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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Tishrei
Where It All Begins
SHANA, the Hebrew word for "year," also
means "repeat," and yet, it shares the same letters as the word
shoneh, meaning "change." These three letters and their different
meanings, summarize perhaps the greatest challenge of life.
As time passes, we endeavor that our lives not be merely a series of repetitions,
but that instead, they be punctuated by positive and growth-oriented change.
Tomorrow should be more than a repeat of yesterday. It should add insight,
depth, and joy, lifting us to a deeper level of experience. Otherwise,
why would tomorrow come?
This is true day by day, and certainly applies year by year.
Beyond Self
In Judaism, this isn't just theory. Instead, the
spiritual sequence of the year empowers us to realize these goals. The
year begins with Rosh HaShanah. Our Sages describe the spiritual tone
of this holiday, saying that G-d comes to the Jewish people and tells
them: "Recite before Me verses of Kingship to make Me King over you."
Now a king is not a democratic leader; he is an absolute monarch. His
people don't merely look up to him for guidance and directions; they are
his subjects. He controls their destiny.
What is Rosh HaShanah telling us? That we are not our own men, we belong
o the King. That lesson comes at the very beginning of the year, because
it is fundamental. By defining who we are, we chart the path for our lives.
When a person is living for himself, by and large, his life will be determined
by his desires and emotions. He will do that which he thinks will make
him feel happy. Sometimes, he's looking for immediate gratification something
which will satisfy him at the moment. Other times, he will be able to
control himself and seek long term goals. But even in long term goals,
the objective is his own satisfaction. Ultimately, the person is living
for his own self-interest, like
a cat chasing its tail.
There are some select individuals who are able to rise above their self-interest.
Instead of thinking about what will make them feel happy, they are willing
to devote themselves to doing what is good and right. But even they have
limitations, because their definition of what is good is subjective. It
is shaped by their own understanding, and so the cat is still going in
circles.
The king's subject does not live for himself. He lives to carry out the
king's will. His own desires and understanding are of little consequence.
In this way, man solves the problem of chasing his desires and his own
conception of reality, for he rises above them, and instead devotes himself
to G-d. This is the Divine service of Rosh HaShanah.
A Unified Mission
The above concepts present a difficulty. For although
they take a person beyond himself, they do so very abruptly. There is
nothing left. The person is told to leave himself behind entirely and
give himself over to G-d.
Most of us have trouble accepting this concept. We are prepared to give
up something, even a major amount for G-d, but not everything. If everything
is given over to G-d, what is going to be left for us?
And the question is not only emotional - that we will be canceling out
our own desires and wants - there is an intellectual element to it. If
in the end, we are giving everything up for G-d, then why did He create
us? If ultimately, everything is to be His, what purpose could be fulfilled
by creating our framework of being?
This question is answered by Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, we do not eat
or drink; we step beyond the entire framework of worldly experience. Just
like a chemistry or physics professor may fail to eat or sleep because
he is busy with an experiment, on Yom Kippur, we forget about all material
things because of the power of the spiritual experience.
This overwhelming nature of the Yom Kippur experience was reflected in
the High Priest's entry into the Holy of Holies. At that time, he came
into direct contact with the Divine Presence. No human or spiritual being
was permitted to intrude upon his connection. He was alone and at one
with G-d.
This same degree of connection can be achieved by each of us through our
Divine service on Yom Kippur, and in par-ticular, during the concluding
Neilah service. Neilah means "closing" or "locking".
At this time, every individual Jew is locked in, alone with G-d. At this
time, he\she feels no separation between him\her and his king. For the
essence of his own being is one with the essence of G-d.
This resolves the difficulty created by Rosh HaShanah. For a person does
not feel that he is sacrificing himself for an external entity. He feels
at one with his mission. This is achieved through the Divine service of
Yom Kippur.
Happiness and Joy
The awareness of this oneness releases tremendous
resources of happiness. Inside, everyone is essentially happy. But our
unfulfilled wants and desires prevent that happiness from coming to the
surface. We think we need this and that and until we achieve these objectives,
we are not happy. And immediately, after achieving them, different wants
and desires arise which prevent us from being happy until they too are
realized.
The Divine service of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur takes us out of this
cycle of want, gratification, and enables us to appreciate the inner joy
that lies at the core of our being. This joy comes into expression during
Sukkos, "the season of our rejoicing," a week-long cele-bration
that includes an entire cycle of time, and influences all the weeks that
follow, infusing joy and pleasure into every aspect of our service of
G-d.
Learning to Come Together
As we step beyond our individual selves and establish
contact with the fundamental G-dly spark in our souls, we also draw closer
to our fellow men. At the level of soul where no separation exists between
man and G-d, no difference exists between one man and another, for we
all share the same G-dly core.
After the Days of Awe pass and we return to the realm of ordinary experience,
we want to preserve these feelings of unity. This is accomplished by the
mitzvah of Lulav and Esrog. Our Rabbis explain that the four species employed
in this mitzvah represent four people at four different levels of spiritual
achievement. Beginning with the esrog, individuals whose study and observance
are consummate, to the willow, individuals lacking in both areas. The
mitzvah cannot be fulfilled unless all four species are brought together,
emphasizing how even at the level where a person's indi-vidual identity
is taken into consideration, where one of us is an esrog and another,
a willow, we remain unified. Although differences may exist with regard
to our potentials and the degree to which we have developed them, we still
stand united, bound together as one collective entity.
Finding G-d Everywhere
The other mitzvah fulfilled on the Sukkos holiday,
the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah, also communicates a profound message.
Most of us consider Divine service as spiritual activity, i.e., associated
with prayer, and study. The mitzvah of sukkah, by contrast, is fulfilled
by eating, drinking, and carrying out our mundane activities in the sukkah.
In this way, even the most mundane aspects of our lives become means of
connecting to G-d.
The Torah tells us to "Know Him in all your ways"; and our Sages
comment, "This is a short verse upon which all the fundamentals of
the Torah depend." For G-dliness is present not merely in the synagogue
or in the house of study, but in every dimension of our lives. This concept
is made tangible by the mitzvah of dwell-ing in a sukkah.
Taking It All In
The word Atzeres in the name Shemini Atzeres means
"ingathering." This holiday is a time when we internalize the
lessons of all the previous holidays, making them part of our own thinking
and understanding.
This process of internalization produces the boundless joy of Simchas
Torah. All of the holidays, beginning with Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur
focus our attention on the inner core of our relationship with G-d. Sim-chas
Torah, as their climax, is the point of transition between the intense
spiritual experience of the month of Tishrei and our daily, down-to-earth
circumstances.
Through the entire month, we develop our awareness of how "Israel,
the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one." The joyous
celebration of Simchas Torah lays the groundwork that enables us to manifest
this awareness throughout the entire coming year, making the year a good
and sweet year in both physical and spiritual matters, and containing
the ultimate good, the imminent welcoming of Mashiach.
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Telling
Tales
One of the elder chassidim I knew, Reb Mendel, spent 14 years in hard
labor camps because of his involvement in the chassidic underground in
Stalinist Russia. The camp authorities knew that he would not perform
ordinary work on the Jewish holidays, so they gave him chores that did
not involve forbidden tasks. But that was the extent of their tolerance.
It goes without saying that they did not provide him with time to pray
or a prayer book.
Once on Rosh Hashanah, while Reb Mendel was doing the chores he was given,
he was singing the holiday prayers to himself. While he was reciting the
Musaf service and singing the hymn V'chol maaminim, which declares how
all men share in the belief in G-d, he stopped and thought: Why was he
in a hard labor camp? Because, there were people who did not believe,
and whose unwillingness to believe was so fierce that they tried to crush
those who did. How did that fit with Vechol Maaminim?
As he was thinking, he noticed one of the guards looking at him closely.
The guard was tall and imposing. He had a scar running across his face
that made him look particularly threatening. With such a person eyeing
him, it was better not to take time out to think. Reb Mendel returned
to his chores and shortly afterwards, the guard moved on.
On Yom Kippur, as Reb Mendel was going about his assigned chores, he saw
the guard with the scar approaching. With a few deftly planned steps,
the guard maneuvered Reb Mendel into a corner where no one else could
see or hear what they were saying.
"Are you fasting today?" the guard asked Reb Mendel.
Reb Mendel answered affirmatively. He had no alternative; his observance
was common knowledge.
"So am I," the guard continued. "Ten days ago, I heard
you chanting a tune and it brought back memories of my father taking me
to shul as a child. I realized that it was Rosh Hashanah, and I counted
the days until Yom Kippur. I am also fasting."
Reb Mendel and the guard both sensed that others might be looking, and
each turned to go his way. But Reb Mendel's quandary had been solved.
He proceeded, humming the tune: V'chol maaminim, "All believe."
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Torah readings of the month
Parshas Haazinu
The word haazinu, the name of this week's Torah reading, is generally
translated as "listen." Lit-erally , it means "give ear."
In that vein, our Sages compare Moses' call: "Listen O heavens, and
I will speak; earth, hear the words of my mouth," with Isaiah's prophecy:
"Hear O heavens..., listen O earth."
They explain that Moses was "close to the heavens, and far from the
earth." Therefore, he was able to address the heavens at close range.
Isaiah, by contrast, despite his heights of personal growth, was still
"close to the earth, and far from the heavens." And thus he
used wording that reflected his level.
The two initiatives can be seen as phases in a sequence. By revealing
the Torah, Moses endowed every individual with the potential to become
"close to the heav-ens." Isaiah developed the connection further,
making it possible for a person to experience being "close to heavens"
while being "lose to the earth" - involved in the mundane details
of material life.
In the first stage of a person's spiritual development, he should be "close
to heaven," submerged in Torah study. Afterwards, he must realize
that "study is not the essential; deed is." Each of us must
emerge from the protective cocoon of study and become "close to the
earth," shouldering our part in the mission of making this world
a dwelling for G-d.
These two stages are reflected in the development of mankind as a whole.
In the present era, our Sages state that study takes precedence over deed.
In the Era of the Redemption - the culmination of our human experience
- deed will take precedence. For in that era, man's Divine service will
have established a complete connection between heaven and earth, and we
will perceive the G-dliness which permeates every element of existence.
Parshas Zos HaBerachoh
Rashi explains that the final phrase of the Torah, l'einei kol Yis-rael,
"before the eyes of the entire Jewish people," refers to the
breaking of the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. Our Sages attach
great importance to conclusions, explaining that they summarize the content
of all the preceding concepts. Why then does the conclusion of the entire
Torah mention a subject which seemingly reflects the disgrace of the Jewish
people, for the tablets were broken because of the nation's sin in worshipping
the Golden Calf.
Why did Moses break the Tab-lets? To protect the Jewish people from G-d's
wrath. Our sages tell us that by breaking the tablets, he minimized their
guilt for the sin. Herein, lies an important lesson. When the future of
the Jewish people was at stake, Moses was willing to break the tablets
without hesitation. Because there is nothing - not even the Torah - which
G-d cherishes more than a Jew.
Parshas Bereishis - This Torah reading begins with the narrative of creation,
stating how, at the beginning all existence was a watery mass and "the
spirit of G-d hovered over the waters." Our Sages explain that "the
spirit of G-d" refers to "the spirit of Mashiach." As they
state: "The world was created solely for Mashiach," or to translate
that into wording relevant to us: G-d brought our existence into being
so that mankind would live in the environment of knowledge, peace, and
love that will characterize the era of Mashiach.
G-d did not desire this purpose be achieved on His initiative alone. Instead,
He wanted this intent to resonate within the world and for mankind to
take upon itself the role of being G-d's partner in creation. Each one
of us has to do his part to mold the world to conform with its intended
purpose.
This, moreover, is not a dream of the distant future, but a contemporary
reality. We each have the potential to experience a foretaste of this
era in our lives at present. As we do so, we hasten the realization of
this intent in the world at large, polishing each corner of existence
until it is ready for that purpose to be manifest.
Parshas Bereishis
This Torah reading begins with the narrative of creation, stating how,
at the beginning all existence was a watery mass and "the spirit
of G-d hovered over the waters." Our Sages explain that "the
spirit of G-d" refers to "the spirit of Mashiach." As they
state: "The world was created solely for Mashiach," or to translate
that into wording relevant to us: G-d brought our existence into being
so that mankind would live in the environment of knowledge, peace, and
love that will characterize the era of Mashiach.
G-d did not desire this purpose be achieved on His initiative alone. Instead,
He wanted this intent to resonate within the world and for mankind to
take upon itself the role of being G-d's partner in creation. Each one
of us has to do his part to mold the world to conform with its intended
purpose.
This, moreover, is not a dream of the distant future, but a contemporary
reality. We each have the potential to experience a foretaste of this
era in our lives at present. As we do so, we hasten the realization of
this intent in the world at large, polishing each corner of existence
until it is ready for that purpose to be manifest.
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Dates to Remember
1 and 2 Tishrei - Rosh HaShanah
3 Tishrei - The Fast of Gedaliah
6 Tishrei - The yahrzeit of Rebbetzin Chanah, the Rebbe's Mother
8 Tishrei - Shabbos Shuvah; also the anniversary of the dedication
of the Temple
10 Tishrei - Yom Kippur
13 Tishrei - The yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash
15-21 Tishrei - The Holiday of Sukkos
21 Tishrei - Hoshana Rabah
22 Tishrei - Shemini Atzeres
23 Tishrei - Simchas Torah
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