Page 30 - HaMizrachi Australia Rosh HaShana Yom Kippur 5781

YAMIM NORA’IM READING

Rabbi Shalom Rosner

Step by Step

av Sa’adia Gaon says there are Eliezer (39) explains it differently. It’s a poor man riding on a donkey (Zech-
10 thoughts, 10 messages we not referring to Aharon HaKohen but ariah 9:9). Why a donkey? Shouldn’t
Rare supposed to be thinking someone else later on in history. Not it be something more glamorous and
about as we hear the shofar. For exam- he whom You have been accustomed majestic?
ple, malchuyot – how we’re coronat- to sending, but he whom You will
ing G-d with our shofar blows and send. Who is that? “Eliyahu HaNavi,” A donkey doesn’t walk on a straight
our tefilot, the shofar of Har Sinai, the says Moshe and G-d answers that this path. It moves forward, stops and sits
shofar of Akeidat Yitzchak, and finally is not His plan. “You go to Pharaoh. down. Then it goes backwards. Side-
ה ָ בּו ׁש ְּ ת ר ֵ רֹוע ְ ל – to arouse us to teshuva. That man you’re referring to, he’ll ways. That’s us too, Am Yisrael. As we
The Rambam says in Hilchot Teshuva have his time.” hear the shofar, we recognize it hasn’t
(3:4) “Even though ultimately we blow been a smooth process. We’ve come
the shofar because G-d commanded The commentaries explain that and gone and come and gone. And
us, there is a remez, a hint: wake up redemption is not smooth. You even now, when we have been zocheh
you who are sleepwalking through cannot simply climb up the ladder to return to Eretz Yisrael as a nation,
life, review your actions, do teshuva step by step. There are ups and the process continues to be rough.
and recognize G-d.” One final motif downs, aliyot and yeridot. Forwards There are difficulties and challenges
Rav Sa’adia Gaon mentions is focus- and backwards. but they are an essential part of the
ing on the geula haAtidit – the future geula process.
redemption, the time when we will all Take Yosef for example. He was sold
hear the Shofar Gadol. when he was 17, thrown into jail Thus through our shofar, we pray that
in Egypt and as a result, Bnei Yis- G-d takes us to the end of this pro-
What exactly is geula? What should rael were forced to slave away in cess – where there are only aliyot, and
we be focusing on as we hear the back-breaking labor for hundreds of yeridot are a thing of the past.
shofar? How would we define geula, years. Was this all part of the geula?
past, present and future? Yehi ratzon that this Rosh Hashanah,
Yes, because geula is not a smooth as we blow the shofar, let us remind
The first national geula was Yetziat process. ourselves that we’re almost there.
Mitzrayim. To start that process, G-d should take away all the yeridot
G-d came to Moshe at the burning Moshe saw all of history open in front so we reach the end of the geula, the
bush, and they have a back and forth of him. He didn’t only see the galut final stage, when we will be able to
in which G-d implores Moshe to go in Mitzrayim, but the entire process. enjoy the blessings and abundance of
to Mitzrayim and lead Am Yisrael He saw there would be crusades, Mashiach Tzidkanu, ּוני ֵ מָי ְּ ב ה ָ ר ֵ ה ְ מ ִּ ב.
to freedom and Moshe continually pogroms, massacres, a Holocaust. He
refuses, until G-d finally becomes saw everything and he said, “G-d, I
angry. Doesn’t Moshe want to take don’t want to be part of it. Let some-
Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim? Why body else do this. Let Eliyahu HaNavi
all the excuses? Why is he so against do it, skip straight to the final stage.”
the idea? Moshe argued with G-d and repeat-
edly refused Him because he loved
Moshe finally says, “send with whom Am Yisrael. Not because he was
you shall send.” What does that insensitive to their plight.
mean? Rashi says this is referring to
Aharon HaKohen – send the person Geula has ups and downs. That’s life Rabbi Shalom Rosner is a Rebbe at
You would normally send, my older – both personal and national. Even Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and Rabbi of the
brother Aharon. Pirkei DeRabbi the symbol of geula – Mashiach – is Nofei HaShemesh community.

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