Rosh Hashana.2015.pub - Montreal Torah Center

MOSAIC EXPRESS
Elul 29, 5775
Sunday, September 13, 2015
RO SH HA SHA NA A NTH OL O GY 5776 — 2015
HOLIDAY CANDLE LIGHTING
& PRAYER SERVICE SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE
ROSH HASHANA
Sunday evening, September 13
MTC G racious ly Ack nowledges Th is W eek ’s S pons ors of th e Day
Reuben Dubrofsky in honour of the yartzeit of Frances Dubrofsky obm, Tishrei 2
Joey Berdugo Adler in honour of the birthday of Louis Adler, September 16
To become a sponsor of the day, please contact Itchy @ 739.0770 ext 223
Candle lighting…………………..……6:51 pm
Mincha/Maariv……………….....…....6:50 pm
Monday, September 14
Shacharit………………………..…....…8:30 am
Children’s Program………..….…....10:30 am
Rabbi’s Sermon……...….................10:45 am
Mincha……...…....………….........…....6:15 pm
Tashlich……...…....……..…...…...…....6:40 pm
Candle Lighting*………….…..after 7:53 pm
Maariv……………..….…..………….......7:50pm
Tuesday, September 15
LULAV & ETROG
$65 per set
MIKVAH HOU RS
E RE V YO M KIPPUR
Members with card access
2:30 am - 10:00 am
12:00 pm - 6:35 pm
To purchase a set,
please contact Velvel
by Monday October 6
vm@themtc.com
514.739.0770 x221
Only orders with payment will be accepted.
Non-members
1:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Adult $10 Children $5
Shacharit………………….……...…..…8:30 am
Children’s Program……………..….10:30 am
Rabbi’s Sermon……....………..…....10:45 am
Mincha/Maariv……………….....…....6:50 pm
Yom Tov ends……………………….....7:51 pm
FAST OF GEDALIAH
Wednesday, September 16
Fast begins……………….………….….5:04 am
Shacharit………………………….……..7:00 am
Mincha & Ma’ariv……………………6:30 pm
Fast ends………………………....…..…7:34 pm
* Light from a pre-existing flame.
*
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ä÷åúîå
*
MTC wishes a hearty Mazal Tov to
Diament, Hagar and Minkowitz families
on the birth of a daughter to Sholom and
Sarah Diament
A special curbside garbage
collection will take place on
Fridays Sep 18 and Oct 2.
Yasher Koach to the town of Hampstead!
l1
Montreal Torah Center Bais Menachem Chabad Lubavitch Joanne and Jonathan Gurman Community Center Lou
Adler ShulExpress
Mosaic
28 Cleve Road, Hampstead Quebec H3X 1A6 514. 739.0770 Fax 514.739.5925 email: mtc@themtc.com WWW.THEMTC.COM
MontrealTorahCenter
WEEKDAY
PRAYER SCHEDULE
ROSH HASHANA ALIYAH SUMMARY
SHACHARIT
Wednesday –Friday……..…….7:00 am
Followed by breakfast
MINCHA
Wednesday-Thursday……..….6:55 pm
MAARIV
Wednesday-Thursday..…….….7:30 pm
In cherished memory of
R’ Yeshaya Aryeh ben Menashe Treitel obm
Happy Birthday,
Universe
By Tzvi Freeman
Every year, our sages taught, with the
cry of the shofar the entire universe is
reborn.
And so, at that time, with our
resolutions and our prayers, we hold an
awesome power: To determine what
sort of child this newborn year shall
be—how it will take its first breaths,
how it will struggle to its feet and how
it will carry us through life for the
twelve months to come.
In truth, it is not only once a year: At
every new moon, in a smaller way, all
life is renewed again.
And so too, every morning, we are all
reborn from a nighttime taste of death.
And at every moment—in the smallest
increment of time—every particle of
the universe is projected into being out
of absolute nothingness, as it was at
the very beginning.
Which is why there is always hope.
Because at every moment, life is born
anew. And we are the masters of how
this moment will be born.
DAY ONE OF ROSH HASHANAH
HASHANAH (Genesis
21:1-34; Numbers 29:1-6):
General Overview
Overview: On the first day of
Rosh Hashanah, the Torah reading focuses
on our Patriarch Isaac's birth. The reading
begins with the words, "And G‑d
remembered Sarah." According to the
Talmud, G‑d "remembered" Sarah, and
chose to bless her with a child, on Rosh
Hashanah. The reading also discusses
Ishmael's expulsion from Abraham's
household due to the negative influence he
posed for Isaac, and the treaty between
Abraham and Abimelech, king of the
Philistines.
First Aliyah: At the age of ninety,
previously barren Sarah miraculously gave
birth to a son, who, as per G‑d's
instruction, was named Isaac. Isaac was
circumcised when he was eight days old.
Second Aliyah: Sarah was overjoyed by
the tremendous miracle. "Who would have
said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse
children," She exclaimed. Abraham made a
huge feast on the day that Isaac was
weaned. Sarah noticed that Ishmael,
Abraham's eldest son born to him from her
maidservant Hagar, was behaving
inappropriately. She demanded from
Abraham that he expel both Ishmael and
Hagar from the household. G‑d instructed
Abraham to hearken to Sarah's words, for
"your progeny will be called [only] after
Isaac."
Aliyah: Nevertheless, G‑d promised
Third Aliyah
Abraham that Ishmael's descendents, too,
will be made into a nation, for he, too, is
Abraham's seed. Abraham expelled Hagar
and Ishmael; they wandered in the desert
and eventually ran out of water. Ishmael
was about to perish from thirst when an
angel "opened Hagar's eyes" and showed
her a well of water from which to give
Ishmael to drink. Ishmael grew up in the
desert, became a skilled archer and married
an Egyptian woman.
Fourth Aliyah: At that point, Abimelech,
king of the Philistines, approaches Abraham
and requested to enter into a treaty with
him, whereby neither party will harm the
other for three generations. Abraham
agreed, but first reprimanded Abimelech
concerning a well of water which he had
dug which was stolen by Abimelech's
subjects. Abimelech proclaimed his
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innocence, claiming to have been unaware of
the situation. Abraham took sheep and cattle,
and gave it to Abimelech as a symbol of their
treaty.
Aliyah: Abraham then set apart seven
Fifth Aliyah
ewes from the flock. Abraham told
Abimelech to take those seven ewes as
evidence that he, Abraham, dug the well.
Abraham planted an orchard and established
an inn in Beer Sheba and proclaimed the
name of G‑d to all passersby.
Note: If the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls
on Shabbat, then the same reading is read,
however it is divided into seven aliyot
(sections) instead of five.
Maftir: The maftir reading details the
various sacrifices offered in the Holy Temple
on Rosh Hashanah, along with the
accompanying wine libations, oil and meal
offerings.
DAY TWO OF ROSH HASH
HASHANAH
ANAH (Genesis
22:1-24; Numbers 29:1-6):
General Overview: The Torah reading for
the second day of Rosh Hashanah discusses
the Binding of Isaac. On the day when we are
judged by G‑d, we invoke the merit of our
Patriarchs, and their willingness to sacrifice
all for G‑d's sake. The reading concludes with
the birth of Rebecca, Isaac's destined
soulmate.
First Aliyah: G‑d commanded Abraham to
take his son Isaac to the Land of Moriah, and
offer him as a sacrifice on a mountain
(eventually to become known as the Temple
Mount). Abraham rose early in the morning,
took along Isaac and necessary provisions,
and set out for the Land of Moriah.
Second Aliyah: On the third day, Abraham
spies the mountain from afar. He leaves
behind his two servants and proceeds
together with Isaac. In response to Isaac's
question, "We have the fire and the wood,
but where is the sacrificial lamb?", Abraham
responds, "G‑d will provide for Himself the
lamb..."
Third Aliyah: They arrived at the place
which G‑d had designated. Abraham built
the altar, bound Isaac, and placed him on the
wood pyre atop the altar. As Abraham
stretched out his hand to take the
slaughtering knife, an angel appeared and
(Continued on page 10)
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Mosaic Express
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Special Delivery: KosherKosher-Food
Airlift to Rural Virginia for Rosh
Hashanah
By Dovid Margolin | SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
A
t noon on Sunday, a six-seat Cessna
Centurion loaded with 400 pounds of
kosher meat and poultry touched down in
Blacksburg, Va. The special delivery was
enough to supply all of Chabad-Lubavitch
at Virginia Tech’s carnivorous needs for the
month-long (and food-heavy) High Holiday
season.
Piloted by Long Island, N.Y., businessman
Michael Harbater, the pre-Rosh Hashanah
airlift was chock-full of choice cuts of
meat, the best offered at the upscale
Gourmet Glatt Emporium kosher
supermarket in Cedarhurst, N.Y. It’s the
type of food that Rabbi Zvi Zwiebel, codirector of Chabad at Virginia TechLibrescu Jewish Student Center in
Blacksburg, Va., can’t even dream of finding
within hundreds of miles of his western
Virginia home and center; the closest
sizeable Jewish community is in Charlotte,
N.C., nearly a three-hour drive south.
“He’s probably in one of the most isolated
Jewish communities east of the
Mississippi,” says Harbater, who before this
trip had no prior connection to Zwiebel or
Virginia Tech. “You couldn’t be anywhere
further, and he’s there making inroads. It’s
a tough job.”
It was Harbater’s co-pilot on this trip,
Rabbi Yona Edelkopf, co-director of Chabad
of South Bay Long Island in Massapequa,
N.Y., who had made the connection
between the businessman and Zwiebel,
Edelkopf’s former yeshivah study partner
and friend.
Knowing that Harbater had wanted to give
back to Chabad for some time since an
overwhelmingly positive encounter in
China, Edelkopf suggested that the two of
them take a day trip by plane and see
firsthand the work of a campus emissary in
a rather remote location.
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“I knew Michael had wanted to give back in
a special way, and this seemed like the
perfect opportunity,” says Edelkopf. “Even
though Zvi and I live far away from each
other, shluchim are one big family, and if I
can be a part in helping him, I’ll do that.”
And so, after loading up 10 boxes of the
finest and freshest kosher meat, poultry
and other supplies North America’s largest
Jewish community could offer, the
businessman and the rabbi took off from
Farmingdale, N.Y., flying south to
Blacksburg.
“Gourmet Glatt heard about our plans,”
adds Edelkopf, “so they sponsored
additional food for a barbecue for the
Jewish students at Virginia Tech.”
From Beijing to Blacksburg
The form of reciprocation was in a way
similar to Harbater’s own Chabad
experience. In the kitchen-cabinet business,
a few years ago the New Yorker ended up
in China for work, and says he was
overcome by the personal attention he got
from Chabad in Shanghai and Beijing.
“The way I was treated there was
unbelievable—beyond anything I expected,”
recounts Harbater. “Everything was done
with such warmth and sense of
brotherhood. On Shabbos, I was in Beijing,
and on my right were three Chassidic
kosher supervisors from Brooklyn, and on
my left an Israeli in the medical laser
business, and me, the cabinet guy in the
middle. But there we all were sitting
together in Beijing, from different
backgrounds, all as one Jewish family. It
was a very memorable Shabbos for me.”
Once in Blacksburg, a barbecue was held
for Chabad’s student board; the uniqueness
of the circumstances was not lost on them.
Rabbi Yona Edelkopf, left, codirector of Chabad of South Bay
Long Island in Massapequa, N.Y.,
with Michael Harbater, a businessman and pilot from Long
Island, N.Y., on their way to
Blacksburg on Sunday with a
plane full of kosher food for
Jewish students at Virginia Tech.
“The students were all very touched that
someone cared about them like this,” says
Zwiebel, who has been serving Jewish
students at Virginia Tech since 2009. “There’s
a unity in the Jewish people that an act like
this illustrates, and that has an impact on
students.”
Operating out of the Librescu Jewish Student
Center—named for the late Romanian-born
Israeli Professor Liviu Librescu, who was
murdered during the 2007 Virginia Tech
shootings and was hailed a hero in its
aftermath for holding off the gunman—
Zwiebel and his wife, Chanie, expect
hundreds of students on Rosh Hashanah,
before and after Yom Kippur, and over the
week of Sukkot, during which time the meat
and other items will come to good use.
Harbater, who fell in love with flying at the
age of 45 after his wife bought him one
lesson for his birthday, utilizes his passion for
the good, regularly volunteering to make
Angel Flights, which provides medical air
transport for those who cannot afford it and
other missions of community service.
“I don’t deserve accolades for doing
something I enjoy so much,” he says. “I
enjoyed Sunday on so many levels.”■
The Silent Shofar and the
Smith’s Assistant
By Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin
T
he synagogue in Radomsk, Poland, was
packed. It was Rosh Hashanah, and
thousands of chassidim had traveled from
far and near to spend the holy day in the
presence of Reb Shlomo, the Rebbe of
Radomsk. It was a special experience not to
be missed, as the rebbe would often lead
the prayers, interspersing them with with
original melodies he himself composed.
When it came time for the shofar-blowing,
the learned and pious chassid who’d been
carefully selected for the task stepped up
onto the raised platform in the center of the
sanctuary. He’d been preparing for the
entire month of Elul, carefully practicing
the shofar blasts and learning the deep
Kabbalistic meditations that accompany
them. With his tallit draped over his head,
he recited the blessings with obvious
concentration.
Then he took the ram’s horn to his lips,
ready to blow. Yet, try as he might, not a
sound issued from the horn. He tried turning
it this way and that, but he could not coax
even the faintest peep from the shofar.
After many long minutes, to the dismay of
the erstwhile shofar-blower, a younger man
was called up to take his place. He picked
up the shofar, and with almost no effort he
produced the prescribed series of sharp
blasts.
Following the prayer services, Rabbi Shlomo
called over the unsuccessful—and
crestfallen—shofar-blower and told him the
following story:
T
here was once a nation that coronated a
new, beloved king. In order to express
their great admiration and devotion for their
monarch, they decided to commission a new
crown for him, the likes of which had never
been seen before.
An extensive search began for the largest,
clearest and most beautiful gems to adorn a
crown of pure gold. Finally, a fine
assortment of gleaming stones was
amassed. Yet no craftsman was willing to
set them into the crown. Knowing that each
gem was precious and unique, the
craftsmen were afraid that they’d damage
them or otherwise not do justice to their
unparalleled beauty.
Finally, one goldsmith accepted the job and
asked for a month to work on the crown.
For weeks he contemplated the gems and
the crown, thinking of the best way to bring
them together into a most stunning
masterpiece. But he was too scared to
actually attach them.
Two days before he was due to deliver the
crown, he picked it up with a pounding
heart. With trembling hands, he prepared
himself to set the precious stones as he’d
planned, but he was so nervous that he
actually dropped the crown.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to
complete the job, he called his assistant, a
simple but capable boy, into his workshop.
Showing him the crown and the stones, he
told the young fellow what needed to be
done. While he stood outside—afraid to
look—the assistant deftly followed his
master’s instructions, and the crown was
completed.■
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Blast Your Jewish Trumpet
by Levi Greenberg
T
ypically, the uniqueness of a year can be
determined only at its end. The special
events, milestones and great
accomplishments define how we will
remember the past 12 months. Yet there are
some years that are significant from the
onset. The senior year in high school or the
first year of marriage are always special
from day one.
The new Jewish year of 5776 is unique
from the beginning: it is a “Year of
Hakhel” (gathering). The Torah teaches
that every seventh year, known as the year
of Shemittah, the Land of Israel must be
allowed to lay fallow. The following year, on
the holiday of Sukkot, every Jew—man,
woman and child—was obligated to ascend
to the Holy Temple for an event called
Hakhel. The king would read selected
portions of the book of Deuteronomy in the
presence of the entire congregation. This
The Tosefta (an early Talmudic text) relates
that on the day of Hakhel, the kohanim
(priests) would station themselves in all the
public areas of Jerusalem and blow golden
trumpets to announce the commencement
of Hakhel. It was of utmost importance that
every kohen participate in this public
declaration of Hakhel, to the point that if
one failed to do so, his priestly lineage was
cast into question.
The national Hakhel gathering in its glorious
format took place only during the Temple
era. However, as with each detail in the
Torah, it is relevant to our day and age. The
Hakhel year is an auspicious time to gather
fellow Jews for the purpose of learning Torah
and encouraging each other to observe more
mitzvahs. Additionally, in the age of modern
technology and Internet connectivity, we all
have a “trumpet”—a means to spread a
message. It may be a social media account,
or simply a cell phone that can send out a
text message.
It seems odd to suggest that failure to be
part of this campaign would be cause for
such backlash. After all, the message of
Hakhel would be heard throughout the city
even if there was one less kohen blasting his
trumpet. However, each individual kohen
was a necessary component in spreading
the word.
I suggest we use our “trumpets” throughout
the year to broadcast Jewish messages.
Update your Facebook status with a Jewish
thought, tweet a Jewish quote that inspires
you, post a photo on Instagram of yourself
doing a mitzvah, and encourage your friends
to do the same. We are all needed in the
grand marketing campaign of Judaism.■
served to inspire the nation to remain
committed to the Torah and mitzvahs.
Dozens of young adults came together on Thursday 9/10 for
TFS Young Leadership's monthly Torah Cocktail Hour with Rabbi Getzy.
For more info visit www.fb.com/TFSMTL
A project of MTC and Chai Center
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Why All the Symbolic
Rosh Hashanah Foods?
by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:
I get the idea of eating traditional foods on
the holidays. But Rosh Hashanah seems to
be over the top. I was at a home where
they had half a dozen dishes, each one
symbolizing another wish for the coming
year. It’s like thinking that G‑d will give
you a better year because you ate butter,
or a raise in salary because you ate raisins
and celery—it seems downright outlandish
to me. Why are we rational Jews doing
something that seems superstitious?
Reply:
Since the days of the Talmud, we’ve been
eating foods with symbolic import on Rosh
Hashanah. In fact, the Talmud’s1 list of
things to eat was even codified in the Code
of Jewish Law.2 Why is that? Let’s look at
some of the answers given:
Food for Thought
Rabbi Menachem Meiri (1249–1310)
explains that these foods serve to focus our
attention on the agenda of the day: prayer,
repentance and resolution to do good.3
In fact, he says, the custom was initially
just to look at or eat these foods and
reflect on their meaning.4 With time,
people became more engrossed in the
eating and less in the introspection;
therefore, many adopted the custom to
recite a short prayer before eating each
food, to ensure that the message remained
front and center.
By examining the short prayer that some
recite on each specific symbolic food, we
can understand what one should be
reflecting upon when eating. Thus, the
head of a lamb or fish, for example, is
meant to arouse us to ask that we “be the
head, and not the tail."5
Based on this, it would seem that the
purpose of this custom is to elicit and better
focus our thoughts, since, to borrow a
phrase from the Sefer HaChinuch, “a
person’s heart and mind always follow after
the actions that he does.”6
Others, however, explain that the purpose of
this custom is not merely to focus our
thoughts; rather, the action of eating these
foods itself can, in a way, influence the
divine blessings.
Concrete Prayers
Rabbi Yehuda Loewe, known as the Maharal
of Prague (1520–1609), explains that often
divine decrees and blessings that G‑d
bestows on this world remain only in a
potential state in the supernal worlds, until
we do a physical act to concretize and give
physical form to these decrees. The
transition from potential to actual is
dependent on a person’s physical actions.7
(This is why the prophets would perform a
physical action to symbolize their prophecy.
For example, the prophet Elisha had King
Joash shoot an arrow toward the land of
Aram, the enemy of the Jews at the time,
and take an arrow and strike the ground,
explaining that the number of blows would
determine the force of Israel’s victory over
Aram.8)
Accordingly, the Maharal explains, we eat
foods that have a good sign at the start of
the year, so that the divine decrees for a
good year will emerge into our physical
reality and be fulfilled.
In a somewhat similar vein, Rabbi Shlomo
Kluger (1783–1869) explains9 that eating
these foods is not so much a prayer as it is
an expression of our faith that we will be
inscribed for a good, sweet year. This in
itself, he explains, has the power to
transform any negative decree into a
positive one.10
May we all be inscribed and sealed for a
sweet new year!■
FOOTNOTES
1. Talmud, Keritot 6a and Horayot 12a.
2. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 583.
3. Meiri’s commentary on Talmud, Horayot 12a.
4. While the Talmud in Keritot 6a clearly talks about
eating the symbolic foods, in some versions of the
Talmud in Horayot 12a it states that “a man should
make a regular habit of looking at the beginning of
the year . . .” Although almost all commentaries are
of the opinion that the correct version in Horayot is
eat, there are some who argue that look at is the
correct version (see Mesoret HaShas on Talmud
ibid.).
5. Other symbolic foods include dates, leeks, beets
and carrots. The Hebrew word for “date” is tamar,
symbolizing our request she-yitamu oyveinu, “that
our enemies be consumed.” The Aramaic term for
“leeks” is karti, symbolizing our request she-yikartu
oyveinu, “that our enemies be cut off.” The Aramaic
word for “beets” is silka, symbolizing our request she
-yistalku oyveinu, “that our enemies disappear.” The
Yiddish word for “carrots” is mehrin (“multiply”),
symbolizing our wish that our merits should
increase.
6. Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah 16.
7. Be’er HaGolah, be’er 2.
8. II Kings 13:19.
9. Chochmat Shlomo on Shulchan Aruch, Orach
Chaim 583.
10. It should be noted that the Shulchan Aruch,
Orach Chaim 583, mentions a number of other
customs that are done on Rosh Hashanah, e.g.
tashlich and minimizing sleep. Those customs share
similar reasons to those outlined here.
Mosaic Express
l7
The Origins of
Tashlich
By Eliyahu Kitov
I
n his explanation of our customs and
tradition, Maharil traces back the custom
of Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah to very
ancient times. It is performed shortly before
sunset on the afternoon of the first day of
Rosh Hashanah (unless it falls on Shabbat,
in which case Tashlich is done on the
second day), by going to the banks of a
river, lake, or any stretch of water. There
certain prayers are recited, followed by the
symbolic shaking of the corners of our
garments.
The three last verses of the Book of Micah,
which we say at Tashlich, contain the
explanation for this custom. We say: “Who
is a G‑d like You, pardoning iniquity and
forgiving transgression to the residue of his
heritage. He retains not His anger for ever,
because He delights in kindness. He will
again have mercy on us. He will suppress
our iniquities; and You will cast (tashlich)
our sins into the depths of the sea.”
The Maharil gives us a further explanation
of Tashlich. The Midrash tells us that when
Abraham and Isaac went to Mount Moriah
for the akeidah (binding of Isaac), they had
to cross a river, one of the forms that Satan
adopted to prevent them from fulfilling
G‑d’s command. The floods threatened to
swallow them, but Abraham prayed “Save
us, O G‑d, for the water has reached our
very lives,” and they were saved from the
floods. Thus, says the Maharil, no obstacle
should keep us back from fulfilling any
command of G‑d. He who can show the
selfless love of Abraham and his readiness
to die for the divine word can be sure that
his sins will be “cast into the sea.”
The Tashlich prayer, recited at the banks of
a river, lake or sea, where there is fish, has
another significance in arousing in us
thoughts of repentance. For it reminds us
of the insecurity of fishes’ life, and the
danger of fish to fall for bait, or be caught
8
l Mosaic Express
in the fisherman’s net. Our life, too, is full
of pitfalls and temptations.
We are reminded of the classical parable of
Rabbi Akiva, who defied the decree which
the Roman Emperor Hadrian tried to impose
on the Jews, prohibiting the study of the
Torah. Asked why he risked his life by
studying and spreading the teachings of the
Torah, Rabbi Akiva replied by means of the
following parable:
A hungry fox came to the bank of a stream.
He saw the fish swimming restlessly in the
water. Said the sly fox to the fish: “I see
that you are living in mortal fear lest you
fall into the fisherman’s net. Come out onto
the dry bank, and you will escape the net,
and we’ll live happily together, as my
ancestors lived with yours.” But the fish
scoffed at the cunning fox, and replied: “If
in the water, which is our very life, we are
in danger, surely our leaving the water
would mean certain death to us!”
The Torah is our very life, and we cannot
live without it any more than fish can live
without water. Could we save ourselves by
abandoning our way of life, the way of the
Torah?
Such are the reflections that Tashlich
arouses in the heart of the worshiper.
Finally, the fish serve as a further reminder
of the “ever-watchful eye” of Providence,
for fish have no eyelids; their eyes are
always open. So, too, nothing can be hidden
from G‑d. By the same token, one derives
courage and hope through faith in G‑d, for
the Guardian of Israel neither sleeps nor
slumbers.
In the Middle Ages the custom of Tashlich
was used several times to accuse the Jews
of casting a spell over the water, or even
poisoning it, and the rabbis were, on
occasion, obliged to prohibit the observance
of Tashlich by their communities in those
days, so as not to endanger their lives. ■
The Fast of Gedaliah
Wednesday, September 16 is a fast day mourning the assassination of
Gedaliah ben Achikam, who was the Jewish royal governor of the Land of
Israel for a short period following the destruction of the First Temple.
Gedaliah's killing spelled the end of the small remnant of a Jewish community
that remained in the Holy Land after the destruction, which fled to Egypt.
According to many opinions, the assassination of Gedaliah actually occurred
on Rosh Hashanah, but the commemoration of the event is postponed to the
day after the festival.
50 Years After Koufax,
Students Take Rain Check on St. Louis
Cardinals’ Yom Kippur Game
by Eric Berger | SEPTEMBER 10, 2015
W
hen Sandy Koufax
pitch in Game 1 of
Series because it fell on
became an instant hero
across the country.
decided not to
the 1965 World
Yom Kippur, he
for many Jews
He was still able to help his team—the Los
Angeles Dodgers—starting in games 2, 5 and
7, and they went on to win the title, beating
their rival the Minnesota Twins. Koufax was
even awarded “Most Valuable Player” of the
series.
That was 50 years ago, but his actions have
had a lingering effect to this day. After all, it
was a big move on a very big stage, and it
could have had real repercussions on the
outcome of the game—and Koufax’s career.
observe the holiday realized that they
wouldn’t be able to attend.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the
holiest day on the Jewish calendar. For
nearly 26 hours—from several minutes
before sunset on 9 Tishrei to after nightfall
on 10 Tishrei—Jews abstain from food and
drink, and recite prayers of repentance in
synagogue.
But rather than stew in their
disappointment, students and staff at the
Chabad on Campus Rohr Center for Jewish
Life at Washington University in St. Louis
decided to organize an alternate event at
the game on Thursday, Sept. 24, to honor
the 50-year anniversary of Koufax’s famous
decision.
In the end, it also said a great deal about the
character of Koufax, a discreet man who
apparently tried to avoid the center stage,
even as Yom Kippur approaches and with it,
much talk of five decades of making a public
Jewish statement.
“We wanted to pay homage to Sandy Koufax
by sitting in synagogue for Kol Nidre and
going to the ballpark on a different day,”
said Rabbi Hershey Novack, director of the
Washington University Chabad.
Fast-forward to September 2015, when the
St. Louis Cardinals scheduled “College Night”
on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 22, minutes
before the start of Yom Kippur. When the
date as made known, Jewish students who
The decision to attend a Cardinals game a
different night is another example of how
Jews manage to navigate a life in which
they observe Shabbat and other holidays,
and still participate in integral parts of
CTEEN
First MTC CTeen event for
the new year! Looking
forward to an amazing
year of exciting programs,
volunteering and
leadership!
Thank you to the Feldmans
for hosting.
If you’re in grade 9, 10 or
11, contact Rabbi Levi to
join. levi@themtc.com
American life.
In Koufax’s case, he was not particularly
religious and was well-known for shying
away from the spotlight. Most historians
agree that his actions were not aimed for
public attention.
“There was never any decision to make,” he
wrote in his autobiography. “Because there
was never any possibility that I would pitch.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish
religion. The club knows that I don’t work
that day.”
‘Understand the Culture’
Novack wasn’t born when the 1965 World
Series took place, but he is well-aware of the
impact of Koufax’s decision. “When he sat
out in the World Series—in a very different
era—it had a very positive effect on a
generation of young Jewish baseball fans,”
said Novack. “Here was a highly successful
Jewish baseball player indicating to America
that he places Judaism above sports. That
was an incredible message that still
resonates today.”
The genesis of the Chabad event came when
students saw on Facebook that their peers
were planning to attend the game on the
holiday. They brought it to the attention of
the Chabad Student Association, an
undergraduate club affiliated with the
university that Novack advises.
“I wouldn’t say I was upset” about the
Cardinals schedule, he said. “Let’s realize that
98 percent of college students in the St.
Louis area are not Jewish, so let the Cardinals
sell them tickets.’”
Alex Griffel, a leader of the Chabad Student
Association helping to organize the event,
recalled thinking after he learned of the
(Continued on page 10)
Mosaic Express
l9
“There was never any decision to make,”
Sandy wrote in his autobiography.
“Because there was never any possibility
that I would pitch. Yom Kippur is the
holiest day of the Jewish religion. The
club knows that I don’t work that day.”
(Continued from page 9)
scheduling conflict that: “It’s uncomfortable
that there will probably be Jewish students
who are put in a position where they might
want to go to the game, and we should do
something on a different night so they have
an alternative and come to Yom Kippur.”
While certainly not as important as
observing the holiday, Griffel said that
attending a Cardinals game is something
college students in St. Louis should be able
to do.
“Even if you’re not a baseball fan, the
Cardinals are hard to escape. They are an
omnipresent part of St. Louis day-to-day
life,” said Griffel, a senior at Washington
University who is studying English literature.
10
l Mosaic Express
“I think living in St. Louis, it’s sort of your
responsibility to understand Cardinals
culture a little bit.”
red. Koufax, who still assists the Dodgers in
spring training, may wind up keeping with
tradition—and wear blue.
Add to that the fact that there is a
longstanding tradition of Jews loving
baseball, documented in the recent exhibit,
Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming
American, at the National Museum of
American Jewish History in Philadelphia.
“[While] we’re not a baseball-boosting club,”
Novack said of the college Chabad House,
“gathering students together for a baseball
game and recognizing Sandy Koufax’s Jewish
heroism seemed close enough to our mission
to make it happen.”■
Like Judaism, said Griffel, who describes
himself as Orthodox, “baseball is something
you get from your parents, from your
grandparents. It’s a challenge to be a
religious Jew who loves baseball because
there have been a lot of important baseball
moments that have happened on Shabbat
and Jewish holidays.”
(Continued from page 2)
(He can recall from memory that Mets
pitcher Johan Santana threw a no-hitter on
Friday night, June 1, 2012. But since the
game took place on Shabbat, he didn’t see
it.)
“I would love to be watching those games,
but I make a commitment to Judaism,” said
Griffel, a native of Long Island, N.Y.
The Chabad organizers reached out to the
Cardinals about their event, and also plan to
include students from area schools such as
Saint Louis University, Webster University
and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
They plan to make T-shirts for the game
between the Cardinals and the Milwaukee
Brewers, and actually send one to Koufax
and the Dodgers. The shirts, however, will be
ordered him to desist. "Now I know that
you are G‑d fearing, since you have not
withheld your only son from Me!" Abraham
offered a ram which was caught in a
nearby thicket in lieu of his son, and named
the area "The L-rd Will See."
Fourth Aliyah: G‑d promised Abraham
great blessings as a reward for passing this
difficult test. "I will make your descendents
as numerous as the stars in heaven!"
Abraham and Isaac returned home to Beer
Sheba.
Fifth Aliyah: After these events, Abraham
was notified that his sister-in-law, Milkah,
had given birth to children. One of these
children, Bethuel, was the father of
Rebecca, Isaac's future wife.
Maftir: The maftir reading details the
various sacrifices offered in the Holy
Temple on Rosh Hashanah, along with the
accompanying wine libations, oil and meal
offerings.■
An inspiring story for your Shabbos table
HERE’S
my
STORY
Generously
sponsored
by the
‫ב״ה‬
‫ תשע״ה‬,‫ ה׳ טבת‬,‫שבת פרשת ויגש‬
Shabbos Parshas Vayigash, December 27, 2014
OUT OF THE BOX
PROFESSOR MEL ALEXENBERG
M
y name is Menachem Alexenberg, but I am
also known as Mel Alexenberg. I was born in
New York in Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, which
is now Interfaith Hospital. My bar mitzvah was in
Flatbush in my uncle Morris’s synagogue, which is now
a mosque, and I married my wife Miriam at the Park
Manor Wedding Hall, which is now a Baptist church. So
I like to say that I was born in Interfaith Hospital, had
my bar mitzvah in a mosque and my wedding in a Baptist
church. But however that makes me sound, the truth is
that I grew up in an Orthodox Zionist family, went to
yeshiva, then to Queens College where I studied biology,
then to Yeshiva University where I earned a degree in
education, and finally to New York University where I
received an interdisciplinary doctorate in art, science
and psychology.
I first met the Rebbe in 1962. Although I had no chasidic
background, my sister-in-law — whose husband was
studying at that time in the Chabad yeshiva in Brooklyn
— convinced me to request an audience with him. I had
a fascinating discussion with him on the relationship
between art, science, technology and Judaism, which has
been my life’s work. He was very interested in these
kinds of things, as a scientist and an engineer himself.
That first meeting led to many others, and to a voluminous
correspondence between us. I cannot remember exactly
at which meeting it came up, but the Rebbe told me one
thing that became a central part of my thinking. He
pointed out that, in Hebrew, the words for “matter” and
“spirit” are interchangeable; that is the letters that spell
chomer, meaning “matter,” also spell ruach, meaning
“spirit” — all you have to do is drop one letter.
“What is the difference between the spiritual and
material world?” he asked rhetorically. “It’s a matter of
perspective. If you look at the world one way, you see a
material world. But if you make a switch in your head, if
you change the quality of your perception, if you look at
things in a new, fresh way, then the same world becomes
spiritual. The spiritual world and the material world are
not two worlds. The quality of your relationship to the
material world makes it spiritual.”
Because of this insight, a lot of my artwork — as a matter
of fact almost all of my artwork — begins with Hebrew
words and Torah concepts. It might become high-tech
stuff, but it starts there.
Then there was the time when the Rebbe’s advice
literally changed my life.
I had been teaching at Columbia University, and I decided
it was time to return to Israel. But I didn’t want to accept a
position at an Israeli university and live in Tel Aviv. If I was
going to return to Israel, I didn’t want it to be a step down
from New York; I wanted it to be a brand new experience.
So I inquired what place would be the complete opposite
of New York, and the answer I got was Yerucham.
Yerucham is an isolated town in the middle of the Negev
Desert into which immigrants from North Africa —
chiefly Morocco — got dumped. At that time, it was the
place in Israel with the greatest economic problems, the
biggest educational problems, the worst social problems.
continued on reverse
An oral history project dedicated to documenting the life of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,
of righteous memory. The story is one of thousands recorded in the over 1,000 videotaped interviews
conducted to date. Please share your comments and suggestions. mystory@jemedia.org
continued from reverse
If there was any place in Israel that was the opposite of
New York, this was it!
all happened in six days. A couple of months later the
college opened with four hundred students!
Before I embarked on this crazy idea of moving to
Yerucham, I decided to ask the Rebbe what he thought
about it. He said, “It’s a nice idea to be a pioneer. With your
background, you could contribute to the development of
Yerucham. You should establish an institution of higher
learning there and help it become a ‘college town.’ If you
do this, people will stop trying desperately to run away
from it; they’ll actually come there from elsewhere to study.
The influx of students will change everyone’s whole
attitude towards the town.” He explained to me the
American concept of the small “college town.” I
remembered
that
he
specifically
mentioned
Gainesville, Florida, as an
example of this phenomenon.
What a miracle story — all thanks to the Rebbe’s creative
mind. He was a man with a tremendously creative
imagination. He could make giant leaps from one place
to another and make connections between seemingly
disconnected things. Here he connected education with
social issues, economic issues and Israel’s development.
So I did it. I arrived with my
wife in Yerucham on a
Thursday, settling into an
apartment that didn’t even
Yerucham, Israel
have electricity. On Shabbat
I took a walk to explore the town, and what do I see but
a large new building, apparently a school, unoccupied,
at the southern end of the town. The next day when I
met with the mayor and asked him about it, he told me
that the building was the folly of Israeli bureaucracy. It
was built by the Department of Education for special
needs children, but there were only five special needs
children in all of Yerucham, and those five were bussed
to a special needs school in Dimona. So the building
was useless.
I said, “Give me the building. The Lubavitcher Rebbe told
me to start a college here, and this is a perfect building
for a college.” His response was: “Take it. Please take it!”
Two days later a group of Jews from Montreal arrived in
town, and the mayor asked me to translate for him. I
happily agreed and, of course, I told this group what the
Rebbe had instructed me to do. They thought this was a
tremendous idea — what better way to develop this town?
— and they pledged to get me the funds to get going.
His thinking was always out-of-the box. He had this outof-the-box idea to make a university in the worst town in
Israel — a place no one else would have thought to put
an institution of higher learning. But he considered all the
angles, the psychology of it, and how it would transform
the place.
Today Yerucham is a wonderful, beautiful place. My son
and his family live there. And they love living there
because it is a very beautiful, very wonderful place right
now. All thanks to the Rebbe’s foresight.
______________
Mel (Menachem) Alexenberg is an artist, writer, and art
educator best known for his explorations of the intersections
between art, science, technology and culture. He is the author
of seven books, and his artworks are housed in the collections
of more than forty museums worldwide. He was interviewed
in his home in Ra’anana in July of 2014.
‫לע”נ ר’ ישראל יעקב וזוגתו מרת קריינא ע”ה לאקשין‬
‫ע”י בניהם ר’ נחמן ור’ אברהם ומשפחתם שיחיו‬
This week in….
> 5725 — 1964, in a private audience, the Rebbe
expressed how the gates are open for Moshiach to
come, and that his arrival was waiting only for
chasidism be disseminated even more widely. The
Rebbe noted that segments of the Jewish
community who had once opposed to these
teachings were now embracing them.1 5 Teves
Now all I needed was accreditation and teachers. For that
I called my friend Tuvia Bar Ilan of Bar Ilan University, who
was more than happy to open a branch of his school in the
Negev, thus providing the full university accreditation.
> 5741 — 1980, the Rebbe spoke to a group of
students en route to establish a yeshiva in
Morocco. He explained that a Jew is compared to
a Torah scroll, hence their arrival in Morocco
would be similar to the community welcoming a
new Torah into their midst.2 7 Teves
Normally it takes years to establish a college — build the
building, get the funding, get the accreditation — but it
1. Diary of MM Wolff. 2. Yoman Shnas Hakhel.
‫לזכות‬
‫הר"ר יוסף יהושע משה‬
‫ב"ר שמואל הלוי ומשפחתו שיחיו‬
You can help us record more testimonies
by dedicating future editions of Here’s My Story
A project of:
JEWISH EDUCATIONAL MEDIA
interviews@jemedia.org | myencounterblog.com | 718-774-6000
784 Eastern Parkway | Suite 403 | Brooklyn, NY 11213
© Copyright, Jewish Educational Media, 2013
Generously printed by
LA
SIDRA
DE LA SEMAINE
VIVREAVEC LA
PARACHA
Le cœur de notre être
A Roch Hachana, notre service divin
tourne autour de l’idée du couronnement
de D.ieu, notre Roi. Tout au long de
l’année, nous considérons la souveraineté
de D.ieu comme un fait établi et nous
nous lions à Lui par le biais de Ses
commandements, les mitsvot. A Roch
Hachana,
cependant,
nous
nous
concentrons sur l’essence de notre
relaon avec D.ieu, acceptant Sa
souveraineté dans un hommage qui
embrasse toute notre existence. En
prenant cet engagement, jaillit l’éncelle
Divine essenelle qui se trouve au fond de
notre être.
Cee expression de notre potenel
spirituel a des répercussions dans les
relaons que nous entretenons avec les
hommes tout comme dans celles qui nous
unissent à D.ieu. En rendant hommage à
un roi mortel, les nobles les plus
disngués et les sujets les plus humbles
s’inclinent ensemble. Cet acte d’unisson
dans leur soumission les élève tous
ensemble. Il en va de même pour nous.
Les Juifs, quel que soit leur niveau de
compréhension et de raffinement
personnel, sont joints et s’unissent dans
l’acceptaon de la souveraineté de D.ieu.
Ce lien qui rassemble des êtres si
différents va bien plus loin qu’un
hommage partagé. Au niveau le plus
profond de l’âme, là où l’homme fait un
avec D.ieu, il n’existe aucune division
entre un homme et un autre. Reconnaître
Roch Hachana
ROCH HACHANA
LUNDI 14 & MARDI 15 SEPT 2015
1 & 2 TICHRI 5776
Unis avec D.ieu,
unis avec notre prochain
notre unité avec D.ieu dans la relaon roisujet
révèle
donc
cee
unité
fondamentale qui réunit le Peuple Juif
tout ener.
pares d’un tout corporel. Quand une
personne souffre de l’orteil, la douleur
n’est pas ressene exclusivement par le
pied.
Un tout corporel
Le corps juif collecf se caractérise
également par ces aspects de l’unité. Les
qualités et les personnalités divergentes,
qui différencient chaque individu, sont
complémentaires. Car même lorsque nous
fonconnons individuellement, nous
faisons pare d’une enté collecve à
laquelle contribuent nos différences.
L’unité du Peuple Juif peut trouver son
illustraon dans la métaphore classique
du fonconnement du corps humain. Bien
que le corps comporte des organes de
foncons et structures bien différentes,
tous opèrent ensemble dans un
organisme vivant unique. Par le même
biais, bien que le Peuple juif soit constué
de nombreux individus, chacun possédant
ses propres caractérisques, il fonconne
comme une seule unité vibrante.
L’unité du corps humain se manifeste de
deux manières.
Tout d’abord, bien que les membres et les
organes diffèrent dans leur forme et leur
foncon, ils travaillent dans une harmonie
totale, chacun contribuant par un élément
qui lui est propre et nécessaire au
fonconnement du corps. Les pieds, par
exemple, offrent la mobilité qui permet
aux sens d’être exposés à un large
éventail de smuli, donnant à leur tour au
cerveau la possibilité de collecter et
d’uliser ces informaons.
D’autre part, l’unité du corps se manifeste
par une conscience de la personne dans sa
globalité, son «moi». Les divers organes
ne se perçoivent pas comme des entés
indépendantes, séparées, mais comme les
La prise de conscience de cee identé
partagée doit affecter la qualité de nos
relaons mutuelles. Chaque Juif possède
son propre potenel et sa propre
personnalité. Quand un individu constate
qu’il partage une communauté avec son
prochain, il peut alors apprécier ces
différences et les envisager comme des
ressources à partager et non comme des
menaces et des sujets de dissension.
L’unité juive se manifeste également à un
niveau plus profond, dans l’unicité
fondamentale de l’âme, partagée entre
chacun de nous. Nous avons tous une part
du «Moi» essenel, non le «moi» de notre
individu, de notre conscience subjecve,
mais le véritable «Moi» du potenel divin
qui existe de manière égale en chacun de
nous.
Développer ce lien interne
(Connué à la page 15)
Mosaic Express
l 13
LE RECIT DE LA SEMAINE
Une lere de bonne année
L
e premier jour de Roch Hodech Kislev
2010, Victor (‘Haïm Meir) Navon
rendit l’âme à l’âge respectable de 91 ans.
Avec l’un de ses fils et plusieurs de ses
pets-fils, ils avaient eu le mérite de
suivre la voie de la Torah et de devenir
des ‘Hassidim du Rabbi de Loubavitch. Il
vivait dans le quarer de Rechavia à
Jérusalem et, grâce à son ami, Rav
Yitschak Wolpo, avait pu passer quelques
moments auprès du Rabbi. Durant la
semaine de deuil, de nombreuses
personnalités vinrent présenter leurs
condoléances suite à sa disparion : le
frère de Victor n’avait été autre que
l’ancien Président de l’État d’Israël, M.
Yitschak Navon. Parmi ces personnes se
trouvait le fils de l’ancien président, Érèz
devenu un homme d’affaires prospère
dans l’immobilier. Et voici ce qu’il
raconta : «Moi aussi, j’ai eu des liens avec
le Rabbi ! Alors que j’avais neuf ans et que
mon père était Président de l’État d’Israël,
je décidai d’écrire avant Roch Hachana
des cartes de vœux à plusieurs
personnalités
éminentes
que
je
connaissais. Parmi celles-ci, se trouvait
celui qui était alors le Premier Ministre en
exercice, M. Menachem Begin qui était
souvent présent dans la demeure officielle
du Président. Il se trouvait qu’une autre
personnalité fréquentait alors cee
demeure : il s’agissait de Reb Chloimke
Maidanchik que mon regreé père
appréciait beaucoup. C’était un vrai
‘Hassid du Rabbi de Loubavitch. Quand il
vit que j’écrivais des cartes de vœux, il
suggéra : « Tu devrais écrire aussi au
Rabbi ! J’apporterai moi-même ta lere à
l’un des secrétaires du Rabbi à New
York !».
Je suivis son conseil avec joie et, quelques
instants plus tard, je plaçai ma lere dans
ses mains. Il m’avait déjà donné une fois
une pièce de monnaie de la part du Rabbi
pour ‘Hanouccah (quand la coutume veut
14
l Mosaic Express
qu’on distribue de l’argent aux enfants
pour la fête) ainsi que, par la suite, un
billet d’un dollar : je chéris et je conserve
précieusement ces deux objets jusqu’à ce
jour.
Je reçus quelques jours plus tard une
réponse du Rabbi : j’étais très jeune et ne
compris pas immédiatement l’importance
de cee lere mais, au fil des années, j’ai
appris à en saisir la valeur. Voici ce qu’il
écrivait :
«Barou’h Hachem
Jours de Seli’hot 5743 (1983)
Brooklyn
Cher Érèz, puisse-t-il vivre longtemps !
Chalom et bénédicon !
J’ai été heureux de recevoir ta bénédicon
pour la nouvelle année, qu’elle soit bonne
et bénie pour tout Israël. Comme l’ont dit
nos Sages de mémoire bénie : « Tous ceux
qui bénissent, qu’ils soient bénis par le
D.ieu tout-puissant, la Source de toutes
les bénédicons, de Sa Main pleine,
ouverte, sainte et large.
Je te bénis à mon tour pour une année
bonne et douce et surtout une année de
succès dans tes études et ta conduite.
Que ce soit une source de fierté pour tes
parents et de gloire pour tout notre
peuple de la maison d’Israël.
Avec ma bénédicon
La signature du Rabbi»
Jeune garçon, j’avais été très ému de
recevoir cee lere que j’ai gardée
précieusement ; jusqu’à aujourd’hui, cee
lere m’a aidé en de nombreuses
occasions sur un certain nombre de sujets
et en voici un exemple :
Quand
je
commençais
mes
invesssements dans l’immobilier au
Panama, je souhaitai amener un autre
entrepreneur dans cee compagnie. Cela
m’amena à un certain homme d’affaires
très riche, un Juif praquant qui habitait
une des capitales européennes. A ce jour,
il est resté l’un de mes plus loyaux et plus
proches amis. Après que je l’ai connu
pendant plusieurs années, je décidai de lui
montrer la lere du Rabbi.
Lui aussi fut enthousiasmé par cee lere
et cela changea pour toujours la nature de
nos
relaons
;
toute
distance
professionnelle disparut dès lors entre
nous deux ainsi que toute trace de
suspicion grâce au respect intense qu’il
manifesta pour le Rabbi quand je lui
montrai la lere.
Il lut et relut cee lere et raconta que lui
aussi avait reçu plusieurs leres du Rabbi ;
il avait même expérimenté un véritable
miracle, quand le Rabbi lui avait
liéralement sauvé la vie. Il me raconta
cela d’une voix marquée par l’émoon :
Jeune homme, il avait étudié dans une
Yechiva de New York et, soudain, avait
éprouvé d’intenses douleurs dans le dos.
On lui fit passer des radios qui ne
révélèrent
aucun
signe
de
disfonconnement. Constatant que les
médecins baissaient les bras, il décida
d’aller demander une bénédicon au
Rabbi. Le Rabbi l’écouta aenvement
puis lui conseilla d’aller consulter un
certain spécialiste aux États-Unis. Il ne
perdit pas de temps et se rendit
immédiatement à l’hôpital où exerçait ce
médecin ; mais quand il menonna le nom
de ce spécialiste, on lui répondit qu’il avait
déjà pris sa retraite et qu’il était remplacé
par un médecin plus jeune, tout aussi
qualifié, l’assura-t-on. Le jeune homme
accepta le rendez-vous et, le jour convenu
se présenta avec tous les documents
médicaux accumulés depuis le début de
(Connuer à la page 15)
(Vivre avec la Paracha- Connué de la page 13)
Les deux dimensions de l’unité sont liées.
C’est parce que nous avons conscience
d’une essence unique, cee «pare» de
notre âme qui est une «pare de D.ieu»,
que nous pouvons tous nous réunir même
lorsque nous fonconnons avec notre
individualité propre. Mais pour pouvoir
apprécier ce lien essenel et spirituel que
nous partageons, il nous est nécessaire de
prendre chaque jour conscience de cee
identé et de ce dessein partagés.
Roch Hachana est (liéralement) «la tête
de l’année», un moment où nous nous
penchons sur le cœur de notre relaon, à
la fois avec D.ieu et avec les hommes.
C’est la raison pour laquelle c’est le
second type, transcendant, d’unité qui est
mis en lumière en ce jour. Tout comme la
tête contrôle le fonconnement des
différents membres du corps, se
concentrer, à Roch Hachana, sur notre
unité profonde conduit à la coopéraon et
aux efforts communs tout au long des
jours de l’année à venir.
(Le Recit de la Semaine- Connué de la page 14)
ses douleurs. Juste avant qu’il entre dans
le cabinet médical, le réceponniste
l’informa que le jeune médecin avait
justement été vicme d’un accident de la
route mais qu’un autre pracien, retraité,
avait été appelé pour le remplacer dans
l’urgence : et c’était justement le médecin
qu’avait recommandé le Rabbi ! Bien
entendu, le jeune homme accepta avec
empressement la proposion puisqu’il
voyait là l’accomplissement de la
demande du Rabbi.
Le médecin examina les clichés, ausculta
aenvement son dos et posa son
diagnosc : le jeune homme devait être
opéré immédiatement car il avait sen
une tumeur maligne sur le carlage entre
deux vertèbres. Les rayons X n’avaient pas
pu la détecter et il avait fallu toute
l’expérience et les doigts experts du
médecin pour localiser la source de ces
douleurs – et pas un moment plus tôt !
L’opéraon fut entreprise avec succès, la
tumeur fut enlevée et les douleurs dans le
dos firent pare du passé.
Roch Hachana est le Jour du Jugement, un
temps où D.ieu détermine ce que sera
notre futur pour l’année qui vient. En se
tenant unis, tous ensemble comme un
peuple unique, nous permeons une
année de bénédicons. Comme nous le
disons dans nos prières ; «Bénis nous,
notre Père, tous comme un».
Le Baal Chem Tov explique ce concept en
comparant la relaon qu’entreent D.ieu
avec le Peuple Juif à celle d’un père et ses
nombreux enfants. Quand ce père est-il
vraiment heureux ? Quand il voit ses
enfants maintenir entre eux de bonnes
relaons, pleines d’amour. De la même
façon, explique le Baal Chem Tov, quand
D.ieu observe que notre peuple est uni et
perçoit des liens d’amour véritable entre
nous,
Sa
joie
s’exprime
dans
d’abondantes bénédicons pour le succès
dans toutes nos entreprises de la nouvelle
année. Cela inclut, bien sûr, la bénédicon
ulme, l’arrivée de la Rédempon. Que
cela se produise immédiatement !■
Quand mon associé me raconta cee
histoire incroyable, je réalisai pourquoi il
avait été si ému de voir une lere du
Rabbi. Tout ceci était vraiment un effet de
la providence Divine !
Comme menonné plus haut, cee lere
aida Érèz en de mulples occasions. Ces
mots venant d’un homme comme le
Rabbi de Loubavitch – occupé avec des
personnalités et des sujets si importants
mais qui avait trouvé le temps de
répondre à la lere d’un jeune garçon –
montrent la véritable grandeur du Rabbi.
Surtout que les ‘Hassidim m’avaient
expliqué que, durant la période des
Seli’hot, le Rabbi limitait au maximum ce
genre d’acvités aux sujets les plus
urgents, ce qui rendait cee lere encore
plus étonnante. Je suis praquement
certain que je n’avais pas acquis ce
privilège par mes propres mérites mais
par le mérite de mon père et de mes
ancêtres des généraons passées !».■
LE COIN DE
LA HALACHA
Que fait-on à Roch Hachana ?
Dimanche 13 septembre 2015, après avoir
mis des pièces à la Tsedaka (charité), les
femmes, les jeunes filles et les petes
filles allument les bougies de Roch
Hachana ainsi qu’une bougie qui dure au
moins 48 heures (avant 18h 51) avec les
bénédicons suivantes :
1) : «Barou’h Ata Ado-naï Elo-hénou
Mélè’h Haolam Achère Kidéchanou
Bemitsvotav Vetsivanou Lehadlik Ner Chel
Yom Hazikarone» ; et (2) : «Barou’h Ata
Ado-naï Elo-hénou Mélè’h Haolam
Chéhé’héyanou Vekiyemanou Vehigianou
Lizmane Hazé».
(«Béni sois-Tu Eternel notre D.ieu Roi du
monde qui nous as sancfiés par Ses
commandements et nous as ordonné
d’allumer les lumières du jour du
souvenir. Béni sois-Tu Eternel notre D.ieu
Roi du monde qui nous a fait vivre, exister
et arriver à cet instant»).
Après la prière du soir, on se souhaite
mutuellement : «Lechana Tova Tikatev
Veté’hatème » - «Sois inscrit(e) et scellé
(e) pour une bonne année». Après le
Kiddouch, on se lave les mains
rituellement et on trempe la ‘Halla dans le
miel et non dans le sel (et ce, jusqu’à
Hochaana Rabba, dimanche 4 octobre
inclus).
Ensuite on trempe un morceau de
pomme douce dans le miel, on dit la
bénédicon : «Haèts» et on ajoute : «Yehi
Ratsone
Milfané’ha
Chete’hadèche
Alénou Chana Tova Oumetouka» («Que
ce soit Ta volonté de renouveler pour
nous une année bonne et douce»).
Durant le repas, on s’efforce de manger
de la tête d’un poisson, des caroes
sucrées ou du gâteau au miel, une
grenade et, en général, des aliments
doux, pas trop épicés, comme signes
d’une bonne et douce année.
Lundi soir 14 septembre, les femmes, les
Michoel Leib Dobry
Traduit par Feiga Lubecki
(Connuer à la page 16)
Mosaic Express
l 15
HORAIRE
DE LA SEMAINE
ROCH HACHANA
13 Septembre, Erev Hag
Minha…………………..……..…6h30
Dvar Tora………...…7h05 a 7h20
Arvit... ……….………………….7h20
14 Septembre, 1 Tichrey
Shahrit
Korbanot……………………….8h00
Hachém Melech…………....8h20
Barechou………..…...……….9h00
Sepher Torah...…..…...….10h00
Dvar Torah du rabbin….10h45
Shophar………..……….…...11h15
Adon Olam………………....12h30
Minha……………...………....5h45
Tachlih……………...………...6h15
Arvit…….…………….…..…...7h35
15 Septembre, 2 Tichrey
Shahrit
Korbanot……………………….8h00
Hachém Melech…………....8h20
Barechou………..…...……….9h00
Sepher Torah...…..…...….10h00
Dvar Torah du rabbin….10h45
Shophar………..……….…...11h15
Adon Olam………………....12h30
Minha…….……….…………..6h30
Dvar Tora……….…………...7h05
Arvit….…….…….………..…..7h35
EDITORIAL
Au commencement
Nous allons entrer dans une nouvelle
année, elle sera la 5776ème du nom.
Mais gardons-nous de penser qu’il
s’agit simplement d’un changement de
numéro, comme une page arrachée sur
un calendrier. Une année qui
commence est liéralement un
événement prodigieux. Car c’est, au
sens strict, d’un nouveau début qu’il
s’agit. Comme au premier jour de la
créaon, une lumière nouvelle descend
dans ce monde, une lumière qui n’y
était jamais venue. Et son rayonnement
est celui du commencement. En
d’autres termes, l’univers que nous
allons vivre est fondamentalement
différent. Même s’il paraît à nos yeux
imparfaits que nous ne faisons que
poursuivre les jours, nous entrons dans
une réalité nouvelle.
C’est le sens de la liturgie de Roch
Hachana dans son ensemble. Nous y
proclamons que D.ieu est le Roi de
l’univers et nous L’implorons de bien
vouloir connuer de l’être. Car, en ce
jour, un combat se mène dont l’enjeu
n’est rien de moins que le mainen du
monde. L’année précédente, le
Créateur a donné la vitalité nécessaire à
Voici donc entrepris le grand voyage
des fêtes de Tichri. Nous le savons : les
escales seront nombreuses et chacune
sera importante. Chacune apportera
une œuvre nouvelle à accomplir avec
sa bénédicon parculière. Nous les
vivrons ensemble, pour une année
bonne et douce, chargée de nos
espoirs réalisés.■
et on récite la prière de Tachli’h.
jeunes filles et les petes filles allument
les bougies de la fête (après 19h 54) à
parr de la flamme allumée avant la fête,
avec les mêmes bénédicons que la veille.
Durant les deux jours de Roch Hachana, on
évite les paroles inules et on s’efforce de
lire de nombreux Tehilim (Psaumes).
Lundi 14 et mardi 15 septembre, on
écoute la sonnerie du Choffar. Si on n’a
pas pu l’entendre à la synagogue, on peut
encore l’écouter toute la journée.
Lundi après-midi, après la prière de
Min’ha, on se rend près d’un cours d’eau
l Mosaic Express
Le Choffar – comme l’appel de l’enfant
à son Père, comme aussi la trompee
guerrière un jour de victoire. Sa
sonnerie s’élève et elle brise les
barrières à commencer par celles que
nos propres défaillances ont élevé
entre nous et D.ieu. Alors plus rien
n’existe que cee relaon entre le
Créateur et Sa créaon et, écoutant la
sonnerie du Choffar avec miséricorde,
Il donne à chacun cee année
merveilleuse dont nous rêvons tous.
(Connuer de la page 15)
On aura auparavant placé sur la table un
fruit nouveau, qu’on mangera après le
Kiddouch, avant le repas.
16
l’univers pour un an. Elle est épuisée à
Roch Hachana et doit être renouvelée.
Il faut que D.ieu le décide et c’est cela
que nous lui demandons au son du
Choffar
–
décidément
le
commandement central du jour.
Il est permis de porter des objets dans la
rue les deux jours de Roch Hachana.
Jusqu’à Yom Kippour inclus, on ajoute dans
la prière du man le Psaume 130 et on
récite man et après-midi (sauf Chabbat) la
prière «Avinou Malkénou» («Notre Père,
notre Roi»). On ajoute certains passages de
supplicaon dans la prière de la «Amida».
On mulplie les actes de charité et, en
général, on s’efforce d’être davantage
scrupuleux dans l’accomplissement des
Mitsvot.■