THE FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT

 

THE FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT

Eric Levy, French, 1800's

Sukkot is called the “Festival of Ingathering” and” the” Festival of Booths”.

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TORAH SOURCES FOR CELEBRATING SUKKOT

Exodus 23:14 and in part 16 – states:

שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, תָּחֹג לִי בַּשָּׁנָה

“Three pilgrimages in a year shall you celebrate for Me”.

וְחַג הָאָסִף בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה, בְּאָסְפְּךָ אֶת-מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מִן-הַשָּׂדֶה

“…and the festival of ingathering at the departure of the year, when you gather in your labors from the field”.

Exodus 34:22 (in part):

וְחַג֙ הָ֣אָסִ֔יף תְּקוּפַ֖ת הַשָּׁנָֽה

“…and the festival of the ingathering, at the turn of the year”.

Leviticus 23:34:

דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר:  בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם, לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי הַזֶּה, חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, לַיהוָה

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, is the Festival of Succoth, a seven day period to the Lord”.

“Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of Hashem, lasting seven days; a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day.

 On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Hashem your God for seven days.

You shall keep it as a festival to Hashem seven days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute forever throughout your generations.

 You shall live in booths for seven days; all that are citizens in Israel shall live in booths,

 so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Hashem your God”.

Deuteronomy 16:13:

חַג הַסֻּכֹּת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים:  בְּאָסְפְּךָ--מִגָּרְנְךָ, וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ

“You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, after that you have gathered in from your threshing-floor and from your winepress”.

These Torah sources about Sukkot date back to the time of Moses, 3,500 years ago. There is a lot more to say about Sukkot in the time of King Solomon around 900 BCE, the return of the Exiles in the Book of Ezra and Nehemiah in the 6th century BCE, in the 2nd Temple period around the year 100 BCE and as recently as the 16th century.  

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Some time ago, Rabbi Wein had somethings to say on Sukkot . Here are some excerpts:

The holiday of Sukkot is, perhaps, unique amongst all the holidays of the Jewish calendar year. The laws pertaining to the commandments particular to this holiday are almost all exclusively derived from the oral law given to our teacher Moshe on Sinai

There is no way that a succah can be successfully and traditionally constructed without recourse to the intricacies and nuances that the oral law that the Torah provides for us.

Here in Israel when Covid was rampart the construction of succah was much more muted and minimal than in previous years. There was a far greater reliance upon the so-called imaginary walls that the oral law envisions for us, to somehow be halachically acceptable and valid, and allowed much outside air to enter and escape, as mandated by the health authorities.

Simply reading the text in the Torah itself does not allow for partial walls to be considered as complete walls, and for walls and roofs to be considered as touching each other, even though strictly speaking to our human eyes, they do not touch.

There are myriad laws involved in the proper construction of a succah. But these laws are not readily apparent from the reading of the text of the Torah itself. It is only the oral law that breathes life into words and letters of the Torah and gives them meaning and practical vitality.

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 DO NOT MISS THIS FILM: "USHPIZIN"

Ushpizin is an Aramaic word meaning "guests".  It refers to a Kabbalistic tradition where "Exalted Guests" such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are invited into your succah.  In the film, however, the exalted guests are escaped criminals.

Moshe and Mali Bellanga are an impoverished, childless couple in Jerusalem.  They cannot pay their bills, much less prepare for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot.  After some anguished prayer, they receive an unexpected monetary gift on the eve of the holiday.

Moshe admires a particularly beautiful etrog required for the holiday observance.  Moshe buys the etrog for 1000 shekels, a large sum of money that is much more than he can afford.

The couple is visited by a pair of escaped convicts, one of whom knew Moshe in his earlier, sometimes violent non-religious life, and the story really takes off.

Don’t miss it…great acting…great characters.

https://dai.ly/x75803o

https://dai.ly/x75803o

https://dai.ly/x75803o

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Rav Kook on Sukkot, excerpted and adapted from Mo'adei HaRe’iyah p. 96, Chanan Morison:

The Talmud in Sukkah 27b makes a remarkable claim regarding the holiday of Succoth:

“For seven days... all who belong to the people of Israel will live in sukkot [thatched huts]” (Lev. 23:42).

This teaches that it is fitting for all of Israel to sit in one sukkah.

Obviously, no sukkah is large enough to hold the entire Jewish people. What is the meaning of this utopian vision — all of Israel sitting together in a single sukkah?
During the holiday of Succoth we absorb the light of Torah and a love for truth. Conflicting views become integrated and unified. Through the spiritual ascent of the Days of Awe, we attain a comprehensive unity, a unity that extends its holy light over all parts of the Jewish people. During this special time, it is as if the entire nation is sitting together, sharing the holy experience of the same sukkah.

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SHABBOS SHUVAH & YOM KIPPUR

 

SHABBOS SHUVA & YOM KIPPUR

“Kol Nidrei”

Kol Nidrei (Aramaic: כָּל נִדְרֵי) is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur.  Kol Nidrei includes an emotional expression of penitence that sets the theme for Yom Kippur.

Kol Nidrei’s name is taken from the opening words, meaning "all vows". The formula proactively annuls any personal or religious oaths or prohibitions made upon oneself to God for the next year, so as to preemptively avoid the sin of breaking vows made to God which cannot be or are not upheld.

There is also a kabbalistic or spiritual purpose to Kol Nidrei: God has vowed, in Scripture, to punish Jewry for its sins; therefore by demonstrating that we can and do cancel our own vows, we hope to induce God to cancel His own dire decrees.

 According to the holy Zohar, Kol Nidre is recited on Yom Kippur because, at times, the Heavenly judgment is handed down as an 'avowed decree' for which there can normally be no annulment. By reciting the Kol Nidre annulment of vows at this time, we are asking of God that He favor us by annuling any negative decrees of judgment that await us, even though we are undeserving of such annulment.

 This declaration has often been held up by anti-Semites as proof that Jews are untrustworthy, In fact, the reverse is true: Jews cherish this ritual because they take vows so seriously that they consider themselves bound even if they make the vows under duress or in times of stress when not thinking straight. . This ritual gave comfort to those who were forcibly converted to Christianity, yet felt unable to break their vow to follow Christianity.

https://youtu.be/Fha6WfKLXy4

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The Shabbat before Yom Kippur is called the “Shabbos of Return”, Shabbos Shuvah, שבת תשובה.

The haftorah portion is taken from the Book of Hosea, and starts out at 14:2:

שׁוּבָה, יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַד, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ:  כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ, בַּעֲוֺנֶךָ

‘Return, Israel to the Lord your God, for you have been led astray by your iniquity”.

The setting for the Book of Hosea is in the Northern Kingdom where Jeroboam the 2nd is King, at around the mid-8^th century BCE.  The Kingdom is prosperous, but continues to worship Canaanite gods and to also perversely worship Hashem using golden calves as an idolatrous representation. 

Hosea’s personal life is used as a metaphor to describe the fractured relationship between God and us.    He learns that his wife (in the role of Israel) is an adulteress.  As a symbol of Israel’s estrangement from Hashem, Hosea names one of children Lo-ruchamah, which translates as "not pitied", and another as Lo-ammi, which translates as "not my people".  These children as well as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are redeemed at 2:3.

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In 2015, Rabbi Wein said:

"We live with our past decisions, no matter whether they were fortuitous or ill advised. However, in spiritual matters regarding our soul, we are granted this great gift of a new start. And this is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but we are given this chance for renewal on an annual basis, on this holy day of Yom Kippur".

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 "Unetanneh Tokef"

Unetanneh Tokef   (ונתנה תוקף) ("Let us speak of the awesomeness ") is a  that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy for centuries. It is chanted while the Torah ark is open and the congregants are standing.  It is a central poem of the Day of Atonement.  It is one of the most stirring compositions in the entire liturgy of the Holy Day.

"All mankind will pass before You like a flock of sheep. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living; and You shall apportion the destinies of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict.

On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed – how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die after a long life and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by upheaval and who by plague, who by strangling and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted.

But Repentance, Prayer, and Charity annul the severity of the Decree."

https://youtu.be/_t5bK53Q0Ic

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There is something celebrated by our Cousins that tells of the influence of us on the world at large. In July, Shite Muslims celebrated their solemn holiday called “Ashura”. This holiday falls on the 10^th day of the 1^st month in the Muslim calendar. It is a day for fasting and introspection.

Sounds familiar? On the 10^th day of the 1^st month, Tishrei, we celebrate Yom Kippur. Ashura is just a Knockoff.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HGdIMt8aCJc?si=ENjI_s-Q0xWncKVpThis video shows Ashura being celebrated in NYC with a parade down Park Avenue.

It does not bring out any warm fuzzies and is celebrated in other USA cities where large numbers of Muslims reside.

ROSH HASHANNAH

 

ROSH HASHANNAH

NUMBERS 29:1

וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם--כָּל-מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה, לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ:  יוֹם תְּרוּעָה, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם.

"And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation: you shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing for you you".

LEVITICUS 23:24

דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵאמֹר:  בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ, יִהְיֶה לָכֶם שַׁבָּתוֹן--זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה, מִקְרָא-קֹדֶשׁ.

“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a ultimate rest for you, a memorial proclaimed with blasts, a holy convocation”.

Rosh Hashanah literally meaning "head of the year". It is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Teruah יוֹם תְּרוּעָה‎, literally "day of shouting or blasting or blowing (of a horn or a trumpet or a shofar)". is the traditional anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.

The term "Rosh Hashanah" in its current meaning does not appear in the Torah. Leviticus 23:24 refers to the festival of the first day of the seventh month as Zikhron Teru'ah "a memorial of blowing"; it is also referred to in the same part of Leviticus as שבת שבתון Shabbat Shabbaton or ultimate Sabbath.

The celebration of Rosh Hashanah begins on the 1^st day of the seventh month.  This month is called month of Tishrei.  Tishrei is a Babylonian word that means “beginning”.  During the Exile to Babylonia we must have been rapidly assimilated and substituted Babylonian names for our calendar months.  

In the 1^st Book of Kings at 8:2, about 300 years before the Exile to Babylon, the seventh month is called Ethanim.

וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ אֶל-הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה, כָּל-אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּיֶרַח הָאֵתָנִים, בֶּחָג--הוּא, הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי.

“And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month”.

Ethanim means everlasting or perennial.

Whereas Tishrei implies a beginning as in the creation of Adam and Eve; Ethanim has a sense of never-ending.  Does it apply to humankind in general or maybe to the Jewish people in particular?

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   TORAH READINGS FOR ROSH HASHANAH

FIRST DAY, BEREISHIS, 21:1- 21:34

SECOND DAY, BEREISHIS, 22:1-22:24

In the reading for the 1^st Day, among other things, at the behest of Sarah, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away.  This is tantamount to divorcing Hagar and disinheriting Ishmael who would have normally shared with Isaac.

Question arise as to why Sarah did not want Ishmael to remain in her home?

And why should Ismael not share the inheritance with Isaac?

Are their implications for Jews in Israel today?

Rabbi Riskin addresses these questions, firstly looking at why Sarah was so upset with Ishmael.  At 21:9 -

  וַתֵּרֶא שָׂרָה אֶת-בֶּן-הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית, אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה לְאַבְרָהָם—מְצַחֵק

“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport.”

Rabbi Riskin sees מְצַחֵק as not just “fooling around”, but probably Isaac being sodomized by Ishmael, the older brother overpowering the weaker brother.

And in the previous Parsha at 16:12 Rabbi Riskin translates –

 “…  יָדוֹ בַכֹּל, וְיַד כֹּל בּו…”

“…his hand grasps for everything…”

Ishmael is not a person who shares.  And given an opportunity he will overpower his brother.  He will take it all.

Since 1947 we have always been willing to share, but Ishmael has always wanted it all.  If Rabbi Kahane had his way, Ishmael and his Egyptian mother will have been banished, sent away. And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.'

Rabbi Riskin interprets this verse differently: “his hand is in everything and a hand in all.”

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The Akedah, Binding of Isaac:

In the reading for the 2^nd Day, among other things, Abraham obeying the command to prepare to sacrifice one of his children has to be one of the most difficult episodes in the entire Five Books.  At 22:2 -

וַיֹּאמֶר קַח-נָא אֶת-בִּנְךָ אֶת-יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר-אָהַבְתָּ, אֶת-יִצְחָק, וְלֶךְ-לְךָ, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה; וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם, לְעֹלָה

“And He said, "Please take your son, your only one whom you love, Isaac, and you go to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt sacrifice…”

Abraham is the epitome of kindness.  He argues with Hashem to save the inhabitants of Sodom.  But in this instance, Abraham is complacent, resembling Noach in not pleading to save a life.

Perhaps the test was for Abraham to argue with Hashem, and if so, Abraham failed.  After the incident, Abraham returns to Beersheba alone.  We do not hear any further conversation between Abraham and Hashem.  Moreover, Sarah dies.

Bob Dylan’s take on the Akedah:

Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"

Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"

God said, "No" Abe say, "What?"

God say, "You can do what you want, Abe, but

The next time you see me comin', you better run"

Well, Abe said, "Where d'you want this killin' done?"

God said, "Out on Highway 61"

https://youtu.be/8hr3Stnk8_k

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 The Haftarah :reading for the 2^nd Day is from Jeremiah 31:1-19:

The Prophet speaks of the in-gathering of the scattered exiles.  Most notably, Ephraim is singled out.  Ephraim is a metaphor for the 10 Lost Tribes of the Kingdom of Israel who were banished in the conquest of Israel by the Assyrians in 720 BCE.

It does not take a leap of faith to see that we are in the midst of an in-gathering.

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THE FAST OF GEDALIAH

 On the day following the 2nd day of Rosh Hashannah we have a fast day, the Fast of Gedaliah.  Who was Gedaliah?

When the Kingdom of Judah fell in 586 BCE and our capital Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, we became a Babylonian province called Yehud.  The first appointed Governor was Gedaliah who oversaw the administration of the province from the city of Mitzpe, located just north of Jerusalem in lands allotted to the Tribe of Benjamin.

Using the Book of Jeremiah (40-41), the 2nd Book of Kings (25) and an on line course entitled “The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem” as guides let’s explore what Gedaliah may be about:

Gedaliah was part of the aristocracy.  Both his father and grandfather played prominent roles in the royal court of the Kingdom of Judea.  Although part of the aristocracy, Gedaliah was not a descendent of David; he was not in line to sit on the throne.  That is one the reasons that Gedaliah was chosen as Governor; descendants of David were considered to be trouble makers. Gedaliah was indeed assassinated by a member of the royal bloodline.

The Babylonians wanted stability.  And with Gedaliah at its head, Yehud began to return to stability.  Jews, not necessarily the exiles to Babylonia, but those who had fled to neighboring lands began to return.  Gedaliah ruled for about 4 to 5 years before being murdered.  It is thought by many that with his passing, the end of an Era had gone by, and that our land was completely depopulated, this being the reason for the Fast of Gedaliah. 

I do not think this is so.  While it is true that the aristocracy and those of the royal bloodline as well as the Priests had been vanquished, the farmers and those who worked the Land had remained behind. The Babylonians did not want people who had the potential to foment rebellion to remain in the Land.  But what they wanted more than anything else was the wine, oil and wheat paid as tribute from their vassal province

NITZAVIM-VAYELECH, DEVARIM 29:9 - 31:30

 

NITZAVIM-VAYELECH, DEVARIM 29:9-31:30

In this week's double parsha we hear and hopefully learn many things:

 When we stand before Hashem, we stand as one people, the Klal Yisrael, together in unity.

We will be exiled, but Hashem will gather us in and return us to our Land.  Fast forward : We have already returned; redemption has begun.  

Torah knowledge is not remote or distant, but is close at hand.

We have free choice, either to reap the benefits of keeping Hashem's commandments or to not walk in His ways and be subject to the curses.  

It is your call: choose life or choose death.

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At 29:9-14:  Moses gathered all the Israelites—men, women, and children—to enter them into a covenant with Hashem. This covenant established us as Hashem’s exclusive nation.

 The covenant, Moses explained, was not limited to those who were physically present on that day; rather, it included all future generations of Jews as well.  That means you and me.

The question arises as to what is the right of Hashem to commit future generations, let alone children, to the obligations of His covenant?

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At 30:11-14,  Moshe enjoins us to return to Hashem to do Teshuva, informing us that it is not that difficult:

 “it is not beyond you, nor is it remote from you. It is not in heaven . . . It is not across the sea . . . Rather, it is very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do it.”

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There is a curious phenomenon that occurs at 29:28, and all in all in about ten places in the Chumash.  These are the dots or nekudot that appear over a letter or word or words.  In in our case it is the nekudot that appear over the words "for us and for our children until...".

הַנִּ֨סְתָּרֹ֔ת לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹ֞ת ֹלָֹ֤נוֹּ ֹוֹּלְֹבָֹנֵֹ֨יֹנֹוּ֨ עַד־עוֹלָ֔ם לַֽעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת

“The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God, but the revealed things are for us and to our children forever: to do all the words of this Torah”.

What do we make of these nekudot? 

Is it Hashem's way of calling our attention to a particular passage? 

Perhaps as some believe  they were put there by a personage in authority such as Ezra the Scribe, who is likened to Moshe Rabbeinu.

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 In the Parsha at 30:19 we are told to choose life:

וּבָחַרְתָּ, בַּחַיִּים--לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה, אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ

“…choose life, that you may live, you and your seed;”

This statement is very timely in light of the approaching High Holydays.

Look at the word “חַיִּים”.  The letters חַם meaning warmth surround the double yud that stands for Hashem.  When you are alive with warmth, you have Hashem within you.

Whether you hold by the Ramban who says that the Mitzvah referred to is doing T’sheuvah or you agree with Rashi that the Mitzvah is to abide by the entire Torah, it is well within our grasp.

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 In the Haftarah portion at Isaiah 63:9, the Prophet says that because of Hashem’s love and pity He will redeem us.

בְּאַֽהֲבָת֥וֹ וּבְחֶמְלָת֖וֹ ה֣וּא גְאָלָ֑ם וַֽיְנַטְּלֵ֥ם וַֽיְנַשְּׂאֵ֖ם כָּל־יְמֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם

“with His love and with His pity He redeemed them, and He will bear them, and He will carry them for all the days of the world”.

 What exactly is redemption?

In today's vernacular: To redeem something, is to get something out of hock.

For the Jew, the Land of Israel is his native country.  For the Jew, Exile is having been barred, sent out from or dispersed from his native country.  For the Jew, his Exile results from religious, political and punitive reasons.  The Jew in the Diaspora is a Jew in Exile, and he awaits a return to his Land.  HE AWAITS REDEMPTION.

Redemption is an essential concept in Judaism.  In Judaism, redemption (ge'ulah, גְאוּלָה) refers to God redeeming or freeing us from our exiles, starting from the first exile, our slavery in Egypt (BT, Tractate Rosh Hashanah 11b).  This form of redemption is called “Exilic Redemption”. There is a concept of a Final Redemption in the belief system of mainstream Orthodoxy that considers us to be currently in a state of exile.  When we are redeemed or freed by God from the current Exile, we will return to our Land and as a consequence owe Him a debt of gratitude. 

Redemption also applies to individuals or groups: an Israelite slave, Jewish captives, and the firstborn son.   It is from these three cases that the concept of exilic redemption is derived because Jews are considered God's 'firstborn' derived from Jacob, and Jews are God's slaves forever.

 Theologically, I am currently considered held captive by mainstream Orthodoxy even though I reside in the modern state of Israel.

 Mainstream Orthodoxy aside, for me Redemption is well underway.

Some of us say this Blessing:

Bless the state of Israel, first  flowering of our redemption.

ברך את מדינת ישראל ראשית צמיחת גאולתנו

It has become the mantra of the religious Zionist movement and the nemesis of the Haredi world due to its religious connotations.

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In a Haftarah passage from Isaiah 63:5, we see Hashem’s anger and punishment of the nations that have oppressed Israel. The trampling of grapes, the grapes of wrath, is a metaphor for their punishment.

Here, the crushed grapes symbolizes the blood that will come from His wrath. Essentially, we learn about Hashem bestowing vengeance and justice upon peoples who deserve punishment.

Listen to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic":

https://youtu.be/Jy6AOGRsR80

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From the Hebrew verb haqhêl הַקְהֵ֣ל, "assemble" comes the Mitzvah Hakhel in Deuteronomy 31:10–12:

"At the end of every seven years, at an appointed time, in the Festival of Sukkot the year of Shemitah. When all Israel comes to appear before the Lord, your G‑d, in the place He will choose, you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears.

Assemble the people: the men, the women, the children, and your stranger in your cities..."

The Hakhel ceremony was conducted on the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, Trumpets would sound and a large wooden platform was erected. The king would sit on this platform and all in attendance would gather around him.

 The High Priest, who would present a Torah scroll to the king  The king began the reading with the same blessings over the Torah that are recited before every Aliyah in synagogues today.

 The reading consisted of the following sections from the Book of Deuteronomy: 

From the beginning of the book through Shema Yisrael (6:4);

The second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21);

"You shall surely tithe" (14:22-27);

"When you have finish tithing" (26:12-15);

The section about appointing a king (17:14-20);

The blessings and curses (28:1-69).

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At 31:6, Moshe says to Joshua:

חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ  , Be strong and resolute.

Moshe repeats at 31:23

In the Book of Joshua at 1:6,7 and 9, Hashem tells Joshua to be strong and resolute.

The Tribes of Reuven, Gad and ½ of Manasseh also repeat to Joshua at 1:18.

And finally, Joshua tells us at 10:25 to be strong and resolute.

 

That message for the Jewish people 3,000 years ago persists until today:

 חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ , Be strong and resolute.

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 At 31:14-19 Hashem commands Moses and Joshua to enter the Tent of Meeting. Hashem appears and informs them that a time will come when the Jews will abandon Him.

 At that time, Hashem will hide His face, and we will be subjected to evils and troubles.

Hashem says to them: "Write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness..." This 'song' is narrated in next week's Torah reading.

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This is a take-away from one of Reb Yitz’s shiurim:

From Rav Kook’s final shiur – During the month of Elul and on Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar.

In terms of acceptability there are three available sources for this shofar :

1, A shofar made from a sheep’s horn is the most acceptable.

2. A shofar made from a kosher animal other than a sheep is also acceptable but is not as favorable as that made from a sheep.

3. Where there is no horn from a sheep or other kosher animal available, it is permissible for us to use the horn of a cow.

The gist of the hierarchy of sources for making a shofar is that not all Jews do a Mitzvah or lead a Jewish life, and all of its implications, in the same way or to the same degree of acceptability.

But the important thing is to reach out to Hashem as best we can and in doing so show the unity our Jewish nation and people.

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