Monday, Elul 27, 5777 / September 18, 2017

Q.   The first thirty sounds of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana are blown after the Torah reading. They are done from the Bimah (the altar), the place where the Torah is read.  Why?

A.   One of the reasons for the blowing of the Shofar is to remind us of the special day when G-d gave us the Torah, which was accompanied by the sound of the Shofar.  It reminds us that we should adhere to the ways of the Torah.  Because the sounding of the Shofar is a reminder of the Giving of the Torah, we blow the Shofar on the Bimah - the place where the Torah was just read.

Q.  Why is there a “long sound,” called, “Tekiah Gedolah” at the conclusion of the Shofar blowing?

A.  As mentioned, the Shofar reminds us of the Giving of the Torah. Before giving the Torah on Mount Sinai, G-d told Moshe to warn the Jewish people not to ascend or even touch the mountain during the Giving of the Torah; “Only when the Shofar sounds a long, drawn out blast may they ascend the mountain” (Exodus 19:13). 

Just like the Giving of the Torah ended with the drawn out blast, so too, each segment of the Shofar blowing ends with a long blast.

Q.  Why is itcustomary to eat fish at the Rosh Hashana meals?

A. The Torah tells us that at the time of creation, G-d blessed the fish with a special blessing to be “fruitful and multiply.”  Children are the greatest blessing we can ask for.  Every blessing in the Torah which G-d gave to the Jewish people includes a blessing to be fruitful – a blessing for children.  On Rosh Hashana, when we ask G-d that He grant us a year of blessing, we eat fish, which is distinguished with the blessing of being fruitful, as a symbolic gesture that we too should be fruitful and multiply. 

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

A.  One reason is that on Rosh Hashana we crown G-d as the King of the Universe.  The round Chalah symbolizes a crown which is used for the coronation of a king.

Another reason: On Rosh Hashana G-d judges the universe. The round Chalah represents the shape of the world which is judged on this day.

Q.  On Rosh Hashana we dip the Chalah in honey. Why?

A.  As mentioned, the round Chalah represents the world being judged on this day. Dipping the Chalah in honey is our way of requesting G-d to judge us favorably and grant us a sweet year.

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

B"H

Tuesday, Elul 28, 5777 / September 19, 2017

Q.  Why is it that on Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgment, we do not fast, while on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we do fast?

A.In Scriptures (Nechemia 8:9-10) it states that after returning from the first exile, Ezra the Scribe, gathered the Jewish people on Rosh Hashana and read the Torah to them.  Upon hearing his words, the people’s hearts were stirred to repentance and they wept. 

Ezra then told them, “This day is holy to the L-rd, do not mourn or weep… Go eat and drink sweets.  Send portions of food to those who have not prepared, for this day is holy unto the L-rd.   Do not be saddened, for the joy of G-d is your strength…” Eating and drinking on Rosh Hashana is an expression of our confidence and faith in G-d that He will judge us favorably and as result we eat and drink for we have nothing to fear.

Fasting on Yom Kippur is a sign that our sins are forgiven.  Just as angels have no sins and do not need food, so too, we do not need food on Yom Kippur, because we are without sin, like angels.  

Q.  What is the significance in 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 represents our call of distress; the wide end, represents G-d's answering our call with abounding relief.

Q.  After reciting the Kiddush at the Rosh Hashana evening meal, we recite the Hamotzi-blessing over the Challah-bread.  But instead of dipping the slice of bread in salt, as we do all year, we dip it into honey.  Why do we dip the Challah-bread into honey on Rosh Hashana?

A.  It is to express our plea and desire for a sweet and happy new year.  Besides honey, we also eat food whose names resemble good and happy meanings.  Through these symbolic foods, we pray that

G-d grant us a good and sweet year.

Q.  According to Jewish Law (Halacha) it is preferable that the one who leads the services on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur should be a married person with a family. Why?

A.  The Torah says that the High Priest who performed the service in the Holy Temple on Yom Kippur had to be a married man.  One who has a family prays with more intention and more caring as he is also responsible for his wife and children.  He understands the responsibility of caring for others.  Our sages felt that a cantor who has a family will be more serious and attentive.  He will pray with more dedication and responsibility for the welfare of his congregation.

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

Tuesday, Tishrei 27, 5778 / October 17, 2017

SHALOM. I hope you had a wonderful Sukkot & Simchat Torah holiday. We were away from Montreal since before Rosh Hashana, spending the holidays with our children and grandchildren. Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur, we were in Valencia, California, and Sukkot in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Now that the holidays are over, I am looking forward to another great year of Torah Fax.

Did I say the holidays are over? Well, they are over in the physical sense. We won’t be blowing the Shofar, nor will we be sitting in the Sukah and shaking the Lulav and Etrog, however, the spiritual effects of the holidays continue.

Our sages compare the special holidays of this month, Tishrei, to a merchant who travels to the fair in the big city, to stock up on his merchandise for the winter. At the fair he buys whatever he needs for himself and for his store, until the next fair in six months. He returns home loaded with all he purchased, and over the next half a year, unpacks whatever he needs at that time.

The same is with the holidays we just celebrated. The greatest span between the holidays mentioned in the Torah, is from Sukkot until Pesach, which will be, G-d willing, in six months. The dose of spirituality which we absorbed during the holidays, should last us until Pesach. While we may be working hard at losing the physical weight we gained from the holiday meals, we must at the same time continue to be energized from the spiritual power we gained during the holidays.

Last Shabbat, we began the new Torah reading cycle for the year, 5778, with the reading of Parshat Breishis. In Parshat Breishis the Torah tells the story of creation. This week’s Parsha will be Parshat Noach (Noah), which is about the story of the Great Flood, when only Noach and his immediate family were saved.

The time span from the beginning of the Torah (creation) until Noach (the Great Flood) is around 1500 years. Although, when G-d created the world, the Torah tells us, “And G-d saw that everything He created was good,” yet, it didn’t take long until every living being became corrupt.

How did a perfect world, which G-d created, become so corrupt?

The answer is, that part of perfection is the ability for imperfection. It is called “freedom of choice.” In order to have a perfect world, which means that mankind should get credit for their achievements,

G-d gave us the ability to sin, so that we should have the freedom of choice. This way, when we do a good deed, it is to our credit and not something we would do robotically. Thus, the ability for imperfection was embedded in perfection. Unfortunately, many misinterpret the gift of freedom of choice, which was intended that we choose right from wrong, into chosing wrong from right…    

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY