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Essays on the weekly Torah portion, the holidays and Jewish thought.
Holidays Rosh Hashanah – All Sevens Are Precious Rosh Hashanah, as the beginning of the seventh month, expresses the need to find meaning and purpose in all that preceded Rosh Hashanah. All of our last year’s good deeds resemble a cacophony of disparate notes and musical sounds. Rosh Hashanah is the Maestro who unites them into one beautiful symph Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Breaking Down the Gates The Ba’al Shem Tov once remarked: Liturgy can be compared to a key that opens the gates of heaven for us. However, prayer that is said with sincerity and heartfelt emotion is like an ax that can break through any gate and barrier. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Giving the Year a Head Rosh Hashanah is when we coronate G-d as our King. Without our involvement on Rosh Hashanah to proclaim Him as our King the world will not be the same. G-d will continue to keep the world going, but His “head and heart” will not be in it. Rosh Hashanah gives the entire cosmos a head; a G-dly sense o Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Day of Judgment Rosh Hashanah is more than a solemn day of judgment. It is the day which determines not only the life of nature for the New Year, but the very nature of life as well. All of this depends on our acceptance of, and enthusiasm for, G-d as our King, on Rosh Hashanah. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Happy “Two” Year The weekly Sabbath primarily speaks to our relationship with G-d. The Sabbatical year, by contrast, extends to our relationship with others as well. All of our produce (in the Land of Israel) must be left Hefker (free for all) to take and we may no longer collect the money owed to us (without a Pruz Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Our Father Our King The shofar was chosen, not in spite of its simplicity, but because of it. The shofar symbolizes and expresses the simple, incorruptible and essential nature of the soul which is connected to the "simple" and essential aspect of G-d. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Rosh Hashanah: A Day of Delight Every Rosh Hashanah, our sages tell us, the process of creation comes to an end. G-d’s delight in being the King of the world is no longer a foregone conclusion. It takes our efforts on Rosh Hashanah, of proclaiming G-d as our King, and especially the blowing of the Shofar, to get G-d to once more d Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Rosh Hashanah and the Monarchy A true king, by definition, is the most powerful, aloof, detached and exalted being. There can be no greater gap between two entities as the gap that exists between a king and his subjects. The king is also, paradoxically, the most devoted, attached and connected being, whose entire essence is his d Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 10b What Happened on Rosh Hashanah? R. Eliezer says “The world was created in Tishrei. In actuality, the creation of the world occurred 6 days earlier on the 25th of Elul. Rosh Hashanah, the first day of Tishrei, is actually the anniversary of the sixth day of creation; the day in which the first man was created. Without humanity, cre Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Rosh Hashanah Text for Jewish Meditation “Abraham was one,” means that Abraham popularized the concept of G-d’s unity into the world. This concept was actually introduced on the first day of the seventh month, the day of Adam’s creation. Upon his creation, on Rosh Hashanah, Adam, declared to the entire universe, “G-d is King. He has garbed Holidays Rosh Hashanah – Teshuvah: The Power of Return True regret involves taking full responsibility for one’s misdeeds. To regret the past and then give excuses for oneself, misses the whole point of Teshuvah. For Teshuvah to be complete, one must take full responsibility for one’s actions. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Cry of the Child Many thousands of Jews, even those who had no knowledge of Judaism and no interest in it, would nevertheless choose death rather than abandoning their G-d when they were confronted with the option to convert to another religion or die. This inner G-dly spark is ignited with the sounding of the Shofa Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Head Rosh Hashanah is more than just a day designated for certain rituals and services. The day itself has a soul and life of its own. And depending on how we show respect for the awesomeness of the day, we will be blessed with a good and productive year. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Prosecution Rests Sounding the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, Maimonides writes, is to awaken us from our involvement in worldly pursuits and to alert us to our responsibilities as Jews. The Shofar reminds us as to what is truly important in our lives and rouses us to sincerely turn to G-d. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Three Questions Joy and Introspection are both imperatives. Torah reveals the secret how they can coexist. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Unshofar (2) Shabbos is not only a day of the week, it is also a mindset. There can be two distinct—legitimate—views of life: A weekday perspective and a Shabbos perspective. The “weekday person” views himself or herself as a product of the world and the environment in which he or she lives, where Shabbos is an Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Year of Salvation, Delight and Moshiach The Ba’al Shem Tov would frequently encourage us to break through the internal barriers that prevent us from expressing all of our latent potential, and to even go beyond our capabilities in doing good in all matters that involve our relationship with G-d and our relationship with others. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – The Unshofar The Shofar works primarily because it jolts us out of our reverie. There are certain times, however, when we need to be awakened not by the jolting sound of a Shofar, but by the loving caress of a day that is permeated with delight, joy, peace, rest and tranquility, the qualities of Shabbos. Holidays Rosh Hashanah – This Is What It's All About! All Jewish holidays occur on the anniversary of some major historical event. What event does Rosh Hashanah immortalize? The answer is: “This is the day that is the beginning of Your work.” This day is not just an historical event, it is the day that the very concept of history, along with all else t Holidays Rosh Hashanah – What’s New? The new opportunity of Rosh Hashanah guarantees that all of the negative experiences of the past year do not impede our ability to turn over a new leaf. A new surge of Divine energy on Rosh Hashanah makes it possible for us to begin a new life, despite our past shortcomings. The new energies of Rosh