This is My Torah Scroll

Hey Everyone!
Tonight is the Jewish holiday of "Shemini Atzeret," while tomorrow Night (Thursday) is the joyous holiday of "Simchat Torah" - full of dancing with Torahs & saying "L'chaim!" We celebrate the completion of the Torah by dancing with the Torah, every Jew together, scholar and beginner alike, for in essence we are all equal and have an equal share in the Torah given to all of us by G-d at Mt. Sinai.
Below is an amazing true story that I've always loved - I hope you enjoy.
May you have a very happy holiday! (For more info on the holiday, see: Simchat Torah)

By Ruth Benjamin


Henryk was very young in 1945, when the War ended and solitary survivors tried frantically to trace their relatives. He had spent what seemed to be most of his life with his nanny, who had hidden him away from the Nazis at his father's request. There was great personal risk involved, but the woman had readily taken it, as she loved the boy.



All the Jews were being killed, and Henryk's nanny did not think for a moment that the father,Joseph Foxman, would survive the infamous destruction of the Vilna Ghetto. He would surely have been transferred to Auschwitz -— and everyone knew that nobody ever came back from Auschwitz. She therefore had no scruples about adopting the boy, having him baptized into the Catholic Church and taught catechism by the local priest.

He told his son that he was a Jew and that his name was Avraham
It was Simchat Torah when his father came to take him. The heartbroken nanny had packed all his clothing and his small catechism book, stressing to the father that the boy had become a good Catholic. Joseph Foxman took his son by the hand and led him directly to the Great Synagogue of Vilna. On the way, he told his son that he was a Jew and that his name was Avraham.

Not far from the house, they passed the church and the boy reverently crossed himself, causing his father great anguish. Just then, a priest emerged who knew the boy, and when Henryk rushed over to kiss his hand, the priest spoke to him, reminding him of his Catholic faith.

Everything inside of Joseph wanted to drag his son away from the priest and from the church. But he knew that this was not the way to do things. He nodded to the priest, holding his son more closely. After all, these people had harbored his child and saved the child's life. He had to show his son Judaism, living Judaism, and in this way all these foreign beliefs would be naturally abandoned and forgotten.

They entered the Great Synagogue of Vilna, now a remnant of a past, vibrant Jewish era. There they found some Jewish survivors from Auschwitz who had made their way back to Vilna and were now rebuilding their lives and their Jewish spirits. Amid the stark reality of their suffering and terrible loss, in much diminished numbers, they were singing and dancing with real joy while celebrating Simchat Torah.

Avraham stared wide-eyed around him and picked up a tattered prayer book with a touch of affection. Something deep inside of him responded to the atmosphere, and he was happy to be there with the father he barely knew. He held back, though, from joining the dancing.

A Jewish man wearing a Soviet Army uniform could not take his eyes off the boy, and he came over to Joseph. "Is this child... Jewish?" he asked, a touch of awe in his voice.

"This is the first live Jewish child I have come across in all this time..."
The father answered that the boy was Jewish and introduced his son. As the soldier stared at Henryk-Avraham, he fought to hold back tears. "Over these four terrible years, I have traveled thousands of miles, and this is the first live Jewish child I have come across in all this time. Would you like to dance with me on my shoulders?" he asked the boy, who was staring back at him, fascinated.

The father nodded permission, and the soldier hoisted the boy high onto his shoulders. With tears now coursing down his cheeks and a heart full of real joy, the soldier joined in the dancing.

"This is my Torah scroll," he cried.

Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League -- the Avraham in our story -- remembers this as his first conscious feeling of a connection with Judaism and of being a Jew.

Beneath the Surface

Tom. night & Saturday, this coming Shabbat, is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar - Yom Kippur.
A day of fasting, lengthy prayer service, and secret day dreams of the break-fast meal... But what is the significance & power of this day really, at its core?

The answer is exactly that: the core. On this day we have the ability to reach into our core, the essence
of who we truly are. For generally we identify ourselves with what we do, not who we are.
Behind every experience, there's an I experiencing it.
And no matter what path we have led so far in life, no matter what negative actions we have done, the true "I" in us
remains unscathed. At our core we are pure and limitless, our essence unscathed through all the mud.
We are not our actions - and must always remember that our inner light can never be extinguished, through thick & thin.
At this time of year we often blow the shofar, for the shofar represents the simple cry of the soul - beyond our usual words & outer expression.

On Yom Kippur, Jewish Mysticism explains, this core of our beings, this essence of our souls known as "Yechidah" - is revealed
throughout the day, but primarily during "ne'ilah" - the 5th & last prayer which corresponds to this 5th level of the soul. Ne'ilah means "closing" - representing the closing of the heavenly gates at the end of Yom Kippur. But our mystics explain, that the gates aren't closing with us on the outside, but we are closed in with G-d on the inside, in the deepest connection and embrace.
Thus, we have the power on this day to not just focus on the break-fast meal of cream cheese & lox, or even just the prayer pages,
but to try and peer past the physical, material world around us - to the deeper core of the world & our inner selves.
For much of the other 364 days of the year, society succeeds in getting our attention diverted from ever thinking about our
personal purpose for existing. From ever trying to realize our fullest potential.

"Teshuvah," often translated as "Repentance," really translates as "Return." While possible throughout the entire year,
in these 24 hrs. G-d Gives us a special, sanctified haven in time to re-connect and return to our true selves, beyond our actions.
And then in turn we connect with G-d on a level beyond our usual relationship - to a place beyond our sins & mistakes, where all can be forgiven.

So Let's take advantage! Have an easy fast :)

-Daniel
S. Diego, CA
P.S. Please forgive me if I have ever wronged you, and may you & yours be blessed & sealed for a sweet yr. materially, physically, & spiritually!

Why the 6th Day?

Tomorrow night (Wed. Night - Fri. Night), Jews worldwide will be celebrating Rosh Hashana, the special holiday which marks the time in which we crown G-d as our King, renewing our desire to connect to and serve Him for another year.

But let's take a closer look at this holiday.
Rosh Hashana literally means "the Beginning of the year," and is a time which marks G-d's Creation of the world.
But the truth is, that the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, the day in which we observe Rosh Hashana, is marked as the 6th day of creation, not the 1st! If Rosh Hashana marks the creation of the world, Why would G-d not have rather Commanded us to celebrate Rosh Hashana on the day in which marks the 1st day of creation!?

The answer to this question is a very profound one - an answer which actually points out our Raison d'etre (sorry, I just left France) - our very purpose of existence and reason for being. Our Sages explain in the mystical writings, that G-d's Intention for all of creation - from the multitude of spiritual worlds to the innumerable amount of galaxies and creatures that rove our planet - was all for the sake of the human being. All for the 6th day of creation, the 1st day of Tishrei, when Adam and Chava (Eve) were created. That is why we celebrate Rosh Hashanah on this day. Why?
We are told (as quoted in Psalms) that on the 1st day of Creation, Adam brought all created beings together, saying:
"Bo'u Nishtachaveh, V'nichra'ah..." - Come, let us prostrate ourselves and bow down; let us bend the knee before the L-rd, our Maker. (Psalms 95:6)
Man & woman were created in order to perfect creation, the only ones able & entrusted to bring the world to an awareness of G-d and Truth.

But have we done the job?
A quick glance at history might suggest the opposite.
Human beings have done great things, but they've also messed the world up quite badly. Man is capable of the most amazingly great things, but is also capable of the very worst evil.
G-d Had this in mind when he gave Abraham's descendants the Torah. Torah means "Lesson", a guidebook for the journey
of life, showing us the way in which we can perfect the world.
Through adhering to the Torah, the Jewish People would help all to perfect the world - to be a 'Light onto the Nations'.
And we have. As bad as history has been, much growth and progress has occurred. So much goodness and light have shone in the world.
From Ethical Monotheism to equal rights, charity to education, freedom & valueing loving-kindness, the Torah & the Jewish People have reshaped the world.
As the 2nd President of the U.S., John Adams, said in 1808:
“I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern.”



But there is so much more to do. Moshiach hasn't come yet, the world is still entrenched in hate, serenity escapes us.
The other day I was in Pompeii, Italy, perusing through the ruins of this once glorious city of Roman life. Great pillars and gardens, mosaics and statues.
The greatest dominance & brilliance the world had ever seen. But all that was left from this hedonistic culture were ruins.
Rome's dynasty is no more.
What has remained though are the Jews, bearers of the Torah and proclaimers of G-d's Unity. We have remained for a reason. G-d's Desire for Creating a world wasn't merely for us to indulge in material pleasures and ignore a higher purpose, but to lead the world to a recognition of G-d & a higher Intention.

Rosh Hashana is an opportune, special time for us to re-direct ourselves to this sacred mission of man, entrusted to us from the beginning of creation.

May you have a Chag Sameach! And may you & yours be written & sealed for a sweet year both materially & spiritually!

-Daniel
Venice, Italy

P.S. To see a guide to Rosh Hashana and stories, click here
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May you be written & sealed for a good & sweet year!