B"H

Monday, Elul 23, 5776 / September 26, 2016 - Hakhel year

This is the last Monday of this year, 5776. Next Monday will be Rosh Hashana - the New Year, 5777.

The holiday of Rosh Hashana is unique in that it is celebrated two days in Israel just as in the Diaspora.

The first night of Rosh Hashana, we wish each other "L'shana Tova Tikateivu Vtaichateimu" - "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." 

We don't wish the same on the second night. The reason is because the Talmud tells us that, "The righteous people are immediately inscribed on the first day of Rosh Hashana, for good life." To demonstrate that we consider everyone righteous, we wish "L'shana Tova" only the first day. To wish someone the same on the second night or day, would mean that we are in doubt whether they are righteous. It teaches us how careful we must be to view others in a positive way, especially on Rosh Hashana. 

On Rosh Hashana, we eat different foods to symbolize our prayers for a sweet year.  For this reason, we dip the Challa and apple in honey.   We also eat foods which symbolize good things.  For example, many people eat part of the head of a fish and declare, "May we, this year, be at the head!"  In other words, we should be on top and not on the bottom.

Listening to the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana is a very important mitzvah. The sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana serves as a wake up call to return to G-d, for the sound of the Shofar reminds us that Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment.

Also, on Rosh Hashana we proclaim G-d as the King of the universe. At the coronation of a king, it is customary to blow trumpets. Through blowing the Shofar we declare G-d King of the universe.

Q.  Why is it customary that the Rosh Hashana challahs (bread) are shaped round?

A.The round challah symbolizes the shape of the universe and remind us that the world is judged on this day.  It also resembles the shape of a crown. This signifies that on this day we crown G-d as the king of the universe, as mentioned above.

Q.Aside from the practical application, is there any significance in the fact that the Shofar is blown from the narrow end while the wide end of the Shofar is pointing upward?

A.  One of the verses from the Psalms recited before the sounding of the Shofar is, "Out of distress I called to G-d; with abounding relief, G-d answered me."

The narrow side of the Shofar through which we blow represents our call of distress while the wide end of the Shofar represents G-d's answering our call of distress with abounding relief.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & SHANA TOVA

B"H

Friday, Elul 20, 5776 / September 23, 2016 - Hakhel year

Sunday night, October 2, we will celebrate Rosh Hashana - ushering in the New Year 5767. In preparation for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we recite special "Selichot" prayers. The Sephardic custom is to say Selichot throughout the entire month of Elul. According to Ashkenazic custom, Selichot will begin this Saturday night at midnight.

"Selichot" means "forgiveness." The Selichot prayers are intended to emphasize and arouse G-d's trait of mercy, benevolence and forgiveness. At the same time, the prayers encourage us to reflect on our deeds and resolve to improve them.

In the Selichot service we pray that G-d bless us with a good New Year. We don't ask for it as a result of our good deeds, rather we say, "We come before You without good deeds; as poor and indigent we knock on your door [for charity]."

Q.  Why do we ask G-d to grant us whatever we need as a charitable act. It would make more sense to ask for all the good as a reward of our good deeds and mention all the good deeds we performed in the past year. Instead, we say: "We come before You without good deeds, as poor and indigent"?

A.  The Magid of Dubna explains it with the following parable: A poor man desperately needed a coat for the winter months. He went from door to door collecting money until he could afford one. He then went, together with his son, to the store to buy the coat.

After choosing a coat, he told the store owner his dire situation of poverty and begged the owner to give him the coat for free. The kind hearted store owner pitied him and agreed. However after he took the coat, he gave the owner the money he collected, thanked him, and left.

His son was puzzled, "Father," he asked, "if you intended all along to pay the merchant for the coat, then why did you ask him to give it to you without charge?"

The father replied, "My son, I never intended to take the coat for free.  However, I was afraid that the money I had was not enough to pay for the coat. So I asked him to be kind and give it to me for free.  Once he agreed to this, any amount of money which I offered him would be acceptable and he would be very happy, even if it wasn't the full price of the coat."

"The same is with us," explained the Magid. "Can we honestly come before G-d and say that we have done enough mitzvot to warrant His kindness in return for what we have accomplished? 

Therefore we ask for G-d's mercy and kindness, saying, "We come before You without good deeds; as poor and indigent we knock on your door [for charity]." Only after G-d accepts our plea to grant us what we need as a result of His generosity, can our good deeds and mitzvot which we performed, no matter how insignificant they may be, have value to bring us blessings for whatever we need in the New Year.

SHABBAT  SHALOM

Montrealcandle lighting time: 6:30 / Shabbat ends: 7:31

B"H

Thursday, Elul 19, 5776 / September 22, 2016 - Hakhel year

This Shabbat we read Parshat Ki Tavo (Deut. chapters 26-29). The Parsha begins with the mitzvah of "Bikurim" - offering of the "First fruits". 

The Torah states: "And it shall be that when you come to the land which the L-rd your G-d will give you for an inheritance, and you will posses it and dwell in it.  You shall take of the first of all the fruit of the land which the L-rd your G-d gives you and you shall put them in a basket and go to the place which the L-rd your G-d shall choose to cause His name to dwell there [Jerusalem]." 

Once in Jerusalem, the basket of fruit was given to the Kohen (priest).  The person bringing the basket of fruit would thank G-d for taking the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery, for all the miracles which G-d has done for us, and for bringing us, "to this place and giving us this land, a land that flows with milk and honey."

The Torah concludes the mitzvah of Bikurim with the following, "And you shall rejoice in all the good which the L-rd your G-d has given you and to your household." 

The mitzvah of Bikurim teaches us two very important lessons: 1) that before we enjoy the bounty and blessings which G-d gives us, we must first give back what belongs to G-d. This is accomplished by giving a share to Tzedakah (charity) and providing for the poor and needy.

2) The mitzvah of Bikurim also teaches us to be happy and rejoice with whatever G-d has given us.  A person who believes that whatever he or she has is a gift from G-d, will not be jealous of others and thus truly rejoice and be satisfied and happy in life.

The secret to wealth is taught by our sages in the Mishna; "Who is a wealthy person, one who is happy with his lot!"  According to Torah, true wealth is measured in terms of happiness!

Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chasidic movement, whose 318th birthday was yesterday, says that through joy a person can attain the greatest levels of spirituality, in addition to great physical blessings.

Later in the Parsha the Torah speaks about the suffering which will befall the Jewish people for not serving G-d with happiness. The Torah says, "Because you have not served the L-rd your G-d with happiness and with gladness of the heart, therefore you shall serve the enemy whom the L-rd your G-d will send against you..."

Said Rabbi Bunim of Peshischa, "According to the Torah, the measure of reward is much greater than the measure of punishment. If the punishment for not serving G-d with happiness and gladness of the heart is serving the enemy in exile, how much more so will be His reward for serving Him with happiness. Then He will surely redeem us from exile and bring Moshiach speedily in our days. Amen

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & SHANA TOVA