarding both man and world-history. Despite man’s capacity to sin and after long epochs of suffering, Judaism envisions a time when the Jewish People will revive itself and come to thrive positively, serving G-d and building a peaceful, prosperous society of its own.
Our prayers on Rosh Hashanah are even more optimistic than this week’s Torah portion, dramatically describing how all of humanity will return to G-d: “All shall come to serve you… far-flung lands will exult in Your kingship…” The High Holy Day liturgy is replete with passages and poems describing how the nations of the world will come to embrace Monotheism.
What is behind the Torah’s prophetic assurance that the Jewish People will eventually repent in our sedra? And how can the High Holy Day prayers be so confident, claiming that even the most remote island populations will “call in Your name… and accept upon themselves the yoke of Your kingship”?
Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that both the Jewish People and all of humanity were once one group and eventually they will desire to reunite themselves, to restore their collective brotherhood.
The Jewish People were descendants of one ancestor and were then joined even closer together through their shared suffering in Egypt. They were united once more at Sinai, accepting the Torah upon themselves as a nation. Then, in our sedra, just before they were to cross into the Land of Israel, Moshe gathered everyone – from the esteemed “leaders of the tribes” to the humble “woodcutters and water-drawers… men, women, and children” – and further bound them together into a pact. Each and every Jew, regardless of position or wealth was demanded to care for his fellow, to be responsible for the other members of their pact. Tragically, as Moshe relates, due to their sins the Jewish People would then be pulled apart and dispersed from each other, exiled “from one end of the world until the other.” Yet their longing to reunite with each other would mean that they would come to repent and be reassembled. Each Jew’s desire to reunite with his brothers, the fellow members of his pact and nation, and return to his Land ensures that “ultimately, Israel will repent” and G-d will bring them back.
The same could be said of the remarkable optimism of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, which foretells of how the nations of the world will eventually come to serve G-d. Like the Jewish People in particular, humanity is, in truth, united. We all are descended from Adam, created by G-d in His image. The High Holy Day prayers use the most primordial, basic terms for man – “formed matter,” “handiwork,” “sons of flesh,” – to stress this essential sameness that we all share, how all of humanity is “one group” formed and made by G-d. “From the leaders of the tribes to the woodcutters and water-drawers; men, women, and children,” all people are part of one big human family. When we finally remember this we will desire to reunite, serving our Creator as one. All will come to appreciate their sameness, common ancestry, and brotherhood and will join together as a single collective. The prophecies of this week’s sedra and the prayers of Rosh Hashanah will indeed resonate with this bright, united future.The High Holy Day liturgy is replete with passages and poems describing how the nations of the world will come to embrace Monotheism.
Gavriel Cohn is an informal educator at Immanuel College, Bushey. He has written a number of Torah articles for various publications. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch! gavcohn@ gmail.com.
Chovat Halevavot
The third differentiation between one who takes a security prior to loaning their friend compared with one who “withholds” service of G-d before He satisfies all the person’s needs is: It is only sensible to take a security on a loan from someone to whom you owe nothing. If however, one owes the borrower money (or a huge favour) then it is completely inappropriate to request a security. How much more so is it incorrect to make demands of G-d prior to serving Him – when He has already given us so much!
A pious person once told a group of individuals: In the same way you appreciate that G-d doesn’t demand of you to fulfil tomorrow’s duties today, you should also not request of G-d to make you “wealthy in advance” – e.g. to worry and to beg Hashem to give me loads of money now so that I can marry off my great-grandchildren in decades to come.
Fourth of all, there are usually three reasons to take a security against a loan: (1) Perhaps the borrower will become insolvent (2) Perhaps the borrower will choose to withhold the funds for no justified cause (3) Perhaps the borrower will die or disappear. All of these issues are solved by taking a security. All of the above, however, do not apply to G-d, whom “wealth and honour is in front of Him” and who “lives forever”. The fifth reason to ridicule this conduct is that once one takes the security from a human being, they can “rest assured” that they will either receive their money in return or they will be able to sell the pledge and enjoy the funds. When it comes to making demands of G-d prior to serving Him, a person will rarely – if ever – be satisfied thereby. Once the money arrives, they will remain fearful of losing it or of another loss happening.
Do not be fooled into thinking that one only finds peace of mind once they acquire great wealth. The reverse if often true: Our wise sages taught us two millennia ago: One who has more possessions has more worries:
The moral of the story is: A person should be satisfied with what G-d has granted them and be fully prepared to engage in service of Hashem even if they feel that not “all” of their “needs” are met “yet”!
Hilchot Rosh Hashanah
We continue with some of the customs and laws relating to Rosh Hashanah. The day prior to Rosh Hashanah is an especially auspicious time as we have a tradition that one who spends a day repenting sincerely is in some ways considered as if they spent their entire year doing so. Therefore, we say extra Selichot and many people fast for part of the day.
It is customary to have a haircut and to bathe, with some immersing themselves in a Mikvah too, then dressing in one’s Shabbat clothes.
It is also a well-established custom to annul one’s vows on Erev Rosh Hashanah. During the year one commonly accepts good practices in a manner which may have the Halachic status of a vow (such as if one does so 3 times). It is therefore good to enter the new year without the burden of vows, which we are taught are treated very seriously in Heaven. Nevertheless, if one expressly made a vow then they must consult a Rabbi before annulling it.
It is highly recommended to conduct oneself with greater piety during the 10 days of repentance which commence on Rosh Hashanah and end on Yom Kippur. Even if one does not intend to maintain a higher standard throughout the year, if one shows their sincerity and conducts themselves in a more appropriate manner in these ten days, praying with more sincerity, being more careful with what one eats or says (for example), then the person is considered in a better position when standing before G-d for judgement.
It is a Mitzvah to listen to the Shofar (and to contemplate the reasons given for this great Mitzvah). One should not talk from the time the blessing is recited on the Shofar until the conclusion of the Shofar sounding at the end of Musaf.
The Rambam writes that even though the Mitzvah of Shofar is a biblical decree, there an allusion in it to being a “wake-up call” – (especially) to those who “forget the truth with the futilities of the time… look into your ways and better your path and schemes and each person should abandon their bad path and non-helpful plans”. It is too easy to forget our task in this world whilst absorbed in the silliness that often accompanies (or disrupts) our (true) ambitions. The Shofar encourages us not to walk through life asleep.
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Wishing you a הבוט המיתחו הביתכּ
Rebbe’s Shofar blowing campaign set to light up Rosh Hashanah
BY DAVID SAFFER
The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s ‘Shofar blowing’ campaign at Rosh Hashanah is going strong after almost seven decades.
Synagogues around the world will welcome worshippers back for the High Holy Days next week. And far larger crowds are expected than 12 months ago when communities were still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 measures will vary dependent on local conditions but the highlight for many families is the traditional symbol of blowing of the Shofar.
Not everyone can attend services for a variety of reasons but they will be able to hear the age-old shofar blasts of teki’ah, shevarim and teru’ah at an eclectic mix of locations including street corners, in hospitals, care facilities, parks, military bases and people’s homes.
The background to blowing the shofar in parks et al, was influenced by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M Schneerson, who launched his campaign before Rosh Hashanah in 1953.
The idea of bringing Jews to the streets was not really considered, you generally heard the Shofar in shul or didn’t. I’m too young to remember, but reports testify to this notion. However, it appears the campaign was a Chabad pilot program, a forerunner of many mitzvah campaigns.
But after Chabad students hit the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y. with shofars in hand a revolution was in the making. No one had seen anything like it.
“We’d go out early in the morning, before prayers, and head to the corners and the parks,” recalled Rabbi Moshe Pesach Goldman, a Lubavitcher yeshivah student at Crown Heights, who was stationed at Eastern Parkway and Rochester Avenue. “It was already filled with people,” he added.
The campaign was to blow the shofar to anyone who would not be able to hear it, so hospitals were on the itinerary.
“This was something totally new,” Rabbi Goldman enthused. “Shofar in the street? It was unheard of.”
Crown Heights was an upper-middle class Jewish neighbourhood, most Chassidim lived in Brownsville including the young student who would pass the Rebbe’s shul.
“Jewish stores were open, we’d walk in and blow shofar for the shopkeepers,” he recalled.
The Rosh Hashanah theme to enable all Jews to hear it was simple yet spiritually powerful. And it has not changed over the ensuing decades since the campaign was initiated.
“It was very much similar to what it looks like today,” noted Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, who was also at the Lubavitcher yeshivah and blew the shofar on street, parks and hospitals.
In 1954, Rabbi Krinsky joined the Rebbe’s staff, he is chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Machne Israel, the educational and social services arm of the Lubavitch movement.
Educational programs for Jewish school students included Mesibos Shabbos and Released Time in the 1940s by the Sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn.
Krinsky participated in those but Shofar blowing on a street was ground-breaking.
“This, as well as offering passers-by the opportunity to make a blessing on a lulav and etrog, was clearly an innovation of the Rebbe,” he noted.
In response to a 1958 letter from a Jewish hospital chaplain in Brooklyn regarding blowing the Shofar at Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe explained that an aspect of the Shofar was to coronate G d Almighty as king of the universe. All Jews should have an opportunity to hear the call of the shofar.
The Rebbe also stressed the healing it brought to patients. In 1978, he noted that blowing the shofar for patients “literally revives souls.”
From the late 1950s, visitors around the world, many from Israel, travelled to New York for a month to take in the Jewish holidays hoping to meet the Rebbe. Blowing the Shofar before prayers or in the afternoon became part of Rosh Hashanah in Brooklyn. The media also took note.
“The National Jewish Post & Opinion in October 1960 reported, “Farmers in the Lubavitcher cooperative ‘Kfar Chabad,’ are rich in … zeal. Starting on the Rosh Hashanah holidays, they, along with local Chassidim, trek to all hospitals within walking distance of their synagogue and blow the shofar for bedridden patients.”
The Rosh Hashanah initiative in Brooklyn was informal, but it became permanent after the founding of the Lubavitch Youth Organisation of New York in 1955 alongside a street lulav ‘n’ etrog project.
Rabbi Berel Junik and Rabbi Eli Gross led the shofar, and lulav ‘n’ etrog “routes”.
Chassidim travelled to further locations annually. Detailed reports would be delivered to the Rebbe.
The Shofar campaign escalated to more locations and kibbutzim of Israel.
Chabad proved a hit throughout California during the 1960s. By the new decade, emissaries took the Shofar campaign to hospitals in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Long Beach and Berkeley.
“Last year’s program was a phenomenal success,” Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, founding director of Chabad California, told Bnai Brith Messenger in ‘71. “We have received hundreds of letters from bed ridden patients and their families thanking us for making available to them the shofar blowing. The shofar, which ushers in the New Year for the Jews, has historically brought hope and inspiration for brighter things to come in the future.”
A message of positivity was clearly growing.
“Strolling along a street in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, I saw a young man with a shy, fish-out-of-water look about him,” wrote Ellie Spielberg in The New York Times’s Metropolitan Diary in 1994. “He stopped and asked if I’d heard the shofar being blown that day. I answered no. So he opened his jacket, whisked out a small ram’s horn and gave me a private concert. With joyful abandon, he played and played, conjuring trills, stops and drones of a tune as old as the Bible. I closed my eyes. Then he stopped, tucked away the shofar, said ‘Shona Tovah”, Happy New Year, and was gone. It was the best Rosh ha-Shanah I’ve had.”
The Rebbe’s mitzvah campaigns have never been the domain of Chabad emissaries or Chassidim, anybody can help fellow Jews if it inspires them to do so.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hecht, of Chabad Chicago, recruited shofar-blowing volunteers in the ‘60s including brothers-in-law Roy Pinchot and David Goldberg.
Pinchot had prayed at Hecht’s Chicago synagogue in the ’60s, but in 1967 moved to Skokie, one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors in the world, to help set up Congregation Or Torah.
A couple of years on, encouraged by Rabbi Hecht, Pinchot, who lives in Netanya, organised shofar blowing for people in hospital.
“My friend Myron Jacobson would blow the shofar, he said. “It was quite an experience. People would break into tears.” A lulav and etrog campaign for Succot followed.
Goldberg was among volunteers who would walk to a hospital on Rosh Hashanah to blow shofar for the patients. The program expanded to include home visits.
“I was always amazed at how many people would be eagerly hoping for us to come,” he recalled. “By the end of the day, my lips would be drooping, but for me, it was enjoyable and rewarding.”
Before Rosh Hashanah 1974, the Rebbe expanded the Shofar campaign to include the month of Elul, when by custom the Shofar is blown daily except for the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
The Rebbe highlighted an importance to bring the Shofar to isolated soldiers in the Israeli military.
And the coming years would see the Rebbe develop the campaign to include Jews in prison and in hospitals whilst the Chabad movement grew.
In 1991, visitors for the High Holidays to meet the Rebbe had increased exponentially. Eyewitnesses recall the Rebbe observing huge crowds and stressing an expectation that those gathered should participate.
The shofar signifies every Jew’s acceptance of G d’s rule over the entire world. But nothing reminds a Jew of who they are like the sounds of the shofar.
Congregations will be silent in synagogues next week when the age-old notes are sounded. Jews will be just as transfixed in public parks, hospitals, homes and the streets from Jerusalem to Moscow, Manchester, London and Los Angeles.
They will also be in Brooklyn where it all began 68 years ago!
