The Best Siman for Rosh Hashanah
The simanim are particular meals which are a central a part of the festive meal on Rosh Hashanah.
We dip an apple in honey and want for a yr that might be good and candy. We additionally eat a pomegranate, praying that our deserves might be as many as the seeds of this fruit.
Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen of Radin, referred to as the Chofetz Chaim, spoke about the most necessary siman — one which is necessary not solely on Rosh Hashanah however all yr.
“We know there is significance and strength in the symbolic foods we prepare for Rosh HaShana, and we, therefore, strive to eat what is sweet and to bless and pray over these foods,” he stated. “But if we are so particular in looking for meaningful simanim, there are none better than a pleasant disposition, a smile, and the patience we show to others. And there are no worse simanim than anger and stubbornness. After all, our behavior has influence and consequences too, as it states in the Gemara: ʽWhoever shows compassion to others is granted compassion from Heavenʼ (Shabbat 151b). On Rosh Hashanah, we need to pay special attention to the simanim of affection, love, and kindness.”
Sound of the Soul
While other nations have fun the new yr with a raucous celebration, we begin the new yr in a totally completely different method, devoting a number of minutes to being quiet and simply listening. Accordingly, the blessing that we recite, “Baruch Ata…lishmo’a kol shofar,” displays that we're partaking of a mitzvah that doesn't contain doing something, solely listening.
The sound of the shofar evokes necessary occasions in our historical past: the Akeida when a ram was sacrificed in place of Yitzchak; the blasts of the shofar that have been heard at the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai; and the Yovel (Jubilee yr), when slaves have been let out. It additionally reminds us of the future Redemption, which, based on the prophets, might be ushered in by the shofar sounds.
We don't converse, react, or argue for a number of moments — we simply hear. We don't soar in and specific our opinion; we quiet the noise of all the hustle and bustle round us and inside us and focus on a pure sound – the voice of the soul.
Which ‘Reuben’ Will You Be?
What are your ideas on Rosh Hashanah? Rabbi Kalonymous Kalman Shapira, the Rebbe of Piaseczno, advises that quite than inspecting the yr passed by, we should always primarily stay up for the coming yr and contemplate precisely what we wish from ourselves in each space of life.
Rabbi Shapira was murdered throughout the Holocaust, however he left a invaluable academic legacy: “If you desire to serve Hashem and to elevate yourself, and not to be in the same place at the age of seventy as you were on your Bar Mitzva, do this: Every year, set a goal for yourself. If your name is Reuben, for example, imagine the Reuben you would like to be a year from now – his achievements, work, character traits, and everything else about him. With this imaginary Reuben in mind, measure yourself against him throughout the year. This way, you can see exactly where you are falling short and what kind of work you need to do to become him. Strive so that your daily service to God and personal refinement will be sufficient to meet your goal of becoming the Reuben you wish to be one year from now.
Welcome Home Bubbys
Yaakov Selavan is the deputy head of the Golan Regional Council. Explaining his decision to stay in the North during these tense weeks, he wrote: We’ve chosen to stay and hold onto the land despite the challenging situation. And if anyone thinks we’re crazy, they should know, and Hezbollah should know too, that despite the difficult year that Israel has endured, another plane full of new immigrants landed at Ben Gurion Airport last week.”
Yaakov wrote that after years of deliberation, it was exactly now, amid this hardship, that the realization dawned on many in the Diaspora that it was time to come back dwelling. Among those that reached this understanding have been Yaakov’s grandmother, Jacqueline Yocheved Hirsch, 87, and her sister, Marsha Rubkin, 89, each from Atlanta. Jacqueline will dwell in Jerusalem, and Marsha will dwell in Rehovot.
“Most of Bubby’s and her sister’s grandchildren have been in Israel for many years, and they both have dozens of great-grandchildren here,” Yaakov continued. “We no longer have a ‘Grandma from America.'
“This clarifies for us how we should not take for granted the fact that we get to live here and how, despite the challenges, there is no better place to be. So, while I spent Shabbat here in the North, Bubby was at the Kotel, where she heard the haftarah for the first time as an Israeli, a haftarah that speaks directly to her: ‘Lift up your eyes and see all of them gather and come to you; your sons will come from afar.'”
