Rosh HaShana Torah Readings & Haftarot First Day According to Tradition, Sara Imeinu was "remembered" on Rosh HaShana. She became pregnant, and subsequently gave birth to Yitzchak, despite her advanced age of 90. On the first day of Rosh HaShana we read perek 21 of B'reishit, from Parshat Vayeira, about the birth and early years of Yitzchak, and about the Sara-Hagar-Yishmael episode. This first section of the reading is contained in a single Parsha S’tuma, is made up of 21 of the 34 p’sukim, and is divided among the first five of the seven Aliyot for Shabbat-Rosh HaShana. (When the first day of RH is not on Shabbat, this portion makes up the first three of five Aliyot.) The last part of this reading is a single Parsha P’tucha of 13 p’sukim and is about the treaty made between Avraham and Avimelech. This part of the reading is divided between the last two Aliyot of the first Torah (i.e. Shishi and Sh’vi’i when RH is Shabbat, and R’vi’i and Chamishi when RH falls during the week). Commentaries point out that it was in the merit of the prayers of Avraham on behalf of the people of Avimelech's household, that his (Avraham's) and Sara's prayers for themselves were also answered. This fits with one of the powerful themes and messages of RH, namely the power of prayer. 2nd Torah, 6 p'sukim, Bamidbar 29:1-6 Haftara, 38 p'sukim, Shmuel Alef 1:1-2:10 The silent nature of the Amida is attributed to Chana and the way she prayed at the Mishkan. The main connection to the Torah reading and the guiding force, so to speak, as to the choice of haftara for the first day of Rosh HaShana, is the story of a woman who was barren for a long time and then was blessed with a child. Sara in the Torah reading and Chana in the haftara, are joined by Rachel from the haftara of the second day. In a different way, we can add Yosef HaTzadik, who was also “remembered” by G-d. Tradition tells us that he was removed from prison to appear before Par’o on Rosh HaShana. Since Yosef's removal from prison and his successful experience before Par'o can be seen as the beginning (the very early beginning) of the Egyptian sojourn of the family of Yaakov - who became the People of Israel... and everything that followed - it could be suggested that the Yosef-Rosh HaShana connection can explain the statement in Kiddush on Rosh HaShana eve that it is a commemoration of the Exodus. Mincha... SPECIAL REMINDER Second Day First Torah, 24 p'sukim B’reishit 22:1-24 We stand before G-d on Yom HaDin and we proclaim that we are not only the biological descendants of Avraham and Yitzchak (and Yaakov), but their spiritual heirs as well. We are not just telling stories; we are inspired to emulate our forefathers and develop a total commitment to G-d and Torah. Perhaps it is much more than that. The old question about the zebra (of Shel Silverstein’s poem), as to whether it is a black animal with white stripes or a white animal with black stripes, is very applicable to that average Jew. Each of us does mitzvot which earn us credit, so to speak, and sins that are held against us. Whatever the ratio, the question is what kind of Jews are we. Am I a good Jew with episodes of sin or am I a wicked Jew who does mitzvot from time to time. And this is not merely a matter of numbers. It is possible that we are evaluated as good Jews who slip, even if the slipping is significant... because we are the descendants of the Avot and Imahot. This is part of why we focus on the Akeida so often on Rosh HaShana. 2nd Torah, 6 p'sukim, Bamidbar 29:1-6 Haftara, 19 p'sukim, Yirmiyahu 31:2-20 The readings of Rosh HaShana are not just Bible stories and we shouldn’t take them as such. We read about an amazing love relationship between G-d and His people, us. Emotion is the key. We need to “open up” on Rosh HaShana, so that we can see the vital nature of T’shuva and of our membership in Klal Yisrael. And it is not just we who must warm to the relationship between HaShem and Am Yisrael. G-d too, so to speak, will hopefully respond to the feelings He has always had for us, and relate to us as He related to the Avot and Imahot. Tashlich... Notes on Candle Lighting & Havdala Friday right before Shabbat Motza’ei Shabbat When lighting the candles on the second night, it is proper to recite the brachot first and then to light the candles. It is forbidden to strike a match or flick a lighter on Yom Tov. Transfer of a pre-existing flame to a match or candle is permitted. What- ever you use to light the candles may not be extinguished. Just put it down on a safe surface and let it go out by itself. SHE'HECHE'YANU YaKNeHaZ First, the Borei Pri HaGafen (YAYIN) is said over the Kiddush Cup. This is followed by MELECH AL KOL HA’ARETZ M’KADEISH YISRAEL V’YOM HAZIKA- RON (this bracha is known as KIDDUSH or Kiddush HaYom). So far, things are like any Leil Yom Tov. We now switch over to Havdala. No separate wine bracha is said; the one for Kiddush covers the Havadala as well. We now say BOREI M’OREI HA’EISH over the Yom Tov candles or two matches held together, or even over an incandescent bulb (we do NOT light a Havdala candle for the occasion since we may not extinguish it) (NER). This is followed by a modified HAVDALA bracha, ending in HAMAVDIL BEIN KODESH L’KODESH, He Who distinguishes between one level of sanctity (the higher one of Shabbat) and another level of sanctity (the lesser one of Yom Tov). All of the above is concluded with [SH], known as ZMAN, time. The sequence of these five brachot is known by the initial letters of the brachot - YaKNeHaZ, i.e. YAYIN (wine), KIDDUSH,NER, HAVDALA, ZMAN. B’samim (spices) are not used on Motza’ei Shabbat that is Yom Tov; the Yom Tov is considered as a spiritual “spice”, rendering actual spices unnecessary. Sunday night By the way, it is only the transition from a higher Kedusha to a lower that is accompanied by the recitation of Havdala. That includes Shabbat to weekday, Shabbat to Yom Tov, Shabbat to Chol HaMoed, and Yom Tov to Chol HaMoed. It does not include Yom Tov to Shabbat or Chol HaMoed to Yom Tov or Shabbat, because we then go from a lower sanctity to a higher one. SUGGESTION If you are still in your Amida when the congregation is ready for Kedusha, then you have to stop, wait, and listen - but you do not say Kedusha with everyone else. Don’t worry. Your listening is considered “K’ILU”, as if you are saying it. Except that you are not saying it, because you cannot interrupt your own Amida. Nor can you continue davening while the KAHAL is saying Kedusha. Stop, look, and listen. It is important not to inconvenience others in your attempt to daven better. Violating interpersonal mitzvot while seeking to fulfill a Jew-to-G-d mitzva is kind of counter-productive. What you will mostly miss out on are the many PIYUTIM, liturgical poetry, that was added to the siddur and machzor over many centuries of Jewish life and experience. The PIYU- TIM are beautiful and precious to us, but they do not supersede the saying of the Amida. Also, there is nothing wrong with davening in Hebrew and looking over to the English translation to help you understand what you are saying. It is even permitted (and maybe prefer- able) to daven in English, if you don’t understand the Hebrew at all. Hatarat Nedarim Believe it or not, eating that cookie for that person is the same (sort of) as eating a cheese burger or ham sandwich. Sounds like an exaggeration, but it really isn’t. Eating ham violates the prohibition against eating the meat of non-kosher animals. Eating that cookie violates (for the one who took the vow) the prohibitionof profaning one’s word. And, we can suggest, that the one who eats the CCC (that's chocolate chip cookie) is even a little worse! Eating ham is a sin. Eating a cookie isn’t a sin, except for the one who swore he wouldn’t eat them. So the vow-taker creates upon himself an additional possibility of sinning, where none need have existed. You want to abstain from something, do it. But don’t swear to it. You want to do good things? Do them. No need to swear and put yourself in a difficult situation. A person who undertakes (without the protection of saying B’LI NEDER) to, let’s say, give Tzedaka every day has created new pitfalls for himself. Every day that you don’t give Tzedaka constitutes a violation of pledges. Serious offense. Could have been avoided. And now we turn to HaShem and ask him to dissolve the rest of our sins as only He can - like our Hatarat Nedarim. ASHREI H'AM YO'DEI TREUA... This pasuk in T'hilim does not say, "hear" the shofar; it says KNOWS the sound of the Shofar. There's a big difference, even though the same word is used for both hearing and knowing (or understanding). LISHMO'A. To hear. And some- times it means to understand. Our commitment at Sinai, for example, was NAASEH V'NISHMA. "We will do, and we will understand (what G-d wants of us)". Not just "we will hear". Can we not suggest that the bracha for Shofar - LiSHMO'A KOL SHOFAR, implies that understanding is essential to the mitzva, not just hearing the sounds. We have to hear, and understand, and not misunderstand. And we have to react appropriately. Everyone except for the profoundly deaf, can HEAR the sounds of the shofar. But do you straighten with pride of membership in the Jewish people when you hear the T'KI'A? Are you humbled and broken when you hear the broken wail of the T'RU'A or the sob of the SH'VARIM. Does the T'KI'A remind you of the experience of MATAN TORAH? Do the broken sounds inspire you to introspection and set you on the path to T'shuva. You hear the sounds - but you do not know what they mean! Maybe you think it is a car alarm, or a sound coming from the nearby construction site, or maybe you just aren't thinking at all. You hear the sound, but it doesn't dawn on you that you are being warned of some danger. And you step into the road, just as the truck backs up. So too, it is with the sound of the Shofar. Many, many Jews go to shul to hear the Shofar. They hear the sounds, but do they know what the sounds mean? Do we heed the warning of the Shofar? Are we moved to rise to the challenge of T'shuva? Are we inspired to strengthen our commitment to Torah and Judaism? Are we going to work harder to improve ourselves as individuals and as a community, so that we will do our share in hastening the Moshiach? Or will we continue walking into the path of the oncoming truck? ASHREI HA'AM YO'D'EI T'RU'A... Happy (or fortunate) is the Nation who KNOWS the T'RU'A... We must hear the Shofar, must understand its meanings, must let its sounds and meanings penetrate to our minds, hearts, and souls. The Shofar must bring about a "shipur" (a spiritual improvement). Then we may consider ourselves truly fortunate and happy to be the Nation that knows the T'RU'A. A shofar predominantly consists of the tough protein material known as keratin. The same material as in hair, nails, and hooves Tashlich (the hard copy of TT contains the full Hebrew text of Tashlich) What it isn't & what it is There are other authorities who did not mention the custom of Tashlich in their writings at all, since it does not appear in the Talmud or other early sources. For example, the Vilna Gaon's practice was/is not to do Tashlich. Yet Tashlich is a wide-spread minhag in most Jewish communities around the world. If it is difficult to go to Tashlich on Rosh HaShana, or for some reason one wasn't able to do so, it may be said during Aseret Y'mei T'shuva, or afterwards until (and including) Hoshana Rabba. The lead passage of Tashlich gives us the origin of its name, and probably the main origin of the custom itself. The second pasuk (Micha 7:19) speaks of G-d, in His mercy, "casting our sins into the depths of the sea". This is our T'shuva goal - to repent so sincerely, that G-d will erase our sins completely. Kings of Israel were anointed by the riverside. Water is the symbol of life, of Torah, and of continuity. On Rosh HaShana, when we celebrate the coronation of the King of Kings, we go to the river (or other body of water) as a reminder of this theme of the day. The Midrash tells us that the Satan received G-d's permission to try to dissuade Avraham Avinu from going to Har HaMoriah to sacrifice Yitzchak. He placed a river in Avraham's way, but Avraham was so determined to carry out G-d's command, that he walked right into the water. Nothing would stop Avraham. The river becamea symbol of dedication to G-d. On Rosh HaShana, the anniversary of the Akeida, we go to the riverside and "remind" G-d (so to speak), and ourselves, of the dedication of our forefather Avraham, and to rededicate ourselves to Torah and mitzvot with that high level of dedication. There is a kabbalistic analogy drawn between the opening, main p'sukim of Tashlich, and the Thirteen Divine Attributes. This idea adds to the significance of the Tashlich recitation, because of the power of invoking the Yud-Gimel Midot. They are an essential element in the Slichot and T'shuva process, and are integrally bound to the Biblical events of the Elul - Rosh HaShana - Yom Kippur period. The text for Tashlich varies from machzor to machzor. In this 4-pager, you will find a bit more text than some, and less than others. It is appropriate to supplement the regular Tashlich texts with your own prayers. On Rosh HaShana, when we spend a significant amount of time in shul davening, we don't say "enough is enough".After a festive lunch, we go out of our homes to pray between prayers. But we don't go to the Beit Knesset. Instead, we go to a body of water, into nature, where G-d's Presence should also be strongly felt, and we revel in His majesty and recommit ourselves to His service. Tashlich starts on the last page (which becomes the front page as soon as you turn this folded sheet over). It might sound funny, but "use Tashlich wisely". Make it a meaningful part of your Rosh HaShana, and let some of the ideas presented here enrich the experience. In some communities, Tashlich is a big social event. While not a bad thing per se, people must "be on their best RH behavior", so to speak. OU Israel Center Torah Tidbits SHOFAR GUIDE The Shofar-blower AND each person listening to the Shofar should have KAVANA during the BRACHOT to fulfill the mitzva of Shofar, both the Torah requirements and those of our Sages. One must be careful to hear the entire BRACHOT without interruption, and to answer AMEN to each. The Mitzva to Hear Shofar The Torah says that the first day of the seventh month shall be a T'RU'A DAY. We are taught by the Oral Law that this means that we are to hear the sound called T'RU'A, which is to be produced by the Shofar. Furthermore, we are to hear the T’RU’A three times, and that each T’RU’A is to be preceded by and followed by a P'SHUTA,a plain, long blast, the one we call T'KI'A. We do not know exactly what our Sages meant the T'RU'A to sound like. It is to sound like crying, wailing, sobbing, moaning, sighing, or some combination thereof. To satisfy different opinions, we have two sounds that we call SH'VARIM and T'RU'A, and the combination of the two. Therefore, to satisfy the Torah's requirement of hearing the Shofar on Rosh HaShana, we must hear 3 each of the following combinations: And, as is well-known, the custom is to blow additional blasts (10 or 40, as the case may be) after the Amida, to bring the total number of blasts to 100. 100 conveys completeness and fullness. On Rosh HaShana, we don't just blow the Shofar, we are fully saturated with the Shofar sounds. This fulfills the sense of "YOMT'RU'A there shall be for you", more than a lesser number would. Symbolisms and Kavanot (based on Menorat HaMa'or) G-D'S KINGSHIP CALL TO REPENTANCE AKEIDAT YITZCHAK MATAN TORAH The words of the Prophets are likened to the sound of the Shofar. This reminder should inspire greater commitment to faithful observance of Judaism. Our deal with G-d, when we asked not to hear His voice directly, was our promise to listen to the prophets, starting with Moshe and continuing throughout the generations. This aspect of Shofar, then, follows the previous item - Matan Torah. INSTILLS FEAR Churban Beit HaMikdash should also be kept in mind while hearing the Shofar. The Prophets mention the Shofar in their description of the Churban. One should think of the "ups and downs" of Jewish history as part of the Rosh HaShana challenge that we all face. Furthermore, the destruction of the Temples resulted from our not keeping faith with G-d. These thoughts then, should also lead us to think of repentance as the way to reverse the devastating effects of the Churban. Ingathering of the Exiles is described by Yeshayahu as being accompanied by the sound of a Great Shofar. We are witness to the beginning of that process; may we be privileged to see its continuation and culmination. This too is in the realm of the T'KI'A and is one of the promises to keep in mind so that we can put "things in proper perspective". The Great Judgment Day is associated with the Shofar. One must understand that we stand in judgment before G-d on every Rosh HaShana, but that we we will also do so on a different scale "after 120 years" and "at the end of days". T'CHIYAT HAMEITIM is also associated with Shofar. Thinking of this gives us a broader perspective on what G-d expects of us and what is in store. [The Rosh HaShana Homepage]
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