Rosh HaShanah

Well, with the kids out of school, we've become professionals on determining which attacks we can see and which direction.  It's like the Fourth of July... every day... several times a day!

Baruch Hashem we've only been targeted once, with the rest all around us.  My wife is a bit insulted that we're clearly not important enough to try to kill....

"Not with you alone do I make this covenant and this oath, but with him who stands here with us this day before Hashem our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day" (Devarim 29: 13).

I was recently listening to a talk given by Rav Reuven Leuchter on preparing for Rosh Hashana (which by the way is really, really soon if you haven't noticed).  In it, he made a very simple statement, but also one that is quite powerful.  Basically, he "reminded us" that we, as a nation, are not simply another nation in this world which is better, intellectually or spiritually, than all other nations.  We're not.  In fact, we're not even part of this world.  We live in it, we deal in it, but our existence is not within it.  It's our job to not live in this world, but rather live in Hashem's world.

He explained that when a person goes to the "Bible Belt," we will often hear "G-d was with me."  What does that mean?  It means that I wanted to do something or have something, and G-d came into my world and took care of it for me.  While this is all nice and good, this is not what our essence is.  What we want is to be part of Hashem's world.  He has a world. He has a purpose for it.  He has a nation to live within it and fulfill that purpose.  It's our job to work in His world and when we ask for things like life, health, and prosperity, we don't do so in order to simply take part of the world in general, rather we do so, so we can have the proper tools to fulfill our duties easily.  We go into Hashem's world and say, "in order to succeed in our mission, we need this and that."

It's no different than a soldier going to the quartermaster with a list of equipment and weapons that he needs.  He doesn't need it for himself, rather he needs it to fulfill his mission to the army and country.

With this mindset, we have a better focus on how to daven on Rosh Hashana.  We're not asking for our needs simply in order to enjoy life, but rather we are asking for the tools that we need in order to accomplish our mission at hand.

With this, I wish you all an enjoyable Shabbos.

"The camel went in search of horns, and got his ears nipped off instead" (Sanhedrin 106a).

I learned an interesting piece over last Shabbos by Rav Yaakov Meir Schechter, which I thought was apropos for Rosh Hashana.

Every year around this time, when a person (hopefully) finds time to contemplate where he or she is holding in the grand scheme of things, voices creep into our heads saying, "Why couldn't you be like so-and-so, or have so-and-so's personality, behavior, deeds, etc."  We look up at others, wishing we could be more like them and less like us, and hopefully, we would have a better new year than we are expecting.

The Gemara (Taanis 21b) teaches that every day Abba Umanah, a doctor, would receive a "greeting from Heaven" and at the same time Abaye, the leader of the generation, would receive the same greeting, yet only once a week.

When Abaye learned of this, he became distressed.  Those around him consoled him saying, "That is because you cannot do what Abba Umanah does."  What does this mean?  Abba Umanah was a doctor, Abaye was the preeminent scholar of the time!  It means that Abba Umanah fulfilled his potential 100%, while Abaye had not yet done so.  Yes, Abaye was on a higher level, but more was expected from him, compared to that of Abba Umanah.  Had Abaye tried to copy Abba Umanah's ways, he would have failed.  Had Abba Umanah copied Abaye's ways, he would have failed.

This is all hinted at, says Rav Shechter, in the Gemara quoted above: "The camel went in search of horns, and got his ears nipped off instead."

"Horns" represent spiritual illumination.  "The skin of Moshe's face radiated light (keren ohr, literally "horns of light") (Shemos 34:29).  "Happy is the man who fears Hashem, who delights greatly in His commandments… His righteousness endures forever; His horn shall be exalted with honour" (Tehillim 112:9), etc.

"Ears" represents our ability to hear and listen to Hashem's mitzvos, and when He "speaks" to us, with different experiences throughout our lives and even days.  Each person has their own "ears" to hear Hashem in this world.

So, when we are not focused on our own "horn" and we ignore all that our own "ears" hear, we not only NOT gain the horn of others, but we also lose our own ears, and can no longer hear the personal messages that Hashem is sending US.

Over Rosh Hashanah, our focus should not be on who we want to become, rather it should be on fulfilling our own personal destinies and asking Hashem for another year to attempt to do so.

Have a wonderful and meaningful Rosh Hashanah.

I just had somebody over to take a look at my roof which needs repair before the winter rains.  We were discussing which type of house work requires reporting to the government and which does not.  Basically, any additional roofing on your property requires reporting, and additional property tax every year.  So, if I put up a 9 square meter shed on my own property, I need permission and to pay for it.  Being that there are such rules, the government does its best to catch people and make getting permission difficult, and the people, being Israeli, do their best to bypass the red tape and not be caught.  And whenever you do something that requires permission, it's better to do and get caught than ask beforehand.  You'll have less of a headache and get whatever you need done on time.

Being that this person does a lot of work within our community, he gave me a few examples of what people did.  One family has a business in their home, selling chicken and meat.  It's the only place in the city you can go to buy with a strong hechsher.  Over the years, it has thankfully grown, and in his "backyard" or "courtyard" (we don't have backyards like the States, it's hard to explain), he put up temporary structures to house his "store."  The store itself is completely legal as a business, however, he told me, the city doesn't know it exists.  When I asked him how would the city know, he told me that they use drones to go around and see which property has been doing construction and doesn't match what they have on file.  So, what did this person do to bypass that problem?  He covered the roofs of these structures with artificial grass.  So when the drones fly over, they simply see grass!  I love Israelis!

Rav Shimshon Pincus asks a very interesting question which leads us to a different, and better, understanding of Rosh Hashanah.

The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 17b) writes, "What if the Jewish people were found completely evil on Rosh Hashanah, and it was decreed that they will have meager rain, but in the end they changed their ways?  To add more rain for them is not possible, because the decree was already made.  Instead, Hashem brings the rains down when they are needed, and on the areas where they are needed. What if the Jewish people were found completely righteous on Rosh Hashanah, and it was decreed that they would have abundant rain, but in the end they changed their ways?  To take rain away from them is not possible, because the decree was already made.  Instead, Hashem brings the rains down at the wrong times, and on the areas where they are not needed."

Then there is another Gemara (Beitza 16a), "All of a person's sustenance is allocated to him between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur."

We grow up thinking that Rosh Hashana is a time of judgment over the past year.  If we were good, we get rewarded with life for another year.  If we were not, we are not.  However, if this were true, one, the world would be far less populated, and two, we should have Rosh Hashanah on the last day of the year, not the first.

Also, as we know, reward for mitzvos is not given in this world (for the most part), but rather is given in the World to Come.  If so, what exactly is this judgment?

Let's take two people, for example.  Both received salaries of 500,000 dollars a year.  One is healthy and lives a normal lifestyle that is within his means.  The other is not and has to spend most of his time and money on medical procedures.  Which one has "life"?

Or let's take two people both receiving 500,000 dollars a year.  One gets it because he's some popular speaker and travels around the country a few times a year to speak.  The other has to work day and night with very little rest to make it.  Both have the same amount of money in the end, but which one has "life"?

Rosh Hashanah is not a time of judgement over the past year and does not determine which reward or punishment we get for the next.  When we are asking for "life," we are asking for a life where we can focus on the important things.  When a Ben Torah asks for income, for example, he's asking for enough income to support his family, educate his children, see that his wife is happy, and that he can use as much time as he can in Torah and mitzvos, instead of having to run around all day trying to make ends meet.

Hashem can give income in many different ways.  As we saw in the first Gemara mentioned above, we can be given plenty of rain, but it might be put to waste.  Or it could be given at the last minute, when the farmer was stressed and worried throughout the winter that he didn't have any rain.  Yes, in the end he got it, but he had a very worrying and stressful year awaiting it.

So, that is the "life" we are asking for on Rosh Hashanah.  Not just a life of living and breathing, but rather a life where one can minimize his worries in this world in order to properly use his time and energy in investing in the next.

With that, I wish you all a wonderful Shabbos, Rosh Hashana, and a healthy year full of life.

I walked out of the shul the other Shabbos and saw one of the local girls who recently got engaged walking with her soon-to-be.  Both of them, as expected, were all smiles and googly-eyes, with their bright future ahead of them.

I commented to my neighbor that I was losing my appetite seeing such a thing.  Heck, I can't remember the last time my wife looked at me without her eyes glowing red, yet alone all googly-eyed.

He brushed it off with, "It's only temporary.... when you go to Acco and walk by the beach, you see many couples walking up and down.  And do you know how to tell who is married and who is not?"

I replied, "Of course... the ones who are not married are smiling and the ones that are married ... are not"

"Exactly!"

So... this should be an interesting couple to observe over the years :)

The central theme of Rosh Hashana is "making" Hashem King over all of creation, and especially over ourselves.

So, why is this important to us?  So, if He's the king and we're the servants … okay … so what?  What relevance is that to us in our lives, other than we still have mitzvos to fulfill?

Each nation is different.  Each kingdom is different.  Each has its own language, its own culture, its own food, its own behavior.  You can tell when an American walks into the room by how loud things suddenly become.  You can feel the room chill when an Englishman walks in.  A terrible odor clouds the room when a Frenchman walks in.  Each nation has its norms which are different than others.  It's more than just traditions, it's a whole way of life.  (As a side note, this is where governments fail miserably in foreign affairs; they assume that other nations think like them and want to be like them, without realizing that other nations have their own norms that they are perfectly happy with.)

And what controls the norms of the nation?  The king (or leader) does.  England still has royalty (albeit limited), yet the nation as a whole still follows "protocols."  And one needs to look no further to how other countries view the United States.  When a Trump is in office, Americans are crazy and unrestrained.  When a Biden is in office, Americans are weak and cannot be trusted to help protect others.  Yes, the President on an individual level makes decisions, but it reflects that of his nation as a whole as well.

This Kingship which we "bestow" on Hashem is not about simple traditions.  It's not about how much Torah one learns or how stringent one is with their mitzvos.  That might be another aspect of Judaism, but that is not what Kingship and Rosh Hashanah is about.  Kingship is about a way of life. 

Somebody who is proud to be an American, for example, might join the military as if to say, "this is what I believe in and I'm willing to live and die for it."  They take their Fourth of July seriously.  They vote in every election, and they might participate in government affairs.  Somebody who is so dedicated to his country, makes his country his life.

Similarly, when one makes Hashem King, one is saying, "I want Hashem to rule over my nation.  I want Hashem to be the heart of the nation, and I want my life to be dedicated to His way."

Every summer, the Queen of England celebrates her "official birthday" and it's celebrated by the "Trooping of the Colours."  Without going into detail, half of London is shut down, hundreds of thousands of people stream to the center of the city, where the Home Division marches past Her Majesty with all the pomp and grace expected by Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

Throughout the entire two hours, the focus is on the Queen.  Every detail throughout the entire celebration is dedicated to the Queen.  Everything must be perfect.  Even though she sees only a fraction of what is happening, the whole day is dedicated to her and must represent her fully.

On Rosh Hashana (along with the days preceding and following) we make Hashem King.  We celebrate His Kingship and we dedicate every aspect of our lives to His Kingship.  It's not a matter of adding an hour of learning or doing an extra chessed.  That's not Kingship.  Kingship is about making the King, King, and to dedicated our lives to that Kingship.

With that, I wish you all a wonderful Shabbos and a meaningful Rosh Hashanah.   

Well…Lockdown 2.0 is beginning tomorrow.  At least we're not locked out of shuls and locked in our homes.  But, we're still limited to 500 meters and many stores will be closed, shuls will be limited, and…kids will continue to be home.  Sigh.

They say that this initial phase will last 3 weeks.  I doubt it.  The infection rate is at 10 percent and some hospital Corona wards are completely full.  I think it'll take longer.  Well…you never know what will be. We all know, not one person on earth (except for Bill Gates it seems) predicted we'd be here a year ago. 

"Those who are beinonim ("in the middle") are suspended from Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur.  If they attain merit, they are written for life.  If they don't attain merit, they are written for death" (Rosh Hashana 16b).

Rav Yitzchak Blazer asked a question on this teaching.  If somebody is a beinoni, it means he has equal merits and sin.  If so, why does he need to do teshuvah, which is just one mitzvah in the Torah?  Let him simply do any mitzvah, and therefore his merits will outweigh his sins! 

He answers his question, explaining that if a person fails to do teshuvah on the days especially suited to it, this sin itself is enough to outweigh the other mitzvos he does!  As a proof, he brought a story from the Gemara (Yoma 87a) that said that once Rav went to walk in front of a butcher who had once insulted him, hoping that the butcher would take the opportunity  to ask for his forgiveness.

When Rav Huna heard of this, he said, "Rav is on his way to kill someone."  In the end, the butcher refused to take advantage of the opportunity and did not fare well afterwards.

 Rav Pincus said on this, "This is the seriousness of the Holy Days. Since these days are especially favorable for mercy and forgiveness, if a person doesn't take proper advantage, and rather wished that the Days of Awe would just be over already and the happy days of Sukkos should take their place, it is an affront to Heaven.  This is a very insulting attitude to take, when Hashem graciously seeks to reconcile with us and wipe away our sins.

This year has been a rather difficult year for most of us.  Many have suffered the loss of friends and family; many have suffered illness or loss of income.  Many have been stuck at home with children for months on end.  It hasn't been easy.  I've been joking with friends, "I've heard recently that Rosh Hashanah is coming."

However, we should try our best, whatever "best" is nowadays, to take this time, these next 10 days and try to use them properly.  It might not be the same as it was in previous years, but any movement forward, is still movement in the right direction.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and a very meaningful Rosh Hashsanah.

The outgoing ombudsman for the Israeli army made parts of his final, yearly report public.

It was not pretty.

Basically, he said that the real reason Israel is unwilling to commit to any full-scale assault on Gaza is not for a fear of not being able to handle the North as well, or for international reasons, etc., but rather because the Israeli army is simply not up to it.  Their fighting strength and quality is at the lowest ever.  They are not the Israeli army everybody grew up to love and respect.  He blamed many things for the weakening of the army; but one of the main issues is how the most motivated soldiers, the Religious Zionists, are being chased out by left-wing organizations.  Many who have successfully forced the army to lower their standards so more women can join combat brigades, mix genders as much as possible (and let's not go into the issues that the army has admitted with THAT problem) have done their best to squash what little support the religious soldiers get.

One well respected officer, the Givati Brigade commander was attacked viciously during the last "war."  His crime?  He’s a Religious Zionist, and had the gall to hand out “Orders of the Day” to his soldiers, exhorting them to fight well and to trust that Hashem will fight with them.  He included (gasp!) “Shema Yisroel."  He also said anti-Jewish statements such as “Torah study is the best protection."

His lack of natural movement in the chain-of-command, has not gone unnoticed by his fellow religious officers.  This is a huge loss for this country.  You WANT religious soldiers like this.  THEY, unlike most, have the motivation to defend the country.  They believe it is a mitzvah to do so!  And they will give their lives for it.  But alas, it’s not politically correct for those living in Tel Aviv.

This is yet another sign that this country is not being protected by the “amazing army,” but clearly, by “Somebody” else.

(P.S.  I’m not attacking individual soldiers.  While, obviously not a Zionist myself, I have no problem admitting that Israel probably has the most moral and self-controlled soldiers on the ground.)

On to more important stuff.

It’s an interesting feeling in the air at this time of year.  On one hand, there is fear.  Rosh Hashanah is around the corner.  What will be for next year? What will be with our children?  Our families?  Our health?  Our income?  Our spiritual and physical state? Have we prepared enough?  On the other hand, on Rosh Hashanah, we are to “Eat rich foods and drink sweet beverages” (Nechemiah 8:10).  So, too, on erev Yom Kippur, we sit down to eat a proper meal.  And it’s a mitzvah to eat a good one!  Rabbeinu Yonah explains, “It is because he shows his joy as the time of his atonement approaches, and this testifies to his anxiety over his offense and his deep sorrow over his transgressions. ”

The Mishnah teaches, “Says Rebbe Akiva, Fortunate are you, Yisroel! Before Whom do you purify yourselves, and Who purifies you?  It is your Father in heaven!”

During the weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, we live with some fear and trembling.  Are we doing what we are supposed to be doing?  Are we living up to our potentials?  Have we grown?  Where have we failed and how can we fix that?

Yet, once Rosh Hashanah (and Yom Kippur) comes around, we go into it with happy and joyful emotions.  We realize that WE are not the ones who ultimately clean us up.  It is Hashem!  We must do our part to show that we want to be clean, but in the end, Hashem cleans each of our souls.

My wife was speaking to a lady (note: non-religious) who moved here from South America 30  years ago.  My wife commented on how there are more and more Jews moving from South America to Israel recently.  She scoffed and remarked, “they’re converts; they’re not Jewish.”  My wife was a bit puzzled about that and remarked that there are a few converts within the religious community here, and they are certainly Jewish!  “I’m not talking about THOSE.”  She went on to explain that people making Aliyah from certain countries in Central and South America, and Russia of course, go on these “conversion programs” to become Jewish in order to escape where they are living.  They have no intention of keeping Torah and Mitzvos, but the Israeli government considers them Jewish, and helps set them up in Israel.  And now you have a whole situation set up, where you have all these non-Jews, either thinking that they are Jewish, and who are not, or openly knowing that they are not-Jewish, marrying Jews in Israel!  “Thank G-d my kids went through the school system BEFORE this became big,” she said.

And you see it a lot.  On Shavuos, I needed to find somebody not Jewish for something, and I was being directed left, right, and center to people who are intermarried.  We have elections for mayor coming up.  All but one candidate are Russian, and most likely are not Jewish.

They come here, go to school, integrate, serve in the army, some go on these quickie "conversion" programs, and the next thing you know . . . it’s the same problem America faces.

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t have issues with non-Jews.  Or even non-Jews living here.  I have issues with people telling these non-Jews that they are “Jewish enough,” yet are not Jewish at all.  And THIS causes a lot of problems down the line (which of course, gets blamed on the religious for not being "tolerant" enough by not changing halachah).

My wife said to me this morning that the original Zionists thought that by creating their own independent state they would, by default, be able to protect and keep the Jewish people, yet, their policies and those of their ideological children are now causing a huge intermarriage within that very State.

Well . . . nothing I can do about it.

On to more important things: How to do Teshuva without leaving your couch!

My Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Asher Rubenstein, once gave a talk about doing teshuvah.  In fact, he gave a whole talk on how to do (a good part of) teshuvah, without actually having to do anything!  While, he always liked to call himself a fanatic, and wanting fanatics as his students ("I don't want ‘yeshivish’!!! I want FANATICS!!!"), he was also very big into not falling into depression over ones past or present.  He always believed in looking to the future and moving forward.

He started off explaining that everybody is given a horse when they are born.  It’s called "the body." And the person’s neshama, his soul, is the owner of the horse.  And like all horse owners, we are obligated to take care of the horse.  However, many times in our lives, the horse looks us in the eyes and says, “Hey boss!  I’ve decided there are going to be a few changes around here. Instead of the hose-bath, I want a bubble-bath!  And the hay?  No more.  I want strawberry shortcake!  With whipped cream!”

Now, most horse-owners under such circumstances would simply hold up the whip to Mr. Ed’s face and say, “I’m sorry, horse, what did you say?”  And that is something that the neshama needs to do, once in a while, to the body.  It needs to show the body who is in charge.

Sins can be broken down into two categories.  The first category is the sins that are committed by the horse owner.  This is the most serious.  It’s comparable to an owner of an apple orchard.  He sees, one day, that his neighbor is taking a nap, and the neighbor’s horse is eating some of his apples.  Okay, he thinks, the guy fell asleep.  Just a few apples.  Not the end of the world.  However, the next day, he sees the neighbor, BRING HIS HORSE over to his orchard and start feeding him the apples!  Obviously, he’s not going to let THIS go so easily!

So, those sins that a person commits, knowingly and wittingly, is a big problem.  He can’t blame his horse.  He’s the one leading the horse to the sin!  For such things, a person can be punished by Heaven or by a Rabbinic Court, and in some cases can execute him.  That’s pretty bad.

My Rosh Yeshivah said that a person needs to "downgrade" his sin. By learning about this sin, and really thinking about it, a person can reach the level, where he can honestly say, “You know what, this IS bad, what I’m doing, and it’s something I don’t WANT to do, but I’m already so entrenched . . . .”

At this point, his sin has been downgraded from intentional to non-intentional.  He knows that he doesn’t want to do the sin, but his "horse" keeps on leading him in the direction, since that’s how the horse was trained.  And that downgrade will save him from even the death penalty.

The second category is that of the sins that the horse commits.

These are the sins that a person does NOT want to commit, but he doesn’t have the necessary control over the horse.  It’s a BIG horse after all.

So here we have two sub-categories.  Those sins that the horse does, but, let’s be honest, he still gets enjoyment from ("psik reisha v’nicha lay," for those who like halalcha), and those that he really doesn’t enjoy when he does it, but he still can’t control himself.

So again, by learning about the sin, and having a desire, a person can take the first, more serious, sub-category, and downgrade it.  When he learns and contemplates the power of the sin, he will come to the point, that he might still commit it, but he won't enjoy it as much or at all.

Finally, we are at the second sub-category, those sins that his horse makes him do and he doesn’t like it.  Here, a person needs to work on "breaking the horse" so he finally can get control over it.  And slowly, but surely, he will.

But, Rav Rubenstein said, it’s important to know something, so he should not fall into depression, even on the last stage.  Just when a person does a mitzvah, purely by rote, without any life to it, he WILL get reward for that mitzvah.  But, only the "base amount," and nothing more.  So too, when a person does a sin, purely by rote, without any life to it, its severity is severely diminished, "by 90%."

So, right here, we were given advice on how to mentally downgrade our sins, and to begin to cover a great amount of teshuvah! And all without falling into depression! J

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Michael Winner

My wife was on the bus the other day and had an “only in Israel” experience.  The driver was an Arab and was speaking to a soldier up front.  My wife wasn’t paying attention to the discussion, until she heard the Arab say:

“Are you Ashkanazi?”

“G-d forbid!  Of course not!”

“Well, you can’t be Sfardi, you’re way too white!”

“Well, I’m Moroccan.”

“Moroccan?  Ach!  You guys don’t know how to make good couscous!”

“Of course we do!  I make great couscous!”

“No you don’t!  You’re so white because you don’t eat enough spicy food!  You need more coosbara (cilantro) in your food!”

Of course, more people got drawn into the conversation, which turned into a “fight." Then the driver said, “You’re so white, you’re going to be eating gefilte fish soon!”

Can you imagine such a conversation happening in America?  The driver would be out of a job and the rider would be in counseling!

It’s so good to be here!

On Rosh Hashanah, we declare Hashem “King” not only over the world, but over us as well. 

What exactly is “malchus," kingship?  Rav Pincus explains, “There are various nations in the world, such as the Greek kingdom or the Persian kingdom.  This is because the difference between the Persians and the Greeks is not to be found in a particular custom that they might have.  It is rather a difference in the total way of life: different clothing, different foods, different culture and different behavior patterns.  Malchus is an all-encompassing matter.  It affects every fiber of a person’s being.  When we say that Hashem is our King, it means that just as the body’s blood circulation comes from the heart, so the whole shape of a Jew’s life is formed only around Hashem.

“This is illustrated by the metaphor of tourists visiting a foreign country.  Everything about them gives them away: what they eat, how they talk, the clothes they wear, etc.  It is obvious that they come from a different ‘Malchus.’”

As we know, the main point of this time of year is teshuva.  Many people mistakenly think that this means "repentance," and that we need to simply stop doing all the negative things.  But that’s not entirely correct.  The word teshuva is based on the word “to return."  It’s not so much, “stop doing bad things,” which is PART of it, but rather, it is “return to Hashem with all your being."

On Rosh Hashanah, we declare Hashem King, which means that we are saying that we are part of His kingdom.  If we are truly part of His kingdom, that means we need to act accordingly, think accordingly, eat accordingly, dress accordingly, etc.

When a Ben Torah walks down the street, you can see that he is part of the Kingdom of Hashem.  He might not live up to the standards 100 percent of the time, after all he is human, but he is showing Hashem and the world, that his number one desire is to be a “Citizen of Hashem’s Kingdom," and to be the best representative of this kingdom as he can.

This Rosh Hashanah, we have the opportunity to make an honest attempt of “renewing our passports," so to speak.  We ask Hashem for life so we can be better citizens, and to live our lives according to the customs and laws of this malchus.  When we invest our entire being into this, or do our best to do so, or at least make a plan that will lead to such a thing, then we are giving Hashem a good reason to grant us, our families, and the entire nation, a good year ahead.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and a meaningful Rosh Hashanah!

 
Michael Winner

I definitely win the Worst Father Award.

When my soon-to-be six-year-old daughter lost her first tooth, her older sister told her to put it under her pillow, and the “Tooth Gamad” (literally: Tooth Dwarf) will give her a prize (note: this was not our idea). So, she put her tooth under her pillow, and her sister left her a prize. Same thing happened when her second tooth fell out. This past Shabbos, a third tooth fell out and she told my wife that she’s going to put it under her pillow for the Tooth Gamad. Of course, she doesn’t believe in the Tooth Gamad; however, she is not yet sure who the Tooth Gamad really is. So far her two guesses are either my wife or Eliyahu HaNavi.

My soon-to-be eight-year-old son lost his tooth a day later. He wanted to cash in from the Tooth Gamad, so he made it known that he’s going to put his tooth under his pillow. So, in the middle of the night, I took on the role of Tooth Gamad, and left him a raw potato.

Am I obnoxious or what?

He woke up, found it, and thought it was funny. Though he vowed to find the Tooth Gamad and throw it at him.

Okay, on to Torah!
You will have to excuse me this week, but this week’s dvar Torah will be quoted from Rav Shimshon Pincus. I simply can’t put it better:

“I was once asked to give a talk in Yerushaliyim on the subject of Elul and Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, and when I got there I saw notices bearing my name, announcing me as someone who is coming to speak words of reinforcement and awakening for the month of Elul. I proceeded to tell the audience that in my opinion, words of “reinforcement and awakening” are what ruin our Elul. How so?

“I told an allegory about a young man who suffered from a familiar problem: he couldn’t get himself out of bed in time in the morning. His parents’ pleading and cajoling was to no avail. Eventually this young man landed in the army, and already on the first day he was ordered to report for duty every morning at 5:30 a.m. Obviously one cannot refuse an order, and so it was over the course of three years: he showed up every day at 5:30 in the morning. But the day after he finished military service, he went back to waking at nine.

”This is not much of a surprise. His early rising during his army years was a matter of 'reinforcement and awakening.' He was 'reinforced' and he 'woke up.' But he didn’t do teshuva. He did not change anything within himself.

"Now reinforcement is a great thing, awakening is wonderful, but they have nothing to do with teshuva. Teshuva means to move from one’s place, to change one’s personality and very way of life. Because of the feelings of Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur we sometimes forget to also do teshuva.

"On Rosh Hashanah we recite, ‘This day is the beginning of Your handiwork.' It can’t mean on this day Hashem created the physical world, because that was created several days before, not on Rosh Hashanah. Rather, on Rosh Hashanah, man was created. This indicates that the teshuva of Rosh Hashanah is not about physical deeds; rather, it is a change in one’s whole life program. It is about the re-creation of man. This is not a matter of rectifying wrongdoing; it is more fundamental than that.

"If we would ask a person what he aspires to achieve in his life, many times the answer will be that he seeks a good life – a life full of Judaism, satisfaction from the children, shalom bayis, etc.

"And how does a person merit receiving a good life like this, we ask?

"He answers that Hashem is holding this good life in His hands, ready to give it out. Whoever connects to Him through learning His holy Torah, focused davening, and mitzvos, will be granted this good life.

"Wrong. This is not a Jewish approach or a Jewish concept of life. A Jew’s concept of life is as follows: ‘As for me, closeness to G-d in my goodness’ (Tehillim 73: 28). A Jew gets up in the morning so he can be close to Hashem. Connection to Hashem is the goal itself, not the means to attain a good life. We merit a good life if that is Hashem’s will; obtaining it is not our objective.

"To say it another way, the difference is like this: Who is a person living for? For himself, and the relationship with Hashem is only to solve problems and avert troubles? If so, Hashem views this person as taking more than he gives. Rather, the true Jewish concept of life is the inner will to live in closeness with Hashem”

And so says Rav Pincus.

May we merit to use the period of time from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur to do true teshuva. To not just correct any misdeeds or character traits, but to actually bring Hashem more in our lives in an everyday manner.

Have a great Shabbos and a wonderful Rosh Hashanah.

Michael Winner

There is a series of kids' books about Eli.  Eli is a child of a wonderfully frum family, who always looks perfect, whose father must be somebody important, who lives in Israel yet magically in a huge American house in an American-looking neighborhood (which does not exist here...though the Frum.org editor claims that it exists in Caesarea, though, if true, does not contain people looking like Eli), and has lots of free time in his life.
 
Despite his royal upbringing, Eli seems to get into A LOT of trouble.  Just looking at the back of one of the books, I can see all the other books in the series.  Let’s see: Eli starts a fire, Eli gets hit by a car, Eli cuts his finger, Eli shpritzes glass cleaner in his eyes, Eli finds a chofetz chashud (suspicious object), Eli falls from a tree, Eli sticks his hand in the monkey cage, Eli burns his hands, Eli takes candy from a stranger, Eli plays in traffic (I guess he forgot that he got hit by a car a few books ago), Eli falls into the ocean (and gets rescued by a helicopter . . . remember kids . . . if you want to go in a helicopter, all you have to do is . . .), Eli gets lost . . . .
 
Wow.  Pretty impressive life Eli has (yet, no “Eli gets kidnapped by Hamas”).  And it’s amazing that neither of his parents seem to have grayed a bit.  Of course . . . neither of his parents seem to be around at all.
 
The “best” part about this?  My three year-old has taken a REAL liking to this series.  G-d help us.
 
Okay, on to Torah!

There is a famous question about Rosh HaShanah.  We know it’s the Day of Judgment, and we don’t recite Hallel because of it.  Yet, at the same time, it’s a time of simcha, and we have festive meals on it.  What’s the connection between having simcha and fear on the same day?
 
Rav Shimshon Pincus gives a story (slightly altered by me) to answer the question.
 
Let’s say there are two people in a city that committed the same crime.  They are brought to trial and are both found guilty and are given a heavy fine to pay.  Both beg the judge for leniency, but the judge responds, “I’m sorry, but these are the rules of the land.  If I start bending and breaking them, then the entire system will fall apart, and we’ll have no law in the land at all.”  Two weeks go by, and the king comes to the city to hold court for a few days (must have been an election year).  Both people run to the king to present their case.
 
The first person approaches the king and gives the whole legal report on how there is technically room in the law (Article 21, Section 14, Subsection XXIV, see note 14) that allows leniency in his case.  After 10 minutes of his best, well-researched report, the king waves him away with “the ruling stands.”  The second person throws himself at the feet of the king and begins to cry, begging the king for forgiveness, describing the pressures that were on him that caused him to break the law.  He begs for the king’s mercy.  The king, feeling the person’s pain, asks him for his name.
 
“Levi ben Ploni,” replied the man.
 
“Levi ben Ploni?  Aren’t you the one with the children who send me birthday cards every year?”
 
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the man.
 
“Ah! Wonderful!  Then in that case, your punishment has been revoked!  And here, take these treats to your kids from me.”
 
So what happened here?  The judge answered them correctly that he cannot overturn the law of the land, lest mayhem follow in its wake.  Yet the king can?  The answer is simple: the king IS the law.  What he says, goes.
 
So, what was the difference between the two people?  The first person really had a legal basis for his being excused, yet was shunned by the king, but the second person had no basis, yet was rewarded.
 
Rosh HaShanah is a day of fear and simcha.  Fear, because we are standing before the Ultimate Judge for our actions of the past and the future.  Simcha, because we have, what’s called in Israel, “Protexia,” we have protection up above—that the King wants to see us succeed, and is willing to change the law to see that success happen.
 
So, again, what’s the difference between the two people?
 
Emotional connection.
 
One person had an emotional connection to the king, and the other did not.
 
A person can come to davening every day on time, come to learning every day on time, do chessed, give tzedakkah, eat food from only the best kashrus agencies, and he will be rewarded for it all.  However, if he does not have an emotional connection with Hashem, he missed the point of life.
 
Our job is not to make a connection with the Shulchan Oruch (the Code of Jewish Law), but to use the Shulchan Oruch to make a connection with Hashem Himself.  When we have such a connection with Hashem, then Hashem will respond in kind, and make a connection with us.  With that, we have even more power to grow.
 
Have a wonderful Shabbos and Rosh HaShanah!

There is a series of kids' books about Eli. Eli is a child of a wonderfully frum family, who always looks perfect, whose father must be somebody important, who lives in Israel yet magically in a huge American house in an American-looking neighborhood (which does not exist here), and has lots of free time in his life.

Despite his royal upbringing, Eli seems to get into A LOT of trouble. Just looking at the back of one of the books, I can see all the other books in the series. Let’s see: Eli starts a fire, Eli gets hit by a car, Eli cuts his finger, Eli shpritzes glass cleaner in his eyes, Eli finds a chofetz chashud (suspicious object), Eli falls from a tree, Eli sticks his hand in the monkey cage, Eli burns his hands, Eli takes candy from a stranger, Eli plays in traffic (I guess he forgot that he got hit by a car a few books ago), Eli falls into the ocean (and gets rescued by a helicopter . . . remember kids . . . if you want to go in a helicopter, all you have to do is . . .), Eli gets lost . . . .

Wow. Pretty impressive life Eli has (yet, no “Eli gets kidnapped by Hamas”). And it’s amazing that neither of his parents seem to have grayed a bit. Of course . . . neither of his parents seem to be around at all.

The “best” part about this? My three year-old has taken a REAL liking to this series. G-d help us.

Okay, on to Torah!
There is a famous question about Rosh HaShanah. We know it’s the Day of Judgment, and we don’t recite Hallel because of it. Yet, at the same time, it’s a time of simcha, and we have festive meals on it. What’s the connection between having simcha and fear on the same day?

Rav Shimshon Pincus gives a story (slightly altered by me) to answer the question.

Let’s say there are two people in a city that committed the same crime. They are brought to trial and are both found guilty and are given a heavy fine to pay. Both beg the judge for leniency, but the judge responds, “I’m sorry, but these are the rules of the land. If I start bending and breaking them, then the entire system will fall apart, and we’ll have no law in the land at all.” Two weeks go by, and the king comes to the city to hold court for a few days (must have been an election year). Both people run to the king to present their case.

The first person approaches the king and gives the whole legal report on how there is technically room in the law (Article 21, Section 14, Subsection XXIV, see note 14) that allows leniency in his case. After 10 minutes of his best, well-researched report, the king waves him away with “the ruling stands.” The second person throws himself at the feet of the king and begins to cry, begging the king for forgiveness, describing the pressures that were on him that caused him to break the law. He begs for the king’s mercy. The king, feeling the person’s pain, asks him for his name.

“Levi ben Ploni,” replied the man.

“Levi ben Ploni? Aren’t you the one with the children who send me birthday cards every year?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the man.

“Ah! Wonderful! Then in that case, your punishment has been revoked! And here, take these treats to your kids from me.”

So what happened here? The judge answered them correctly that he cannot overturn the law of the land, lest mayhem follow in its wake. Yet the king can? The answer is simple: the king IS the law. What he says, goes.

So, what was the difference between the two people? The first person really had a legal basis for his being excused, yet was shunned by the king, but the second person had no basis, yet was rewarded.

Rosh HaShanah is a day of fear and simcha. Fear, because we are standing before the Ultimate Judge for our actions of the past and the future. Simcha, because we have, what’s called in Israel, “Protexia,” we have protection up above—that the King wants to see us succeed, and is willing to change the law to see that success happen.

So, again, what’s the difference between the two people?

Emotional connection.

One person had an emotional connection to the king, and the other did not.

A person can come to davening every day on time, come to learning every day on time, do chessed, give tzedakkah, eat food from only the best kashrus agencies, and he will be rewarded for it all. However, if he does not have an emotional connection with Hashem, he missed the point of life.

Our job is not to make a connection with the Shulchan Oruch (the Code of Jewish Law), but to use the Shulchan Oruch to make a connection with Hashem Himself. When we have such a connection with Hashem, then Hashem will respond in kind, and make a connection with us. With that, we have even more power to grow.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and Rosh HaShanah!

Michael Winner

Every day after davening in every Elul, an older member of the minyan takes the shofar outside and gives a few good blows. I finally asked somebody what the story was behind it. He explained to me that this man grew up on a very secular-Zionist kibbutz where there were very few “Jewish survivors."

Back when the State was being created, there were several parties that were extremely anti-Jewish. (In fact, I read an interview with a religious POW from the 1948 war. He explained that the Jordanians were able to provide kosher food for them, yet the group of secular Jews refused to eat it, and demanded non-kosher food.) This particular kibbutz was one of the originals and did their best to stamp out any Jewishness from their children. (As my Rosh Yeshivah once commented, “Hitler took our bodies, they went for our souls.")

So, now, this man is religious, and while not the most educated, since his late start, he goes out every morning and blows the shofar as a sign of defiance against those who tried to take his Jewishness away.
I daven at the 6:30 a.m. minyan, which is the earliest minyan our shul has to offer. We normally don’t have the biggest turnout throughout the year (which is a shame), but during Elul, a few more people come to daven with us. They figured, since it’s Elul, they should show some seriousness and daven earlier in the morning, to show that they do care about starting out the morning right.

However, I noticed that these people have only changed what minyan they go to . . . not WHEN they show up for minyan. So instead of starting ten minutes late at the 7:30 minyan, they show up ten minutes late at the 6:30 minyan. It’s strange. Even during Elul, they are literally skipping important pieces of davening, all the while thinking that they are showing Hashem that they take davening seriously.

There’s a lesson to be learned here. Don’t fool yourself. We all do it and it’s a natural thing we are born with. However, if a person truly wishes to make changes in his life, the first step is to be honest with himself, and rely on a solid plan of change, not on what makes him feel better.

With that, I wish you a wonderful Shabbos and a meaningful Elul!