Page 4 - HaMizrachi # 22 Rosh HahHana - Yom Kippur 2020 USA

TORAT MIZRACHI

Continued from page 3

The ideal exists in our head, whereas detached ourselves from the fullness A healthy, happy and sweet year for
actual change happens through the of life. This tense and intense time has one and all!
heart. Our inner will – our ratzon taken its toll.
– is the engine of personal trans-
formation. Yom Kippur is a day that And this is the reason why – explains
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rotates around the axis of will, want Rav Kook – Sukkot comes immedi-
and desire. It demands a detailed spir- ately after Yom Kippur. We are in des- 1 Reishit is the obvious word as it is not only
the first word in the Torah – BeReishit –but
perate need of an injection of joy to
itual makeover to align our will with it is also mentioned in Devarim (11:12) as
the Divine Will in every area of life. reinstate the vigor and vibrancy of life. ‘the beginning of the year’ – Reishit HaSha-
That is why vidui – personal confes- Spiritual life had become imbalanced nah. Additionally, it is from this verse that
the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 17b) learns the
sion – is the essence of the day. We through the uplifting yet energy-de- concept of judgment at the beginning of the
strike our chest and heart dozens of pleting motif of judgment, fear and year impacting the rest of the year, which
times, acknowledging where we have fasting. forms the Biblical basis for Rosh Hashanah
deviated and expressing our deepest being a Day of Judgement. Nevertheless, our
Sages chose Rosh Hashanah as the name of
desire to return to the right path. Sukkot restores the balance through the day and hence the name of the Tractate
a love of life, a celebration of mitzvot, and the universally used name of the festival.
Where there is a will, there is always with the festival’s unmatched ambi- 2 Our Sages define prayer as Avodat HaLev
a way back. ance of joy, joie de vivre and rejoicing – service of the heart (Ta’anit 2a, Rambam,
in G-d’s presence. 5 Hilchot Tefillah 1:1.) Yom Kippur is a unique
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; head day of intense prayer encompassing five dis-
and heart, ideal and real, macro-think- It seems to me that this message is tinct prayer services.
ing and micro-planning, intertwine to particularly relevant for Tishrei 5781. 3 The verse explicitly states that the root cause
of the terrible curses mentioned in Parashat
give us unparalleled days of spiritual Ki Tavo is serving G-d without happiness and
inspiration. This New Year brings with it a deep joy – “since you did not serve the L-rd your
sense of vulnerability during these G-d with happiness (simcha) and with glad-
unusual and unpredictable Corona ness of heart...” (Devarim 28:47). It is clear
Soul times. None of us quite knows just that scrupulous observance of Torah and
mitzvot devoid of simcha is not a religious
Nevertheless, despite these spiritual how long it will continue – whether life but rather a spiritual curse.
peaks, something is sorely missing it will end soon, which we all pray for, 4 Orot HaTeshuva 9:10.
from this religious equation: simcha or whether it will be the ‘new normal’ 5 The imperative of simcha on Sukkot is men-
– happiness and joy. Simcha is the true for the year ahead. tioned three times in the Torah, more than
soul of Judaism, for at its core it is One thing is clear – we need to dig any other festival. One famous expression
of this is stated in the Mishna (Sukkot 5:1),
not only a religion but a celebration deep and engage these times with the “That one who has not seen the simcha of the
of religious life. 3 holistic spiritual paradigm of Head, water-drawing ceremony (which took place
Heart and Soul. every evening on the intermediary days of
The Yamim Noraim are truly Days the festival) has not seen simcha in his life.”
of Awe. Throughout the 10 Days of Therefore, if we look at the festivals Moreover, Shemini Atzeret is the pinnacle of
the simcha of Sukkot and is solely dedicated
Repentance the theme of judgment, of of the month as one unit, they encom- to happiness, simply rejoicing in G-d’s inti-
“who will live and who will die,” cre- pass the complete religious experience mate presence without need of any command
ates an inescapable mood of sobriety, in preparing for the coming year. or action; neither Sukkah nor species, as the
Talmud learns (Sukkah 48a) from the verse
an undertone of fear and trepidation. “and only be happy.” It is, therefore, no sur-
They express the aspiration for a holy prise that our Sages later instituted Simchat
Furthermore, in our plea for atone- life as a wholesome spiritual endeavor Torah on this festival (on the same day in
ment on Yom Kippur, we have – a harmonious synergy of both body Israel) as an expression of our joy at our very
‘afflicted’ ourselves by refraining from and soul. Intertwining love and fear, connection to Torah.
the basic normative life pleasures. In separation and integration, solemnity
our quest for forgiveness and purity, and celebration, they give us the ulti- Rabbi Doron Perez is Chief Executive of
we have necessarily but unnaturally mate blueprint to face the year ahead. the Mizrachi World Movement.

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