... Month of Elul ... Rosh HaShana ...
Yom Kippur ... Succos ... Simchas Torah

From … Weekly Thoughts by Mordechai Wollenberg

... Recommend this holiday to a friend.

Month of Elul ... time to take stock; where have I been, where am I going.
Rosh Hashana ... birthday of the world with the creation of the first person.
Yom Kippur ... day of atonement or at-one-ment ... one of our happiest days.
Succos ... the command: "In sukkahs (booths) you shall dwell, seven days."
Simchas Torah ... each year we complete and start anew the study of Torah.
A Chassidic Insight ... joy from the right source can transform personalities.
On the lighter side ... with Jewish people, there's always room for humor.

High Holidays

MONTH OF ELUL

Ellul is the Hebrew month which precedes Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the High Holy Days. It is a time of introspection, of looking at past mistakes and using them as a springboard to make positive resolutions to improve the future.

A businessman who works long hours will probably spend most of his time on the sharp end, involved in the day-to-day running of his business. Once a month he will sit down briefly and glance at the balance sheet just to make sure he is breaking even or even profiting. Once a year, he makes a more thorough accounting of everything which has gone on the previous year, using the experiences of the past year to make changes for the next year.

It is the same with us. Life is very hectic and we rarely have time to take stock. Ellul is about taking stock, examining where we are up to in life and figuring out where we have to get to, then taking the steps to get there so that we enter the New Year renewed and invigorated, having resolved to further our growth and development in the upcoming year.

ROSH HASHANA
Hebrew, meaning literally, "Head of the Year"; thus, "New Year"

Rosh Hashana is the day on which G-d completed the creation of this world, by creating Adam, the original man. Adam's very first act was to proclaim the Al-mighty as King of the Universe. He called upon all creatures: "Come, let us worship, bow down and kneel before G-d, our maker." Each Rosh Hashana, we too proclaim the Kingship of G-d, and reaffirm our commitment ot serve Him well.

Just as on the original Rosh Hashana, G-d created the world for the first time, so each Rosh Hashana He reconsiders and re-evaluates the quality of our relationship with Him, and creates our world anew.

Many of us approach Rosh Hashana -- the "Day of Judgement" -- with subconscious negativity: "Oh no! I'm getting judged by the King. If I don't say and do all the right things, I'll be punished!"

The truth is, Rosh Hashana is one of the most beautiful and inspiring days of the year. To understand the essence of Rosh HaShana, let's start with the most basic of all questions: Why did G-d create the world in the first place?

The answer is that G-d created the world in order to give human beings pleasure. "Pleasure" you say? They didn't teach us this in Hebrew School.

Consider the following, based on the Ramchal's 17th century classic, "The Way of G-d" (Derech Hashem):



Creating the world anew.

The day of Rosh Hashana is the birthday of mankind. On the sixth day of Creation (the first of Tishrei), Adam and Eve were created. Every year the process repeats itself as G-d recreates mankind anew. In effect, every year we must re-earn the "right to exist." To do so, G-d asks us to choose reality. To choose life.

New Year This is the meaning of "The Day of Judgement." If we choose G-d and reality, G-d grants us a year of life. If we choose to be asleep, G-d grants us a year of death - i.e. numbness to the meaning of life and truth. This is not because G-d wants to punish us, but rather because He loves us. He wants us to succeed. But we must choose on our own.

The main reason to choose G-d on Rosh Hashana is not for Him. It is for us. It is so we can benefit from the pleasure of His goodness. It is so we can experience the great things that His world has to offer. We must choose G-d so we can allow Him to give to us. Without Him, our ability to succeed in life is impossible.

Rosh Hashana is the birthday of freewill. It is the birthday of ultimate choice. Do you decide to be recreated as a soul? Or do you decide to roam the world asleep all year long?

When the day of Rosh Hashana comes, it is as if G-d is saying, "Hello! I created the world and I want to give you every pleasure possible. Please do the things that allow Me to give to you." All G-d wants to do is to give, and it pains Him not being able to give to us in the way He wants to. G-d is begging us to shape up so we can become worthy to receive His abundant blessings.

YOM KIPPUR

Tishri, the seventh month, is considered the holiest month of the Jewish year. The tenth of Tishri is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Though these Days of Awe, as they are often called, are solemn, they are not sad. In fact, Yom Kippur is, in a subtle way, one of the happiest days of the year. For on Yom Kippur we receive what is perhaps G-d's most sublime gift: His forgiveness.

When one person forgives another, it is because of a deep sense of friendship and love that overrides the effect of whatever wrong was done. Similarly, G-d's forgiveness is an expression of His eternal, unconditional love. Though we may have transgressed His will, our essence, our soul, remains G-dly, and pure. Yom Kippur is the one day each year when G-d reveals most clearly that our essence and His essence are one.

We are commanded in the Torah to "afflict our souls." Our sages indicated that this means we are to fast from sundown to sundown. In addition, as a sign of contrition we do not wear leather, which requires an animal's death and was viewed as a luxury. We refrain from any jovial practices such as singing, dancing, and sexual relations. Even washing is forbidden. Traditional Jews wear a white robe called a kittel. It is their burial shroud, and should the Divine find them guilty on Yom Kippur, they will be ready for burial and not burden their community.

Before the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., the Yom Kippur ritual focused on the High Priest. Resplendent in his sacral vestments, the High Priest made atonement for himself, his family, and the entire community of Israel. He then entered the Holy of Holies, the only time during the year when any human was permitted there. He pronounced the Ineffable Name of G-d, pronounced only that one time every year. It must have been an awesome moment for the people waiting anxiously outside in the courtyard for reassurance that the Divine had forgiven them.

Today our ritual includes prayers asking for forgiveness and reminders of that special moment when the High Priest made atonement for the community and returned, unharmed, from the Holy of Holies.

Yom Kippur begins with the evocative musical power of Kol Nidrei. More than any other set of ritual words, Kol Nidrei has become the epitome of the Yamim Nora'im, the Days of Awe. The music strikes a chord deep within us, and we respond.

Ironically, the words of this legal petition are not of great significance to us; as a matter of fact, at a certain level they are somewhat repugnant. Kol Nidrei asks that all vows, promises, and sworn statements that we made during the past year and that we will make in the year to come be null, void, and without meaning.

Tradition has linked the creation of this petition to the secret Jews of Spain, but there is no historical merit to this claim. Hai Gaon (late 10th centuryCE) already knew the Kol Nidrei and was vehemently opposed to it because of its content. He wanted to put in a clause that only vows which, because of outside forces, were impossible to fulfill, should be made null and void.

By the 1500's the melody we now have was associated with Kol Nidrei. Early Reform leaders tried getting rid of the formula because it didn't fit their rational theology. However, even when it wasn't printed in the prayer book, people continued to demand that Kol Nidrei be sung on Yom Kippur evening. Its haunting melody meant too much to them to be removed, and Kol Nidrei continues to resonate in our souls. It is so important to us emotionally that we sometimes call the Yom Kippur evening service the Kol Nidrei service.

The major additions to both the Yom Kippur evening and morning services are a series of community confessions of sins and pleas for forgiveness. They are meant to help us pinpoint our transgressions so we can achieve teshuvah, returning.

Our sages knew their Jews: the vast majority of the sins mentioned deal with unkind words and thoughts. Violence and criminal transgressions are barely mentioned. As a community, we transgress through small day-to-day failings which, over a year, erode our character until, like the Grand Canyon, our inner integrity has been deeply eroded. Yom Kippur and our teshuvah process restore our unity, helping us achieve At-one-ment again. Our sages, of course, felt a great deal of tension between the role of teshuva and the Day of Yom Kippur itself to achieve Atonement. Saadia Gaon and Rambam actually provided lists of the different kinds of sins which made repentance difficult.

Another added ritual on Yom Kippur is a service remembering our sages martyred during the Bar Kochba Revolt. Recalling those who died for Kiddush HaShem, the Sanctification of the Divine Name, became part of the Yom Kippur theme.

The final service on Yom Kippur is called Ne'ilah, the locking. According to our tradition, the end of Yom Kippur marks the moment when the Divine Court completes its judgment of every human and locks the gates of judgment. However, there is always time for a reprieve should a person truly return in contrition.

SUCCOS

Immediately following the awesome days of Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, we prepare for the joyous exuberance of Succos ... the "Season of our Rejoicing." After leaving Egypt, during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Jewish people were surrounded by "protective clouds of glory."

In commemoration, and to enhance our awareness of G-d's all-embracing love and protection, we are commanded, "In sukkahs (booths) you shall dwell, seven days." Eating festive meals and spending time in the outdoor sukkah is a delightful and unique religious experience. Some have the custom of decorating the sukkah with elaborate ornaments: others prefer to preserve its unadorned simplicity.

But whatever one's style, the sukkah is the only mitzvah (commandment - also meaning "connection") in which we are completely surrounded, from head to toe, by the mitzvah itself ... enveloped, as it were, in the divine presence.

When the Jewish people rejoice, our hearts go out to the whole world. In the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Succos Festival offerings included seventy oxen, corresponding to the seventy nations ... in prayer for their well-being, and for peace and harmony among all the nations of the world.

SIMCHAS TORAH

Tishri, the seventh month, is considered the holiest month of the Jewish year. The twenty-second day of Tishri is Simchas Torah, the Joy of the Torah.

Originally, our sages divided the Torah into portions so that the entire Torah was read every three years or so. Each portion was read four times a week: on Mondays, Thursdays, and twice on Shabbas. Mondays and Thursdays were opportune times to read Torah because they were market days, and everyone would gather at those times. It also guaranteed that no three days would go by without reading Torah.

During the medieval period the Babylonian communities switched to larger Torah portions, so they were able to finish reading the Torah every year. They then planned the portions so that the Torah would be completed each year at the end of Sukkos. The holiday celebrating the completion of the Torah reading and the immediate resumption of the cycle at Genesis is Simchas Torah, the Joy of the Torah.

Simchas Torah is celebrated with much joy. The Torah scrolls (Sifrei Torah) are paraded (traditionally, seven times) around the synagogue with singing and dancing. These parades around the sanctuary are called Hakafos.

Note that it is celebrated by taking the Torah scroll, closed and wrapped up, and dancing around with it. Seemingly we should open it up and read, or learn from it. By celebrating in the manner that we do, however, we are reminded that Torah is the property and inheritance of each and every one of us, irrespective of our ability to learn or to understand it and that essentially each of us is equal. We do not mark the difference between us in terms of ability or knowledge. By keeping the scroll shut and celebrating its very essence, we are all united on the same level.

In the past hundred years the addition of children marching with flags was instituted. Many congregations now welcome new students into their Religious School at Simchas Torah with a ceremony called Consecration. Each new student is given a small Torah to carry at that time.

Traditionally, on Simchas Torah three scrolls are used for the Torah reading. One is turned to the end of Deuteronomy, and one is turned to the beginning of Genesis. (The third is used for the traditional reading, the Maftir) Doing this guarantees that there is no pause between our completion of the Torah and our immediate beginning again.

Some congregations have the custom of using only one scroll and visibly rewinding it back to the beginning so that everyone can see the physical process of beginning again.

In some congregations the children are invited to stand under a large tallit while saying the blessings before and after the Torah.

A CHASSIDIC INSIGHT
Based on the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Joy, our Sages tell us, breaks through all boundaries. In times of happiness, we are transformed ... to the extent that even a person who is, by nature, miserly and ill tempered, can suddenly, on a happy occasion such as a wedding day, become generous and kind to all.

Ordinarily, to change a habitual pattern of behavior is a long and arduous task. It is even more difficult to alter an innate trait of personality. Yet joy has the remarkable capacity to affect a basic, instantaneous change in a person's nature. This is because joy can awaken the very essence of the soul.

Of course, if one's happiness is dependent upon some fleeting circumstance, the changes it brings about will be temporary, at best. The more profound one's joy, the more powerfully and permanently it can affect one's life.

Pure, unconditional simchah ... the joy that emerges from deep within the soul ... can move mountains. Such is the joy we can experience in doing a mitzvah, if we truly appreciate its significance. For the mitzvahs are more than just the "good deeds" we do ... they are expressions of G-d's joyful purpose in creating the world. So we see that mitzvahs (what we call a commandments, or "good deeds") are actually connections to the infinite.

And now for a lighter side:

On Rosh Hashana, there is a ceremony called Tashlich. Jews traditionally go to the ocean or a stream or river to pray and throw bread crumbs into the water. Symbolically, the fish devour their sins. Occasionally, people ask what kind of breadcrumbs should be thrown. Here are suggestions for breads which may be most appropriate for specific sins and misbehaviors.

    For ordinary sins
    For erotic sins
    For particularly dark sins
    For complex sins
    For twisted sins
    For tasteless sins
    For sins of indecision
    For sins committed in haste
    For sins of chutzpah
    For substance abuse
    For use of heavy drugs
    For petty larceny
    For committing auto theft
    For timidity/cowardice
    For ill-temperedness
    For silliness, eccentricity
    For not giving full value
    For jingoism, chauvinism
    For excessive irony
    For unnecessary chances
    For war-mongering
    For dressing immodestly
    For causing injury to others
    For lechery and promiscuity
    For promiscuity with gentiles
    For racist attitudes
    For sophisticated racism
    For being holier than thou
    For abrasiveness
    For dropping in without notice
    For overeating
    For impetuosity
    For indecent photography
    For raising your voice too often
    For pride and egotism
    For sycophancy
    For being overly smothering
    For laziness
    For trashing the environment
    For telling bad jokes/puns
    White Bread
    French Bread
    Pumpernickel
    Multigrain
    Pretzels
    Rice Cakes
    Waffles
    Matzoh
    Fresh Bread
    Stoned Wheat
    Poppy Seed
    Stollen
    Caraway
    Milk Toast
    Sourdough
    Nut Bread
    Shortbread
    Yankee Doodles
    Rye Bread
    Hero Bread
    Kaiser Rolls
    Tarts
    Tortes
    Hot Buns
    Hot Cross Buns
    Crackers
    Ritz Crackers
    Bagels
    Grits
    Popovers
    Stuffing
    Quick Bread
    Cheesecake
    Challah
    Puff Pastry
    Brownies
    Angel Food Cake
    Any long loaf
    Dumplings
    Corn Bread

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