August 27-September 8, 2010 Vol. 6 Issue 162 g”a, lkhuqohcmb-tc, hf ,arp 1632 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 1632 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 2011 TOYOTA Camry LE AM/FM - CD - AUX $ 1 69 $ 1 69 plus tax 36 Mo. lease 12K/YEAR 2010 TOYOTA Corolla LE AM/FM - CD - AUX $ 1 39 $ 1 39 plus tax 36 Mo. lease 12K/YEAR Offers expires September 3rd, 2010 B"H 2 years of FREE maintenace 2 years of FREE maintenace AT UNIVERSAL CAR LEASING Grand Opening! (310) 550.5725 nd O a Gr ening! Op AL T UNIVERS SA A AR LEASING L C CA d i enega Bl v a C L 1632 S. (310) 55 A 90035 B"H C , ngeles os A L . d 50.5725 lease 12K/YE . 36 Mo plus tax 9 $ $ $ $ $ e enac FREE int EE ena ma FR int ears of r E ea 2 y 16 1 6 16 1 1 1 69 69 69 1 6 6 1 9 1 16 rs of ea EAR d i enega Bl v aC L 1632 S. ep 13 13 3 1 13 39 es S xpir ers e ff e O lease 12K/YE . 36 Mo plus tax 1 3 1 13 1 9 3 3 1 39 39 $ $ 39 1 1 3 13 13 1 3 $ $ $ e enac FREE int EE ena ma FR i t ears r E ea 2 y A 90035 C , ngeles os A L . d 2010 , d d er 3r emb pt EAR
Transcript
A u g u s t 2 7 - S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 0 V o l . 6 I s s u e 1 6 2 g”a, lkhuqohcmb-tc, hf ,arp
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FeaturesAugust 27, 2010
AnniversaryOn a personal level, the twenty-eighth day of this month also marksa very special life-altering day for me-- my own wedding anniversary.Chana Wiesberg
The CoronationOF G-D
This is the difference between thetimes of the year when we get tosee the King and how we get to seeHim during the month of Elul..
Rabbi Reuven Wolf
HeartspeakTeshuva. It is the word
of the hour, and there isno better time for the Torah to talkabout it than the week before RoshHashanah.
Rabbi Mordechai Kamanetzky
Another LookThose of us who questionthe propriety of the
mosque are guilty of “Islamopho-bia.” We are the guilty ones. We arewrong. They are right. And so goesthis logic exercised by these mosqueproponents.
Help Keep Israel Green this 5771!This Summer, forest fi res raged across Israel, destroying over 300,000 trees and 750 acres of forested and open land. Purchase any product this High Holiday season and a portion of your purchase will be donated to the Jewish National Fund® for reforestation of these fi re-ravaged areas. Applies to purchases made August 22- September 17, 2010. Some exclusions and limitations may apply.
In recent days, a variety of supporters of the proposed mosque to be built near the site of “Ground Zero” havetaken to the air waves. Among these proponents, the wife of the Imam behind the project has accused those op-posed to the mosque project as “intolerant.” She stated those of us who question the propriety of the mosque
are guilty of “Islamophobia.” We are the guilty ones. We are wrong. They are right. And so goes this logic exercisedby these mosque proponents.
Let me begin my response with some of the basic principles that I hold:
1. I do not consider myself an “Islamophobe.” As a Sephardic Jew with roots on the Island of Rhodes and in Turkey,my family was saved numerous times by Moslem leaders. The Sultan of Turkey accepted those Jews fleeing the SpanishInquisition and Expulsion, giving these Jews refuge and saving them from further harm at the hands of the Inquisitors.Jews were able to thrive in both Rhodes and Turkey where they were free to fully practice their rituals and heritage.More recently, in the 20th Century, it was the Moslem Consul General of Turkey stationed in Rhodes who worked
Another Look at the Proposed Mosque in Lower Manhattan:The Pot Calling the Kettle…
11 August 27, 2 0 1 0 • 323-965-1544 •
feverishly around the clock to save asmany Jews as possible from being takenby the Nazis as they ordered Jews to re-port for deportation. After savingdozens of Jews, this young Moslemdiplomat saw his home bombed withthe resulting death of his then pregnantwife. He himself was arrested and spentthe remaining year of the war in prison.For these and other reasons, I am for-ever grateful to the role of Moslems inprotecting my family members.
2. I have spent my adult life fightingbigotry and prejudice. I was selected bymy psychologist colleagues as Chair ofthe California Psychological AssociationFoundation, an organization dedicatedto helping minority communities andminority students and psychologists. Ihave fought for the rights of all, fromthe days when I was one of only 70-80students protesting at the site of the Co-lumbia University Gymnasium on landtaken from park land which had servedthe black and Hispanic communities, tomy more recent fighting before judgesalmost weekly to ensure equal access tospecial education rights and programsfor African-American and Spanish-speaking families.
On the other hand, let’s look at appar-ent lack of tolerance exhibited by manyMoslems ever since 9/11, and even be-fore:
1. It appears that abhorrence of Israel(and Jews) is at the heart of many advo-cates for the mosque. The question asto whether Hamas is a terrorist grouphas come up as the project’s Imam doesnot consider Hamas as such. Therehave been suggestions that one of thepossible compromises would be to builda Jewish place of prayer and a Christiansanctuary on the same site so all threemajor religions can pray at the sameplace. No one involved in the mosqueproject has even responded to this sug-gestion. There just does not seem to be
tolerance of others on their part.
2. Consideration of the feelings of thesurvivors of 9/11 seems out of thequestion to the mosque supporters.Even posing such consideration isdeemed bigotry. I would suggest thatthe total rejection of consideration ofthe feelings of the 9/11 victims repre-sents the bigotry. They are intolerant ofthe feelings and views of others, not wewho question the site of the mosque.
3. Even when the Governor of NewYork offers state land at a reduced cost-somewhere else for the construction ofthe mosque, there is seemingly no will-ingness to even consider such a pro-posal.
4. Not to get ahead of the facts, whereis this organization that ended last yearwith only $18,000 in the bank to get the$100,000,000 for this project? Can youimagine such money coming forwardwithout supporters of Iran and SaudiArabia involved? Speaking of intoler-ance…
Maybe cooler heads will prevail.Maybe tolerance will in the end win out.Maybe a compromise will permit agrand project in honor of Islam whichdoes not offend the families of the vic-tims of 9/11.
I do not give up hope. As they say,“Hope springs eternal.” Yet, it seemsthose who back the Lower Manhattanmosque have been willing to stage a vir-tual jihad to oppose any who questionthis project. Despite what the Imam’swife is telling us, there can be honor incompromise.
In the meanwhile, stating oppositionto an ill-conceived project will hopefullylead to the compromised solution weseek.
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Most of us have learned manydifferent ways to approachthe holiday of Rosh
Hashanah. The Talmud tells us thaton Rosh Hashanah there are threebooks open before G-d. The bookof the righteous – which is thebook of life, the book of thewicked – for those who have notearned life, and book of the inter-mediates – those who get an extraten days to repent and show thatthey too deserve to be written inthe book of life. Who feels readyto be judged by the Almighty? Whocan stand in shul and know that heis innocent in G-d’s eyes? This isRosh Hashanah as a day of judg-ment.
Rosh Hashanah is also the firstday of the Aseres Yimei Teshuva,The Ten Days of Repentance.Even though teshuva works all yearlong and we can repent at any mo-ment, the ten days beginning withRosh Hashanah and ending onYom Kippur are particularly setaside for repentance. During thistime we can experience a tremen-dous assistance from G-d with ourrepentance. This is Rosh Hashanahas a time of opportunity.
The year begins again on RoshHashanah. Sometimes we fall intorepetitive patterns in our lives thatleave us unhappy or dissatisfiedand we find it hard to change. It’salways easier to make changes inour lives whenever something newhappens - anything from starting a
new diet to committing to extraTorah learning, or daily prayer witha Minyan, it always seems easier tobegin these things during a time ofrenewal – a birthday, on RoshChodesh, or right after RoshHashanah. This is Rosh Hashanahas a time of renewal, it’s the re-newal of the year and the birthdayof humanity.
All of these approaches to RoshHashanah are based on what thesages tell us, and are completelycorrect and appropriate. However,the Kabbalists and Chassidic mas-ters revealed another deeper aspectof Rosh Hashanah, the meaningand the root and essence of theday, from which the above aspectsof judgement, teshuva and renewalspring forth and evolve likebranches from a tree.
Rosh Hashanah is the time of thecoronation of the King. It is theday that G-d assumes the role ofbeing the king over all of creation,both the physical and spiritual uni-verses. The Jewish people are theones who affect the coronation.The machzor, our closest compan-ion on Rosh Hashanah focusesthroughout every prayer on theKingship of G-d. Of course theother things are mentioned, butthey are all secondary to the King-ship. Even the blowing of the sho-far, the main mitzvah of the day, isprimarily done because it is thetrumpet through which the King iscoronated. Our job on Rosh
HaShanah is to coronate G-d asking of creation, to build and addto His Kingship.
The holy book Etz Chaim, byRav Chaim Vital, the student of theholy Ari Z”L, begins by describingthe progression of G-dly light orenergy as it passes through infinitecontractions to generate our world.The text describes what happened“When it arose in G-d’s simple will‘I want to be a king.’” At that point,G-d contracted and concealed hisinfinite light and energy. As long isHis infinite light shines, nothingelse can exist. G-d therefore cre-ated a space where His infinite lightis concealed, perhaps slightly simi-lar to a black hole. This created aspace for all of the universes, spir-itual and physical, to exist.
Once the space was created, G-dtransmits his energy into the cre-ation through ten attributes, a topicwidely discussed by the Chassidicand Kabbalistic masters. The lastof these attributes isMalchus/Kingship, it is the closestto creation. The collective work ofthe Jewish people as a whole as wellas every person as an individual isto develop and increase this attrib-ute on Rosh Hashanah, to crownG-d as the king of the world.
A king, by definition, is in a rela-tionship; He needs to rule oversomeone else. If subjects areforced to obey the King, then theleader is a tyrant. True kingship oc-curs only when the subjects recog-
The Coronation Of G-dFrom a simple sound of an animal horn, all of creation was reborn.
nize and acknowledge the king astheir superior, and yield themselvesto serve him. As beautiful, complexand intricate as the creation is, onlythe human being can give G-d, soto say, true fulfillment and satisfac-tion in being a king. Only humanbeings, and particularly the JewishPeople, have the power of fullysubmitting themselves to G-d’skingship because only human be-ings have free will. The angelsabove live so close to G-d’s lightthat they don’t see any other exis-tence except for G-d’s. Animalsand other creatures lower than mandon’t have the intelligence to maketrue choices. They are still subjectsof the Supreme King, but it’s byforce - they operate only within thepatterns of nature. It is only thehuman that has the choice as an in-dividual to listen to or ignore theKings desires. Only a human cantruly submit or rebel.
As soon as Adam HaRishon, thefirst man, opened his eyes on theday he was created, it was apparentto him that G-d created the world.Adam stood up in Gan Eden andthe first words he uttered were inpraise of G-d’s kingship and exalt-edness. G-d commanded Adam towork the garden and to protect it.The sages explain that man worksthe garden through the actions ofthe 248 positive commandments inthe Torah, and we guard it by re-fraining from the 365 negative pro-hibitions. G-d’s interest in Adam’s(Man’s) existence is for his willfulservice. Through man’s work G-dcan realize His desire to be a King,thereby fulfilling His will for cre-ation.
When a person’s colleagues - hiscomrades and friends - recognizehim as an exalted or superior being,
willfully submit to him, and askthat he lead them and protect themas their King, it’s understandablethat he would find it pleasurableand fulfilling. Imagine if a colonyof small, common backyard antsproclaims a particular person astheir king. It might be cute for awhile, but there is no fulfillment inthe kingship, it’s ridiculous. Thedistance between the finite cre-ations called humans and those fi-nite creations called ants isenormous. This distance is minis-cule and doesn’t compare in anyway to the distance between anycreated, finite thing and the infinite,all powerful G-d. As the Zoharsays, all of creation is literally noth-ing to G-d.
What kind of difference or sig-nificance can anything within cre-ation make to G-d? In terms ofHis greatness the creation doesn’tmean anything and is completely ir-relevant to him! The answer is“Kach Alah B’Ritzono.” This iswhat G-d decided. He wants thecreation to interest to Him and Heminimized and contracted himselfan infinite number of times, lowerand lower, to a place where the cre-ation has significance to him. Hedecided to come down and makeHimself vulnerable, so to speak, tothe creation. Thus, the initial cre-ation cameabout com-pletely un-d e s e r v e dand un-earned bythe cre-ations; itwas com-pletely as aK i n d n e s sof G-d.
After the initial creation, Hashemdecided that He wants the creationsto continue to exist by making our-selves exciting and interesting toHim.
Now, once a year, on the eve ofRosh Hashanah, the interest anddesire that G-d has with the cre-ation ends. He, so to speak, retractsto His distant state, aloof and re-moved, where the creation is com-pletely meaningless andinsignificant to him and views thecreation from a completely de-tached state. He wants us to regen-erate His interest. He wants us toignite within him the desire to bethe King of the world. On RoshHashanah we need to restimulateand reengage G-d. We renegotiateour existence and the existence ofall within creation.
This is what the Jewish people doevery Rosh Hashanah, we gatherthroughout the world in every syn-agogue and sing G-d’s praises. Wespeak of how great He is and eachand every one of us makes theproclamation of “Long live theKing!” We devote ourselves com-pletely from the deepest place inour hearts. When Jews around theworld join together and sound theshofar, we make the proclamationthat we have no other King but
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Hashem, and that we live to serve him. This excites and in-terests G-d, so to say, to accept the crown and willfully reen-ter and reengage with the worlds. The shofar, the trumpetof G-d’s coronation, serves as the birth canal through whichthe creation is reborn. This is the renewal of creation onRosh Hashanah.
Of course, this isn’t a mechanical process. G-d takes Hiscreation and kingship seriously. If He is going to be a King,guarding and providing for his subjects, He expects to betheir true king, they his subjects should be truly obedientand devoted to His every wish and desire. So, G-d has toconsider if the creation is it living up to what He hadplanned for it to be. He examines the entire creation as awhole, as well as each individual being and object within cre-ation. G-d asks, “Is this particular creation fulfilling my in-terest in the creation? Is this person or object adding to MyKingship or, G-d forbid, is it diminishing my presence inthis world?” This is the judgment of Rosh Hashanah.
We all understand that we were lousy subjects and didn’texactly fulfill all of G-d’s obligations and expectations. Insome areas we were completely negligent and lacking. Thisis frightening! Especially since we know that the judgmentis based on our performance, and we are in trouble.
But G-d knows the challenges of the evil inclination whichHe created, and the weaknesses of the human heart. This iswhy Hashem gave us the opportunity to do teshuva, to re-pent and wipe the slate clean. All it takes is a sincere andtrue commitment and effort. We have to ask ourselves manyquestions. What am I all about? Am I living a life devotedto myself and my personal interests, or am I living my lifefor a higher purpose? Do I see myself and act as G-d’s hum-ble servant or do I see myself and act as a king or a god ontomy own?
Committing ourselves to serving the Creator and workingto maintain this consciousness throughout the year, no mat-ter what happened in the past - the fact that we are seriouslycommitted to G-d right now – this is the teshuva of RoshHashanah.
This year on Rosh Hashanah, when Jews around the worldjoin together and proclaim G-d as their king, may we all passthrough a merciful and good judgment and may all of us bewritten into the book of life, prosperity and redemption.
Excerpt from "The Parsha In My Life" class by Rabbi Reuven Wolf. Maayon Yisroel was founded by Rabbi Reuven Wolf, a renowned edu-cator and inspiring lecturer who has devoted his life to reaching out
and rekindling the spirit of Yiddishkeit in his fellow Jew. Over thepast five years Rabbi Wolf has been teaching a 2-4 hour class on the
weekly Parsha, named affectionately "The Thursday Night Shiur".
There is nothing more disheartening than a curse.And this week the Torah singles out specific vi-olations that are worthy of the epithet, "cursed
is he who..." The Torah tells us that the nation was dividedinto two parts. Six tribes stood on Mount Grizim, andthe rest stood on Mount Ebal. The Levites began tospecify the sins that the Torah prefaced with the harshwarning, "accursed is one who," and the nation would re-spond amen. Included among the terrible crimes are onewho moves his neighbors' boundary and one who mis-leads a blind man on the road. The curses also includecarnal sins and striking a person covertly (Deuteronomy27:12-25). In fact, almost each curse is directed towarda sin that entails some degree of surreptitiousness. Allexcept the final curse, "Accursed is the one who does not up-hold the words of the Torah to perform them" (Deuteronomy27:26). Rashi explains the last admonition as a generalwarning to heed all the laws in the Torah lest one sufferthe curses.
The Ramban, however, softens Rashi's severe inter-pretation. He explains that the curse is not cast on onewho actually commits a sin, but rather on those whoscoff at the validity of the Torah's laws.
Following his simple explanation, the Ramban writessomething startling. "It appears to me that the words 'accursedis the one who does not uphold the words of the Torah' refers toone who is called upon to do the hagbah ceremony in the synagogueand does not stretch out the Torah wide enough for the congregationto see the words."
For years I was terribly disturbed by that explanation.I could not fathom the sense of comparison. How canthe Ramban equate one who does a poor hagbah withthose who surreptitiously undermine the welfare oftheir neighbor or create clandestine instability within thefamily? How can we attribute the harsh words of ac-cursed to one who does not have what it takes to do aproper hagbah?
On a whistle stop tour during his term in office CalvinCoolidge's train stopped in St. Louis where a crowd ofnearly 2,500 people gathered to hear him. He was sleep-ing in his rail car when the train stopped at the stationand Colonel Starling, Coolidge's personal assistant andagent-in-charge, nudged him awake.
"Mr. President," he said while tapping him on theshoulder, "there are almost three thousand people whoare waiting to hear you!"
The remarkably restrained Coolidge and the first lady
stepped out onto the train's observation platform. Thecrowd applauded wildly. Then the local master of cere-monies called for silence. "The President is about to speaknow!"
The President stood silently with his wide smile. Hestraightened his jacket and smoothed his hair and ap-peared very presidential. The crowd waited anxiously forhim to begin his speech. The President waited, too. Justthen, there was a hiss of air as the brakes were releasedand the train began pulling away from the station. ThePresident, still smiling, raised his hand, waved, and spoke.He said, "Goodbye."
Perhaps the Ramban is telling us more. When one dis-plays the parchment of the Torah but does not unfurl thecolumns, he deprives a congregation of seeing the trueessence of Torah. He parades with a Torah scroll with theshiny handles and the traditional parchment. It looks beau-tiful, and majestic. It even looks very Jewish. And the
crowd waits for the real context to be shown and seen.But if those columns are not unfurled for the congrega-tion to read, the stark reality of G-d's command is hiddenbehind the splendor of the moment. The one who doeshagbah is in effect misleading the blind, sneaking a falseborder and making overt displays of honesty that are rifewith deceit. For in reality a serious truth is being under-handedly hidden. And for that, the Ramban links him withthe definitive consequences of those who morally depraveTorah ideals. Obviously, one who proudly unfurls the truthand tells the story as it appears, is worthy of the greatestblessings offered in the Torah. For there is no greaterblessing than the open honesty and true teaching ofHashem's will. Lifting a Torah, unopened, in front of awaiting audience is nothing more than dissapointing anexcited crowd who are waiting for a substantive speech.You may be waving enthusiastically, but all you are sayingis goodbye. •
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Teshuva. It is the word of the hour, and thereis no better time for the Torah to talk about it than theweek before Rosh Hashanah. It means repentance. Itmeans not only taking heart but even changing heart! Andthis week the Torah tells us that the requirements are notas difficult as one would perceive. "It is not in heaven or acrossthe sea. Rather it is very near to you - in your mouth and in yourheart - to perform" (Deuteronomy 30:12-15).
The Ibn Ezra comments on the three aspects of com-mitment that the Torah alludes to -- the mouth, the heartand the performance. In practical terms, there are com-mandments of the heart, there are those that entailspeech, and there are those that require action.
But on a simple level, the Torah seems to discuss aprocess that involves commitment before action. It takesthe heart and the mouth to make the commitment beforethe action is performed. Thus the Torah tells us, "it is verynear to you - in your mouth and in your heart - to perform." Thesequence of events, however, seems reversed. The Torahputs the mouth before the heart. Shouldn't the Torah havewritten, "It is very near to you - in your heart and in your mouth-to perform"? Doesn't one have to have wholehearted feelingbefore making verbal pledges? Why would the Torah tellus that it is close to your mouth and your heart?
In the years before the establishment of the State of Is-rael, Rabbi Aryeh Levin, the Tzadik of Jerusalem, wouldvisit the inmates of the British-controlled Jerusalemprison on every Shabbos. Though most of the Jewish pris-oners were not observant, they would quickly don kippotbefore the revered Rabbi would greet them. Then theywould join in the Shabbos morning prayer service that
Reb Aryeh organized and they would read along with therabbi, as if they were observant Jews.
The entire scene agitated one particularly nasty fellownamed Yaakov. He would try in every way to irritate thegentle Rabbi. Each Shabbos, he would purposely light upa cigarette in Reb Aryeh's face in order to disturb him.Reb Aryeh was never fazed. One Shabbos, Yaakovstormed into the makeshift synagogue and snapped at theaged Rabbi.
"Why do you waste your time with these liars and fakes?They are no more observant than I am. They only put thekippah on their heads when you come here. Furthermore,they only pray and open their lips to G-d when you arehere. Otherwise they have no feeling in their hearts!"
Reb Aryeh turned to Yaakov and rebuked him with afirm but gentle voice. "Why do you slander these souls.They come to pray every single week. I do not look at theirheads but rather in their hearts. And when I hear theprayers coming from their lips, I know that their heartsare following as well."
It was not long before Yaakov became a steady memberof the prayer group.
The Torah may be hinting at a powerful message. It maybe telling us that even though our hearts have not arrivedas yet, it is still important to use our lips to communicatethe commitments and pray the prayers of the Jewish Peo-ple. The Torah is not far away. It is close and easy for yourmouth. The books are available. The siddur is understand-able and translated. It is very near to your lips. All you haveto do is talk the talk - sincerely. Soon enough, you will walkthe walk with the same sincerity as well. •
Rabbi Meir of Premislan was such a holy man thatmany other holy men in their own right came toseek his advice and blessing. A certain tzadik
once came to see Rabbi Meir, asking for his blessing be-cause he planned to settle in Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Meir lis-tened and then said,"And how do you expect to raise themoney for this journey?"
"I hope to visit some relatives. When I tell them of myplans, I am sure that they will help me raise the money."
Rabbi Meir was sunk in thought. He seemed disturbed."Your idea does not appeal to me at all. You will be wast-ing months of precious time which could be far better de-voted to Torah study. But I see that you are determinedto go. Let me suggest something: why don't you stay herewith me for some time first? I guarantee to raise themoney for your traveling expenses."
The visitor thought it over, then decided to accept theoffer. The Rebbe did not dismiss him but told his atten-dant to show in the next person who was waiting to seehim.
A rich man opened the door and was about to enterwhen suddenly he spied the man already there. He hesi-
tated on the threshold. Still, the attendant had told him toenter. Was there a mistake? He stood there, not knowingwhether to advance or retreat. The passing momentsseemed like an eternity. Finally Rabbi Meir spoke, tellinghim to enter.
"I have a story to tell you," he said, turning to the visitingtzadik, "but I would like you to hear it too," he continued,turning now to the rich man. "It has a worthwhile moralthat will do you both good.
"Many years ago there lived a very prosperous Jew whoowned much property. But Moshe was a very stingy per-son, a miser. He never let a person into his home. If apoor man came knocking at the door, begging for some-thing to eat, he would tell him to go to his neighbor, Ma-tisyahu, a worthy, G-d fearing Jew. 'He will feel far morecomfortable there,' Moshe would say to himself.
"And, indeed, this was true. While Matisyahu was not aman of means like his wealthy neighbor, still, his familyalways had food on their table. And there was always roomfor one person more, no matter how shabby or dirty thevisitor. Reb Matisyahu's home and heart were big enoughfor everyone in need.
"All of the townspeople felt a lot ofrespect for Matisyahu. He was sogood! So kind! But if you think thatthey held him in higher esteem thatthe stingy Moshe, you are wrong. It ishuman nature to respect a man withmoney and they all treated Moshewith a special reverence, even thoughthey knew how stingy he was.
"The injustice of this caused tur-moil in heaven. The angels came be-fore the heavenly court demandingthat Moshe be stripped of his wealthand that these riches be given to noneother than Matisyahu the neighbor,who had never denied anyone hishelp or hospitality. But before thesentence was carried out, EliyahuHanavi (Elijah the Prophet) came be-fore the court and said, 'A personshould not be judged just by hearsay.I will descend to earth and giveMoshe one last chance. I must see ifhe really is such a miser.'
"So Eliyahu disguised himself as apoor man and descended to earth. Heknocked on Moshe's door. A servantanswered. When he saw the poor,ragged, shivering man he shooed himaway. 'Quick, be gone! Go, before mymaster sees you. He is a mean, cruelperson. If he finds you here he willthrow both of us out of the house.'He tried to slam the door shut but thepoor man had his foot in the door. 'Iwon't take anything. Just let me warmup by the stove for a few minutes.Don't you see how cold it is outside?'
"They were still arguing, whenMoshe himself arrived. 'What's goingon here?' he asked. 'What do youwant?' he demanded of the raggedstranger.
"The servant was so terrified at hav-ing been caught speaking to a beggarthat he was struck dumb with fear.But the stranger showed no awe of
the master.
"'I was asking if I could come inand warm up. I wanted a small glassof shnaps (strong liquor) for myfreezing bones.'
"'You must be out of your mind.This is not a hotel, nor a charity hos-tel!' He turned to his servant saying,'Throw this man out at once!'
"Even though he had wanted to bekind, the servant was forced to takethe poor man by the lapels and turnhim out the door. He shut it tightlybehind him.
"Eliyahu Hanavi stood outside inthe freezing weather, weeping, plead-ing to be let in just for a few minutes.When he saw that there was no reac-tion from within, that Moshe hadhardened his heart and was ignoringhim, he really wept. He wept forMoshe's soul.
"Eliyahu returned to the heavenlycourt. He did not have good news.There was nothing he could say inMoshe's defense. The case rested.Moshe would have to lose his for-tune, as had been ruled."
After a brief pause, Rebbe Meircontinued his story. He raised hisvoice for emphasis.
"When I, Meir, heard of this sen-tence, I rushed forward to defend thisMoshe. 'How can one mete out suchdire punishment without warning?' Iasked the heavenly court. 'I want towarn Moshe,' I declared. I will not lethim be trapped like a poor helpless flyin a spider web. Every Jew deserves asecond chance! Allow me to be thecourt's messenger. If Moshe agrees togive four hundred rubles to this right-eous Jew standing here for his travel-ing expenses to Eretz Yisrael, and ifhe resolves to mend his ways, he willget his second chance. But if,' and
here he lowered his voice, 'G-d for-bid, he ignored this warning and per-sisted in his stingy, evil ways, he wouldlose his entire fortune and would be-come dependent upon the kindnessof others for the rest of his days!'"
Rabbi Meir was silent. Turning tothe rich man still standing in the door,he continued, "Moshe is here rightnow. Let us ask him what he says."
Moshe could not speak. He burstinto tears, then fell to the floor in afaint. The Rebbe and the visitor triedto revive him. When he came back toconsciousness, he turned to theRebbe, saying, "You are so right,Rebbe. I have sinned! I have been evil!But I will turn over a new leaf, Ipromise. But please have mercy!"
He fumbled in his pocket and drewout his purse. He counted out fourhundred rubles and gave it to theother man. "Please," he begged,"when you reach Jerusalem, pray forme!"
With the four hundred rubles thetzadik and his family were able to godirectly to Eretz Yisrael without delay.
As for Moshe, his home became anopen house for all wayfarers, troubledpeople, and beggars. His reputation asa generous ba'al tzedaka ("charitygiver") traveled far and wide, and heused his great wealth to help his lessfortunate brethren in every way.
[Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from "Tales ofTzaddikim" (ArtScroll) by G. MaTov]
Connection: 160th Yartzeit
Biographical note:
Rabbi Meir of Primishlan [?-29 Iyar 1850], livedin abject but patient poverty, yet exerted himself tire-lessly for the needy and the suffering. His ruachhakodesh (prophetic spirit) and his ready wit have be-come legendary. He wrote no works, but some of histeachings were collected and published by his chasidimafter his death.
The Hebrew month of Tishrei is my favorite time ofthe year. Of course, the nature of the month has muchto do with that -- a month brimming over with the wholegamut of holidays ranging from inspirational and cleans-ing to family oriented, cheerful and fun-filled.
On a personal level, the twenty-eighth day of this monthalso marks a very special life-altering day for me -- my ownwedding anniversary.
So one year ago, as Rosh Hashanah was approaching, Iwas thinking about anniversaries: the 5,763rd year anniver-sary celebration of mankind's entry into a relationshipwith You, G-d, as well as my own seventeen-year marriageanniversary.
While seventeen years may not sound like much, espe-cially in comparison to close to six thousand years, to me,it marks the door that opened a whole new world and life.
It feels like yesterday when, as two youngsters, my hus-band and I felt such a pull one to another. Had someonedescribed our relationship or knowledge of each other inthose first weeks and years as superficial, I would havebeen thoroughly insulted.
Maybe other relationships, but not ours.
Though we had our differences, our connection was real.And deep. At the time, I could never have imagined thatthe magnetic bond pulling us together could growstronger.
But the bond did grow. And like an elastic band, it also
grew more flexible as it tightened around us, providingmore room for our respective means of expression.
The differences that we had, which had at times seemedirreconcilable, now seem almost petty. What had beforeinfuriated me -- all right, some things still upset me, butnow the edge of anger is not as sharp. Sometimes I evenhave a glimpse of appreciation for how those differencesenhance our connection.
I guess that with the familiarity we also both let ourguard down more. Careless words stumble out morefreely. We don't think as much before acting. The small,sweet gestures for one another may have become less fre-quent.
But that doesn't hide the intent which is still obviouslythere. Besides, now his every small effort to please me be-comes all the more precious. When he does put that spe-cial card on my desk, it means all the more to me.
As I was musing about my upcoming anniversary, thethought struck me: Could it be that this same dynamic ismirrored in our relationship, as a people, with You, G-d?True, after all these thousands of years, we may be lesssensitive to Your wants and wishes than we had been inthe past. Our guard is down; our behavior may no longerreflect the same nuances of care as in previous genera-tions. Our speech and actions don't have the proper con-sideration and forethought that they are meant to have.We aren't in tune with Your desires as we had been in bet-ter times of our history.
And You, too, don't give Yourself asfreely as you did in times gone by. Themiracles don't abound. The intimateconnection isn't felt as much. Ourmatrimonial homeland is not imbuedwith the same holiness and warmth.
But maybe, despite this seeming riftand deficiency in our relationship, thebonds of connection are in a waystronger and superior. Each of our ac-tions counts for so much more and,when it really comes down to it, we'reready to sacrifice our very selves forYou.
I was caught up in these reflectionsin the week before Tishrei as I busilywent about preparing, spiritually andmaterially, for the upcoming holidays.There was so much to do. Meals tocook, soufflés to bake, dresses to pur-chase and all the usual hubbub offrenzied household activity for theholiday arrangements.
Then, Thursday morning, in midstof these preparations, my husbandcommented that he must have caughta bad stomach virus. The followingmorning, a day before the eve of RoshHashanah, the bags under his tiredeyes indicated that his abdominal painhad not relented but rather kept himup most of the night. By midday thepain intensified unbearably and wasnow situated just to the left of hisstomach.
A short and immediate visit to thedoctor confirmed our suspicion."Rush immediately to the hospital fora possible emergency appendix sur-gery," instructed our family physician.
Upon our arrival at the hospital -- ig-noring the traffic lights, at my hus-band's urging -- I could see that he wasdoubled over in pain. His ashen facewas creased in anxiety.
Seeing him in such inordinate pain,still uncertain of its cause, as wewaited the endless wait in the hospital
emergency room, made me feel utterlyhelpless.
Forgotten at this moment were allthe holiday preparations. The recipessitting on my counter for the fancydesserts, or the pants desperately need-ing hemming, were completely disre-garded.
Forgotten as well were all the timesin the past that my husband had madea comment that was stupid or reckless.Overlooked were all the times he for-got to take out the garbage or left hisjacket thrown over the living roomcouch, knowing full well how it irkedme so. Nor did I think of the times hethoughtlessly forgot to express grati-tude for something I did for him.Even the toothpaste tube that he sooften carelessly leaves open didn'tenter my mind.
These didn't matter. Not in theslightest. Not now.
As I sat at his bedside awaiting emer-gency appendix surgery at 3:00 AM onthe eve of Rosh Hashanah, exactly 29days before our seventeenth anniver-sary, my thoughts were focused en-tirely on what I could do to ease hispain.
As I waited in the nearby waitingroom as he was wheeled into the op-erating room, I was only capable ofsummoning the strength to mouthnonstop prayers begging G-d that nocomplications arise and that the oper-ation be successful.
And rushing to the recovery room at4:00 AM, on tired feet that had not letup for twenty-two hours, as he wasgroggily wheeled from the successfuloperation, I could only wish that hisrecuperation be speedy.
And when the doctor released himthe following afternoon, on his insis-tence, just hours before RoshHashanah, all I could think of as I
drove us home was how to make himmore comfortable.
Have the differences between usgone away? Have I learned not to carewhen he forgets the garbage? No, Istill care, and will care, about thesethings. But what has surfaced over thelast seventeen years is a deeper aspectof the relationship than these gestureswill ever represent.
Sure, the gestures are nice. And cer-tainly, we should work on keepingthem intact, and even growing. But farmore important is the surfacing of thebond that had grown and that willhopefully continue to grow. And thisbond that was being revealed is farmore potent than any gesture possiblycould be.
As I stood in shul on RoshHashanah listening to the sound ofthe shofar, I did indeed resolve tomake sure to work on those "gestures"that I know are so dear and importantto You, G-d. This year, I vowed, I willwork on my prayers, on saying myblessings with more concentration andincreasing my times of Torah study. Iwill work, as well, on my patience andtolerance for those around me and onbeing more careful with the words thatcome out from my mouth.
But though I will work on thesethings, I realize, too, that my personalbond to You, and our collective bondto You as a people, runs deeper thanany of these things possibly could be.Our bond to You means that when itcomes right down to it, we are willingto forego our very selves for Yoursake.
And, standing in shul on RoshHashanah, 28 days before my own an-niversary, as I resolve to make theseimprovements for the coming year, Ialso make one more small resolution.
This year, I will make sure to buyhim an anniversary card -- on time. •
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch cakepan. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Whip eggs until frothy,about 3 to 4 minutes then add oil and orange juice and mix thor-oughly. Add dry ingredients and beat with whip at low speed untilthoroughly combined.Fold in apples and walnuts and pour into prepared cake pan. Bakeat 325 degrees for 1 hour or until firm on top. Cover with aluminumfoil if top gets too brown. Cool on rack 5 minutes, then invert ontorack and cool completely.
Directions
Ingredients
Calfornia Kosher KitchenSpiced Apple Cake
EngagementsAleeza Salamon & Bentzi ShermanScheryl Krietman & Marc ZeffrenDevorah Small & Mendel Jacobson
WeddingsShira Amster & Moshe HechtRuthie Levine & Eli Bloch
• 1 cup vegetable oil• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice• 4 cups Granny Smith apples,peeled, cored and finely chopped(about 4 to 6 apples)• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
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