Piquing Hashem's Interest

What's the deal with the simanim?

If we were to visit an individual’s tefilos we would almost always find something wrong. Either it was self-serving or we were spacing out part of the time or something else. There are malachim who usually try to deny these tefilos from going up and they have a very good claim based on the part of our davening which is insincere.

Comes Rosh Hashana and we put all these unusual fruits and fish heads and what have you on the table. Hashem takes interest in the peculiarity of it all and (kaviyachol) says, “Say, why do have this fish head here? That’s a little strange.” Now that Hashem Himself has initiated the conversation and shown interest in what we have to say, the accusing angles have no ability to stop our answer. Hashem wants to hear from us, otherwise He wouldn’t have asked. So we take the opportunity and answer Him by saying, “So it should be Your will that we have a good, sweet year.”

(First Night Rosh Hashana, 5767)

Confusing the Satan

We don’t bensch Rosh Chodesh on the Shabbos preceding Rosh Hashana as we do before every other Rosh Chodesh. There are numerous reasons given but the most frequently quoted reason is that by doing something different, we hope the Satan will become confused as to when Rosh Hashana falls out and forget to prosecute. It is for this reason as well that we do not blow the shofar after davening on Erev Rosh Hashana as we have been doing throughout the entire month of Elul.

A Life Choice

During the season of the Yomim Noraim, we customarily wish each other “to be written and sealed” in the Book of Life. The Maggid of Mezritch and Rav Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye both comment that the “writing” is not a verdict dictated by the Almighty but it is rather of our own volition that we are inscribed in whichever book we choose. We must ask ourselves: where do we want to be? Do we want to write ourselves down in the Book of Life, with all that that has to offer? Or, chas v’vshalom, one may decide it too difficult an undertaking and he may choose to write his name and that of his family in the other Book.

Yahrtzeit Highlights (Elul 22 5771)

The Rebbe Reb Motele Hornosteipeler, zy"a

The oilam got together at the home of Rav Bentzion for a seudah in honor of the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Reb Motele, zy"a. (Pictures in the extended article.)

The Rebbe Stronger Than a Cossack

(from Ascent of Safed)

R' Mordechai Dov of Hornsteipel fell ill with a violent cough. He went to consult doctors in the city of Kiev, and was told that it would be necessary to sear one spot on his body with a burning-hot lance. The doctors told him in advance that the treatment was extremely painful; so painful, in fact, that the patient had to be tied to a chair in order not to move during the process.

Saved at the Mikveh (from Heichal Hanegina)

Story number three (see the other two in the two most previous posts), culled from the vast archives of stories on Heichal Hanegina. Adapted from "Not Just Stories" and "HaAdmorim L'Beit Sanz" by "yitz" of Heichal Hanegina.

SAVED AT THE MIKVA

Young Mordechai Dov seems to have been fascinated with mikvaot. Already thoroughly learned in the entire Talmud, at the tender age of eighteen he wrote his first sefer, "Chibur LeTahara" ["Connection / Author's Work of Purity"] on the Laws of Mikvaot and Netilat Yadayim, ritual immersion and washing of the hands. Even earlier, on the evening of his wedding [at age 15!], the Mechutanim, Rebbe Chaim of Sanz and Rebbe Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkasse, accompanied young Mordechai Dov to the mikva to watch him tovel [immerse in the water], remarking, "A tevila like this we've never seen!" However, the following event happened even earlier, but first we need an introduction, from Rabbi Avraham Twerski [a descendant of the Hornesteipel Rebbe]:

A Bracha for...a Theif? (from Heichal Hanegina)

In honor of the great yahrtzeit, here is a second story, adapted by the wonderful blog, Heichal Hanegina, from Rabbi Abraham J. (Reb Sheya) Twerski, M.D.'s book, The Zeide Reb Motele.

"I learned from all my teachers," David HaMelech says in Tehillim [119:99]. Our Sages tell us in Pirkei Avos [4:1] that a truly wise person is he who learns from everyone. Indeed, the Maggid of Mezritch taught the Rebbe Reb Zusia [of Anipoli] that one can learn three things from a baby, and seven from a thief. Among those seven is that "a thief never gives up. If he fails the first time, he keeps on trying until he succeeds." Sometimes, however, his success is not in what he thinks it should be, as our story teaches us…

A Look of Teshuva (from Heichal Hanegina)

Again, in lieu of my own posts and my fear of misrepresenting this great tzadik's message, I bring you a few posts from Heichal Hanegina.

A LOOK OF TESHUVA

(from The Zeide Reb Motele, by Rabbi A.J. Twerski, MD)

Pictures From Hornosteipel Today

The ohel in Hornosteipel

Yahrtzeit: The Rebbe Reb Mordechai Dov of Hornosteipel (Elul 22)

As usual, I don't feel adequate to writing something about the Rebbe Reb Motele, especially without the appropriate amount of time for such an undertaking. But, we are in luck. Here is an edited transcript of the Rebbe's remarks at the yahrtzeit seudah on Elul 22, 5766 (2006). Very, very worthwhile!

One Small Change Has A Massive Effect

There is theory that if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, the minute disturbance that it causes in the air can ripple off and ultimately create a tornado over Moscow. Even the smallest movement, in what one may believe to be a very distant and remote place, has the ability to move huge amounts of energy in other areas. Making a small change in the right direction in even a seemingly insignificant area of one's life can cause enough of a shift in the trend of his day-to-day drudgery to stir up the storm of change requisite to make headway in other more significant areas. Especially in our quest along the road of Elul, we must never underestimate the power of small steps. (Erev Rosh Hashanah, 5767)

The Totality of Judgment

A person is made up and created by different aspects and influences, some internally bred and others that come from the outside. The Zohar Hakadosh says that the opening verse of Parshas Nitzavim, אתם נצבים היום - You are standing today, refers to Rosh Hashanah. When you stand on Rosh Hashanah before Hashem, its כולכם - all of you. You along with all of those influences that have helped mold your existence. The verse continues, ראשיכם שבטיכם וכו' טפכם נשיכם - your heads, your tribes, your elders, women and children, all of them. And we have to decide which things work for us and which have not been helpful to the mission. Those things that were detrimental, that compromised our dreams and integrity are חוטב עציך - wood-choppers; we must chop them down and cut them out. And those things that we would like to draw more of are שואב מימך - water-carriers, as water is a source of life and vibrancy. All of them are here with us on the Day of Judgment. We can not ignore anything in our lives for on this day it is all לפני ה' אלקיכם, before Hashem, your G-d. We must address everything. To conveniently forget about any particular skeleton in the closet, aspect of our personality that needs tending to or any choice that we have made that we are maintaining, is to deny outright the totality of Hashem’s scrutiny. We bring everything with us when we step into the courtroom.

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we must look deeply into our lives and selves and decide which things are wood-choppers, the detrimental forces that must be excised, and which are water-carriers, those things that revitalize us and bring us closer to the Source of Life.

(Shabbos Netzavim-Vayelech 5767)

First Night Selichos (audio)

We are at the half-way mark of Elul. As scary as it is, I find it quite thrilling and exciting. The Yomim Tovim are rich with mitzvos and opportunities and they always give us the energy we need to make the rest of the year what it needs to be.

In any event, here are recordings of the Rebbe saying Selichos from 5764-5. Anyone who has been in the Rebbe's shul for the first night of selichos recalls the electric feelings of anticipation as the Rebbe begins Ashrei. The ZIP file contains a bunch of small clips, each one either the beginning or end of a paragraph when the Rebbe is most audible. DOWNLOAD

Rosh Hashana in Cherkass

(צולם מילקוט מאורי אור)

Owning It

On Rosh Hashanah of 5767 (2007), before the blowing of the shofar, the Rebbe, shlit"a, spoke about the following ideas: