B"H

Friday, Elul 22, 5780 / September 11, 2020

This is the last Shabbat of the year 5780.  Next Shabbat will be Rosh Hashana, the first Shabbat of the year 5781. This Shabbat we read two parshiot, Nitzavim & Vayeilach. 

According to Ashkenazic custom the first Selichot service begins this Saturday night at midnight. The Sephardic custom is to recite Selichot the entire month of Elul.

At the end of Parshat Nitzavim Moshe reminds the Jewish people, "I call upon heaven and earth to witness before you this day that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curse; therefore choose life, that you and your seed may live.”  Moshe reminds them, “To love the L-rd your G-d and to listen to His voice and to cleave unto Him, for that is your life and the length of your days."

In the Modim prayer, recited three times daily, we thank G-d, "For our lives which are committed in Your hand, and for our souls which are entrusted to You, for Your miracles which are with us daily." 

In the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life our priorities at times become distorted and we tend to concentrate more on "wealth" than on "health." At times we forget to appreciate and be thankful for the miracle called life, which G-d grants us every second of our lives.

A Chassid once came to his Rebbe complaining that he had a bad year financially. The Rebbe asked him, "How is your health and the health of your family?"  The Chassid replied that health was, thank G-d, good.  The Rebbe quoted the words of the Talmud, "He Who gives life will surely give sustenance!"

The Rebbe explained it with a parable, "A wealthy businessman was traveling home from the fair with a large sum of money.  The way home was long and for Shabbat he stopped at an inn run by a Jewish innkeeper.

"As it is not permitted to carry money on Shabbat, the businessman had no choice but to give his wallet, which contained 5,000 rubles plus 5 kopikes (pennies) to the innkeeper for safekeeping until after Shabbat.

"As he didn't know the innkeeper, the businessman was worried all Shabbat whether the innkeeper was trustworthy and will he ever see his money again.  Immediately after Shabbat he asked for his wallet which the innkeeper returned. The merchant quickly went to his room to count the money. He counted the rubles and found the 5,000 rubles intact. 

"Do you think,” asked the Rebbe of his Chassid, “that after realizing that the innkeeper returned the 5,000 rubles, would the businessman be worried whether the five pennies-kopikes were also there? Only a fool would suspect the innkeeper in stealing the five kopikes when he was trustworthy with the sum of 5,000 rubles!"

The Rebbe concluded, "G-d gave you and your family, health and life which is worth far more than anything else in the world.  Don't you think that you could also trust Him to give you your livelihood? If you believe that G-d gives you health, you will automatically have faith that He will bless you in your dealings and will provide you with your livelihood as well. For, "He Who gives life will surely give sustenance!"

SHABBAT  SHALOM & A HAPPY, HEALTHY SWEET NEW YEAR

Montrealcandle lighting time: 6:54 / Shabbat ends: 7:55

B"H

Monday, Elul 25, 5780 / September 14, 2020

Rosh Hashana begins Friday night and is celebrated two days; Shabbat and Sunday.

As mentioned previously, Rosh Hashana is a two day holiday even in Israel, where other holidays are celebrated only one day. On the other hand, Yom Kippur is celebrated only one day even in the Diaspora, where other holidays are celebrated two days.

There are beautiful Jewish traditions associated with the holiday of Rosh Hashana. These traditions express various concepts and ideas about the holiday. One of them is to use round shaped Challah. All year long we use long Challah, but for Rosh Hashana we have round shaped Challah.

Unlike Shabbat and other holidays when we dip the Challah in salt, on Rosh Hahsana, after reciting the blessing over the Challah, we dip the Challah in honey.

Q.   What is the reason for the Rosh Hashana Challah being round?

A. On Rosh Hashana we proclaim G-d as King of the universe. The round Challah resembles the shape of a crown, which signifies that on this day we crown G-d as King. 

The round shaped Challah also symbolizes the round shape of the world, reminding us that the entire world is judged on this day.

We dip the Challah in honey, expressing our request and prayer that G-d grant us a SWEET New year.  Although we believe that whatever G-d does is for our good, yet, we pray that He give it to us in a sweet way. In other words, that we can actually see and taste the sweetness and good in it. It should be not hidden good but revealed good.

The following is an important lesson for this time of the year which we can learn from the round Challas. Our sages compared life to a revolving wheel.

Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn said, “Both, those at the top of the wheel of fortune and those at the bottom, often display a lack of wisdom. 

“Those who are at the top of the wheel may glow with self-satisfaction, even exulting at the expense of the less fortunate.  But they would be wiser to realize that the wheel might turn at any moment and they could find themselves lower than those they previously looked down upon!”

“On the other hand, those at the bottom, who bemoan their cruel fate, they too, would be wiser to realize that their fortunes are merely an expression of life's revolving wheel. Although they may be at the bottom of the wheel now, yet, at the wheel's very next turn, their fortunes will begin improving!”

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & A SWEET NEW YEAR

B"H

Tuesday, Elul 26, 5780 / September 15, 2020

Rosh Hashana, the holiday which ushers in the new year 5781 begins this Friday evening.

Q.  Why is the Torah reading on the first day of Rosh Hashana about the miraculous birth of our patriarch Yitzchak (Isaac) and on the second day we read about G-d's testing Abraham, commanding him to bring his beloved son as a sacrifice?

A.  It was on Rosh Hashana that our Matriarch Sarah became pregnant with Yitzchak. She was 90 years old when she gave birth to her only child, Yitzchak. In commemoration of this great miracle, from whom the entire Jewish descended, we read about this great miracle on Rosh Hashana.  

Also, since Rosh Hashana is the day of judgment, we want to recall on this day as many merits for the people of Israel as possible. Therefore, we read about the miraculous birth of Yitzchak when Abraham was 100 years old. Still, when G-d commanded him to sacrifice his beloved son Yitzchak, Abraham didn't hesitate and was immediately ready to do G-d's will. In recalling this story we pray that in the merit of Abraham and Yitzchak’s great trust and dedication to G-d, we, their descendents, will be judged favorably and granted all that we need in the coming year.

Shofar: On Rosh Hashana after the Torah reading and again during the Musaf service the Shofar is blown. This year, as the first day of Rosh Hashana is Shabbat, we do not blow the Shofar.

We make three different sounds with the Shofar -- Tekiah, a long sound; Shevarim, three broken sounds (like sighs); and Teruah, which are sounds that are even more static than the Shevarim (like a wailing sound).  At the end we blow a "Tekiah Gedolah" - a "Long Blow."  This sound is extended longer than the other Tekiah.

The Shofar is made of a ram's horn to remind us that Abraham passed his final and most difficult test, of his ten tests, to bring his son Yitzchak on the altar. At the last moment G-d showed him a ram which he sacrificed instead. The Shofar made of a ram’s horn, recalls the great sacrifices that our forefathers Abraham and Yitzchak were willing to make. We pray that in their merit G-d will inscribe us, their descendants, for a good and sweet year.

Q.  What is the reason for the Tekiah Gedolah (long blow) at the end of the Shofar blowing?

A.  The blowing of the Shofar reminds us of the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai which was accompanied by the sound of the Shofar.  The Giving of the Torah concluded with a long blast (see Exodus 19).  Thus, we conclude the series of blasts of the Shofar with a "long blast."

The Shofar also reminds us of the coming of Moshiach whose arrival will be announced through the Great Shofar. May we indeed merit the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days.  Amen.

HAVE A GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & A SWEET NEW YEAR