Shalom,
As we reflect and prepare for our entry into another space and time, I would like to share with you some of my reflections.
The only references to this period of judgment we are entering is found in Leviticus 23:23, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of horns, a holy gathering.” and one in Numbers 29:1, “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have an holy gathering; you shall do no labor; it is a day of blowing (the horn) for you.”
In each there is no mention of Rosh HaShanna rather – יום תרועה - A blasting day.
And so you may ask, then what does this reference to “a day of blowing the horn…” mean?
There are commentators that take this verse and apply it to the mitzvah of hearing the Shofar. The Talmud (Tractate Megillah 20a) explains that from here we learn that the Shofar is permitted to be heard all day, any time of the day – as it is said יוֹם תְּרוּעָה – a day of blasting.
R’ Shalom Noach Barzofsky, a early 20th century Hasidic master, explains, the language being used, “you should have a day of blasting”, יוֹם תְּרוּעָה יִהְיֶה לָכֶם: is not in command form, it does not tell us to “go and blast the shofar” as it would have said: Litko’ah shofar. Instead the language is passive. He goes further and explains that Rosh HaShanna, the very day itself, is in fact Yom Teru’a, a day whose core is a constant blast, a constant sounding of the horn; the essence of this day of judgement, the whole day itself, is one huge spiritual blast.
I pray we all merit a taste of such spiritual awareness and find ourselves living life as it should be.
Wishing us a year of health, happiness, and purpose.
Shanna Tova t’katevu u’techateimu
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Re'eh - Continuous Revelations
Shalom friends,
This week I had the priviledge of traveling to Poland with a good friend from the age of 5 (or so), Gil Weisblum. His father is a Holocaust survivor. Gil traveled with his family on a trip to Poland 15 years ago and saw “all that was needed to be seen”; his father’s village, the concentration camps, etc… Yet there was one stop he didn’t make, it was to his ancestor’s grave in Ljensk, Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum. Rabbi Elimelech was a Hasidic master, in the 18th century (1717), with a great following and lots of Torah to teach. And so, when Gil told me he was finally making this most meaningful pilgramige back to Poland, to visit this site, I thought this was an opportunity I did not want to miss.
My family also survived the Holocaust, my mother was born in Poland and made Aliyah at the age of 3. I thought, here I could visit the grave of a tzaddik, be a part of my friend’s journey, and personally fulfill a wish I had to visit and explore my own roots.
And yet, on this trip we experienced something we could not anticipate earlier – a transformative experience. There is something about memory that I find extraordinarily meaningful, it is through memory, connecting with our past, that we find ourselves equipped to live with meaning in the present and into the future. This trip was not only a Holocaust or “family roots” trip. It was a journey through one chapter of the Jewish narrative, a chapter overlooked - in the face of death and horror. On this journey we found sparks of light, remnants of a rich Jewish life, pre-Holocaust, saturated in learning, spiritual elevation, and community.
This week’s Torah portion, in Sefer Devarim (Deuteronomy), is Re’eh (See). The Israelites are to “See” (or behold) all the mitzvoth, commandments, and requirements God has put before them.
During our stop at Rabbi Elimelech’s grave, we studied some of his Torah, his commentary on this specifc Torah portion. In it Rabbi Elimelech speaks of the word Re’eh, and it’s present tense; not merely something that occurred at a specific moment, but rather a constant act, a continuous “seeing”.
In life we often find ourselves pushing forward, wanting to do things, in an attempt to realize our dreams and find meaning. It is important to look ahead and one day realize our aspirations, yet at times, tapping into our memory, looking back, is what provides us with the ability to See all that is constantly before us.
Shabbat shalom
This week I had the priviledge of traveling to Poland with a good friend from the age of 5 (or so), Gil Weisblum. His father is a Holocaust survivor. Gil traveled with his family on a trip to Poland 15 years ago and saw “all that was needed to be seen”; his father’s village, the concentration camps, etc… Yet there was one stop he didn’t make, it was to his ancestor’s grave in Ljensk, Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum. Rabbi Elimelech was a Hasidic master, in the 18th century (1717), with a great following and lots of Torah to teach. And so, when Gil told me he was finally making this most meaningful pilgramige back to Poland, to visit this site, I thought this was an opportunity I did not want to miss.
My family also survived the Holocaust, my mother was born in Poland and made Aliyah at the age of 3. I thought, here I could visit the grave of a tzaddik, be a part of my friend’s journey, and personally fulfill a wish I had to visit and explore my own roots.
And yet, on this trip we experienced something we could not anticipate earlier – a transformative experience. There is something about memory that I find extraordinarily meaningful, it is through memory, connecting with our past, that we find ourselves equipped to live with meaning in the present and into the future. This trip was not only a Holocaust or “family roots” trip. It was a journey through one chapter of the Jewish narrative, a chapter overlooked - in the face of death and horror. On this journey we found sparks of light, remnants of a rich Jewish life, pre-Holocaust, saturated in learning, spiritual elevation, and community.
This week’s Torah portion, in Sefer Devarim (Deuteronomy), is Re’eh (See). The Israelites are to “See” (or behold) all the mitzvoth, commandments, and requirements God has put before them.
During our stop at Rabbi Elimelech’s grave, we studied some of his Torah, his commentary on this specifc Torah portion. In it Rabbi Elimelech speaks of the word Re’eh, and it’s present tense; not merely something that occurred at a specific moment, but rather a constant act, a continuous “seeing”.
In life we often find ourselves pushing forward, wanting to do things, in an attempt to realize our dreams and find meaning. It is important to look ahead and one day realize our aspirations, yet at times, tapping into our memory, looking back, is what provides us with the ability to See all that is constantly before us.
Shabbat shalom
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