Old Hillel used to say (Gemara, Masechet Sukka, 53): Hashem says: if you come to my house I will come to your house, and if you do not come to my house I will not come to your house. Therefore, during the time of Beth Hamikdash, each person who wished to be merited with the blessing of Hashem; that Hashem will visit his home and endow His blessing, used to walk for the holiday to Beth Hamikdash, and thus, Hashem came to his home throughout the year and reflected abundance and great blessing upon him. Unfortunately, due to our numerous sins, the Beth Mikdash was destroyed. Yet, “a stone will scream from its wall”, and sages said that Hashem took from the stones of Beth Hamikdash and scattered them around the world, and in each place a stone fell, a synagogue or Beth Midrash is built.
One shall know that on the evening of this holy festival, each time a man enters a synagogue, a Beth Midrash, a Torah class, Hashem says: if you come to my house, I will come to your house, and thus, the man drags plenty of abundance into his home and family.
It is now the end of the dreadful and special days; the holy holidays have passed and this sanctified festival is the one left, when we are obligated to rejoice a truthful joy and pour out our hearts before the Creator of the world; “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of Hashem”. We have to request mercy and pardon from our holy Torah and rejoice with it an ingenuous joy. Moreover, we ought to take upon ourselves to be, all of us, in this coming year, from “Bereshit” until “Vezot Habracha” part of the holy Torah, and to move away with all force from disputes, which yields no benefit and which leaves many death on it way. Often, the dispute is dressed up as if it is for the sake of heaven, however, one shall know that it bears a big danger.
It can be commented: the verse: “cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it”. The bread is a sign for the holy Torah, as it is written: “Come and partake of my food”. Water implies on a dispute, as sages say: when the world was created Hashem separated the upper water, which is the sky, and the lower water (on earth), and it leaded to a dispute. Therefore, on the second day Hashem did not blessed “it was good”, as that day had a dispute. It shall be understood: if you recognize a time or a situation which entails a dispute over the Torah, you shall cast your breads; move away from this group. Even though they apparently hold the Torah in their hands, and it is your bread, you better send it upon the water, towards the sign of dispute. Meaning, you shall not be part of this group. You should not feel sorry for missing this studying, for after many days you will find it, with no disputes or hatred, but untainted and pure, and clear.
We ought to try with all might to adhere to the Torah and we shall know that Hashem and Israel and the Torah are one. We shall try to take upon ourselves on this holy festival, that in every Beth Midrash of shuva Israel, and each individual who tries to follow the way which we wish to impose, shall read every morning at the end of his prayer the “Tikun hanefesh” with precision and loudly, and with the right of this elevated Mitzvah may we get to fix our soul.
We shall request from our holy Torah to rise before Hashem and advocate for the sake of the entire congregation of Shuva Israel. These holy days, are days of Hashem’s love for the people of Israel. It was commented about this verse from “Song of Songs”: “If only, despite my wrongs, You could comfort me as Yosef did, like a brother nurtured at my mother’s breasts, if in the streets I found Your prophets I would kiss You and embrace You through them, nor could anyone despise me for it”. Sages explained: there are two sorts of love; love between a man and his wife, and love between brothers. Love between a man and his wife is a hidden love; it is not obvious, whereas love between brothers is open and revealed; when a person meets his brother in the street he could kiss him for he loves him. We request from Hashem that our love to Hashem, as well as His love for us will be like the love between brothers, and more, that it will not merely be the love to an older brother, but it should resemble the love for a young brother who still nurses from his mother’s breasts. When you meet him at the street you kiss him at the streets too “if in the streets I found Your prophets I would kiss You”. May the power of love we have these days for Hashem yields to the reflection of vast abundance from all the worlds.
When we observe this sanctified holiday, we find that it does not impose a specific Mitzvah except of rejoicing. The holiday of Sukkot has “Etrog”, “Lulav”, Sukka etc etc. but this holiday has no special Mitzvah, and why? It can be explained that the seven days of the holiday are parallel to a person’s life, which are seventy in number. Each day stands against ten years in the man’s life, and the second holiday, which is “Shmini Atzeret” stands against a world which is whole good; the heavenly world. Therefore, it is said about the heavenly world: the dead ones are free and the righteous ones wear crowns to their heads”. And on this holiday, there is no special Mitzvah, as sages say: “the dead ones are free”; meaning that they are free from all Mitzvoth and the entire work of this holiday is the work of joy.
We request from all our loved and cherished brothers and fellows on this holy day to plea to Hashem for the sake of us and our home and the holy Yeshiva; that we get to sanctify the Name of Hashem and this verse will be implemented in us: “Blessed is the one who sanctifies His Name in public”, “a year and its curses will be over and a new year with its blessings will start”; a year of light; a year of success; a year of redemption; a year of livelihood; a year of repentance. May we get this year to comprehend the hidden secrets, and we know that all the great miracles in these generations; from Esther and Mordechai, are seemingly the way of nature.
May we get to see within this month of Tishrei: And the Jewish people had light and joy and delight and honor.
Happy holiday and good news; salvation and redemption real soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment