From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE

The Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious communityin Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...

Q Is it permitted to sleep on Rosh Hashana afternoon?
A It is tricky to try to balance the various aspects of Rosh Hashana. It is, at once, a day of fear and of festivity (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 597:1; see Nechemia 8). The minhag you refer to stems from the fear of judgment, and many take it very seriously. We will review the sources and suggest to the individual to choose his practice based on his custom, his strength, and his circumstances.
The Rama (OC 583:1) brings and praises the minhag not to sleep on Rosh Hashana. The source given is a Yerushalmi that he who sleeps on Rosh Hashana, his mazal sleeps, implying that his judgment may not go as well as it could. (Acharonim point out that our editions of the Yerushalmi are missing this quote). Certainly we have precedent in Tanach that it is considered foolish to sleep when one's fate hangs in the balance (see Yonah 1:6).
The Mishnah Berura (583:9) and others quote the Ari z"l that after chatzot (midday), the Heavenly situation is such that one can sleep. As few people finish davening and eating by chatzot, this minhag seems to have little impact on most of us. However, not all agree with the Ari on this matter. (Our mentor, Harav Yisraeli z.t.l. was lenient on this matter). The Bach (OC 597) cites the Ram who was totally lenient on the matter of sleep on Rosh Hashana (possibly because he didn't feel the minhag should affect the ability to enjoy the Yom Tov on a physical level).
It is of note that, according to the logical opinion of some, many "miss the boat" in regard to this minhag. The source doesn't say, "not to go to sleep" during the day of Rosh Hashana but "not to sleep." According to some, this means that one should wake up before the day begins, which may be as early as alot hashachar, more than an hour before sunrise (Kaf Hachayim 583:39; Ben Ish Chai, cited ibid.). (The simple implication of Aruch Hashulchan (597:2) and perhaps Chayei Adam (139:8) is not that way.) There is room for leniency until sunrise (Piskei Teshuvot 583:(65)) even according to this approach. Leniency becomes more appropriate if waking up so early will affect one's concentration during tefilla. However, there are strong grounds to say that if one is capable of getting up early, it is counterproductive to sleep longer in order to stay up in the afternoon (Ben Ish Chai, ibid.).
The impact of refraining from sleep is cited as a factor elsewhere. The Mishna Berura (ibid.) says that not sleeping is not the goal in and of itself. Rather, the time should be spent on spiritually worthwhile activities such as learning Torah and saying Tehillim (ibid.; Chayei Adam 139:11). If a little sleep will facilitate learning, then it is a worthwhile tradeoff (ibid.). The Mishna Berura goes on to say that wasting one's time is equivalent to sleeping.
As the first day is the main day of Rosh Hashana and its judgment, there is even more room for leniency on the second day of Rosh Hashana (Piskei Teshuvot 583:10).

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
First appeared in TT #483, but important to repeat:
People are not to blame for the fact that they sin. Indeed, they withstand great temptation though their strength is negligible.
They are, however, to blame for the fact that they do not repent their evil ways, because they always have the ability to do so.
- Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Pshischa

When I return from a fair, my children ask: What did you bring back for us.
When I return from the fair of life, they will ask me on High: What did you bring back for us? What shall I answer?
- Rabbi David of Mikoleib

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
Apologies to R’ Shmuel and readers of this column for last week’s typos. The two that we subsequently found were not picked up by a spell checker because both mistyped words were also words. “You shave have” should been “You shall have” and chassis should have been chassid. This second one was probably a slip of the finger, with the S-key next to the D-key. The first typo was the result of a slip of the mind (or the creation of a new contraction – shave = shall have).

R’ Yosef of Ostraha was against fasting on days other than those decreed by our Sages. He explained with an apt analogy. “Often”, he said, “when a community wishes to impose a communal tax, it is structured so that the heaviest burden falls on the poor. When the tax collector comes to a poor man, he does not have enough money to pay. What does he do? He takes whatever little money he has and bribes the tax collector to leave him alone. But he still owes the same tax as before.

“The same is true of fasts. The ‘rich’ organs – the eyes, ears, and mouth – sin, but it is the stomach, which did not sin, that suffers. Meanwhile, the sins of the ‘rich’ organs remain unrepented.

“Better”, R’ Yosef concluded, “that the ‘rich’ organs repent – the mouth stop speaking slander and falsehood, the eyes not see what is forbidden, the ears not hear anything improper – than that a person should fast.”

Repentance is the process of crying over spilled milk — and recovering it!
We should pray to G-d to give us what we lack the sense to pray for, and not to give us what we lack the sense not to pray for. From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

Shofar and the word SHIPUR, improvement, come from the same root. We must be inspired by the sounds of the Shofar to embark on a serious self-improvement campaign.

G'matriya Match
That T’RU’A is the sound produced by the SHOFAR is learned from the Yom Kippur of Yovel. The Gemara teaches us the equation of the T’RU’A sounds of the month of Tishrei.
That the T’KI’A is also produced by the Shofar can be hinted at by a g’matriya, numeric value. YITKA’U, they shall sound a T’KI’A, is mentioned in reference to the silver CHATZOTZROT. But the g’matriya of YITKA’U is 10+ 400+100+70+6 = 586. As is the G’m of SHOFAR, 300+6+80+200 = 586.
The Shofar is associated with the ingathering of the exiles, who will come to Jerusalem, says the prophet. Yerushalyim (without the second YUD) also equals 586.

From the Desk of the Director • A Message for Rosh Hashana
As Rosh Hashana approaches let us consider the well-known passage in the Mishna (Yoma 8:9) that cites Rabbi Akiva as saying: "Israel, you are fortunate. Before whom do you purify yourself [from your transgressions] - and who purifies you? Your Father in Heaven."

Rabbi Soloveitchik asks pointedly why the double expression of purification, that which we do ourselves and that in which Hashem is a partner?
Rabbi Akiva, it appears, draws an analogy from the verse, "Mikve Yisrael Hashem" (Yirmiyahu 17:13). He interprets this to mean that just as a ritual bath (Mikve) purifies an impure individual, so Hashem purifies Israel. He concre- tizes this latter notion by citing the passuk in Yehezkiel (36:25): "Vezarakti mayim tehorim vetihartem" - 'And I shall sprinkle pure water and you will be purified.'

The Rav notes that the Mikve type of purification can only be performed by the impure individual. No one else can enter the Mikve in his place. He bows his head and submerges himself in water and then rises with the impure state washed clean. The sinner, too, must bow his head in shame, immerse himself in remorse, and rise above his previous iniquitous behavior. Only he can do Teshuva for himself.

In contrast, the phenomenon of sprin- kling (haza'a), which is reserved for extreme forms of impurity (Bamidbar 19:19), requires a pure (and external) being to perform the act of purification. Hashem, the Tanchuma delicately reminds us, is that ultimate Being. We cannot do this sprinkling for ourselves. Evidently, there are serious circum- stances for which we must invoke Hashem's intervention if we are to overcome our personal insufficiencies.

The analogy of Mikve purification, where our own efforts are mandatory, applies to our daily failings of character for which we must continually beg forgiveness. For this Hashem constantly awaits us: "Hatsofeh larasha vehafetz behitzadko" (Rosh Hashana liturgy). But concerning our deeper transgressions and serious lapses of faith, we have no choice but to cry out for Hashem's help. For it is written: "Ata noten yad laposhiim" - 'You extend a hand to the sinners' (Ne'ilah service Yom Kippur).

Perhaps we have to take the first steps so that Hashem, in turn, will actively reciprocate. Rabbi Akiva is telling us that then Hashem will sprinkle his love and compassion on us. He will then wash away our haughtiness. He will strip us to our pristine state. And then having rediscovered our authentic selves (created in the image of G-d), we consequently reveal our authenticity and true purpose in this world.

We like to think that we can do Teshuva entirely by ourselves. In reality, however, we need to invoke the words of prophet in the haftara of Yom Kippur (Isaiah 57:14). We need to appeal to G-d to, "Clear the path [and bring] peace for those who have strayed far and near… [so that] they will be healed." Then, having trod that road, it can truly be said of us: "Lifnei Hashem Titharu" - we have become cleansed of our sins before Hashem.

On behalf of the Board and staff of the OU Israel Center, let me take this opportunity of wishing all of you and Kol Bet Yisrael - Ketiva Vechatima Tova. May Hashem grant us a year of peace and fulfillment, a year of refu'ah shleima for all our sick and injured, and the strength to continue our tireless efforts to transform our little clearing in the forest into a wellspring of Torah and Mizvot.

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center

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