Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - September '20

The Jewish Voice, Page 3
Strengthening Our Bond with
the Sovereign of the Universe
By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui
While all Jewish holidays
commemorate something
specific to the Jewish people
(like Passover, which
celebrates the exodus from
Egypt, Shavuot and the giving
of the Ten Commandments),
the High Holiday of Rosh
Hashanah commemorates
the creation of man, which is
not something specific to the
Jewish people, but belongs to all of humanity.
On the sixth day of creation, God made man —
Rosh Hashanah is a sweet
reminder of our need
to ensure a Jewish future.
It’s more than a commitment .
Find out more by contacting us at: life.legacy@jewishpalmbeach.org or 561.242.6661.
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From the rabbis
incidentally, according to the Bible, this human being was themselves every year when this day is relived all over again.
a man-woman creation joined at the hip — and the Bible
On Rosh Hashanah, the strength is already there for
describes this day as the beginning of God’s accomplishments us to reflect upon the very special role we human beings
in the world. Six days had already passed in which the have in the grand scheme of the Universe. Everything in
heavens, planets, animals, and trees were created; and yet, our world was both made to serve us as human beings and
only when the human being was made did God feel that things is dependent upon us as human beings. God waits for us
were finally starting to happen. to recognize his sovereignty, and with that recognition He
The purpose of creation, and the reason for everything works with us at our side as partners in creation (“God is
else, was only a prelude to the creation of the human race; as your shadow”). This is our special power and responsibility
the Bible says, when Adam proclaimed on that first Friday, as the principle reason for creation.
“Let us all bow and prostrate before God who made us,” that When God made the world, He made all the planets
is when “The Lord was king, he garbed himself in grandeur… in one command, all the animals in one gesture, all the
he (finally) established the world firmly.” The universe was vegetation at one time. When it came to the creation of the
complete, and the Sabbath was ushered in. human race, God made one individual person. The whole
This is the central theme of Rosh Hashanah: coronating world, including God, looks to each individual person as
God as our King and us as His subjects. if there was no one else to make that difference.
The great mystics tell us that every 24-hour period (day) The only creature endowed with a mind to think of
is imbued with certain energies, which then repeat and renew themselves and of their lives in third person — something
a stone or a tree or an animal is not able to do — is the
human being.
Rosh Hashanah is a time to consider that we as human
beings certainly did not make ourselves. The universe, all
its grandeur and its intricacies, surely did not make itself.
Something, somebody, designed it all and set it to motion.
Rosh Hashanah is the time of the year to think of our
connection with the true source of all and re-establish our
bonds with the intelligent and merciful God. Have we done
things to sever our ties? Are there areas where we might
strengthen our attachment to God? Have we invited the
supreme sovereign of the Universe, who certainly has all
the power to do as he pleases, into our lives? Have we done
so on a daily basis? Not a second can go by when we do not
need God’s ever-watchful eye over us.
“As we begin the year, so it goes.” May we all merit the
awareness of God upon us all the time. That should be our
blessing each year for a most elevated, blessed, sweet New
Year.
Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui is spiritual leader of Chabad
House Lubavitch of Palm Beach. Contact him at
Rabbi@chabadpalmbeach.org, 624-7004, or www.
chabadpalmbeach.org.
For Our Sins We Were Exiled
By Rabbi Paul Arberman
Our High Holiday
Machzor has seven words
that capture the rabbinic
idea of the responsibility
we have for our actions:
“Mipney chataenu galinu
m’artzenu v’nitrachaknu
m’al admahtenu” — which
means, “Because of our sins,
we were exiled from our land
and removed far away from
our country.”
The prayer was originally composed in reference to the two
exiles of Jews from Judea in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and
again by the Romans in the year 70 CE. The message of the
classical prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah was clear: If you don’t
repent, the result will be exile. Our enemies were understood to
be doing the will of God in destroying the Temples and sending
us into exile because we deserved it for our sinful behavior.
to get the people to behave. The rich were oppressing the
Now, I understand that the prophets were trying their best
poor; justice was not being pursued; the orphan and widow
It’s your legacy. and the stranger in the gate were not being cared for as they
should be in an ideal society. But as I see it, the blame for the
exile belongs squarely on the shoulders of the Babylonians
It also seems obvious that there are many things for which
and the Romans. Are we engaging in ancient victim blaming?!
mipnei chataenu, “because of my sins/actions…”, does not
apply. People contract terrible diseases through no fault of
COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS their own. Companies do wholesale downsizing and loyal
employees of many years suddenly find themselves without
jobs — in a market where no jobs are available. Hurricanes hit
the East Coast and people suffer just because they happened
to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And yet, mipney chataenu has been included in the holiday
liturgy since the time of Rav Amram in the year 856! Mipney
chataenu is not about natural disasters or things that are out of
our control. It is about the suffering of this world for which
we must take some responsibility. It is about owning up to our
share of guilt when people behave badly; when we mis-direct
resources that could help people; when we ignore injustice.
The challenge of mipney chataenu is recognizing the reality
that a great deal of what has gone wrong in life lies at our
own doorstep.
From the Rabbis on page 4
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