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Haazinu
This Shabbat we study the Parshah Haazinu, meaning “Listen” (Deuteronomy 32:1). The greater part of this Parshah consists of a 70-line “song” delivered by Moses to the people of Israel on the last day of his earthly life. Calling heaven and earth as witnesses, Moses exhorts the people, “Remember the days of old / Consider the years of many generations / Ask your father, and he will recount it to you / Your elders, and they will tell you” how G-d “found them in a desert land,” made them a people, chose them as His own, and bequeathed them a bountiful land. The song also warns against the pitfalls of plenty—“Yeshurun grew fat and kicked / You have grown fat, thick and rotund / He forsook G-d who made him / And spurned the Rock of his salvation”—and the terrible calamities that would result, which Moses describes as G-d “hiding His face.” Yet in the end, he promises, G-d will avenge the blood of His servants, and be reconciled with His people and land.
Chabad.org
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Building Jewish Unity
As we reflect on the past year it is only natural to feel heartache and rage. At the same time these heavy challenges have brought a miracle: the miracle of unity. Just hours after the horrific October 7 attack, Jews in Israel and worldwide came together with unprecedented love, kindness, generosity, courage and determination. Despite efforts to divide us, our communities in and outside of Israel are stronger than ever and this strength continues to grow.
In the year ahead let us build our unity and strength even more to drive away the darkness. Let us also increase our Torah study and Tzedaka. The Rebbe has told us that our compassion for the needy and downcast evokes a reciprocal compassion from Heaven, thus hastening the day of the scion of David (Mashiach) and the days of our Redemption. May this happen speedily!
Shana Tova Umetuka!
Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen
Director, MADA Community Center
When to light candles on Rosh Hashanah?
We light candles each evening of Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat which follows:
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Do-It-Yourself Lawyer
As thinking human beings, we have an unlimited capacity to find excuses, to discover ingenious and innovative ways to distance the perpetrator from the act. We can blame it on youth, on old age, on parents, on children, on financial hardships, daily environs, psychological state. We can easily discharge anybody of any responsibility for any negative deeds that stain their hands. We can all be wonderful advocates and lawyers for one another—and the Merciful One Above surely enjoys hearing such things. But if you want to get ahead in life, don’t be your own lawyer.
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman
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The Great Shofar
The “lost” and “cast-aways” are not only the physically exiled but also those lost and banished throughout the spiritual wastelands of the galut, those removed from their religious roots and heritage. When a person, close to the service of G-d and His Torah prays for a manifestation of G-dliness, he thinks of more intense devotion in prayer, greater excitement in the study of Torah, more deeply felt attachment to G-d in the observance of mitzvot, and so forth. The spiritually “lost and cast-aways” are insensitive to those values. The “great shofar, that will be sounded with the Messianic redemption,” however, will awaken their souls. Their arousal will be so intense that they will not ask for anything personal, but seek G-d Himself, a full manifestation of Divinity. The simplicity and sincerity of this prayer shall be effective, and thus they “shall come and bow down to G-d on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” Thus, with the coming of Moshiach the people will be extricated from both of the above situations, and they will come to bow down to G-d.
From an article by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet
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Are You An All-Weather Jew?
A Jewish school once held a competition to see who could tell the biggest lie. This was the winner:
I walked into shul, and they were blowing the shofar and all the men were in white, waving their lulavs, dancing with the Torahs, lighting the Chanukah candles when the Purim spielers came barging in swinging their graggers, and the kiddush was replete with apples and honey, matzah, potato latkes, cheesecake, blintzes, and, of course, cholent.
Why did this falsehood win the prize? Because it is surely the biggest lie of all to suggest that Judaism has only one holiday!
Just the month of Tishrei alone is filled with a range of festivals, from the solemn fasting on Yom Kippur to the celebratory feasting on Simchat Torah. And as the year progresses, we have Chanukah and Purim, Pesach and Shavuot, each with its own traditions, symbols and messages. And our weekly Shabbat has its own beautiful observances, too.
So many Jews today attend synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur only. I’ve often said that it’s no wonder they don’t come back! The services are long and somber. And there’s no Kiddush on Yom Kippur like there is on your regular Shabbat. If, instead, people would come to shul on Purim and Simchat Torah, when the atmosphere is lively and joyous, replete with singing, dancing, eating and drinking, they might enjoy it so much that they would come back regularly!
And it's not that different with life in general.
We start out with a few good friends. Then, our circles broaden and expand. We may become closer to some, and drift apart from others. Perhaps we had someone we thought was a good friend but when crunchtime came no one was home. They may have dropped us like a hot potato as soon as our fortunes soured. We call them fair-weather friends. And sometimes someone may be a dearly dedicated friend when times are tough, but nowhere to be seen when there is cause to celebrate. Are they foul-weather friends?
As life progresses, we often see more clearly who our real, true, and loyal friends are. And, as we know, a few good friends are enough to see us through life. Let’s ask ourselves: what kind of friend are we to G-d? Are we fair-weather friends who only visit Him when there’s something to celebrate, like a bar mitzvah or wedding? I know some people who only come to shul once a year – when they bring their kids on Simchat Torah to get flags and chocolates (and maybe a whisky for themselves). And we all know of the many who only come for the Days of Awe, or G-d forbid, a funeral. Are they foul-weather Jews? I think both types are missing out. Tapping into the rich kaleidoscope of our traditions throughout the year would give us a much more genuine and satisfying picture of our faith and our Jewish experience.
So let me suggest that we all make an effort to become all-weather Jews—true, loyal friends of G-d Almighty. Visit Him on the Days of Awe and in the Season of our Rejoicing. Stop in during the Festival of our Freedom and the Season of the Giving of the Torah. Coming every Shabbat will make your week happier, more serene, and truly blessed. And if you’ve never built your own sukkah or bought your own etrog, consider trying it this year. It can be a powerful and memorable experience for you, your children and grandchildren.
From an article by Rabbi Yossy Goldman
