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NOT JUST WHAT, BUT WHO

The single most important trait the Jew must have is hakaras hatov, appreciation, for the kindness that is bestowed on him. The Jewish people are a nation whose existence is not tied to a land but is tied to a relationship with HaShem. The cement that is used in building relationships is appreciation. Hence, both as a nation and as individuals the Jew must recognize the kindness that Ha-Shem bestows upon us as a nation and upon us as individuals and reciprocate that kindness to the best of their ability.

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THE PERFORMANCE

As we find ourselves in this season of the holidays we must won-der how they connect to one another and what is the understanding of their progression. Perhaps we can return to the model of our orchestra. On Rosh Hashana we establish our commitment to participating as active participants in HaShem’s symphony.

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ALL, AROUND THE TABLE

Eleven weeks ago when we embarked upon our journey into The Three Weeks of mourning, we read the haftorah from the first chapter of Yirmiyahu. Before launching into his warning of the impending destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and the subsequent exile, Yirmiyahu tells us that HaShem remembers the love that we demonstrated when we initially left Egypt. He remembers the love of our “kilulosayich” which is translated as bridal period. We left our home and followed HaShem into the desolate desert not knowing what we will eat, where we were going, how long we would travel, we just left every semblance of permanence to follow our Beloved. It was the greatest demonstration of our trust in Him. Just as the bride places her complete trust in her groom that he will pro-vide, we placed our entire trust in HaShem that He would provide. This trust and the closeness that it expressed will be remembered and cherished by HaShem in spite of the impending exile.