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This Year, Rosh Hashana Falls Out On Shabbat & Sunday. Though The Torah Mandates The Blowing Of The Shofar Whenever Rosh Hashana Falls Out, & The Shofar Was Indeed Sounded On Shabbat In Biblical Days When Rosh Hashana Was Only 1 Day, Today We Do Not Blow Shofar 1st Day/shabbat. The Rabbis, Exercising Their Mandate To Make Binding Decisions Crucial To Jewish Survival, Decided To Push Off The Tekiot Until Sunday, Second Day Rosh Hashana, To Safeguard The Sanctity Of Shabbat, Which They Feared Might Be Violated.
With All The Serious Issues This Raises About Rabbinic Responsibility & The Vital Importance Of Shabbat, There Is Another Sentiment Here That Should Not Be Lost On Us. As Crucial As It Is To Hear The Majestic Notes Of The Shofar, Sometimes It Is Equally Important To Take Note Of The Notes Which Are Missing & Which Are Absent; To Ponder Not Only What We Have, But Also That Which Is Lacking In Our Lives.
This Is A Common Theme In Judaism: At The Seder Table, We Customarily Leave A Chair Empty For Eliyahu, For Until Moshiach Comes, We Cannot Completely Celebrate. At Every Chupa We Break A Glass, To Remind Us That However Great Our Joy Is At This Simcha, The Loss & Lack Of The Bet Hamikdash Is Very Much In Our Hearts. And At Each Of The Shalosh R’galim & On Yom Kippur, We Do Not Complete The Festivities Until We Remember Those Who Are Physically No Longer Part Of Our Lives, But Yet Whose Spirit Permeates Everything We Are & Do; For What Is Yomtov Without Yizkor?
And Before The Yamim Noraim, We Are Told To Do 2 Things: Seek Peace & Reconciliation With Neighbors And Family Members - & Visit The Graves Of The Righteous. Those Who Live Among Us, And Those Who Reside Beyond Us.
And So Now We Understand. As Moshe Gathers His Beloved People At His Side, His Own Life Slipping Away, He Reminds Us That We Are Much More Than Just The Reflection We See When We Look In The Mirror. We Are The Product Of Those Who Bore Us, Who Shaped Our Lives, Who Loved Us So Deeply And May Have Moved On To Higher Life; & We Also Bear Responsibility For Those Who Will Descend From Us, Learn From Us, Inherit From Us. We Are Bound Together Not Only With Those Standing Here Today, But Also With Those Who Are Not Here.
All These Lovers And Friends, I Still Can Recall; Some Are Dead & Some Are Living; In My Life, I've Loved Them All.
On This Last Shabbat Of The Year, As We Approach The Coming New Year, May Hashem Remember Us & Our Loved Ones - Past, Present And Future - For Good.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
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Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.