The Cry of the Prince

'And in the seventh month, on the first day, there shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall not perform any mundane work. It shall be a day of shofar sounding for you.' (Numbers 29:1)

This Sunday Night (through Tuesday Night) marks the beginning of Rosh Hashana - The start of the Jewish new year. The theme of Rosh Hashana, is that of renewal toward a better, more positive year. We ask God for a successful year Materially as well as spiritually, and we in turn ask God to be our King for another year. One of the central practices of the holiday is the sounding of the Shofar - the ram's horn, which serves both of the above themes: Just like when a King used to be coronated, trumpets were sounded, so too on Rosh Hashana when we appoint God as our desired king. What about our return toward a better path, an awakening of teshuva - returning to God and asking forgiveness for the past year and hope for a better one? How does the shofar help accomplish this? I mean, it is pretty amazing that for thousands of years we haven't moved on to a guitar or clarinet or any other musical instrument, but have always blown the shofar; but what does the shofar really accomplish?

The holy Baal Shem Tov gives a beautiful story to illustrate: There once lived a king in a faraway land who had an only son. One day, the king decided his son had grown old enough, and that it was time to send him off into the world to learn for himself life lessons and acquire wisdom. He wished his son well, giving him lots of money and provisions for the journey, and sent him off in a royal carriage. Days later, the prince arrived in an unknown town that attracted him. He decided to settle there and learn as much as he could. But as life often does, the prince began to get accustomed to the ways of the town, drinking at the local taverns and dancing the night away, forgetting his royal background, his father the king and the palace. Years passed. After a while, as we all know, even lots of money can dry up, and the prince began to look like all the other villagers; poor and ragged. After working a few dead-end jobs, the once regal prince was now wearing tattered clothing with barely a penny to his name, feeling down in the dumps. But one night, it hit him! "I'm a prince!" he thought. "What am I doing here in the dumps?! I must return to my father the king!" So off the prince went, this time by foot. After a 2 week journey, the prince found his way into the city, up the hill to the palace gates. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" The guards barked at this homeless wayfarer. "The prince sadly realized that not only had he lost all of the appearance of a prince, he had even forgot how to speak his native language properly!" As he was being pushed away, the prince - with no other course of action, cried out with a piercing cry of longing and pain. The king, standing by his palace window, immediately felt his heart melt - It was his son! He ran outside and embraced his son the prince.

Sometimes we mess up, we sin. But that's not who we are; we sin but are not sinners. We are taught that one's Jewish soul can never be tainted. It may be clouded over with some bad "clothing" here and there, but our pure interior is always latent, waiting to be sprung in a moment of spiritual connection. We are those princes. We may have strayed far from the palace of Hashem, from the Torah & Mitzvot, but we can return at any moment. The pure cry of the shofar (besides for reminding God of Abraham's sacrifice of the ram instead of his son, as well as the sounding of the shofar at the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai) reminds God, as well as ourselves, of our inherent inner purity and goodness that is unshakable.

May we use out these upcoming holidays in a spirit of joy and celebration, realizing how good we really are in essence, and where we can also improve for the coming year. {P.S. If you need a place to pray, all are welcome free of charge at Chabad of U.C. - 3813 Governor Dr.}

A King Without a Crown

In 2005, Hasidic Reggae singer Matisyahu had his breakthrough
with the hit song "King without a crown," which reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. What most radio listeners didn't realize, is that the song centers on a deeply significant theme that is the underlying message of the Rosh Hashana holiday.


Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur center around a few major ideas. We pray to G-d, asking to be inscribed for a good & sweet year, materially and spiritually; for ourselves, our family, and for all of Israel. We repent for our mistakes of the past year, asking forgiveness from G-d and from our fellow man whom we may have hurt. But one theme, according to Jewish mysticism, stands above the rest: Appointing G-d as our king.

The Rosh Hashanah service (besides for being long ) centers around the sounding of the shofar. Often likened to the cry of a young child to his parents, the shofar blasts also symbolize the coronation of G-d as King; much like trumpets at the anointing ceremonies of old. The obvious question arises: HOW can lowly us, fashioned by G-d out of dust, possibly have the ability to anoint the Infinite G-d as our King? Imagine you walked into your back yard one afternoon. You spot a small anthill and, walking up to it, announce proudly that you are king of this great ant nation. How absurd! To be a true king, one has to have a nation; one that is close to you in level, but subservient and devoted. So how can we anoint G-d as King?

The answer is very simple, and very powerful: We can anoint G-d as our king because we are close to Him. When G-d Created each speck of creation, from the angels in the highest of heavens to the lowest creatures of the sea bed, the Torah says: "He Spoke." G-d Used speech. But when He created man & woman, the Torah says G-d "Blew" a soul into their bodies. This is all metaphorical, but a clear difference between speech & a deep breath is clearly symbolized here: One can speak for hours & hours without pause, because one uses his external breath with a minimum output. A deep breath comes from the innermost depths of a person, and therefore leaves him quite breathless. When G-d created each of us, placing our precious, individual souls in our bodies, He had a nation that was close to Him, albeit on a hidden level. On Rosh Hashanah, we work to reveal that inner soul & return the crown to the King, asking Him to be our beloved King for another year. It's lovely to have such a great king, especially when you are His prince or princess.

May you & your family have an amazingly sweet year, filled with abundant blessings physically, materially, and spiritually, in all areas of good! If I have wronged you in any way, please forgive me :)
Shana Tovah!

-Daniel

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!