Shabbat Shalom Weekly

Torah Portion:  Rosh Hashanah

The Shofar Helps Us Reclaim Our Citizenship
by Avi Geller

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” When the king was on a distant journey, Robert — the servant who always cleaned the king’s bedroom — decided to try out the king’s bed, the most comfortable bed in the kingdom. “I wonder what it would feel like to take a little nap there?” he thought. So for the entire afternoon he slept soundly in the royal bed.

John, who was in charge of the king’s stable, wondered how it would feel to mount the king’s stallion. At that, he was riding all over the king’s forest.

William, in charge of the king’s crown, constantly kept the diamonds and rubies shining. “I would like to be king for a day,” thought William as he seated himself on the royal throne wearing the shiny crown.

Suddenly the palace was in an uproar! The king had returned unexpectedly! One servant was sound asleep in the king’s bed, another was riding the royal stallion, and a third was wearing the king’s crown and sitting on the throne. “Off with their heads!!” the king cried.

This story relates to our task as we prepare for the coming Rosh Hashana. We think of ourselves as the decision makers and catalysts of our lives. We imagine ourselves in the driver’s seat and wearing the crown. Before Rosh Hashana we must contemplate the fact that the “King” will soon appear in our little world, with all His glory. So we must quickly remake the bed, return the horse to its proper place and take off the crown before it is too late. Recognize the true Ruler of the universe and humble ourselves before Him. And let us proceed to blow the shofar — the coronation of the King of Kings. (heard from Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson)

                                                                                         * * *

TEN DAYS
The Sages teach that on Rosh Hashana, God judges every individual. If someone is perfectly righteous or totally evil, the verdict is immediately given. If, however, one is in the middle (as we typically see ourselves), the judgment is left dangling until Yom Kippur. If the person repents during the Ten Days of Repentance, they will survive; if not, they are condemned.

Question: Why not have Yom Kippur first — so we can repent for our misdeeds before the trial begins?!

* * *KING OF KINGS

Although Rosh Hashana is the first day of the “Ten Days of Repentance,” we find no mention of “sin” in the prayers of the day. The entire theme of Rosh Hashana is the coronation of the King. What is a king? When in the presence of someone who had the power of life and death, one would shudder every minute. Our modern society has no concept of a total monarch, so it is difficult for us to picture God as a king. (Someone once suggested calling Him the “President of the World,” but don’t forget that this is no democracy!)

However, there is a fairly recent concept that can serve as an analogy to the situation of God’s kingdom — a “government in exile.”

When the Germans invaded Poland in World War Two, the king of Poland fled to London where he established the Polish government in exile. Although the Poles were forced to abandon their country, they remained the legal monarchs until they could liberate their homeland. They directed the activities of the resistance movements and broadcast over the radio. Various other governments have emulated this concept.

* * *
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

When we refer to the kingdom of God, what are the borders of this kingdom, and who is the enemy? Of course, we mean it in a metaphysical sense.

According to Jewish tradition, God created a force called the “evil inclination” (yetzer hara) to counterbalance the natural tendency of man to seek spiritual growth and relate to Godliness. (This force is not an independent power, but only doing the will of its Creator in order to test mankind.)

Thus the battlefield consists of the Kingdom of God and enemy territory, the turf of the “evil inclination.” The parameters of God’s kingdom are the boundaries of halacha (Jewish law). When observing Shabbat or keeping kosher, one has placed himself within the Kingdom of God. The moment one oversteps the bounds of halacha, he has entered “enemy territory.”

Question: Any casual observer of the street scene, the media scene, or even the political scene can detect that the “evil inclination” is largely “calling the shots.” What ever happened to the kingdom of God?

                                                                                   * * *

THE TRAITOR

In any monarchy, the king has the prerogative of pardoning criminals — a thief, a burglar and even a murderer. There is only one criminal the king may not pardon. A traitor who divulged information to the nation’s enemies receives no clemency; he must hang.Imagine the police come to hang the traitor, and find him waving the national flag. He is reformed; now he’s a patriot.

This helps explain the shofar that is blown on Rosh Hashana, celebrating the coronation of the King. Until now we were working for the enemy, following the “evil inclination” at the expense of God’s Torah. Although superficially the “evil inclination” seems to have people in his control, the “real” boss is the Almighty. He is only temporarily a “government in exile.”

On Rosh Hashana, our prayers are that God should reveal His kingdom, so that all mankind will recognize His awesomeness. “May every soul proclaim: the God of Israel is King and his reign is all encompassing.” We may already know this, but we are bothered that not all of mankind is aware of His Divine greatness.

As long as we are working for the enemy, we dare not even request a pardon from the King. The first thing to do is declare our loyalty to the Almighty. That is the theme of Rosh Hashana and the reason we don’t mention any misdeeds on that day. Only after accepting God’s kingdom on Rosh Hashana can we begin to deal with the mistakes committed during the past year — and ask the King to pardon us.

* * *
PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR NEXT YEAR

On Rosh Hashana we eat special foods that hint to a sweet year (e.g. apples and honey), and foods that hint to a prosperous year with the downfall of our enemies. We don’t eat certain foods that have negative connotations.

Rosh Hashana is the time we plant the seed of the new year and everything we do on these days is crucial. If we don’t eat a sour food, certainly we shouldn’t say a sour word! For two full days we strive to be on our best behavior. Not to get angry or upset. Not to waste a minute. Not to say anything that may hurt another person.This will effect the entire year to come. May we all have a very sweet year, and be written and sealed for a good and prosperous new year!

based on the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe zt’l

 

At War Before Rosh Hashanah
by Rabbi Noah Weinberg  (z”l)

No one but you can make you great.

A pious man encountered a group of triumphant soldiers coming back from a fierce battle, flushed with victory.

“You have returned victorious from a minor struggle,” he said to them. “Now get ready for the major battle.”

“And what is that major battle?” they asked.

“The war within us, against the evil inclination. That is the great war. You just came back from three weeks of intense fighting, and now the enemy has been vanquished. But fighting the insanity of the yetzer hara, our evil inclination, never ends. Even after 100 defeats, he will never leave you alone. The battle is constant. He will not rest until he kills you. The moment you let your guard down, he will pounce and attempt to utterly destroy you.

“In a typical war there is a front line. Sometimes you are surrounded, but at least you know where the enemy lies. The yetzer hara, however, is a master of disguise. He knows how to mask illusions as reality, how to rationalize evil as good. He is so devious, he knows how to get you to harm yourself and your loved ones without your even realizing it.” (Duties of the Heart, Shaar Yichud Hamaaseh, chapter 5)

We are in the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul, gearing up for Rosh Hashanah, and it is time to intensify the battle against the yetzer hara and restock our supply of weapons.

The enemy’s first plan of attack is to knock out your sense of personal responsibility and get you to hand it over to someone else. “Let my teachers inspire me,” you think. Or, “Let my rabbi tell me what I have to work on.”

“No one can help you grow unless you take responsibility for yourself.”

Stop waiting for someone to tell you what to change. You are responsible for yourself. You must do the necessary introspection, get in contact with yourself, and determine what you need to work on. As the Mishnah says, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” (Avos 1:14). No one can help you grow unless you take responsibility for yourself. Your teachers can give you the greatest tools in the world for self-transformation, but you will leave those tools on the bench if you don’t take responsibility for your own life.

You need to get clarity about what life means to you. What do you want to accomplish this coming year? What are you committed to tackling? If you don’t make these decisions, you might easily delude yourself into thinking that you are preparing adequately for Rosh Hashanah by listening to some inspiring talks and hoping that somehow these great rabbis will make you great.

No one can make you great. No one can fight your battles. No one can turn you into a Torah scholar. There are no shortcuts; you are solely responsible for your own growth and learning. Toughen up and stop relying on others. No one can do it for you.

Judgment and Love

The month of Elul seem to be paradoxical. On the one hand it is the time for “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li – I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me” – an acronym for “Elul.” It is a time when we feel God’s intense love and closeness. Yet Elul is also the time to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, when the Book of Life and the Book of Death are open and the King of the universe sits in judgment, deciding who will live and who will die, who will have cancer and who will be cured, who will be crushed in an accident and who will survive. There seems to be a contradiction between Ani l’dodi v’dodi li and the Day of Judgment. How are the two related?

The Ramchal encapsulates in one paragraph the whole point of our existence, and in doing so gives us an answer. In The Way of God (1:4:6) he writes, “The root purpose of the service of God is for the human being to constantly turn to his Creator, to realize that he was created for the sole purpose of being drawn close to his Creator….” Everything that happens to us in this world is for one reason and one reason alone: to get closer to the Almighty, to feel that I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me. The Jew understands that everything God does is for our good; it is an expression of His love. Every judgment He renders – whether a windfall or a bankruptcy – is exactly what we need to grow closer to Him. Ani l’dodi, if you love the Almighty and appreciate that He is your father, then v’dodi li, you will see that the Almighty loves you and that everything He does is for your good. But if you don’t appreciate what God has done for you and instead you have complaints, you will mistakenly think He does not love you.

The Ramchal describes the objective of the war against the yetzer hara: “Man was placed in this world only to overcome his evil inclination and subjugate himself to His Creator through the power of his intellect. He must overcome his physical desire and tendencies, and direct all of his activities toward attaining this purpose [of coming close to God]” (ibid). It is up to us to choose to cling to God by vanquishing our yetzer hara and rising above the vanities and confusion of the world.

Learning Torah

The Ramchal then identifies the primary weapon God gave us to fight the yetzer hara and achieve our purpose: “God gave us one means that is greater than anything else in bringing man close to God, and that is Torah study” (1:4:9). There is nothing more powerful than learning God’s instructions for living. These are the actual words of our Creator.

Elul is the time to examine your goals and drives, and to make sure it is for the right reasons. Keep it pure.

The shofar is blowing; the Day of Judgment is approaching. You are at war and the enemy is at the gate. Now is the time to strengthen your resolve to fight the great battle against the yetzer hara. It is time to take responsibility for every aspect of your life, to reconnect to God’s constant love, and to intensify your determination to learn Torah. No one can do it for you.

Adapted from Wisdom for Living: Rabbi Noah Weinberg on the parasha. 

 

Step Right Up
by Nesanel Yoel Safran

From this week’s Torah Portion

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is a holiday dedicated to personal growth. It’s a special time that God gives us to grow even better people over the coming year. The most effective way to do this is not to try to improve everything about ourselves at once, but to just pick one or two small things and commit to doing them, one step at a time. Let’s take advantage of the Rosh Hashana opportunity and have a happy, growth-filled New Year!

In our story, a kid harnesses the power of Rosh Hashana to grow one step at a time.

Lisa looked over her shoulder and noticed her roommate, Judy sitting at her desk, busily writing out what looked like a shopping list.

“Hey, Judy, if you’re going to the store can I add one or two things?”

“Huh?”

“To your shopping list. I just need a couple of things from the store to bring home with me for Rosh Hashana vacation and I really don’t have time to go.”

“This isn’t a shopping list, silly.” Judy laughed.

“So what is it, then?” asked Lisa.

“Weren’t you in class today when the teacher told us all about how on Rosh Hashana we’re supposed to improve ourselves?”

“Sure I was. So?”

“So…this is my Rosh Hashana list. I just wrote out 20 things I’m going to totally change about myself, starting Rosh Hashana. Here, listen…” Judy held her list, sat up straight and proudly began:

1. I’m never going to lie again.
2. I’m never going to oversleep again.
3. I’m always going to be in a good mood.
4. I’m never going to – ahem – use my roommate’s stuff without asking first.
5. I’m never…”

“Wait a minute, Judy,” Lisa cut in.

“What’s the matter?” asked Judy, “If you’re mad about number four, you don’t have to worry. I said I’m never going to do it again.”

“No, it’s not that,” said Lisa. “It’s just that your list is making me dizzy. It’s impossible to do all that stuff so fast and at one time.” Judy put down her list as Lisa went on. “Sure, Rosh Hashana’s about growth – but not all at once. It’s great that you want to improve, but this is way too much at one time. You just need to commit to one small step at a time, and stick to it, that’s all.”

“So, what’s on your Rosh Hashana list, then?” Judy asked, confused.

“Well, if you really want to know,” Lisa smiled, “I just committed to doing at least one thing to help someone feel good every day.”

“That’s it?” Judy asked, amazed.

“Yeah, that’s it. And if it goes okay, in another month or so, I might commit do doing one more thing each day.”

Judy looked upset. “Well, I think you’ll never get anywhere that way. I’m sticking to my list and I am going to do it all at once. Wait and see!”

The kids went home for Rosh Hashana vacation. A few weeks later, when Lisa first arrived back in her school dorm room, Judy was sitting on Lisa’s bed, munching on one of Lisa’s granola bars. When the girl noticed her come in, she jumped up and hid the bar behind her back.

“Oh, hi.” Judy said nervously. “I’m sorry, I, um, must have gotten our beds mixed up or something…” Then she hung her head and took her hand with the half-eaten bar from behind her back. “Oh Lisa, I can’t believe it. I just broke another two of my Rosh Hashana resolutions at one time. Not only did I take your things without asking – I just lied about it too! In fact,” she sniffed, “I haven’t been able to stick to any of my resolutions. I guess it really was too much. Can you ever forgive me?”

Lisa was about to tell Judy off and to say ‘I told you so.’ But then she remembered her own Rosh Hashana commitment — to help someone feel better once a day. Forgiving Judy would certainly make her feel better. She smiled and said, “It’s okay, Judy. I know you’re sorry and I forgive you. So just enjoy the snack and have a happy New Year!”
Discussion Questions
Ages 3-5

Q. How did Judy feel at first about Lisa’s idea of just trying to do just one thing better at a time?
A. She didn’t like the idea and felt she could do it all at once.

Q. How did she feel in the end?
A. She saw how trying to do too much at once wouldn’t work.

Ages 6-9

Q. What life lesson do you think someone could learn from this story?
A. One thing is, that the path of self-growth is best accomplished by taking one small step at a time and committing to it, rather than trying to do too much at once, which usually leads to giving up and doing nothing at all.

Q. Why do you think Judy failed to stick to her self-improvement commitments?
A. Often, when we see things about ourselves we would like to change and feel inspired to do so, we are tempted to try to do it all ‘overnight’ — like Judy did. While this is a positive feeling, it is unrealistic to expect to change deeply ingrained patterns in ourselves so quickly. Making positive growth-changes in ourselves is one of life’s greatest goals and like any major goal, we can best succeed by taking measured, steady steps.

Spiritual exercise: Between now and Rosh Hashanah, think of and commit to one small thing you can do that will help you grow in a positive direction and begin doing it.

Ages 10 and Up

Q. In your opinion, is self-searching and seeking things about ourselves that need improving, an activity that will lead to happiness or depression? Why?
A. It all depends on our outlook and approach. If we think of ourselves as ‘bad’ for having these less-than-perfect traits and behavior patterns, focusing on them is likely to bring us down and this type of thinking is best avoided. However if we realize the deeper truth, that God put each of us into the world with our own custom ‘portfolio’ of character strengths and weaknesses. He gave us the life mission of taking this portfolio and trying to ‘turn a profit’ by directing our strengths toward meaningful pursuits and chipping away at our weaknesses — slowly and steadily — to improve, then doing this is the most deeply soul-satisfying and joyful activity possible — for it’s fulfilling our life’s mission!

Q. Our sages teach that ‘grabbing too much is like grabbing nothing.’ What do you think this means?
A. It is human nature that when we have our sights on a worthwhile goal that we want to grab it all and to grab it now. However, our sages are revealing to us a precious secret; that this thinking is a trap and bound to eventually backfire. The secret to success and accomplishment in any realm — physical or spiritual — is to move toward it in measured, consistent steps.

Spiritual exercise: Between now and Rosh Hashanah, think of and commit to one small thing you can do that will help you grow in a positive direction and begin doing it.

 

Quote of the Week

“All beginnings are hard” – Mekhilta Yitro

Joke of the Week

Chaim Yankel was visiting Washington, DC, for the first time. Unable to locate the Capitol, he asked a police officer for directions, “Excuse me, officer, how do I get to the Capitol building?”

The officer replied, “Wait here at this bus stop for the number 54 bus. It’ll take you right there.”

Three hours later, the police officer returned to the same area and, sure enough, Chaim Yankel was still waiting at the same bus stop.

The officer got out of his car and said, “Excuse me, but to get to the Capitol building, I said to wait here for the number 54 bus, and that was three hours ago! Why are you still waiting?”

Chaim Yankel replied, “Don’t worry, officer, it won’t be long now. The 45th bus just went by!”