A Child's Love

As we near the "high holidays", especially those of Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur, many people start to feel a bit of apprehension, looking at these "judgement" days as serious and heavy. While it's true that these days are especially holy times to connect to G-d, repent for past misdeeds, and make up to do better the coming year, perhaps it would be better to take a step back & look at this time from a different perspective.

As any father of a teenage child will tell you, coming home from work isn't the same as it used to be. "When my son was young, he used to greet me with such enthusiasm and joy when I returned home. As soon as my key had entered the keyhole of the front door, I would here his voice scream: "Daddy's home!"
Now when I come home, he barely looks up at me. Perhaps he'll mutter a "hi." One time I overheard him on the phone talking to his friend: "When my dad comes home, it's so annoying! I have to be careful of what I do, I have to hide anything bad..." My heart dropped. Here I was, working hard so that my family could have a good life. If I get involved in my son's life, it's not for MY good. I'm doing it for him!"

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to forget for a second the laws & commandments of Judaism. Even though G-d isn't only telling us to do them for His sake, but rather for our sake as well; to benefit us spiritually & even physically. Rather, as we approach the high holidays, let's try and remember the original connection our souls have with G-d, arousing that pure, uncomplicated love. Like a child's feeling of joy & love when he hears the key in the door, let us reconnect & arouse the natural love & joy we have for our father.
He only wants the best for us.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Creating our Universe - a R. Hashana Meditation

B"H

Certain things are taken for granted.
For example, when we turn on a sink faucet, we expect and assume that water will emerge from the tap. Or a child in most households who opens the refrigerator expects to find food on its shelves. In truth, however, neither the water nor the food appear on their own. There is a well-staffed company which maintains the water pipes and pumps necessary to draw water from the reservoir into the residential home, and parents invest incredible energy to stock the refrigerator...

Beginning tomorrow night, Friday (the 1st day of Tishrei) and continuing through Sunday evening, Jews the world over will be petitioning G-d to continue maintaining the universe, like 'water through the tap' for another year. In the absence of the steady flow of Divine energy, all would cease to exist. As we celebrate the momentous holiday of "Rosh Hashana," the anniversary of the creation of the universe, we are not only commemorating creation, but are asking for a renewal of it. Our mystics explain that during these 48 hrs., depending on our requests & will, G-d Will Decide whether to renew the world for another year (and of course, whether that year will be filled w/ wealth, health, and all of our daily needs and desires).
Also, these 48 hrs. are considered the "Rosh" (lit. head) of our year - which, like a head, contains all of the life force for every hr. & day of the coming year (like limbs of the body).

Big Stuff huh?

There's just one hitch to this whole equation: Why in the world (no pun intended) are we commemorating the creation of the world, and are working to have it renewed, on the 1st day of Tishrei!?
"Why not?" you ask.
Well, it just so happens that the Midrash writes that Adam & Eve were created on this 1st day of Tishrei (Rosh Hashana). And we know that they were created on the 6th day of creation.
{ed. note: if you've happen to have been beaten over the head w/ the concept of the world's being formed by chance, check: here , here , or here as food for thought}
Which means that we're really celebrating Rosh Hashana and G-d's Creation on the 6th day of creation. How absurd!

Or is it?

Our Wise Sages explain that this is not by chance. The initial creation of the world came out of G-d's Kindness. But after that, every year the decision to continue creating & enlivening our universe depends on us. That is why we celebrate Rosh Hashana on the 6th day of Creation, for it's on every man and woman to work on our performance of G-d's Will in improving this world and ourselves, in order to elicit G-d's Will for Creation again each year. Our efforts directly affect the creation of the universe.
This idea can be very inspirational, for it shows how vital our efforts really are, in our day to day lives.
The number one focus of the short, precious hours of Rosh Hashana, say our Sages, is to crown Hashem joyfully as our King for another year. For that joy and willingness evokes in G-d the Will to be King for this coming year over His beloved people and world. By contemplating that we are able to give such a pleasure to the Infinite G-d, hopefully this actually can inspire us to really feel joyful when we sit in the synagogue or wherever we are this Rosh Hashana, and inspire us to live a year of more productivity in all areas of good.

May you be inscribed & sealed for a good and sweet year, physically and spiritually, and may all your dreams be fulfilled in all areas of good. And may we all merit to meet together here in Yerushalayim, with the final redemption, may it happen now!!

Daniel
Jerusalem, Israel

P.S. Please forgive me if I have wronged you in any way this yr.!

Hide & Go-Seek

Dear Friends and family

As we head for our local synagogues for the great high holidays of Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur,

we can approach the day(s) in 1 of 2 ways: As a boring/tiresome day, or a unique and special time to think and connect with something Greater than ourselves..

Once, there was a great Rabbi who was sitting in his home learning. Suddenly, his young son burst into the room sobbing loudly. His father asked what had happened. "I was playing hide & go seek with my friends, and I was chosen to hide. I hid & hid & hid... and no one came to look for me!"

The boy's father then burst into tears. Seeing the confusion on his son's face, the great Rabbi said: "G-d Does the same thing. He Hides and no one searches..."

G-d, no doubt about it, isn't openly seen or revealed. Especially these days, in the final days of exile. But from the vast Pacific Ocean waves to the most minute ladybug, from a peacock to your beating heart, from the divine providence seen in our own lives, G-d Reveals Himself. We just have to search. When we pray during these high holidays (in English or Hebrew) we can try maybe, to think where WE see G-d in our own lives. His guiding of MY own path-and also of nature and the world at large.

I was thinking something: Doesn't it happen often, when watching a good movie; as it nears its end, and the movie has just hit its peak (i.e. Gladiator after he kills the emperor :) one feels that he doesn't want the movie to end. Why is that? Because we enjoy going beyond ourselves for a little while. Into a deeper reality, a deeper existence.

Judaism is the movie that never ends... :)

P.S. please come over to my house for any holidays like sukkot! Ill be home in 2 weeks 858-452-6205