The Day of Judgment Is Here
It is Rosh Hashanah once again. It has long been said that if we truly understood that everything begins and ends on Rosh Hashanah, we would invest extraordinary exertion in the avodah of the day. There is a famous story about a man who went outdoors on Chanukah, in the midst of a raging storm, and caught a cold. He went on to tell people that he had caught a cold on Chanukah, but one of the gedolei Yisroel rejected that statement. “He didn’t catch a cold on Chanukah,” the gadol said. “He was too cold and unemotional on Rosh Hashanah, and that is why this hardship was decreed upon him.”
I don’t know what sort of atmosphere takes hold on Rosh Hashanah in America, where Jews live among the nations of the world, but the solemnity of the day is felt everywhere here in Eretz Yisroel, even in cities that are largely secular. Even Jews who do not generally observe halacha are sensitive to the gravity of the Yomim Nora’im. Most Israelis, even if they are not religiously observant, tend to define themselves as “masorti” or traditional, and they typically try to avoid desecrating Rosh Hashanah. Since my apartment overlooks the main highway connecting Yerushalayim to Tel Aviv, I can personally attest that there is hardly any traffic on the road on both days of Rosh Hashanah.
On that note, let me add another thought about this Yom Tov. I have always been puzzled by Chazal’s description of Rosh Hashanah as a day when “the books of the living and the books of the dead are opened before Him.” Why is there a need for two books? If a person is not inscribed in the book of the living, doesn’t that automatically mean that he has been sentenced to death? Why should he then be inscribed in the book of the dead? Then again, the reverse is also true: If there were only a book of the dead, then everyone who was not sentenced to death would automatically be granted another year of life. Either way, it seems redundant for there to be two “books” open in Shomayim.
To be honest, this question first occurred to me in light of Rav Shimshon Pincus’s famous explanation of what takes place on Rosh Hashanah. Rav Pincus explained that no one enters Rosh Hashanah with an automatic right to continue living; rather, we must earn our right to life every year anew. He explained this concept with an analogy: Just as a car must have its gas tank periodically refilled, our lives must be periodically renewed and granted to us again. We are not davening to Hashem to prevent us from running out of “fuel” on Rosh Hashanah; rather, the fuel that we received the previous year is inevitably going to be depleted, and we beseech Him to refill our “tanks.” Based on this, I understood that we must daven for life on Rosh Hashanah and that death is merely the consequence of failing to have those tefillos accepted. Why, then, do the “sifrei meisim” exist in Shomayim? If everyone must earn his existence on Rosh Hashanah, why would there be a need for anyone’s name to be inscribed on a list of those who will not survive? (According to some meforshim, however, the “book of the dead” relates to the fact that even the deceased are judged on Rosh Hashanah, in case they have accumulated more zechuyos due to the actions of their progeny or the continued results of the deeds they performed during their lifetimes. This approach, of course, would render my question irrelevant.)
All Is Determined on Yom Kippur
Forty years ago, on erev Rosh Hashanah in the year 5744/1984, Rav Ovadiah Yosef delivered a drosha that is eerily applicable to our times. Here is an excerpt of the drosha, which was transcribed in one of his seforim: “We experienced many calamities this year, especially in Operation Peace in the Galilee, a bloody war that took the lives of over 600 of our soldiers, many of whom were yirei Shomayim, and left many others wounded, many of whom became permanently disabled. This is aside from the fact that many people are killed or wounded in traffic accidents throughout the year; there isn’t a single day without a fatal accident. All these things are decreed and sealed on Yom Kippur. If those people who are no longer with us and who are in the World of Truth had known what would happen to them during the year, they would certainly have been motivated on Yom Kippur to engage in complete teshuvah and to tearfully beg Hashem to annul the decrees against them. Not only would they have done this, but their entire families would have done so as well. Had these families known what was destined to befall their loved ones, they would not have rested or been silent until they had overturned the decree. But who can be privy to Hashem’s secrets? Fortunate is the person who takes this to heart in advance of Yom Kippur, for if he does teshuvah in the interim, he will be forgiven, and if he does not do teshuvah, then even if he brings all the rams of Nevayos, he will not be forgiven. Every person should be concerned that he might be among those who are slated to pass away during the coming year, chas v’shalom. Fortunate is the man who contemplates these thoughts to awaken himself to teshuvah, so that he will repent and be healed.”
On another occasion, Rav Ovadiah said, “We must not be silent. This is the month of Elul, the month to make a reckoning. Every person should ask himself a number of questions: What did he do over the previous year? How was his davening? Was it with kavanah, or only by rote? A person should contemplate this matter at great length; it is possible to rectify it. And where is he in Torah learning? How much progress has he made? How much more has he accomplished in Torah? If he remained as he was during the previous year, it is not good. One must always gain more knowledge, so a person should think carefully about his Torah learning, as well as about his davening, mitzvos, and good deeds. A person should also engage in tzedokah and chesed; this is a segulah to atone for one’s sins. Tzedokah atones for one’s misdeeds. ‘Fortunate is he who is kind to a pauper; on the day of evil, Hashem will save him.’ We need the mercy of our Creator. He has mercy on us like a father for his children. We beg of Him and beseech Him to show mercy to us. We have no one to rely upon other than our Father in Heaven. We must not be complacent or idle. Hashem tells us to open a small aperture for Him, like the tip of a needle, and then He will create an opening for us as broad as the entrance to a vast hall. When a person endeavors to purify himself, Hashem will assist him. In that merit, may Hashem inscribe and seal all of Klal Yisroel for a year of goodness and brachos, life and peace.”
This is a fitting introduction indeed to the Yomim Nora’im.
Fear of Judgment Elicits Mercy
Twenty-five years have elapsed since the passing of Rav Chanoch Henoch Karelenstein, who passed away at the end of Elul 5759/1999. His levayah was held on erev Rosh Hashanah. At that tragic funeral, his father cried out, “Oy, my kaddish!”
Rav Chanoch had seemed to be poised to become one of the gedolim of our generation until his life was tragically cut short at the age of 42. He was old enough, though, for his leadership abilities and his personal greatness to be recognized. Rav Chanoch was endowed with character traits that gained him a large following. I recently spoke to a ben yeshiva who told me that he used to eagerly attend Rav Chanoch’s shiurim, following him from one venue to the next during every Chol Hamoed, and that he found that Rav Chanoch’s teachings struck the exact points that he needed to hear for his personal elevation. And he was one of the thousands of people who were uplifted and fortified by Rav Chanoch’s shiurim and shmuessen.
Incidentally, Rav Chanoch — together with Rav Moshe Mann, yibadeil l’chaim — was one of the pioneers behind the initiative of delivering special shiurim during bein hazemanim.
Rav Chanoch Karelenstein left behind a treasury of Torah writings that seem to far exceed the capabilities of an ordinary person over the course of an ordinary lifetime. He was the author of Kuntres Eitzos Lizkos Badin B’Yomim HaNora’im, which I tend to quote every year for my readers’ benefit and as a zechus for his neshomah. This sefer contains thirteen chapters, each dedicated to a specific method for attaining a favorable judgment on the Yomim Nora’im, which is supported with quotations from Chazal that showcase the author’s incredible erudition. The topics include showing forbearance to others, relating to others with compassion, fearing Hashem’s judgment, being needed by the public, giving the benefit of the doubt, and other forms of virtuous behavior. I would personally recommend studying at least the chapters on the subjects of fearing the Heavenly judgment and putting extra effort into one’s Torah learning.
When Rav Chanoch was ill, he was often visited by Rav Elyashiv, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, and other rabbonim. On one occasion, Rav Shimshon Pincus paid him a visit. Upon arriving, Rav Pincus waited downstairs and sent his son Eliyohu up to Rav Chanoch’s apartment to ask permission for his father to visit. The family member who opened the door listened to his request and replied, “Our father is not in good condition at the moment.” When Eliyohu Pincus relayed that response to his father, Rav Pincus said, “They probably didn’t recognize you. You should try again.” His son dutifully climbed the stairs, knocked on the door again, and identified himself. When Rav Chanoch heard that Rav Shimshon Pincus had arrived to visit him, he leaped out of his bed and asked for the visitor to be ushered inside.
As Rav Pincus prepared to leave, Rav Chanoch quipped, “It was worthwhile for me to be ill so that I could receive a visit from you!”
After Rav Chanoch’s petirah, a hesped was delivered in the yeshiva in the town of Yeruchom. Rav Pincus stood up at that event and declared, “You are eulogizing the niftar based on his impact on Yeruchom, but you should be looking at him from a more global perspective. The entire Jewish nation has lost a leader!”
Rav Dovid Yosef Is Elected Rishon Letzion
Make no mistake: I have many topics to write about this week, and I fear that even a column twice this length would not be sufficient to cover all of them. I will settle for mentioning a few items briefly, even though these are issues of major import, simply because I felt it was justified to devote more space to Rosh Hashanah. But now that we have explored some aspects of the Yom Hadin, let us move on to some of the week’s major news stories.
First of all, the election for the new chief rabbis has finally gotten underway. After Rav Yitzchok Yosef and Rav Dovid Lau completed their respective terms, the election for their replacements was repeatedly postponed, until this Sunday, September 29, when it was held at the Ramada Hotel in Yerushalayim. This follows a somewhat contentious election campaign, during which time I endeavored to avoid being caught up in the various spins, and I refrained from reporting on all the trivial details and disagreements. As of this writing, one new chief rabbi has been elected: Rav Dovid Yosef, who will assume the position of Rishon Letzion and Sefardic chief rabbi of Israel. The Ashkenazic chief rabbi will be chosen in a runoff election held next week, since the election ended in a tie between two of the five candidates for the position: Rav Kalman Bar, the chief rabbi of Netanya, and Rav Micha Halevi, chief rabbi of Petach Tikvah, with each receiving forty votes. Let us hope that the new chief rabbis will succeed in instilling love for Yiddishkeit in the entire country, including the secular citizens of Israel.
Meanwhile, Gideon Saar has been appointed to a ministerial position after joining the coalition along with his three colleagues. On Monday, the Knesset approved the appointment, and Saar was sworn in as a government minister and member of the cabinet.
In other news, Israel received a blow to its economy and its morale from the international credit rating agency Moody’s, which downgraded the country’s credit rating by two levels, from A2 to BAA1. The agency also issued a negative forecast, indicating that they might lower the rating further within the next year and a half. This is already the lowest rating that Israel has ever received, and it is the second time that Moody’s has lowered the country’s rating. In addition to these moves, the agency also released a scathing report voicing unprecedented disapproval of the Israeli economy and the government’s policies. All of this is very unpleasant.
On the judicial front, Justice Minister Yariv Levin is continuing his relentless battle to prevent Yitzchok Amit from becoming the next chief justice of the Supreme Court through the traditional method of selection by seniority. Israel has also been rocked by controversy over the plans for memorial ceremonies to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre, including a fierce conflict between the government and the families of some of the hostages and victims, who are planning separate ceremonies of their own. There is also much to write about the hardships facing the many travelers who wish to spend Rosh Hashanah in Uman, and there is a plan in the works to close several government ministries that have been deemed superfluous, including the ministry headed by Meir Porush. All of these stories would ordinarily receive more extensive coverage in this column, but as I said, with Rosh Hashanah on our doorstep, everything else seems to pale in comparison.
Nasrallah Is Dead; What Next?
Of course, another newsworthy development is the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader and one of the founders of Hezbollah, the terror organization based in Lebanon. Most Shabbos observers in Israel heard the news only on Motzoei Shabbos, although there were some religious Israelis who received word of it over Shabbos from irreligious neighbors. Nasrallah was killed on Friday night together with Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern division, and several other high-ranking members of the organization. The group was meeting in a bunker in Beirut when Israeli fighter jets arrived at the scene, guided by precise information collected by the Israeli intelligence apparatus. The Israeli planes bombed Hezbollah’s main headquarters, which was located beneath a residential building in the Dahiye neighborhood of Beirut. The attack was carried out while the top brass of Hezbollah was busy planning acts of terror against the citizens of the State of Israel.
I am sure that there is little to say about Nasrallah that isn’t already known. During his 32 years as the leader of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murders of numerous Israeli civilians and soldiers, and for planning and carrying out thousands of acts of terror against the State of Israel and elsewhere in the world. Nasrallah was reported by the IDF to have been “the main decision maker and sole approver of strategic and systemic decisions, and sometimes tactical decisions, made by the organization.” On October 8, Nasrallah and Hezbollah joined the war against the State of Israel launched by Hamas the day before. Since that time, Hezbollah has continued attacking the citizens of Israel and has dragged the state of Lebanon and the entire region into an escalation of violence. When Netanyahu spoke about the government living up to its duty to bring the citizens of the north back home, he meant that Israel would have to take out Nasrallah. Nasrallah was the source of the threat that caused all the cities of the north to turn into ghost towns over the past few months. With his elimination, the State of Israel has essentially taken out the entire chain of command of the terror group that threatened it from Lebanon in the north. Of course, that leaves the question of what will happen next. Will Iran decide to launch an attack against Israel? Will Nasrallah be succeeded by a new terrorist who is even crueler and more wicked, and who will decide to continue bombarding Israel with missiles? Only time will tell.
This operation was a major accomplishment for Israel and a victory for Netanyahu as well. Nevertheless, the prime minister’s enemies haven’t yet run out of complaints against him; they have already accused him of being opposed to the operation or of ordering it to distract the country’s attention from his failure to retrieve the hostages from Gaza. For us, as religious Jews, there is only one thing to do: We must daven on Rosh Hashanah for these events to yield only positive results for us.
The Hearts of Kings
Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the United Nations on Friday, where diplomatic representatives of the nations of the world rained fiery criticism on him. Netanyahu employed his rhetorical abilities and his excellent command of the English language to defend himself and his country, while giving no sign of the fact that he had already given the green light to the assassination of mass murderer Hassan Nasrallah. The U.N. is a living fulfillment of Chazal’s teaching that hatred came to the world at Har Sinai, and that the nations of the world harbor an implacable enmity toward the Jewish people. The U.N. and its related institutions are suffused with profound hatred for Jews. As far as we are concerned, that means one thing: We can rely on no one other than our Father in Heaven. The hearts of kings and officers are in His hands, and we must direct our prayers for salvation to Him alone.
The story of Donald Trump is an excellent example of Hashem’s orchestrating events on the global political stage to affect the Jewish people. America has a long history of maintaining a dichotomous relationship with Israel. The Americans use the carrot and the stick together in their dealings with Israel; their military aid is typically coupled with political demands. Of course, it is the interests of the United States, not of Israel, that truly concern them; Chazal have plenty to say on that subject as well. America wants to have a foothold in the Middle East to assist it in dealing with international conflicts; it is therefore an American interest for Israel to be strong, but that hasn’t stopped America from exerting pressure on Israel when it suited them. When Hashem decided that the time had come to ease the American stranglehold on Israel, Donald Trump was elected. For that reason, many Israelis are davening that he will be reelected this November. Of course, that question is one of many that will be decided in the Heavenly judgment on Rosh Hashanah.
Another country whose leader was clearly Divinely picked to serve the Jewish people’s interests is the country of Argentina. President Javier Milei of Argentina is known to be a staunch friend of the Jews and a man whose interest in Judaism is practically akin to that of a potential ger tzedek. Israel was the first country that he visited after his election, and the first place he visited in Israel was the Kosel, where he wept with great emotion. Milei was accompanied by his good friend Rabbi Shimon Wahnish, whom I interviewed for this newspaper last spring in honor of his appointment as Argentina’s ambassador to Israel. Milei recently came to the United Nations along with dozens of other heads of state, but he delivered a speech with a decidedly pro-Jewish slant. “This organization, which was meant to protect human rights, has become an abrogator of those rights,” he declared. “It is advancing policies against Israel, which is the only democracy in the Middle East.” Milei spoke his mind, revealing that his personal sentiments are very strongly in favor of Israel and the Jewish people. He did not hesitate to refer to Hamas as a terror group and Hezbollah as the “forces of darkness.”
But as I said, the hearts of kings are in Hashem’s hands. The only thing that we can do to affect the opinions of world leaders is to daven.
Parenthetically, Rabbi Shimon Wahnish has already begun serving as Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, and he recently met in the Knesset with MK Erez Malul, the chairman of the Israel-Argentina Parliamentary Friendship Group. The media reported that the two men discussed strengthening the ties between their respective countries and advancing their collaboration in various areas. It was quite heartening to see two religious Sefardic Jews meeting for professional purposes, with one serving as Argentina’s ambassador to Israel while the other heads a Knesset friendship group and serves as a deputy speaker of the Knesset.
The Lessons That Have Gone Unlearned
Chazal tell us that even the most prodigious sinners in the Jewish people are filled with mitzvos like the seeds of a pomegranate. Presumably, this applies even to the likes of Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv. However, the controversy over segregated tefillos in Tel Aviv is reaching the heights of contentiousness and kefirah. It is hard to believe that any Jew would be capable of refusing to allow others to daven in the public sphere on Yom Kippur or condemning the use of a mechitzah at such a public service. To make matters worse, the court has sided with the Tel Aviv municipality, supporting its decision to ban the tefillos. This is utterly appalling. Why should they care where the davening takes place or how many people attend it? Wasn’t it enough that there was such shameful opposition to public davening on Yom Kippur last year? And haven’t the agitators learned anything from the turbulent events that have taken place since that time?
At the beginning of the year 5784, before the horrific events of last Simchas Torah, the media reported the following: “This morning, the Supreme Court heard the petition submitted by the organization known as Rosh Yehudi [which filed an appeal against the District Court’s decision to prohibit hakafos shniyos at Dizengoff Square]. During the discussion, the justices of the Supreme Court criticized the Tel Aviv municipality and asked both sides to compromise and reach an agreement between themselves. A few minutes later, the municipal representatives announced that they would agree to a compromise: The hakafos shniyos could be held, albeit without a mechitzah of any kind.”
This hearing took place on October 6, 2023, one day before the notorious massacre of October 7, which left our country deeply scarred. But it appears that secular jurists will not repent even when they are at the entrance to Gehinnom. This week, Judge Erez Yekuel refused to override the Tel Aviv municipality’s decision to ban tefillos with segregation between men and women in the public sphere. The judge contended that the municipal decision “does not deviate dramatically from the realm of administrative reasonability.” Focusing on the administrative angle, the judge ignored the severe breach of ethics and Jewish values represented by the city’s decision. One of the leading cities in the State of Israel has thus prohibited Jews from erecting a mechitzah for a religious service. Arabs, on the other hand, are permitted to set up partitions between men and women at their prayer services in Tel Aviv, but that is an issue to be addressed at a different time. Sadly, these politicians have forgotten not only the events on the Gaza border last year, but also the pesukim in the Torah that warn of the calamitous consequences of straying from the path of the Torah. May Hashem protect us all.
The Hatred of the Ignorant
The elitists, the anarchists, the publicists, and the caricaturists who regularly spout ignorance and hatred for Judaism do not actually hate religious Jews. Rather, they despise themselves. Their attitude to the religious community, meanwhile, would be better defined as envy rather than hatred. They cannot tolerate seeing young men putting on tefillin in public, much less a large crowd davening Ne’ilah in Dizengoff Square. They know that these were the practices of their fathers and grandfathers, which they themselves rebelled against. They know that this is the way a Jew who is faithful to Hashem, His Torah, and His nation should behave, and that they are far from this ideal. And they feel that this leaves them with only one choice: to fight fiercely against tefillin, Shabbos, and the Torah. This is the sad explanation for the sights that we regularly witness on the streets of Israel’s major cities and in its courthouses.
Now, when are they most perturbed by the fact that they are not leading proper Jewish lives? When they come face to face with core Jewish values. That is why they fight against Shabbos, kashrus, and halachic marriage. And Yom Kippur arouses their ire more than anything else. There is no other possible explanation for their battle against Kol Nidrei in Tel Aviv. This is a service organized by chilonim who want to daven, albeit in Dizengoff Square rather than in a shul. And it is the secular participants in these tefillos who want a mechitzah; the segregation of the genders is not imposed on them by anyone else. But there are some people in this country who cannot stand witnessing men and women davening separately, regardless of who was behind the initiative.
At this time last year, a battle was being fought against the provocateurs who sought to erode the standards of kedusha. This group of modern-day eirev rov received solid backing from the judiciary, and their schemes were successful. The davening on Yom Kippur was ruined, and the festive hakafos shniyos were scrapped. And then the calamity of October 7 shook the nation to its core. Tragically, these fools are now repeating their mistakes. We will have to daven for them on Rosh Hashanah as well.
The Mayor of Nof HaGalil Recognizes the Truth
While we should never allow ourselves to take such developments for granted, we may have begun to grow inured to this type of news. I am referring, of course, to the report that appeared in the media on Monday, when a rocket scored a direct hit on a home in the settlement of Givat Avni but there were no injuries. We are used to hearing about rockets and missiles landing in open areas, which should also astound us; however, many of us failed to be moved even by the news that this particular rocket strike caused no injuries. Somehow, many of us haven’t even raised an eyebrow as fifty rockets were fired at Etzba HaGalil, hundreds were launched toward the communities in the vicinity of Meron, dozens of rockets were fired toward Kiryat Shemona, and the city of Tzfas came under fire as well. We have heard about such things so many times already that we are no longer moved by the reports. Nevertheless, the fire in the municipal warehouses in Kiryat Shemona was dubbed a miracle by the media, since the city’s emergency personnel had just concluded a meeting in that exact location. Had they remained there just a few moments longer, the results would have been tragic. This was indeed a miracle, but it would behoove everyone in this country to recognize that there are also miracles that are not as evident, and that take place in other locations as well.
Last Monday night, dozens of pieces of shrapnel from interceptors landed in the city of Nof HaGalil (formerly Nazareth). Each of those shrapnel pieces could easily have caused death and destruction, but there was no damage at all, boruch Hashem. One piece, which weighed 60 kilograms, landed adjacent to the municipal building. I was pleased to read Mayor Ronen Plot’s reaction: “Hashem is protecting us during the month of Selichos. Had a missile like this fallen in a place occupied by people, there would have been many casualties.” Of course, that was far from the only projectile that struck the city.
Everyone in the Knesset is familiar with Ronen Plot, who previously served as the director-general of the Knesset and earned a reputation for his outstanding performance. While it wasn’t an especially difficult feat to surpass some of the other men who held that position, some of whom were downright unpleasant, Plot won over everyone with his charming personality. An immigrant from Moldova who managed to break through every glass ceiling in the country, Plot has served as director-general of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, the Ministry of Public Relations, and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Ten years ago, he became the director-general of the Knesset, and in 2016, he surprised many of the Knesset employees by stepping down from his position to join the mayoral race in Nof HaGalil, which was known as Nazareth at the time. Anyone who would leave a comfortable position of seniority in the Knesset for the unknown of the north would have to be an idealist, which is indeed an apt description of Ronen Plot. Sure enough, Plot won the mayoral race by a respectable margin and went on to change the city’s name. He also holds a position in Yad Vashem.
During his time in the Knesset, I knew Ronen Plot as a man with a connection to mesorah. I often met him in the Knesset shul, especially during parliamentary events such as the festive Tu B’Shevat davening, and he was always respectful and interested in learning more about Yiddishkeit. Therefore, I was not surprised this week when he correctly attributed the city’s protection to Hashem.
This week, the municipal spokesman in Nof HaGalil published a picture of Mayor Plot standing next to the remnants of the missile. A close inspection of the picture will show the pesukim of Birkas Kohanim, a brocha for Divine protection, artfully inscribed on the wall behind him. May those tefillos be fulfilled!
Thanking Hashem
I listened to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech at the U.N. on Friday, and noticed a significant difference from his usual style. This time, he spoke repeatedly about the Creator of the Universe, peppering his speech with phrases such as “thank G-d” and “G-d willing” and acknowledging Hashem’s eternal protection for the Jewish people.
A Mother’s Tears
Every new mother can be expected to become emotional after giving birth. The question is not whether she will cry, but rather for how long. But one young lady who gave birth in Shaare Zedek Medical Center began sobbing inconsolably in her room in the maternity ward, and her tears continued to fall for so long that one of the hospital social workers was summoned to her bedside.
“Is something wrong?” the social worker asked gently.
“No. Everything is fine,” the new mother replied.
“Is the baby all right?” the hospital employee persisted.
“Yes, boruch Hashem, she is fine.”
“Are you afraid to return home?”
“No, I am not. I am looking forward to seeing my other children again.”
“Then what could possibly be the problem?”
“I am crying because of her,” she said, pointing at the other woman in the room, who was celebrating the birth of a firstborn son.
“Is she disturbing you?” the social worker asked in a whisper.
“Not at all,” the woman said, as fresh tears began to fall. “It’s simply that we have been here for a day and a half already, and no one has come to visit her!”
A Sweet New Year
It is customary for Jews to wish each other a “shanah tovah u’mesukah” — a good and sweet year — on Rosh Hashanah. Rav Chanoch Karelenstein once shared an explanation of this statement with me: We all know that Hashem wants us to have only things that are good for us, and that He never does evil. Sometimes, however, we perceive various events as bad, when they are truly good for us. We therefore ask for a year that is both good and sweet — that is, not only should its events be to our benefit, but we should also be able to sense that it is sweet. Instead of having to dig beneath the surface to understand how the bitterness we are experiencing is truly to our benefit, we should experience a year that is completely pleasant and sweet.
On that note, let me wish you all a shanah tovah u’mesukah!
