Page 4 - HaMizrachi Rosh HaShana - Yom Kippur 5783 USA

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MISSION-DRIVEN

Rabbi Doron
LIFE
Perez

Our Personal and Public Mission

n an essay simply titled “Shlichut”, define the content and contours of our on making a tangible difference in the
Rav Soloveitchik shares a profound life mission. lives of others. Rosh Hashanah is the
teaching that has deeply impacted It is not by chance that this essay is time for deep personal introspection,
Ithe course of my life. The Rav pow- the opening chapter of Yemei Zikaron, a to consider how we are faring in both
erfully expounds upon a revolutionary book of Rav Soloveitchik’s ideas about of our missions.
idea: that G-d partners with human the Yamim Noraim. There is no better
beings to fulfill His mission on earth. time than Rosh Hashanah and Yom Two days, two judgments
The clearest source in the Torah for Kippur to reflect upon our lives and
shlichut is G-d’s appointment of Moshe ensure we are living in accordance The Rebbe of Spinka explains that
Rabbeinu as his shaliach, his emissary, with G-d’s will; or, in other words, to examining our dual mission is the
to redeem His people from Egypt. Why ensure we are fulfilling our unique very reason why we observe two days
didn’t Hashem redeem the Jewish G-d-given mission. of Rosh Hashanah. Incredibly, we are
people without human assistance? judged not once but twice; on the first
Was it really necessary to appoint an day as individuals, and on the second
day as part of the collective. The first
emissary of flesh and blood to be the day is a reckoning of our private mis-
great redeemer of His people? The sion and how we have conducted our-
answer, clearly, is yes. Why didn’t Hashem redeem selves as individuals, while the second
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…הֹע ְר ּ פ ל ֶא ך ֲח ָל ׁש ֶא ְו ה ָכ ְל ה ּ ת ַע ְו the Jewish people without day is a judgment of our public role
“Come, therefore, I will send you to human assistance? Was it really and how we have contributed to the
Pharaoh…” (Shemot 3:10) necessary to appoint an emissary Jewish people and the broader com-
munity. Neither can be ignored; it is
In designating Moshe as His shaliach, of flesh and blood to be the not enough to succeed in one but fail
the Master of the Universe, the Tran- great redeemer of His people? miserably in the other, for together,
scendent and Infinite One, appoints these two judgments represent what
temporal man to bring eternal free- Dual life mission, dual judgment G-d wants from every one of us.
dom to His people. On the first day, our personal life is
What, indeed, is our life mission?
Rav Soloveitchik explains that Moshe is under scrutiny. How hard have we
the model for all of mankind, for every Although each of us has a unique role worked to better ourselves, to improve
person is born a shaliach and imbued to play in the world, every Jew has a our character traits, actions, and
with a unique, Divine mission. Each dual mission in his or her life, which motives? Are we better Jews this year
person’s birth, in a particular genera- can be captured in my opinion in four than we were the year before?
tion, to a particular family, community words: י ִמ ְצ ַע ןּוקי ִּ ת and ם ָלֹוע ןּוקי ִּ ת – striv- But this is not enough. No man is an
and nation, with particular personal ing to better both our individual selves island and no one can live in splendid
qualities and traits – none of this is an and the broader world. 1 isolation, oblivious to those around
accident. The unique circumstances One is a private mission where our focus them. And so we also have a second
of our lives and our distinct blend of is on our individual selves alone, while day of reckoning. We are not only
strengths and weaknesses together the other is a public mission focusing individuals, but also children, siblings,

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