"… WHO HAS KEPT US ALIVE,

AND SUSTAINED US THROUGH OUR PURE AWE OF

HIM,

AND HAS BROUGHT US TO REJOICE IN THE

REJOICING OF THE TORAH THAT CHEERS THE HEART AND ENLIGHTENS THE EYES,

BRINGS HAPPINESS TO THOSE WHO WALK

IN THE GOOD AND RIGHT PATH,

LENGTHENS DAYS AND ADDS STRENGTH

TO THOSE WHO LOVE IT AND OBSERVE IT—

ITS COMMANDS AND ITS WARNINGS—

TO THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN TORAH

AND GUARD IT WITH LOVE AND AWE."

(From the Calling Up

of the Chatan Torah)

"And

before the eyes of all Israel."

(Devarim 34:12)

"In

all the strong hand" – he received the Torah on tablets in his hands.

"And

in all the great, awe-inspiring acts" – miracles and mighty deeds in the great

and terrible wilderness.

"Before

the eyes of all Israel"– he decided to smash the tablets before their eyes, as is

written (ibid. 9:17),

"and smashed them before your eyes", and The Holy One,

Blessed Be He, consented, as is written (Shemot 34:1), "asher shibbarta"

– congratulations for smashing them. (A word play on "asher",

Hebrew for "which". It sounds like "y'yasher".

"Y'yasher koach" means "Congratulations! Well

done!")

Our Rabbis taught, four

are in need of reinforcement: Torah, good deeds, prayer, and profession. From where do we derive

'Torah and good deeds'? It is written (Yehoshua 1), "Be strong and resolute to

observe faithfully all the teachings" – "be strong"

– in Torah; "and resolute" – in good deeds. From

whence 'prayer'? It is written, "Strengthen yourself and He will give

you courage; and hope to God." And 'profession' from whence?

"Let us be strong and resolute for the sake of our people."

 (Bavli, Berachot 32b)

THE JEWISH YEAR – CYCLES OF JOY AND JUDGMENT

Menachem Klein

On the threshold of the final Tishrei

festival, as the celebrations welcoming the New Year come to an end, we can

look back at the passing month and ponder its meaning. The holidays which have

been packed into less than a month have, on occasion, left us breathless; we

rush from the end of a festival or Shabbat to the next station – the festival

or Shabbat which is to follow. Now, that we have covered most of the course, we

are able to sum up the last month.

At

first glance it would seem that we have passed a series of festivals, differing

one from the other, in order to progress in ascending order from Rosh Hashanah

to Yom Kippur, then to Sukkot, and from there to Simchat Torah. We moved from

acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven on Rosh Hashanah to repentance

and forgiveness of Yom Kippur. In the next stage we advanced from the Days of

Awe to the Sukkot festival with joy at its nucleus. But this joy is temporary,

like the sukkah, our impermanent home. Shemini Atseret is supposed to raise the

level of the joy – built upon acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven –

from a temporary to a permanent joy, and to channel this joy to Simchat Torah,

the joy of Torah. At the end of the track, we are equipped with the spiritual

tools necessary for coping with the daily difficulties which the New Year will

bring.

But

the structure of the Tishrei festivals and their message can be seen

differently. According to the perception which I am about to suggest, the

arrangement of the festivals of Tishrei is not one-directional, but contrasting. The reference here is not only to the

dissimilarity between the Days of Awe and Sukkot. This is an obvious contrast,

but there are more. Some are not contrasts between different holidays, but

internal contrasts hidden within each of the festivals themselves, and which radiate

throughout the entire Jewish year. We will deal here with the most outstanding.

Rosh Hashanah is a double holyday, far beyond the fact

that it lasts two days. Rosh Hashanah presents us with two perceptions of time:

cyclic time, and linear time. The creation of the universe represents cyclic

time. On Rosh Hashanah we return to the starting point; the beginning of all

beginnings is the creation of the universe. Geula – redemption—represents

linear time. According to this perception, On Rosh Hashanah we move forward,

and there is no point which better symbolizes the future than the end of all

ends.

Rosh

Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, the day on which the threat of death

penalties, physical and psychological suffering, and economic difficulties

hover over every human being. It is a frightening day, because of the means of

oppression and punishment at the disposal of the King of Kings. On the other

hand, it is a holiday, a festival, the coronation ceremony of the King exalted

above all. Ashkenazi Jews stress the awesome aspect of Rosh Hashanah, and

subsequently they gave the piyyut "Netaneh Tokef" formative

status, important beyond its formal status. Sephardi Jews stress the second

aspect, allotting this piyyut only marginal importance, if at all. The

shofar which stands at the focal point of Rosh Hashanah symbolizes the

enthronement of the God and the sublime. But the shofar, too, has its alarming

aspect, serving as a call to arms. And finally, as the day of the universe's

creation, Rosh Hashanah has universal or cosmic significance. But Rosh Hashanah

also has particularly Jewish significance. This is the day on which the Jew is

judged not only as a member of the human race or as a living creature per se,

but as a son of the Jewish people. As a Jew he is obligated to observance of mitzvoth;

failure to observe them results in a summons to judgment.

This double

significance of Rosh Hashanah is duplicated by the festivals of Tishrei, and

from them radiated to the entire year. The element of Day of Judgment is intensified

to its greatest dimension on Yom Kippur. But the climax reached on Yom Kippur

by the Ne'ila service is not the finish line. Yom Kipper is duplicated in

weaker strength on Hoshanah Rabba and Shemini Atseret, when we are judged for

water. From here the Day of Judgment is beamed on to the eve of every New Moon

throughout the year. This day is called "Yom Kippur Kattan" –

"Minor Yom Kippur." On the one hand, the element of festival and joy

imbedded in Rosh Hashanah are intensified on Sukkot, Shemini Atseret, and

Simchat Torah. The joyous festivals of Tishrei are transferred in full strength

to Pesach and Shavuot, and—in weaker dosage—to every New Moon.

The

sharp contradictions in the Tishrei festivals are dramatic. Jewish sources

portray them in vivid fashion. The Days of Awe are described as days in which a

cosmic drama takes place in celestial spheres, the results of which affect each

one of us. The words of the "Netaneh Tokef " piyyut,

and the traditions regarding the circumstances of its composition, describe it

in plastic detail, like the effect created by the Akeida piyyutim, chanted

by Sephardic communities during this season.

The

purpose of this objectively described drama is not transmission of information

about procedures of heavenly trials, but to impress us and to arouse us. The

living and plastic description is supposed to awaken the human consciousness – activated

by the imagination – with the goal of our internalizing the drama; the drama is

to transpire within ourselves, and serve as a passage. The passage is no less

important than the goal towards which we are headed. Indeed, the festivals of

Tishrei are characterized by a series of passages: passage to a new year, the

passage which repentance creates in man's existential and conscious condition,

the passage from permanent home to dwelling in the sukkah, and the

return home on Shemini Atseret. And finally, the passage from the conclusion of

the reading of the Torah to reading again from Bereishit.

The passages and

the sharp contrasts set before us so powerfully at the beginning of the Jewish

year – and with diminished power throughout the year when there are additional

renewals – are intended to teach us, first of all, that there are no simple

passages. Passage from one time period to another, from one existential

condition to another, or from one place to another, are complex, and carry with

them dramas and conflicts. Secondly, that the moment and the transfer do not

end with a particular act, but they continue on. Third, that decisions which affect

the human dynamic must be accepted by every individual. Man fashions time and

the passages and dramas of his life. Every man invents the drama of his life,

and determines his own unique composition.

On

the national level and on the passage from war to peace there can be no

absolute passage affected by a single event. As with every passage, this

passage, too, is composed of a series of contradictions. It is a process with

ups and downs, encounters alongside forms of acceptance, advances towards peace

together with regression to acts of belligerence. It is impossible to receive a

clear-cut, one-dimensional message or a final answer to doubts. Within this

reality, we have to make a series of decisions. How to do it? What are our

guiding principles? What is the amalgam to be created? The answers to these are

not pre-determined, but are subject to choice and change by us.

Dr.

Menachem, a member of the "Oz Veshalom" executive, teaches in the

Political Science Department of Bar Ilan University.

"No man has knowledge of the site of his

burial place"

God did this because, were

the site of his [Moshe's] burial to be known, future generations might err and

make of him a god

because of the wonders he performed. Indeed, we see how some of the Israelites

erred with respect to the copper serpent formed by Moshe, because of the

greatness of its creator (II Kings 18:4), and because God buried him in miraculous

fashion, no one ever touched his grave.

 (Ralbag, Devarim 34:6)

… and the cemetery is

marked off, and a memorial stone is erected over the grave, and tzaddikim

have no stone erected to their memory, for their words are their

memorial, and people will not turn to visiting gravesites.

 (Rambam, Laws of Mourning 4:4)

"He

dwells securely… between his shoulders he dwells.

Traditional commentary, part

p'shat, part mythical "droosh", applies these

words to the Temple service on the Temple mount which lies in the inheritance

of the tribe of Binyamin; and if the Temple is the residence of God's glory,

then He dwells between his shoulders. But this raises a question: "He

surrounds him all day". All day? What day? The reference is not

to a 24 hour period, a revolution of the earth around its axis; a day of The

Holy One, Blessed Be He, is eternity. This means that the dwelling place of God

is eternal. But we see that it was not eternal; the temple was destroyed and

the site profaned, and upon it stands an alien sanctuary. There is an

eye-opening midrash (in "Pitron HaTorah" which won acclaim a few

years ago when published by one of our generation's scholars, R' Efrayim

Urbach). This midrash, from the Gaonic period, contains much material from

other, more familiar, midrashim, and also from midrashim which may be original

or may have been taken from sources unknown. In this midrash we read something

new about "He surrounds him all day and between his shoulders he

dwells." Moshe's prophetic blessing was actually realized, for

the sanctuary which stands there today, the sanctuary of an alien nation, is

not a site of idolatry. This sanctuary is a temple of a people which recognizes

the Oneness of God and means to serve God, even if it did not receive the Torah

and does not serve God by observance of the mitzvoth. We find, then,

that this is still a temple for those who worship God in truth. These

words were said during the Gaonic period, an era of Arabic rule over Eretz

Yisrael, and they certainly preceded the crusades, during which rule over the

temple mount passed into the hands of those who do not share our understanding

of faith in the Oneness.

              (From "Notes on the Weekly

Parasha", Y. Leibowitz, pp. 140-141)

Ended,

But Not Complete – "Hadran" For Our Sixth Year

With the publication of this

issue, we complete the sixth cycle of "Shabbat Shalom". From its

inception, we have felt that our publication expresses an order of Torah and

Zionist priorities different from those to be found in many other flyers

distributed in the synagogue. For the past three years, Israeli society has

been coping with a most difficult political, military, and social situation,

and therefore, unfortunately, there is less tolerance in our society for

divergent opinions. Together with this, we are happy to find that our readers

find interest in our divrei Torah, and often they react, either in

agreement or in disagreement for the sake of Heaven, which is due to endure.

With the completion of this

issue, we wish to thank all who made possible the existence and distribution of

"Shabbat Shalom" this year: To our fellow members of the staff and of

the "Oz veShalom" executive, for the encouragement and the support;

to Miram Fine for her devoted work in fundraising and in co-ordinating the

staff's work; to Harry Langbenheim, Dov Abramson, Tomer Albagli and Mordecai

Beck for the visual midrashim on the first page; to Perry Zamek for the graphic

editing; to Kadish Goldberg for translations; to Graphos-Print for the

printing; to Danny Lazar for publication on our internet site; to many devotees

in Israel and abroad for their contributions which facilitated the existence of

our project; to all the writers and to all our readers throughout Israel and

the world.

Chazak!

Chazak! Venitchazek!

 Pinchas Leiser, editor

Editorial Board: Pinchas Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein

Translation: Kadish Goldberg

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About us:

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom is a movement dedicated

to the advancement of a civil society in Israel. It is committed to promoting

the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice, concepts which have always

been central to Jewish tradition and law.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom shares a deep attachment

to the land of Israel and it no less views peace as a central religious value.

It believes that Jews have both the religious and the national obligation to

support the pursuit of peace. It maintains that Jewish law clearly requires us

to create a fair and just society, and that co-existence between Jews and Arabs

is not an option but an imperative.

Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's programs include both

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responses to issues of particular religious relevance.

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