Dear Friend,
Strength in numbers is another Jewish concept we find in this week's Torah reading. The same Torah reading that is read the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah begins with the idea of all the Jewish people standing tall, grounded in current reality, yet rooted in a rich history before G-d.
The focus of this last statement being “All the Jewish people”.
If we want to stand before G-d we must be united, kind, forgiving and loving.
It is the work we invest in to achieve unity which allows a closeness with G-d.
It is for this reason that we read this the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, so that as we prepare to attend synagogue, and ask for a good sweet new year, we also have this important reminder.
Going to Synagogue to pray and speak to G-d is wonderful, more important however is that we come to Synagogue to spend time with people, to share in the reality of a united effort that we ask for a good year for all of us and that no one gets left behind.
Good Shabbos!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
On Monday, September 19, women and girls joined together to make traditional, round challahs in honor of Rosh Hashanah! The evening was filled with fun, inspiration and blessings, getting into the High Holiday spirit!
A Jewish father calls his son in New York and tells him...
“I hate to tell you, but your mother and I can't stand each other anymore and we are divorcing. That's it! I want to live out the rest of my years in peace. I am telling you now so you and your sister shouldn't go into shock later when I move out."
The father hangs up and David immediately calls his sister and tells her the news. The sister says, "I'll handle this."
She calls Florida and gets her father on the phone. She pleads to her father, "Don't do ANYTHING 'til David and I get there! We will be there on Sunday morning." The father says, "All right, all right, I'll wait."
When the father hangs up the phone he hollers to his wife, "okay, the kids are coming for the holidays!"
WEEKLY eTORAH
This week's Torah reading begins Atem nitzavim, "You are standing here today, all of you... from the heads of tribes... to the woodcutters and water-drawers."
The commentaries explain that nitzavim in Hebrew means "standing firm." This verse teaches us that our standing firm is conditional upon it being all of you standing together. Each of us, from the highest to the lowliest, has our part to play and our own potential to fulfill.
The Talmud's Ethics of the Fathers tells us, "Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot." Rather than worrying about why we are not standing in somebody else's shoes, our task is to fulfill our potential at the level we are at, in the situation where we are now, knowing that even if it may seem insignificant, each of us contributes on our own level and in our own way to the greater picture. In order to "stand firm" as a nation, we need the contribution of each person, on every level.
The story was told of Rabbi Aryeh Levin (known as "the tzaddik from Jerusalem') who informed the doctor that "my wife’s leg is hurting us." This idea applies to all of us, as a community. When one person suffers, another feels the pain, even at a distance. When an event takes place in a distant country, this affects us as much as if it were to happen next door.
There is no "us and them." Anything which undermines decency and the sanctity of human life, the very fabric of our community, has an effect on all of us, whether we are directly involved or not. Each person needs to be intact, in order for us to achieve our communal potential. If one person is suffering or is otherwise affected by something, this has an impact on all of us.
