Congregation K.I.N.S. of West Rogers Park HIGH · is the story of the great Reb Yisrael Salanter who was once walking along the streets of Kovno in the rain, only to discover that

1HIGH HOLIDAY READER

Congregation K.I.N.S. of West Rogers Park

HIGH HOLIDAY READER

2CONGREGATION K.I.N.S. OF WEST ROGERS PARK

© 2020 Congregation K.I.N.S

Congregation K.I.N.S. of West Rogers Park

2800 W North Shore Ave, Chicago, IL 60645www.congkins.org • [email protected] • 773.761.4000

Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, RabbiRabbi Yechiel Bresler, Assistant Rabbi


Congregation K.I.N.S.

High Holiday ReaderOpen Your Eyes: Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky

.................................................................................................................... Page 5

There Are No Detours in Life: Rabbi Yechiel Bresler.................................................................................................................... Page 9

Gapping and Bridging: The Akeidah’s Dual Lesson: Rabbi Noach Goldstein.................................................................................................................... Page 12

Ten Squared: Dibrot and Teshvuah: Rabbi Ari Zucker.................................................................................................................... Page 15

Tzedakah Will Save: Rabbi Reuven Gottesman.................................................................................................................... Page 17

The Mitzva of Teshuvah on Rosh Hashana: Howard Karesh.................................................................................................................... Page 18

The Love of Ephraim: Zevi David.................................................................................................................... Page 21

Sarah and Hagar: Shoshi Kahn.................................................................................................................... Page 23

Returning to Hashem: Moti Loterstein.................................................................................................................... Page 27

Thoughts on the Haftorah of the Second Day of Rosh Hashana: Leah F. Cohen.................................................................................................................... Page 29


Elul 5780

Dear K.I.N.S. Family,

The high holiday season is a time for listening.

We recite the blessing of lishmo’a kol shofar – to hear the sound of the shofar. We plead with G-d, shma koleinu – hear our voices. And of course, we hear the haunting sounds of the High Holiday tefilot and the words of Torah shared through derashot.

But this year is different. This year our prayers will be muted, our shofar masked, and our communal experiences distanced.

While some K.I.N.S. members are still not able to venture out because of the pandemic, many of us will be in shul, some for the first time since everything started. But even still, we realize we will not get to share proper Yom Tov greetings or traditional words of Torah.

For this reason, we have decided to assemble this High Holiday Reader, a booklet that opens with two sermons and is filled with Torah from within our own K.I.N.S. Family. Thank you to all those who submitted essays and a special thank you to Mrs. Tirza Kahan for giving of her time and expertise in editing the submissions.

We are so proud of our synagogue community and pleased to share this work with you. But even more, we want you to know that we are thinking of all of you – praying for the day when we will be able to interact and celebrate Torah with our entire community as one.

May you be rewarded for the great work and efforts you have put into seeking G-d during this past year and, in particular, for your concern for your health and well-being as well as that of the entire community.

May this year be filled with good health, much happiness, and growth in our Avodat Hashem.

Shana Tova,Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky Rabbi Yechiel Bresler


Open Your EyesRabbi Leonard A. Matanky

Many years ago, most sermons for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur fit into one of two categories:

either they led up to an appeal and therefore their endings were almost always “give gelt,” or they began with a cry and ended with a “gevalt.” As the old joke goes “What’s a Jewish telegram? It’s a message which reads, ‘Letter to follow – start worrying.’”

For this reason, most years I’ve chosen to celebrate these days and share a story or two, and then a reflection to prepare you to face the challenges of these days a little stronger and little less anxious.

Yet, the year that has just ended has been so different than most that a cry of “gevalt” is in order.

This has been a year in which we have faced a pandemic and been forced to stay home, maintain our distance, and stay masked. And it is a year in which riots and violence, looting and murders have seized the headlines. And it is a year of tornados and hurricanes, fire and drought, all proving once again the power of G-d in nature.

So, this year, we should cry “gevalt” and maybe even shed a tear. Then, with a measure of trepidation and fear, consider

what all of these events mean to us. Because they must have meaning and they must leave us with a lesson.

What have we learned?

We have learned (or we have relearned) that our world can be turned upside-down in a matter of days. We have learned that what we do impacts the lives of others. And we have learned that some among us have great difficulty with difficulties, and may not have the “grit” needed to weather these storms or care enough about others to wear a mask.

We have learned that despite it all, the overwhelming majority of us treasure the opportunity to come together to daven, celebrate, and see one another. And we have learned how we can create simcha in the midst of tragedy, and how we can stay connected even when we are apart.

Yet, as believing Jews, we must look once again to the Torah to try to make sense of all that has happened.

Which is what I will ask you to do through the prism of the Torah reading of the first day of Rosh Hashana, via a story that, at first glance, may seem to be far removed from these tragic events,


but which upon further consideration, provides answers and perspective.

Of course, the focus of the first day of Rosh Hashana is the birth of Yitzchak, the miracle of two parents of very advanced age conceiving and then giving birth to a child. Because בראש השנה נפקדה this story took place on Rosh – שרהHashana. And yet, that is not all that we read.

For at the end of this morning’s Torah portion, we also revisited one of the most difficult things Avraham ever had to do, banish his eldest son, Yishmael, from his house.

Why? Because Sarah, who had greater prophetic powers than he, saw it necessary to do so to protect Yitzchak, the heir to the covenant of Avraham.

Yet, it was a painful decision, a test, according to some, no less demanding than any of the other tests Avraham had to endure. Nevertheless, Avraham arose early in the morning and gave Hagar bread and a container of water. And he placed the provisions on her shoulder – וישלחה ,together with the boy – ואת הילד –and he sent them away.

Have you ever been at the airport as parents send their children off for a year of study in Israel? It is a painful and tumultuous scene as parents cry, and children cry, despite the great

opportunity which lies ahead, and even though they will be reunited in just a few months. Compare that to what Avraham had to do, and then try, if you can, to imagine that scene. Imagine not only how Hagar and Yishmael must have felt, but even how Avraham felt.

It must have been emotionally overpowering, for while the Torah is somewhat silent, it does give us a small clue; the way 14-year-old Yishmael is described not as a נער, a teenager, but as a a boy, Avraham’s son, his boy, whom ,ילדhe must now abandon, most likely never to see again.

But what happened next is even more disturbing.

Once Hagar and Yishmael entered the wilderness, their water ran out, and Hagar, unable to cope, cast off her son to die under one of the bushes – ותשא את ,and she began to cry. She cried – קלה ותבךmost likely because she was helpless and had fallen so low. She cried because she saw no hope. And she must have cried streamfulls of tears, but G-d did not answer her cries. Rather, וישמע אלקים G-d answered the voice of – את קול הנערthe teenager – a voice whose words nor sounds are not heard in the text of the Torah.

G-d sent an angel to speak with Hagar, and admonish her: מה לך הגר – What is


with you, Hagar? How can you cast off your son and give up so easily? If your child is in pain, listen to his cries. Hold on to him, comfort him, and fight for his life!

And then G-d opened Hagar’s eyes: ויפקח And she saw a spring of – אלקים את עיניהwater which she had not seen before. Not that it was not there before, but she had not seen it before. She went over, filled her container with water, and ותשק .gave her son to drink ,את הנער

That is the story. It is filled with pain and sorrow, and it’s a tale of suspense and danger. Why was it included in the Torah reading of Rosh Hashana? Why speak of Yishmael, when his brother Yitzchak is the focus of the day?

The Chidushei HaRim, HaRav Yitzchak Meir Alter, says this is to teach us and remind us that, ultimately, G-d places right before us whatever we need in life, All we need to do is to open our eyes and see.

Open our eyes and see! That’s the lesson wanted us to understand on this חז ”לday because it’s so powerful that it can answer any cry, any troubles we face.

Open our eyes and see – it is the ability to understand that there is so much we should be thankful for despite our troubles.

We are a generation that has so very much; influence and access, resources, and opportunities like no other generation of Jews in modern history.

We have a homeland that, despite all of its troubles, is not only a safe haven but also the fulfillment of the verse כי as more Torah and Torah – מצוין תצא תורהleadership come from Israel than the rest of the world combined.

And we have freedoms in this great country, opportunities as never before. For while there is a rise in antisemitism that can never be ignored, we are no longer helpless victims, but a proud people that has and will stand up for its rights.

And we have more Torah learning than ever before, more access to shiurim, more opportunities to learn today online, and soon in-person, than any generation could have ever imagined.

Open our eyes and see that despite the pain of this year, a pain which will not quickly disappear, we still have a dream, and we still have people who will act unselfishly, who give and then give again, who inspire us with their warmth, their care, and their support. Therefore, we have so much to be thankful for; so much that our ancestors could have only dreamed of that despite the pain, and despite the tragedy, we are still blessed.


And maybe it takes tragedies such as these to open our eyes and realize this.

But what next? What now and what about the coming year? For that, there is the story of the great Reb Yisrael Salanter who was once walking along the streets of Kovno in the rain, only to discover that he had a gaping hole in his shoe.

Passing by a cobbler’s shop, he went in to have them fixed. But he noticed that the cobbler’s candle was down to about an inch. Realizing that the cobbler needed the light of the candle to light his way home, Reb Yisroel volunteered to come back another day.

But the cobbler insisted on doing the work right then, saying – מיין טאטע פלעגט מיר זאגן, אז כל זמן עס בלייבט נאך א ביסל ליכט, איז My father used to say ,נאך דו צייט צו פארריכטןto me that as long as there is still a little candlelight left, there is time to mend.”

So what do we do?

First, we must accept that none of us can relive our past. We can’t undo what has happened this past year. We cannot pretend that pandemics did not strike, smachot weren’t missed, and people didn’t pass away.

Next, we must open our eyes to the blessings G-d has placed before us.

Then we must realize that as long as

there is a flame of life in each one of us, we must work to repair the damage we have suffered, by extending a hand, reaching out to help, sending support, and working to bridge that which divides us.

Henry David Thoreau once said: “Man is the artificer of his own happiness,” which means that we can decide when to sit back and cry and when to get up and work. But it also means that while life is never perfect, it is up to us to find the well, see G-d’s blessings, and move forward in life to build and rebuild, to help and create a new year that was better than the old.

May this be a good new year. May it be a year of bright skies and starry nights—a year in which, if the storms do come, whether from G-d or man, we will have the strength within us, and the support of those around us, to help us survive and enable us to rebuild.


There Are No Detours in LifeRabbi Yechiel Bresler

Imagine that the following conversation took place one year ago on Rosh Hashana:

Rabbi: This year your Avodat Hashem will involve you davening for nearly half the year at home, by yourself.Congregant: Come on Rabbi, that’s not what Hashem wants from me!

Rabbi: Not only that, but your Avodat Hashem will require that you have your Pesach Seder at home, without any guests, not even family!Congregant: But on Pesach we invite “all who are hungry, come and eat!”

Rabbi: For your Avodat Hashem this year, you will not be allowed to learn in a Beit Medrash, your children will not be allowed to go to learn at school, and you will likely be unable to perform many of the previous community chesed projects.Congregant: Those are the pillars of the world – Torah, Avodah (Tefillah), and Gemilut Chassadim. How could those be removed from their typical role in my service of G-d?

Rabbi: True, but don’t forget, our Avodat Hashem is to do whatever Hashem asks of us, whatever, wherever, and whenever.

In fact, this is what happened. Who could have imagined? But yet, here we are on Rosh Hashana, and our Avodat Hashem this past year was unlike any previous year in our lives. In fact, some of us may be left asking ourselves, what did we accomplish this past year? I couldn’t focus on other people because I was so focused on maintaining my own sanity. I couldn’t properly focus on my Tefillah without having the community around me to inspire me. I couldn’t even host or attend lifecycle events of those closest to me! It is so easy to feel despair, thinking this could not possibly have been the year that Hashem expected from me!

In some ways, we can imagine Avraham having had similar feelings. See, Avraham was promised in Bereishit 12:2 “I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing,” and, again in 13:16, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.” More specifically, Avraham is told by G-d in 21:12, “Through Yitzchak will offspring be considered yours.” In


other words, Avraham had been told by G-d directly that he would father a great nation and that would come by means of his son Yitzchak. Yet, in the very next chapter, Avraham is presented with the test of the Akeidah. G-d tells Avraham to take Yitzchak, the son that represented his entire future, and “bring him up as an offering.” One can imagine the thoughts that must have been racing through Avraham’s mind; “this is against what You just told me!” and “this must be a mistake and not what is truly wanted of me.” And, yet, what was Avraham’s response? “And Avraham got up in the morning and saddled his donkey.” Even though it seemed contradictory to what he would have imagined G-d’s desire and plan to be. Avraham understood that if this is what Hashem is asking of him at this moment, then that is what he must do.

Later in the episode, we meet another character that we remember on Rosh Hashana: The apparent side character of the ram. For, as Avraham was binding Yitzchak to the altar, an angel called to Avraham, telling him to stop, and at that moment Avraham noticed “a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns.” That ram became the offering in place of his son Yitzchak.

Let us consider this imagery of the “ram caught in the thicket.” It appears that this ram had intentions of being elsewhere;

however, the “thicket”, is what kept the ram in its place and resulted in it becoming the offering of Avraham. Rav Shimon Schwab wonders, why, of all the limbs of the ram do we specifically choose the horn through which to recall the ram of the Akeidah, and not perhaps a more significant limb? He explains it is because the horn is what got stuck and made it available to be in place of Yitzchak. I heard from Rabbi Larry Rothwachs a further explanation of this comment. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (5:6) teaches that this ram was created during the original six days of Creation. That means that for approximately 2,000 years the ram had been wandering the earth. But at that moment, the ram “got stuck” which led it to being offered at the Akeidah. Of course, this was not a coincidence. There are no coincidences in life. Just like the ram, Hashem puts us where we need to be, when we need to be there. This is a fundamental lesson of Rosh Hashana that we are reminded of by this image of the ram “stuck” in the thicket. It was not “stuck”; it was precisely where it needed to be.

This message is particularly potent this year. In addition to the feelings of “being stuck” during Corona, this year we are “stuck” not blowing the shofar on the first day of Rosh Hashana. Typically, shofar is the only biblical commandment of Rosh Hashana. But, yet, when Rosh


Hashana falls on Shabbat, we refrain from blowing the shofar. Why? The Meshech Chochma explains it is because that is what Hashem wants from us at this moment. Even though it is Rosh Hashana and we have a biblical commandment to hear shofar, Hashem tells us, “not today.” We must always ask ourselves what Hashem wants from me now. At times, this will be different than what we expected. But that is not being stuck, that is exactly what Hashem wants from us right there and right then.

There was a family who was flying to their Rebbe in Brooklyn for Rosh Hashana. The flight was delayed, and then after it took off there were problems with the engine. The flight landed somewhere in Texas. The family realized that they would not be able to make it to Brooklyn for Rosh Hashana. They called the Rebbe from Texas and

said that something has happened, and they are stuck in Texas. “We will not be with the Rebbe for Rosh Hashana,” they lamented. “We are stuck in Texas.”

The Rebbe responded, “Stuck? You are not stuck! You are somewhere else because of hashgacha pratit. You are never stuck.”

There are no detours or coincidences in life. That is the lesson of the horn of the ram. Wherever we may be, we are not there because we are stuck; we are there because that is where Hashem wants us to be, and that is where we have a job to do. There are no detours in life.

May we merit this year to be able to fulfill the will of G-d in whatever capacity it is that He truly wants from us. Shana Tova!


Gapping and Bridging: The Akeidah’s Dual LessonRabbi Noach Goldstein

Anyone who has ever turned purple blowing a shofar can readily attest that a trumpet would be a more

user-friendly instrument. However, only the shofar is associated with Akeidat Yitzchak. The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 16a) cites R. Abahu that the shofar should be the horn of a male ram in order to recall the ram that Avraham offered after Akeidat Yitzchak: “Said the Holy One Blessed is He: Blow with the shofar of a ram before Me so that I remember for your sake the binding of Yitzchak, son of Avraham, and I will consider it as if you bound yourselves before Me.” The Rambam (Hilkhot Shofar 1:1) thought this was so essential that he ruled—against the strong consensus—that a curved ram’s horn is not only preferable, but obligatory. Even though most authorities do not go that far, everyone acknowledges the fundamental connection between Rosh Hashana, the shofar, and the Akeidah.

However, the less clear point is the more important one: What exactly does this connection mean? Why do we invoke the Akeidah on Rosh Hashana? Is the answer just zechut avot? Do we approach the day of Divine judgment simply planning to post bail for our crimes by drawing on the account left to us by our ancestors?

Did Avraham and Yitzchak endure their trials merely to create a spiritual trust fund for us to exploit? Kohelet laments indolent children who squander the inheritance of their hard-working parents—is that really the legacy of Avraham and Yitzchak’s greatest accomplishment?!

R. Abahu’s mandate must touch a deeper point. In fact, this was already noted by the Ritva, who explains that the critical point is for us to remember the Akeidah when we hear the ram’s horn. If we successfully engage with the memory of the Akeidah, absorb the magnitude of Avraham and Yitzchak’s devotion to G-d, and attempt to emulate their behavior in our own lives, then Hashem indeed promises to recall the Akeidah and treat us as if we, too, passed the ultimate trial. Likewise, the Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim wrestles with the thorny question of why an all-knowing G-d would need to “test” Avraham. He proposes that the purpose of the test was for us: Avraham’s heroic response set the bar for how far a Jew is capable of reaching in his love and fear of Heaven, and that bar stands as an inspiration and a challenge to all of his descendants.


It emerges that a critical prerequisite for hearing the shofar is to contemplate the Akeidah and absorb what exactly Avraham and Yitzchak achieved. A truly comprehensive analysis could cover—and has covered—books and books. But in this space, we can at least open a window into one element: Avraham’s reckoning with a command that contradicted everything he thought he knew.

Avraham brings two lads on the journey to Moriah and leaves them at the foot of the mountain, but it is not clear why we need to know this. The Torah does not care what food Avraham packed for lunch on the road; why does it mention the lads Avraham brought to watch his donkey? The Malbim explains that this verse unlocks Avraham’s psyche, and, along with it, the entire trial of the Akeidah: Avraham instructs his lads to remain behind with the donkey because he knows that what he is about to do contradicted everything he has ever stood for, and he is too embarrassed for them to see that. Avraham has spent his entire life desperately trying to spread ethical monotheism, publicly performing Hashem’s will, teaching surrounding culture mired in idolatry. Now, suddenly, Hashem is commanding him to commit human sacrifice, and thus contradict every principle Avraham has always broadcast! This is impossible for him to

understand. While Avraham musters the will to obey, he cannot face the prospect of being seen while he obeys Hashem.

Chazal take this theme even farther. There are several midrashic accounts of a conversation between Avraham and the Satan on the road to Mt. Moriah, and in one of them the Satan tells Avraham point-blank:

אדם גדול כמותך יעשה דבר זה? הרי אתה שמקרב הבריות לתחת כנפי השכינה אם אתה

הורג את בנך יהיו הכל בדילין ממך וקורין אותך הורג נפשות!

A great man like you would do such a thing? Behold you, who brings all people under the wings of the Divine Presence, if you kill your son, they will all disassociate from you and call you a murderer!

Avraham ascends Mt. Moriah aware that Hashem is not only asking him to sacrifice his beloved son, but also asking him to sacrifice any chance that people would ever recognize and serve the Ribono Shel Olam. The world would treat Avraham as a pariah for murdering his son, and as a result his monotheistic message would collapse. Indeed, Hashem’s command to Avraham, parallels His very first "לך לך אל ארץ המריה"missive, לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך" as a bitter closing of אל הארץ אשר אראך"the circle. The first message launches


Avraham on his mission; the second message presses the abort button. It is utterly absurd. But Avraham knows that Hashem has commanded him, and the key point is that Avraham appreciates the infinite gap between his own mortal intellect and that of G-d. So he subdues his screaming protests and plows ahead toward the mountain. And when he passes the test and the angel calls out from heaven, the message it has could not have been more appropriate: עתה now I know that—ידעתי, כי-ירא אלקים אתהyou are a God-fearing man.

Rosh Hashana is always a time to reflect on the past year, but to put it mildly, 5780 was no ordinary year. But if there is one primary lesson for modern man to absorb from this year, it is to recognize how limited our seemingly advanced society actually is. For all our medical knowledge and globalized commerce, a simple virus is still capable of exposing how fragile our world truly is. Who could have imagined last Rosh Hashana that during the ensuing year we would be closed out of our offices for months, that it would be a challenge to find toilet paper on the shelves, or that the medical community would have to focus on a technique (quarantine) whose etymology dates back to medieval Venice? Who could have anticipated that old teshuvot about prayer in times of plague or cholera would move from

dusty halachik history to hot-button halacha? If the Akeidah and the shofar and Rosh Hashana demand appreciating the infinite superiority of the Ribono Shel Olam, then 5780 certainly helped by highlighting the inferiority of man.

But although part of the message of the shofar is to appreciate the chasm between man and the King of kings, there is a crucial second side of the coin. The shofar also reminds us that the gap can be bridged. After all, even though the Akeidah is all about that gap, Hashem also speaks with Avraham in the passage three separate times—a rush of prophecies unlike anything else in Sefer Bereshit. Likewise, the shofar captures our ability to cry out in prayer and pierce the gates of Heaven. Critically, the moments when we feel the most distant from Hashem are the same ones where we are most ready to connect to Him. We certainly remember on Rosh Hashana that we are below, and He is above. But we also remember that, like Avraham, we must always strive to ascend.


Ten Squared: Dibrot and TeshvuahRabbi Ari Zucker

1 Chapter 222 See Rav Saadia Gaon’s Sefer HaMitzvot.3 See Yerushalayim B’Moadeha p. 1084 Gr”a in Kol Eliyahu, Yitro writes this inverse based on the vowelization of תרצח with a kamatz vs. patach.

Coincidence? I think not, and neither does Eliyahu HaNavi. It is not a coincidence that the days

of Teshuva between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur parallel the number of Commandments given at Har Sinai. The Tanna D’vei Eliyahu1 makes the explicit connection between the Ten Days of Teshuvah and Ten Commandments that make up the root of all our mitzvot.2 Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, Chief Rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem,3 elaborates that each day of teshuvah parallels a dibur in which we can improve. He provides lessons for some of the days, we’ll fill in the rest.

We can focus on one lesson for the whole time period or embrace a daily effort. Will we embody every lesson for every day? We can certainly hope so; but even if we do not, we can hope to gain one or two lessons, nonetheless.

Day 1: אנכי ה – I Am HashemThe first day of Rosh Hashana is centered around our total dedication to our Father in Heaven. He is the One and Only. How do we maintain this focus

throughout the day, even when we are not in shul?

Day 2: לא יהיה – No Other GodsThe Maharal teaches that anytime we transition from one to two there is a possibility to lose focus on the original. Even after we increase to the 2nd day, Hashem is still our primary. Do we have any “other gods” that pull us away from holy endeavors? Or, when we are standing before our G-d, are we distracted by other things?

Day 3 (Tzom Gedalia): לא תרצח – MurderRav Nebenzahl explains that Gedalya’s ultimate failure was misplacing silence; he refused to hear that his life was in danger and it led to his murder. For us, the inverse is often the challenge. Instead of speaking up, we fall silent.4 Have we failed to stand up for what is right?

Day 4: שמא שווא – Name in VainWe are representatives of Hashem in this world. Are our actions creating a Kiddush Hashem? (We need not entertain the inverse.) Do we embody our role as a “mamlechet kohanim v’goy


kadosh – a kingdom of priests and a holy nation?”

Day 5: לא תגזול – Stealing TimeThe most valuable thing we have is unquestionably time. While our hands are clean of monetary theft, are we innocent of stealing time? Are we giving people value for their time at work? Are we giving our full attention to the person across from us or letting small distractions “steal” that time from them?

Day 6: עד שקר – False TestimonyAre we as honest as we could be? Do little white lies ever fall out of our mouths before we can catch them? And if our falsehoods are deliberate, are we twisting the truth because we have to, or because it is easier?

Day 7: זכור – ShabbatShabbat Shuva is a time to evaluate our Shabbat experience and consider “What do we want our Shabbat to look like this year?” Are there things we can improve such as dedicated family time, Torah learning, or our davening?

Day 8: כיבוד אב ואם – Honoring ParentsThis is one area of teshuvah that applies no matter how well we are already performing it.5 We can always say that we need to call our parents and

5 See Kiddushin 306 Rachel Immeinu names her son יוסף לי בן אחר (I want another Jewish child) for there is no limit to our spiritual aspirations.

grandparents more. Particularly these days, when our loved ones are alone at home, they need our calls. Can we increase our calls? From once a week to twice? (We’ll assume that everyone is calling at least once a week 🙂)

Day 9: לא תנאף – AdulteryWhat can we do in our marriages to increase connection? Did we lose our “night out” schedule over the past few months? Can we reignite “date night” this year?

Day 10 (Yom Kippur): לא תחמוד – JealousyOn a day when we remove ourselves from the physical, we supersede concerns about what we do or do not have. Instead, we focus entirely on spiritual “jealousy” and our desire to grow.6 What spiritual “jealousies” can we take on this year? Do we have a goal, experience, or understanding that until now has been beyond reach, but this year can become a reality?

More important than the specifics examples we used is the notion of searching our lives and our character for areas that need improvement.

May this year see new and improved versions of us all!


Tzedakah Will SaveRabbi Reuven Gottesman

The גמרא in (.ד) ראש השנה quotes a that explains that if a person ברייתאgives צדקה on the condition that

it will be a big זכות, not only is the צדקה accepted, but the donor is considered a .(a completely righteous person) צדיק גמור

appears to ברייתא ask that this תוספותcontradict a well-known משנה in פרקי that teaches that a person should אבותnot serve 'ה like a servant who expects reward. How can these two statements be reconciled?

We say in davening throughout the Yamim Noraim, “ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין Teshuvah's ability to change ”.את רע הגזירהan evil decree is understandable, but what is unique about צדקה and תפילה that they also have the ability to change the Heavenly decree?

The גמרא in (:כ"ה) ברכות describes רב on his deathbed when his יוחנן בן זכאיstudents came to visit him. He began to cry, explaining that if he was going to be judged by a human king, he could plead, or he could bribe the king and change the outcome. However, in front of מלך he could neither ,מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הואplead nor bribe. The מהרש"א there teaches a remarkable lesson that only the holy מהרש"א had the ability to say.

We only lack the ability to “bribe” and plead with 'ה in the עולם האמת, the World to Come. However, in this world, we have to plead תפילה to “bribe” and we have צדקהto change the opinion of the Judge so the outcome is not as harsh as it should be.

We say בראש השנה יכתבון, on Rosh Hashana there is a Heavenly decree that is written down, but there are three ways to overturn the decree: תשובה, תפילה, וצדקה. How powerful is צדקה? The ברייתא teaches us it will not just invoke the power of a As the .צדיק גמור but it will invoke a ,צדיק is צדיק גמור states, a ראש השנה (ט"ז) in ברייתאimmediately written לחיי עולם (to life). In fact, the תורה says, “למען תחיה צדק צדק תרדוף, Chase after righteousness in order to live.” The חיד"א asks, what is the righteousness being pursued? It is צדקה. If this is true, the פסוק immediately before this says, ולא תקח שחד, כי השחד יעור עיני חכמים ויסלף דברי“ You shall not take bribes, for bribes ,צדיקיםblind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.” The תורה says even a צדיק is not allowed to take a bribe, but you can give צדקה even with conditions.

May it be a year filled with pursuit of .תשובה תפילה וצדקה


The Mitzva of Teshuvah on Rosh HashanaHoward Karesh

אף על פי שתקיעת שופר בראש השנה גזרת הכתוב רמז יש בו כלומר עורו ישנים משנתכם ונרדמים הקיצו מתרדמתכם וחפשו במעשיכם

וחזרו בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם!

Notwithstanding that the blowing of the ram’s horn trumpet on Rosh Hashana is a Scriptural statute, its blast is symbolic, as if saying: “Ye that sleep, bestir yourselves from your sleep, and ye slumbering, emerge from your slumber, examine your conduct, turn in repentance, and remember your Creator! Rambam, Hilchot Teshuva, 3:4 (translation, Sefaria)

In this passage from Hilchot Teshuvah, the Laws of Repentance, the Rambam makes clear that there is an element

of self-introspection and teshuvah that is required of us on Rosh Hashana. Later in that same halacha, the Rambam teaches that “it became the custom of the whole house of Israel to increase charitable giving, good deeds and the performance of mitzvot during the intervening days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur above what they do during the whole year.”

The Rambam’s latter comment is understandable when considering that the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance, and enhancing our observance

collectively during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, the Ten Days of Repentance, may tip the scales in our favor; humanity is being judged! But a number of questions arise from a careful reading of this halacha, among them:

• The Torah says nothing about forgiveness, atonement or repentance in the pesukim that deal with Rosh Hashana. Why does the Rambam require “וחפשו במעשיכם examine your conduct ,וחזרו בתשובהand turn in repentance” on Rosh Hashana?

• Furthermore, what do charity, good deeds and mitzvot have to do with teshuvah, which is about forgiveness and atonement for prior sins? Atonement requires fulfilling the method of teshuvah outlined by the Rambam earlier in Hilchot Teshuvah!

A number of commentators grapple with these and other questions on this Rambam.

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt’l (see Hararei Kedem, vol. 1, siman 41) draws a distinction between the teshuvah of Yom Kippur (and the rest of the year), which requires confession, regret, avoidance and acceptance of a future free of a


particular sin, and the specific mitzva of teshuvah on Rosh Hashana, which has none of these requirements; we do not say vidui (confession) on Rosh Hashana, for example. And in this distinction, the Rav helps us understand the Rambam cited above.

The teshuvah of Rosh Hashana is hirhur teshuvah, the contemplation of repentance and one’s need to change his path and actions, embracing the wake-up call of the shofar. For that reason, the Rambam also instructs us to enhance our charity, good deeds and mitzvot: both hirhur teshuvah and the additional focus on performing mitzvot signal a person’s commitment to future improvement and intention to fully repent. They do not represent what the Rav refers to as “teshuvah gemura”–a complete, final teshuvah, on misdeeds of the past.

In Netivot Shalom (vol. 2, page 136), the Slonimer Rebbe zt’l takes a different approach to clarifying the nature of the teshuvah of Rosh Hashana, basing himself on a Midrash Tanchuma cited by the Tur. The Midrash teaches that those who fast on erev Rosh Hashana have one-third of their sins forgiven, the “average” ones (beinonim) who fast during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah have one-third of their sins forgiven, and the final one-third of sins are forgiven on Yom Kippur.

This is a difficult passage to understand on many levels, but a fundamental question arises: in the Torah, we find the concept of atonement on a certain day only related to Yom Kippur specifically; where do these other time periods (erev Rosh Hashana and the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah) come from? The Netivot Shalom therefore explains that in each sin there are three components: knowledge, desire and action. The teshuvah of erev Rosh Hashana and the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah is about uprooting the causes of the misdeed (in his words, the “root of evil”) though not the sin itself. In other words, we need hirhur teshuva (the contemplation of repentance) on Rosh Hashana and the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah to address hirhur cheit (the contemplation or anticipation of sin). We then have Yom Kippur to complete the process and achieve atonement for the sins and actions themselves.

For this reason, both according to Rav Soloveitchik and the Slonimer Rebbe, we do not say vidui on Rosh Hashana, whose unique type of teshuvah does not atone for actions of the past. And in their approaches we can perhaps understand the answer to a final, confounding question, asked by Rav Yisrael Salanter: if the purpose of Rosh Hashana is to get us into the proper frame of mind for the future, and Yom Kippur is about


atoning for past sins, why don’t they fall in reverse order? First let’s atone for the past (Yom Kippur) and then we can focus on the new year with a clean slate!

Among the answers given is that of Rav Aharon Kotler zt’l (see Yareach L’Moadim, chelek 1, mamar 31, quoting Mishnat R’ Aharon). Rav Kotler suggested that without Rosh Hashana, the burden of our sins would be too great to approach Yom Kippur and the prospect of complete atonement properly. We need the intervention of Rosh Hashana, the holiday of both judgment and personal renewal, and its unique type of teshuvah (which according to Rav Soloveitchik is

by itself enough to brand one a tzaddik). First, through hirhur teshuva, we take the opportunity to evaluate our path and our actions, commit to improving both, and become, in the words of Rav Kotler, “as if born today.” Only then can we be in the appropriate mindset, slightly unburdened and refreshed, to address ridding ourselves of past misdeeds through the power of Yom Kippur.

It is the unique power of hirhur teshuva– the desire to change for the better–that gives us the confidence to approach God to pray for His forgiveness and complete atonement on Yom Kippur.


The Love of EphraimZevi David

The haftorah for the 2nd day of Rosh Hashana comes from Yirmiyahu 31. It begins by recounting the

return from exile of the Northern Kingdom, symbolized by Ephraim, the land giving forth an abundance of food, and the people going up joyously to celebrate in Yerushalyim. But then the haftorah takes a strange turn, as we read of our mother Rachel’s famous plea for her children and Ephraim’s longing for Hashem. Did Ephraim not already return? Why does he still long for Hashem after his joyous celebration in Yerushalyim?

Rav Moshe Lichtenstein, in his sefer Netivei Nevuah on the haftorot, notes the historical differences between the redemption from Egypt and this redemption, which are summarized in the first pasukim of the haftorah.

ידי חרב ם שר א חן במדבר ע כה אמר ה מצל. הלוך להרגיעו ישרא

So says the Lord: In the Wilderness, the people who had escaped the sword found favor; therefore, have I drawn you to me in loving-kindness. (31: 1)

Hashem recalls how we found favor from Him in Egypt; we called to Him on

our own and that was the impetus that brought about the salvation. We reached out to Hashem, so He reached out to us. But in this redemption, it is Hashem who makes the first move. He recalls our faith in the past and brings us home because of His love for us (31:2):

הבת עולם אהבתיך על־ י וא מרחוק ה נראה לסד. ן משכתיך ח כ

From long ago, the Lord appeared to me; With everlasting love have I loved you; therefore have I drawn you to Me with loving-kindness.

He brings us back and builds us up, in spite of the fact that we have not returned to Him yet.

As the returnees begin to enjoy the abundance of the land, the flickering of longing for Hashem is ignited. As the Malbim points out on pasuk 5, it is at this time that the watchers, who were initially placed by Yeravam to stop the people from going up to Yerushalyim, call out to the people to rise up and go. We were sent into exile because in our richness we forgot Hashem and claimed, “It is my strength and the might of my hand that has accumulated this wealth for me.” (Devarim 8:17), but now it is our wealth that brings us back to Hashem.


The people have gone to celebrate in Yerushalyim, but they are going through the motions of what they are supposed to do; they have yet to fully return to Hashem. But by making that first step, the people have given our mother Rachel an opening. Now she can cry out to Hashem, begging Him to return those who remain in exile.

Even though he is back in the land, Ephraim realizes he is still lost. He turns to Hashem, echoing the words at the end of Eicha and cries out (31: 17)

אוסר ים מתנודד יסרתני ו עתי אפר שמוע שמי אתה ה׳ ובה כ ד השבני ואש א למ כעגל ל

י. אלק

I have indeed heard Ephraim complaining, [saying,] “You have

chastised me, and I was chastised as an ungoaded calf, O lead me back, and I will return, for You are the Lord, my G-d.

The haftorah ends with Hashem’s love and longing for Ephraim. Though he has strayed from Hashem, he remains the beloved son, and just as he longs to return to Hashem, Hashem longs for his return.

As we stand on Rosh Hashana before Hashem, we, like Ephraim, beg Hashem to bring us back to Him. We are lost, but we cannot find our way without His help. Though we spend the day crowning Him King, what we truly long for is the Father we have lost.


Sarah and HagarShoshi Kahn

As we approach the Yamim Noraim, our focus is on tefillah. We spend the month of Elul preparing for

the Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment. Rosh Hashana comes, and we stand before our Judge, praying for leniency and care. We use arguments of our personal positive deeds and bring character witnesses to help fortify our defense. I will focus on two of our witnesses and try to understand their role in our defense team.

Our first character is Sarah Imeinu, our matriarch. Hashem remembers Sarah and gives her a son, Yitzchak, in her old age (Breishit 21:1-2). Sarah nurtures and weans him, partakes in a festive feast to celebrate the miracle of his birth, and immediately thereafter throws Hagar and Yishmael out of her household so Yitzchak will not be influenced by the actions and deeds of Yishmael (Rashi).

There is background to this story of Sarah. She is a woman who has left her family and home, and ventured with this holy man, Avraham, influencing the religious norms of the world. Avraham teaches monotheism to the men while Sarah teaches it to the women. When she realizes she will never give birth, she makes the decision to create her legacy

through her maidservant, Hagar (Breishit 6:2). When Hagar gives birth to a child, Sarah will raise him in the right way. Imagine Sarah’s inner strength; she sees the situation and understands that she must take action to change the course of history. For there to be an am kadosh that was promised to her husband, she must relinquish her role as biological matriarch to Hagar and assume spiritual influencer over Yishmael.

Although Sarah’s idea is noble, life does not work out that way—she realizes she has made a mistake. When Avraham is told he is going to be the father to a nation (Breishit 15:5), he assumes Sarah would be the mother. While praying to Hashem for a child, Avraham speaks in first person; he has offspring, but Sarah does not. Even so, Sarah continues to follow Avraham. He asks her to pretend she is his sister when meeting Avimelech, “All that night, Sarah lay on her face and said, Master of the Universe, Avraham lives on promises and I live on faith alone.” (Breishit Rabba 52:14) Avraham asks her to prepare foods for the angels, and she does with pure bitachon.

And here we start with our Torah reading: Sarah is remembered by


Hashem! Her legacy is going to be continued. She now has a chance to raise a child in the derech of the Torah. She has waited ninety years for this to happen. Once again, she possesses that inner understanding that something is not right. She feels the bad influence of Yishmael over Yitzchak that Avraham cannot see (Sforno, Ramban). She wants to send away Yishmael, afraid Yitzchak will “inherit” the poor behaviors of Yishmael. Sarah is not worried about Yitzchak inheriting monetary wealth, her focus is on spiritual behaviors (Kli Yakar). She understands the future is determined by the present, and Yishmael must leave so that he does not corrupt and steer Yitzchak away from the path of Torah.

And Sarah insists that Hagar accompany Yishmael, for fear he will not survive alone. (Ramban) Hashem appears to Avraham: “Listen to everything Sarah tells you,” her nevuah is greater than yours (Rashi). And, her understanding of future destiny seems to be great as well. Sarah uses what powers she has to affect change. She cannot worry about the minor details while there is a greater calling: Her efforts are rewarded through Yitzchak becoming a man pure of soul, “kedoshim”, our second patriarch. (The Akeidah is proof of the years of spiritual upbringing which Sarah has given her son.) Yitzchak walks with his father, in

total agreement to his sacrificial death due to his emunah and bitachon that he has learned from his home.

Aviva Zornberg writes a beautiful tribute about Sarah’s death in her book Genesis: The Beginning of Desire. She sees the death of Sarah as a tragic consequence of conflicting aspects of her personality.

The determined matriarch, with the wisdom and insight to direct and influence her family, who was proactive and decisive when necessary, accepting and trusting and faithful when challenged, may have found this last trick of the Satan too hard to bear. After all the years of striving for perfection and a true relationship with Hashem, of seeking justice, meaning, and absolute truth, having her ultimate mission come to fruition at the age of ninety with the birth of her son and continuity, Sarah comes face to face with the realization that the intentionality of her life, the meaning and purpose of everything she had lived to accomplish, could have been for naught. For her, even the restoration of the life of Yitzchak did nothing to neutralize the terror.

The clarity of vision and analytical purity which enabled her to disentangle complexities and cut to the quick all her life left Sarah without the ability to deal with paradoxes and contingencies. She could not confront all the counter-


possibilities and disentangle all the complex questions that came to her at that last moment of her life, and so she could not come through this experience to discover the understanding and clarity at the end of the tunnel.

Now we come to our second character witness, Chana. Chazal tell us to emulate Chana in her understanding the role of tefillah. Chana’s gift is to use her prayer as introspection, a dialogue within herself and then a conversation with Hashem. Chana shows us that transformative tefillah begins with intense experience which leads to empower us and change our lives. Chana wants change–she wants a child. But year after year she is bitterly disappointed.

Chazal say Penina mocks Chana, but Penina’s motivations are pure, to bring Chana to a higher level of prayer. The effect, though, is the exact opposite. Chana feels hurt, betrayed.

Next comes Elkanah. He begs her to accept her situation. He urges her to make peace with her lot and accept her fate.

Both imply to Chana that she is powerless to affect change. Chana listens to neither. She refuses to be passive or hopeless, but rather decides that it is time for her to seek out Hakadosh

Baruch Hu. She goes to Shilo and prays a personal and private tefillah “medaberet al liba,” one that teaches us the template for our personal and silent prayer. Chana’s prayer ends with a promise to dedicate her son to Hashem, committing herself to a different life course. Chana attempts to achieve salvation through initiative and action from below (as with Shmuel), and not with directives coming from above with communication happening through an angel (as with Shimshon).

Chana uses her difficult situation to create a revolutionary change in her own lifetime and a change for the entire nation as well. Shmuel ushers in teshuvah and brings Am Yisrael to an era of kingship.

Chana’s message becomes, “With Hashem as my Partner, I can shape my own future destiny!” And she calls her son Shmuel,” Mai Hashem shealativ”, “I have asked him of Hashem, Hashem has given him to me, and I have consecrated him to Hashem” Chana now has her legacy!

We use the theme of Chana’s shira on Rosh Hashana for the Musaf prayer: Malchuyot, Hashem is King and in control of the universe; Zichronot, Hashem’s ways are just and Hashem hears, retains memory of, and responds to human initiative and supplication; and


Shofrot, ultimately Hashem’s rule and justice will be revealed to all in the era of the final redemption.”(Mali Brofsky)

In both readings, the theme is being powerless to affect change. For Sarah, her challenge is the negative influences in her household, and for Chana it is having Penina hurt her and Elkanah urge her to accept her lot. Neither woman chooses to stay powerless: Sarah looks into her inner understanding of behavior and invokes her binah yitera to make a pure home for her son and our exemplar, and Chana uses her power of introspection and tefillah as a medium for personal change for herself and for all future generations.

According to Tehillim 49:18, “What we accumulate in this life, we will not be able to take with us.” Rav Yechezkel Abramsky explains this pasuk as “When a person goes to his grave, he is not

going to take anything with him because he will leave it here on earth. What does he leave? His legacy! He leaves his children, his grandchildren, and his good deeds. He leaves all he has accomplished in this world.”

I think Sarah understood this. She needed to leave her one and only son with a pure upbringing. She understood the legacy is not one generation, but rather forever. We read about her greatness of understanding beyond the moment and of her insurmountable faith on Rosh Hashana asking Hashem to use her as our character witness. Chana too, exemplifies this by creating a form of internal thought and deep transformative experience through tefillah which we try to emulate to this day.


Returning to HashemMoti Loterstein

In the opening pasuk of the Haftorah for Shabbat Shuva, the Navi Hoshea exhorts Bnei Yisrael: “'שובה ישראל עד ה

Return, Israel, to“ -“ אלוקיך כי כשלת בעווניךHashem, your God, for you have stumbled through your iniquity.” Based on this pasuk, R’ Levi teaches in the gemara (Yoma 66A): “Teshuvah is great, for it reaches to the Throne of Glory, as it says ”.שובה ישראל עד ה' אלוקיך כי כשלת בעווניך"

This pasuk in Hoshea is not, however, the first time we are introduced to the concept of teshuvah “reaching” directly to Hashem himself, so to speak. Indeed, in Parshat Nitzavim, the Torah tells us that during the course of the Exile, Bnei Yisrael will eventually recognize that it is rewarded for following the Torah and punished for failing to do so. At that point, the Torah tells us, “ושבת עד-ה And you will return to ,אלהיך ושמעת בקולוHashem, your God, and listen to His voice.” (Devarim 30:2) Here, we have the same language of “returning to Hashem” – i.e., a suggestion that teshuvah goes directly to Hashem– as in Hoshea. Why, then, does R’ Levi base his teaching on the pasuk in Hoshea, and not from the pasuk in Devarim?

Rav Yaakov Yisroel Beifus, author of the Yalkut Lekach Tov, suggests a fascinating

answer based on a famous story of Rav Saadiah Gaon. During his travels, Rav Saadiah Gaon once spent the night as an anonymous guest at the home of a local businessman. His host, not knowing the identity of his famous guest, nonetheless treated him with kindness and respect. The next day, when the host learned that his guest was none other than the illustrious Rav Saadiah Gaon, he rushed to apologize profusely for not treating him with the proper amount of honor. Rav Saadiah Gaon was confused and replied that the host had in fact treated him quite well. “True,” the host replied, “but I had known your true greatness, I would have treated you with even more honor!”

When Rav Saadiah Gaon heard this, he realized that he could learn a lesson from his host. “My host,” reasoned Rav Saadiah Gaon, “asked forgiveness for not treating me with sufficient honor yesterday based on now knowing my true identity. I should be asking forgiveness of Hashem for the same reason. Each day, I honor Hashem based on my understanding that day of Hashem’s greatness. Yet each day, I learn and perceive more of Hashem’s greatness than I had on the previous day. In other words, each day I realize that I


should have treated Hashem with even more honor yesterday!” From that point forward, Rav Saadiah Gaon davened each day for forgiveness for treating Hashem the previous day with an improper amount of honor.

According to Rav Beifus, this ultra-pious form of teshuvah practiced by Rav Saadiah Gaon is why R’ Levi does not base his maxim about teshuvah from the pasuk in Devarim. This pasuk makes no specific reference to sin, or to sinners. Therefore, you might think that the only type of teshuvah that goes directly to Hashem is not teshuvah for sinning, but only teshuvah for failing to properly recognize and appreciate Hashem’s true greatness. Therefore, R’ Levi bases his teaching about teshuvah from the pasuk in Hoshea, which explicitly deals with sinners, to teach us that even teshuvah done for a sin reaches directly to Hashem.

Perhaps there is another, related reason R’ Levi draws support for his teaching from the pasuk in Hoshea, rather than the pasuk in Devarim. In addition to its omission of any reference to sin, the pasuk in Devarim likewise does not explicitly mention Bnei Yisrael. One might, therefore, mistakenly conclude from the pasuk in Devarim that it is only the teshuvah (whether for committing a sin or failing to recognize Hashem’s true greatness) of a select few, the truly righteous among us, that goes directly to Hashem. We therefore need the pasuk in Hoshea, which is explicitly addressed to all Bnei Yisrael שובה to teach us that every one of ישראל us is capable of doing full, sincere teshuvah for a sin. And when a person, no matter how great or small, does sincere teshuvah, that teshuvah reaches directly to Hashem.


Thoughts on the Haftorah of the Second Day of Rosh HashanaLeah F. Cohen

Starting with the last parshiot of Bamidbar (depending on how the parshiot are combined, or not,)

until Rosh Hashana, two related sets of Haftorot are read. The first three speak of פורענות– rebuke and consequences, and then, there are seven of נחמה, comfort. The first two come from Sefer Yirmiyahu and the rest from Sefer Yishayahu.

There are different approaches of how Yeshayahu and Yirmiyahu should be ordered. Often times it is based on chronology, in which case Yeshayahu should come first. This is generally the case. Sometimes, though, Yirmiyahu appears first, so that the group of Yirmiyahu, Yeshayahu and Yechezkel begin with words of rebuke, followed by words of comfort.

In the poignant haftorah of the second day of Rosh Hashana, the ג׳ דפורענותא (three of rebuke) and ז׳ דנחמתא (seven of comfort) come full circle, in a passage taken from the first nineteen pesukim of Yirmiyahu, perek 31. The verses reflect the aspect of remembrance on Rosh Hashana, also known as Yom Hazikaron. In Masechet Rosh Hashana, 16a, the gemara teaches that we should recite remembrances of past merits before

Hashem to bolster our current merit. The haftorah is one that comforts Klal Yisrael, telling them that the great difficulties of the exiles will be followed by joyous redemptions.

The kriah of the first day of Rosh Hashana, and the haftarot of both days deal with three great women who were granted conception on this chag: Sarah, Rachel, and Chana (Masechet Brachot 29a.)

The last six pesukim focus on Rachel imeinu and her descendants. Often in Tanach, Rachel’s grandson Ephraim represents the ten tribes of the northern kingdom.

ה נשמע נהי בכי יד כה | אמר ה׳ קול ברמה להנחם אנ ל מבכה על־בניה מ ים רח תמרור

על־בניה כי איננו:

14. So says the Lord: A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children for they are not.

טו כה | אמר ה׳ מנעי קולך מבכי ועיניך ר לפעלתך נאם ה׳ ושבו ש שכ מדמעה כי י

מארץ אויב:


15. So says the Lord: Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work, says the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

חריתך נאם־ ה׳ ושבו בנים טז ויש־תקוה לאם: לגבול

16. And there is hope for your future, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their own border.

אוסר ד יסרתני ו ים מתנוד עתי אפר יז שמוע שמי אתה ה׳ ובה כ ד השבני ואש א למ כעגל ל

קי: אל

17. I have indeed heard Ephraim complaining, [saying,] “You have chastised me, and I was chastised as an ungoaded calf, O lead me back, and I will return, for You are the Lord, my God.

חרי הודעי ספקתי י שובי נחמתי וא חר י־א יח כי נשאתי חרפת מתי כ על־ירך בשתי וגם־נכל

י: נעור

18. For after my return I have completely changed my mind, and after I had been brought to know myself, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea I stood confounded, for I bore the reproach of my youth.

י־ עשועים כ ים אם ילד ש י אפר יט הבן יקיר לו מעי לו ו זכר אזכרנו עוד על־כן המ י דברי ב מד

חמנו נאם־ ה׳: רחם אר

19. ”Is Ephraim a son who is dear to Me? Is he a child who is dandled? For whenever I speak of him, I still remember him: therefore, My very innards are agitated for him; I will surely have compassion on him,” says the Lord.

There is a distinction and difference made between the two sons of Rachel. With Yosef, Rachel said “יוסף ה׳ לי בן אחר.” The matriarch wants a son who would not go into exile at the time of the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash. Indeed, Binyamin is the one who goes to Bavel with Yehuda, Shimon and Levi. The other tribes are exiled and do not return to Eretz Yisrael during the time of Koresh.

The decline of the ten tribes begins in the time of Yeravam ben Nevat, who breaks off from the kingdom of the House of David. This evil man is from the shevet of Ephraim. The Mahari Krah says that those from the tribe of Ephraim are the greatest sinners, and cause others to sin.

The Malbim says that Rachel cries for her child Binyamin, who will be exiled with Yehuda, Shimon, and Levi. But she is inconsolable for Yoseph’s children,


the ten tribes who will be exiled to a faraway place past the Sambatyon River. The descendants of these people, the ten tribes, will not be redeemed until the end of days in reward for Rachel’s efforts.

Pesukim 17-18 speak of the teshuvah that will be carried about by Ephraim. The pasuk describes Ephraim as a child who has not yet sinned. Rabbi Shalom Rosner, in his shiur on this perek, says that these two pesukim on repentance are referenced by Rabbeinu Yonah and the Rambam in their discussions of teshuvah. Rabbi Rosner cites Rav Yosef Dov

Soloveitchik on the imagery of Ephraim. He says that Ephraim will return to the highest levels of Avodat Hashem where he will have the purity and innocence of a child running to his parents’ arms.

It seems, perhaps, that the concluding line of the haftorah, with its theme of young innocence and devotion, echoes the iconic words of the first haftorah of three that speak of rebuke, puranut, These words are part ”.זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך“of סדר זכרונות and speak to the eternal reliance and remembrance on zchut Avot.

Shana tova and ktiva v’chatima tova.

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Congregation K.I.N.S. of West Rogers Park HIGH · is the story of the great Reb Yisrael Salanter who was once walking along the streets of Kovno in the rain, only to discover that