Category Archives: Devarim

Zos Habracha / Succos 5780

Succos, Zos Habracha

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THE NOTES

For the past several weeks we have been using the parallel of the orchestra to gain a taste of our holidays. We understand Rosh Hashanah as our commitment to participate in the orchestra and to accept the direction from our Conductor. On the days leading up to Yom Kippur we prepared to remove any barriers that would interfere with the communication between the Conductor and ourselves. On Yom Kippur the Conductor Himself removed those barriers. During the subsequent days we pre-pared for our performance by gathering the instruments and preparing the symphony hall in which to perform. Finally, on Succos we actually perform. With our Lulav and Esrog in hand and our hearts swelling with joy that we have been chosen to perform and be so close to the Conductor, we sing our Hallel in perfect harmony to our Conductor. Every Jew performs with the instruments he was given following the notes that are designed for him. Even the non-Jews will come to hear the performance; they are, after all, the audience.

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Ha’azinu 5782

Ha'azinu, Succos,

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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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Ha’azinu 5781

Ha'azinu, Yom Kippur

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MORE THAN JUST VIGOROUS EXERCISE

Taken from a discussion with Rav Hopfer

Rambam writes “when one does teshuva they must recite viduy (to confess their wrongdoing) in front of HaShem” in a different place he writes “It is a mitzvah to do teshuva in front of HaShem” . In both places Rambam underscores that both teshuva and viduy must be done in front of HaShem. The implication of this detail is that the words used in the viduy reflect that one is speaking to HaShem and not simply reciting a confession to oneself.

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Ha’azinu 5778

Ha'azinu, Succos,

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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.

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Ha’azinu 5777

Ha'azinu

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AVOID THE SMOKE SCREEN

The Talmud asks the following question. The Torah tells us that the t’filos (prayers) of the Jewish people are accepted whenever they turn to HaKadosh baruch Hu. Even when there is a heavenly decree against them their t’filos can reverse it. The Talmud then quotes the verse from Yeshayahu, where the prophet Yeshayahu tells his people to turn to seek HaKadosh baruch Hu when He is close by, indicating that there are times when He is not close by.

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Vayeilech 5780

Vayeilech,

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RETUNING OR RETURNING?

We currently find ourselves in the Ten Days of Teshuva which begins with Rosh Hashanah and concludes with Yom Kippur. Last week we used the analogy of the orchestra to address the theme of Rosh Hashanah as being the day on which we commit ourselves or perhaps recommit ourselves to the direction of HaShem as our conductor. With our commitment to Him, the Conductor is able to realize His vision and all the members of the orchestra together share in the creation of that vision.

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Vayeilech 5779

Vayeilech, ,

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GETTING TO THE ROOT

There are only a handful of Shabbosim who carry a second name. Our Shabos carries the name Shabbos Shuva or Shabbos Teshuva. The reason for the first variant is because the haftorah begins with the word Shuva, as Hoshea tells his people to return to HaShem. The reason for the second variant is because it is the Shabbos of the Ten Days of Teshuva. Question: Why then is Friday not called Friday Teshuva, and for that matter, every other day of this week?

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