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by Rabbi E. Tauger
Tishrei
The High
Point of the Jewish Year
We all like "highs," moments of
great energy and power. In all walks of life, there are peak experiences,
times when more happens in an hour or in a day than ordinarily transpires
in a week or even a month.
It is these experiences that add vitality and depth to our lives,
lifting us above our day to day routine and endowing us with a sense
of purpose and destiny. In our spiritual lives, the month of Tishrei
is filled with such peak experiences. It's not just an ordinary
month. Instead, the intensity of the spiritual feelings inspired
by its holidays enrich and invigorate our lives, lifting us above
the level of ordinary experience.
Riding the Waves
There are two things important when dealing
with peak experiences:
a) To prepare for them. It's true, there is no way that you can
fully prepare for them, for by definition, they transcend the realm
of our expectations. Nevertheless, you can point yourself in the
proper direction. To use an analogy, when a surfer is waiting for
a wave, he will be able to use its power to the fullest advantage.
If he is unprepared, he may only catch its tail end. Or indeed,
it may capsize him entirely.
Similarly, in our Divine service, the intensity of the holidays
of Tishrei can be most properly used when we ready ourselves for
them rather than letting them come upon us suddenly, almost unexpectedly.
b) We want them to continue. Nobody likes extreme up and down swings.
We want the peak experiences to level off into steady progress,
rather than lead to drastic drops that cause us to continually fluctuate
between the far ends of the spectrum.
In our Divine service, this means that the holidays of Tishrei should
not be isolated "highs," but instead should carry over
into the days and months that follow, intensifying and deepening
our Jewish experience as a whole.
Inside and Outside
Certainly, in a spiritual sense, the two
concepts are interrelated. When we prepare for an experience, we
can internalize it and make it part of ourselves. It is not just
a wave that carries us. Instead, it can be compared to food that
we not only ingest, but also digest and through that process, assimilate
into our system. The energy is then not coming from the outside,
but from the inside. Since it is coming from the inside, it will
effect lasting change and empower us to continue tapping these resources
in the weeks and months that follow.
How do we prepare for the holidays? No successful performer or lawyer
tries to "wing it." Instead, he visualizes what will take
place in advance, learning all the particulars involved and training
himself to react to the different possible alternatives that arise.
Similarly, in a spiritual sense, we should approach our holidays
with a sense of knowledge, having laid the groundwork for our experience
through a program of study and meditation. In that vein, focusing
on the spiritual message of the four primary holidays of Tishrei:
Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Shemini Atzeret and Simchas Torah,
is more than an intellectual exercise; it's spiritual practice.
When Everything Is Remembered
Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, when
G-d "opens the book of memories… and all the inhabitants
of the world pass before Him like sheep before a shepherd…
And He writes out their decree."
Knowing the awesomeness of His judgment, many are concerned with
their own future: "What will my coming year be like?"
Some are concerned with their material future: How much will they
make in the coming year? What will their health be? Others focus
on spiritual desires: Will they be able to gain wisdom? Will they
be inspired with the love and fear of G-d?
All of these desires can be expressed on many planes, with various
different levels of motivation. When, however, they are reduced
to the lowest common denominator, the question prompting all others
is: Will G-d give me what I want in the coming year?
On Rosh HaShanah, however, what we really should be thinking about
is not what we want, but what He wants.
On Rosh HaShanah, we relive the dynamic of creation. We focus on
His bringing our existence into being from absolute nothingness.
He did not have to create us; there was no need or obligation to
do so. Now that very awareness implies that everything which He
did create, He created for a specific desire and purpose. Rosh HaShanah
is a time for us to hone in on that purpose and make it the focus
of our conduct.
What is His purpose in creation? As Rashi states at the very beginning
of his Commentary to the Torah, all of existence was created "for
the sake of the Torah and the Jewish people." Simply put, that
means that G-d created the world so that a Jew could study the Torah
and observe the mitzvos, not for our sake but for His.
Translating that into practical directives, this means when I see
a person in need, I should help him, not because I feel sorry for
him, but because G-d commanded us to go out of our way to help another
person. When I do a mitzvah, I should be thinking not of the reward
G-d will give me for fulfilling His will, but of the fact that I
am fulfilling His will. When I am studying the Torah, I should be
doing so not because it is intellectually edifying or interesting,
but because it is His wisdom and He asked me to explore it.
Cleansing Through Oneness
What happened on Yom Kippur? The High Priest
entered the Holy of Holies. At that time, he was alone with G-d.
No human or spiritual being was permitted to intrude upon his connection
with Him.
Each year, this sequence is replayed in our own hearts. The essence
of the Jewish soul is one with the essence of G-d. This bond is
constant; it is not the product of our efforts. Consequently, neither
our thoughts, our words, nor our deeds can weaken it. At this level
of essential connection, there is no existence outside G-dliness,
no possibility of separation from Him.
Although this connection exists above time, within the framework
of time, it is revealed on Yom Kippur. On this day, we each "enter
the Holy of Holies," and spend time "alone with G-d."
This is the heart of the Neilah prayer, the final service recited
on Yom Kippur. Neilah means "locking." There are some
Rabbis who interpret the name as meaning that the gates of heaven
are being locked and there are a few short moments left in which
our prayers can enter. According to Chassidic thought, the meaning
is that the doors are locked behind us. Each one of us is "locked
in," alone and at one with G-d.
At this level of essential connection, there is no existence outside
G-dliness, no possibility of separation from G-d, no possibility
that the soul be affected by sin.
The revelation of this level of connection removes the blemishes
which sin causes. This kind of cleansing is a natural process, for
the revelation of our inner bond renews our connection with G-d
at all levels.
This is the meaning of our Rabbis' saying that "the essence
of the day atones." On Yom Kippur, our essential bond with
G-d is revealed, and in the process, every element of our spiritual
potential is revitalized.
Turning To Others
From the reintensification of our bond with
G-d on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, we proceed to a deepening of
our relations with our fellow men on the holiday of Sukkos. One
of the allusions to this is found in the mitzvah of lulav and esrog
which requires us to take branches or fruit from four different
species of trees (the lulav, esrog and the myrtle and the willow)
and combine them in the performance of this mitzvah. Our Sages explain
that each of the species used for this mitzvah refers to a different
type of person, from the most spiritually developed to the least
refined.
Therein is an obvious lesson. The mitzvah cannot be fulfilled with
only the esrog, the most elevated of the species. The willow - in
the analogy, the lowliest of the four species - is also necessary.
So, too, no person can attain fulfillment by remaining isolated,
out of touch with others. Even the realization of his individual
potential cannot be complete without him reaching out to others
and joining together with them.
Breaking Through With
Joy
On Shemini Atzeret and on Simchas Torah,
the celebrations are held when the Torah is covered by its mantle.
We rejoice because we are Jews. And as Jews we share a connection
to the essence of the Torah, a connection that in turn bonds us
to the essence of G-d. As the Zohar states: "Israel, the Torah,
and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one."
At this level, as represented by a covered Torah - in contrast to
an open torah where each person connects at his/her level of understanding
of the text- the scholar and the simple man are equal - for the
soul is a part of G-d Himself, infinite and unbounded as is G-d.
This applies to each of us.
Therefore, the scholar and the simple man celebrate equally and
indeed, dance together in complete unity. For one is no more Jewish
than the other. If anything, the simple man's celebration is greater,
for his intellect does not get in the way of his connection to his
Jewish essence.
Our Rabbis teach: Simchah, happiness, breaks down barriers. With
the outpouring of joy of Simchas Torah, we chart our path into the
new year. Moreover, it spurs us to proceed to the supreme happiness,
when "crowned with eternal joy," we will follow Mashiach
in the ultimate redemption.
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Telling
Tales
In connection with the theme
of unity highlighted by the Sukkos holiday, we would like to share
the following story:
R. Pinchas of Koritz was beloved by all the inhabitants of his city.
People would seek out his sage counsel on a variety of matters,
involve him in their family affairs, and look to him for guidance
in their Divine service. As a result, R. Pinchas' schedule became
over-burdened. He no longer had the leisure to study and pray as
he desired.
He turned to G-d in prayer: "Make people hate me. Let them
flee my company and so I will have time to pray and study."
R. Pinchas' prayer was accepted and people began to shun him. They
would not speak to him or do favors for him. R. Pinchas, however,
was happy. He was able to focus on his Divine service without distraction.
Then came Sukkos. R. Pinchas wanted to invite guests, but no one
desired to come to his house. He was displeased, for on the festival,
it is a mitzvah to have guests grace one's table. Ultimately, however,
he accepted the fact. It was better to lack guests for the holiday
than to be disturbed the entire year.
Now on Sukkos, our Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, together
with Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David, visit the sukkos of the
Jewish people. As R. Pinchas was about to enter his sukkah, he saw
father Abraham waiting outside.
"Welcome to my sukkah," R. Pinchas told him.
"Sorry, I will not enter," Abraham replied.
"Why?"
"Well, if none of my descendants feel at home as guests here,
I guess I won't either."
That was enough for R. Pinchas. He prayed for his original good
graces to be restored and for him to find favor in other people's
eyes again. And once again his prayer was accepted.
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Torah
readings of the month
Parshas VaYeilech
This Torah reading contains
a passage that is uniquely significant this year. To quote: "At
the end of seven years, at the time of the Sabbatical year, during
the Sukkos festival… gather together the people, the men, the
women, and the small children." What was the purpose of this
gathering? To "read the Torah before them." In the year
after the Sabbatical year, the entire Jewish people would gather
in the Temple and the king would read the words of the Torah to
them, engendering an experience referred to as Hakheil that recalled
and recreated the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.
This year 5762 is the year that follows the Sabbatical year. On
previous occasions of this nature, the Rebbe urged us to gather
together in mini-hakheils to celebrate our unity and strengthen
our bond with the Torah.
Parshas Haazinu
Towards the conclusion of this
week's Torah reading it states: "For it is not an empty thing
for you." Our Sages comment: The Torah is not an empty thing
and if you think that it is empty, know that the emptiness is from
you." To often we reject the Torah as lacking meaning, because
we haven't invested enough energy in it to uncover the depth and
understanding it possesses.
The Torah has nurtured our people for thousands of years, endowing
them with the purpose, wisdom, and joy to undergo the trials and
tribulations of exile. It has the potential to provide us with guidance
and direction today as well. All that is necessary is to open ourselves
up to it.
Parshas Bereishis
At the end of the narrative
of creation, the Torah states: Vayechulu hashamayim.…"And
the heaven and the earth were completed." Our Sages comment:
"Whoever recites the passage Vayechulu on Friday becomes G-d's
partner in creation."
On the surface, this statement is difficult to understand. By reciting
Vayechulu, man acknowledges G-d's creation, but does that make him
a full partner? G-d created the world and he merely takes note of
that creation.
To resolve this question, we must understand that the purpose of
creation was not merely to bring into being a material world, but
to make a dwelling for G-d on the physical plane. This purpose will
be realized in the era of Mashiach. Every Shabbos is a microcosm
of that future era. On Shabbos, the partnership between man and
G-d in creation is expressed. For G-d maintains the physical creation
and by reciting Vayechulu, man reveals the world's inner G-dly nature,
showing how the world is G-d's dwelling.
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