Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - September '21
P. 3

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

                                                         From the rabbi




      Prayer from a Fresh                                  looking intently at the plaque. “Rabbi Resnick, what is   constitution presented by God to Moses after we were
                                                           “Good morning, Rabbi,” replied the young man, still
                                                                                                           liberated miraculously from Egypt, is the Bible. In it is
      Perspective                                        this?” Adam asked.                                written, “And you shall labor — serve God with all your
                                                            “Well, it is a memorial to all the young men and women   heart.”
      By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui                             who died in the service.” Soberly, they stood together,      The  Talmud, which explains the Bible, asks,
         On Rosh Hashanah                                staring at the large plaque. Little Adam’s voice was barely   “What is the service and labor of the heart?” And it
      morning, the rabbi noticed                         audible when he asked, “Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur   answers, “tefillah,” liberally translated as “prayer.”
      little Adam was staring up at                      service?”                                         God is commanding us to “serve” Him. We fulfill this
      the large plaque that hung in                         Children say the darndest things. Often, if not always,   commandment through the formula of our Siddur, prayer
      the foyer of the synagogue. It                     they are mimicking what they have heard from others.  books designed by the rabbis of the great assembly during
      was covered with names, and                           Even for many adults, let alone the children, services   and after the times of the temple in Jerusalem.
      small American flags were                          at the synagogue are a boring chore, like having to go to      Prayer, or services, is meant to be the time set aside
      mounted on either side of it.                      the dentist — and that may not be a bad thing! Why do we   at the beginning of every day — and on a larger scale, at
         The seven-year-old had                          call going to synagogue “services”? I think for many it is   the beginning of a New Year — for us to labor, to serve,
      been staring at the plaque for                     because they expect to be served entertainment, titillated   to worship, and to connect wholly with God.
      some time, so the rabbi walked                     and tantalized with all sorts of amusement and jokes.     The mystical book of the Zohar says, “When is the
      up, stood beside him, and said quietly, “Good morning, Adam.”     Our  instruction  manual as  Jewish people,  our   time for war, internal struggle, this is the time of prayer.”
                                                                                                              Prayer is a very special moment in which we are
                                                                                                           granted the opportunity, because of God’s commandment,
                                                                                                           to serve Him and to connect with spirituality; to become
                                                                                                           more than just body, to view the world and life from a
                                                                                                           higher, purer perspective.
                                                                                                              The world in all its coarseness drags us down. The
                                                                                                           denser the matter, the more gravity pulls on it. The more
                                                                                                           materialistic we are, the more we get sucked into its black
                                                                                                           hole. Ultimately, running after worldly pleasures leaves
                                                                                                           us feeling empty and unaccomplished, more painful and
                                                                                                           more persistent than a bad toothache.
                                                                                                              Prayer is a time to focus entirely on the tension that
                Join the Jewish                                                                            exists between the drives of the body and the yearnings of
                                                                                                           the soul. While the body seeks the superficial, immediate,

        community synagogue                                                                                and fleeting, the soul craves deep and enduring Godliness.
                                                                                                           After all, that is where the feelings of the soul are coming
                                                                                                           from. It is a war both within ourselves and with our
                       for                                                                                 surroundings; an internal struggle to discover where we
                                                                                                           may be veering off course, and where we may need to
          Rosh Hashanah                                                                                    reroute our lives to put us on track for more valuable
                                                                                                           purposes.
                                                                                                             Regarding these days, the prophet says, “Seek God
         and Yom Kippur                                                                                      when He could be found, call Him when He is close.” This
                                                                                                           reaches its zenith on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
                     2021                                                                                    prayer book, put yourself into the words entirely. See
                                                                                                             The next time you pick up the Siddur, an authentic
                                                                                                           yourself from the perspective of the words, as they sing
                  Our synagogue is a family and everyone is welcome to join.                               and cry out to God. Let your soul soar in the direction of
                      Tickets are complimentary, donations are appreciated.                                the psalmist, King David, the sweet singer of Israel.

                                                                                                             Going to a synagogue will never be the same. Not only
                                    I look forward to meeting you!                                         will you start looking forward to going to synagogue for
                     Email me at leib@jewishcommunitysynagogue.com                                         the tremendous spiritual high it brings, but you will not
                                                                                                           want to leave anymore! It is with this kind of inspiration
                                      or call (561) 624 - 7004 #4                                          that our days and our years, our entire lives, become a
                                  Rabbi Shlomo and Leib Ezagui                                             true blessing.
                                                                                                             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.

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