PARSHA - Haazinu. Alter Rebbe Ahavat Yisroel - Yom Kippur

Parshat Ha'azinu begins with the words,
"Listen, O heavens, for I will speak! Let the earth hear the words of my mouth!"
The Midrash explains that Moshe was "close to the heaven," so he told them to "listen" - a term which suggests a closeness between speaker and listener. But since he was "distant from the earth," he told it to "hear", from afar.

Since every Jew has a spark of Moshe within his soul, it enables us to attain, to some small extent, the spiritual greatness of Moshe.
Thus, to some degree, we too can appreciate that - spiritual matters are more important than physical things - to be "close to the heavens and distant from the earth."

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In the midst of the Yom Kippur services, the Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the Alter Rebbe, interrupted his prayers and made his way to the nearby forest. There, he collected dry wood and branches. He carried them to a small house. He knocked on the door and then entered. Once inside, the Rebbe kindled a fire from the wood he had brought. He prepared a soup and he fed it, spoon by spoon, to the woman in the house who had just given birth.

We must take into account the magnitude and intensity of the Rebbe's Yom Kippur prayers which were on behalf of all the Jewish people. Yet, he saw that caring for a new mother was more precious before G-d than his exalted prayers.

A Jew's compassion and caring is driven by the fact that this Mitzva is an integral part of his/her relationship with G-d.

As the Alter Rebbe says, "Love of G-d and love of the Jewish people are equally engraved in every Jew's soul. However, loving of the Jewish people is superior, for you love whom your beloved loves."

Candle lighting time for LA is 6:28
Candle lighting time for Sunday, ushering in Yom Kippur is 6:25pm.
The fast ending Monday evening at 7:28pm

Shabbat Shalom!

Calling out from the depths of our soul

Yom Kippur, one of our holiest days, completes the "Ten Days of Repentance" which began on Rosh Hashanah. The verse that the Rabbis use to describe these days is "Search for G-d while He can be found, call upon Him when he is near" They explain that G-d is close to every Jew during these days. This knowledge and innate feeling helps each person make a greater effort to come even closer to G-d. During each of the Ten Days, this energy grows until it reaches its height on Yom Kippur,

Psalm #130,(that we add in our prayers this week begins with the words) "A song of ascents, out of the depths have I called you, G-d. My Master, listen to my voice, may Your ears hear my calls for grace". The simple meaning of the verse is that a person calls out to G-d from the depth of his pain and difficulties. The inner dimension of the verse requires from us something more: "Out of the depths" refers to a level of consciousness attainable by every Jew, that through our concentration and effort, we call to G-d from our innermost place, the depths of our soul.

The Baal Shem Tov said that each person gets a stream of blessings from heaven; a person's negative actions can cause those blessings to be reduced or blocked. When a person prays from the depth of his soul, digging deep, opening himself up, something changes in the person himself (!), altering him entirely. The Heavenly Court can then remove those blockages.

Let's not let the Ten Days of Repentance pass without taking full advantage.

Yom Kippur at the Cantonists' Shul

The Cantonists were Jews who, by decree of Czar Nicholas I, had been snatched from their families when they were young children for a 25-year term of "service" in the Czar's army, where every cruel means had been employed to force them to abandon Judaism. The few that did survive were so emotionally and psychologically destroyed that they were never really able to live normal lives, and so they lived together in little villages.

One Yom Kippur Reb Mordechai, a follower of the third Chabad Rebbe, happened to lead the Prayers in a Cantonist's Shul.

They requested though of Reb Mordechai that one of the Cantonists themselves will lead Ne'ilah, the closing prayer of the holy day.

Reb Mordechai was in awe; he had never experienced such a minyan; comprised of Jews each of whom had been through such hardships, and only for the sake of G-d.

His soul flowed into the prayers, never had he sung so beautifully. Finally, it was time for Ne'ilah, the closing prayer.

Reb Mordechai stepped back, and one of the Cantonists then stood up and took his place at the podium. Before he began to lead the prayers, he started unbuttoning his shirt.

Reb Mordechai was about to protest: You can't take your shirt off in the synagogue!

But as the opened shirt revealed hundreds of scars; years upon years of deep scars.... each one because this man refused to forsake the G-d of Israel, Reb Mordechai gasped and tears ran from his eyes.

The Cantonist then raised his hands to G-d and said in a loud voice.

"G-d...Send us Moshiach! Redeem the Jewish people now!

"I'm not asking for the sake of our families, because we don't have families.

"I'm not asking for the sake of our futures, because we have no futures.

"I'm not asking for the sake of our livelihoods or our comfort, because we don't have any of those things either.

"We're just asking: Assey l'maan shemecha -- G-d! Do it for Your sake!"

He then closed his shirt and the prayers began.

Aseret Yemei Teshuva - Teshuva/Tefilla/Tzedak

The ten-day period beginning with Rosh HaShanah and climaxing on Yom Kippur is referred to as “The Ten Days of Teshuvah”.

We express the hope that on Rosh Hashanah G-d blessed us with a “good and sweet year” to come.

But there is no limit to goodness and blessing. Thus, during the Ten Days of Teshuvah we have the opportunity through our service, to cause G-d to grant us yet greater benefits from His “full and expansive hand.”

We say in our prayers, “Teshuva - repentance/ returning , Tefillah - prayer ,and Tzedaka -charity” avert evil and bring the good.

Teshuvah is a return to the self. While repentance involves dismissing the past and starting anew, teshuvah means going back to one’s roots in G-d and exposing them as one’s true character, making it the dominant influ­ence in our lives.

Tefillah - prayer - means, to attach oneself. In tefillah we seek to attach ourself to G-d. For while there may be those who do not lack anything and thus have nothing to request of G-d, there is no-one who does not need to attach himself to the source of all life.

Tzedakah means justice. The implication is that the donor gives because it is his duty. We have a duty to act towards others as we ask G-d to act towards us. And as we ask G-d for His blessings though He owes us nothing , so we are bound in justice to give to those who ask us, even though we owe them nothing.

These three;

Teshuva - Returning to one's innermost self.

Tefilla - attaching oneself to G-d.

Tzedaka - distributing one's possessions with justice

leads to a year “written and sealed” for good. A year of sweetness and plenty!

L'shana Tova Umetuka!!

The Rosh Hashono scene is set!

The Shofar, prayer books, apples & honey, festively-set tables and a new life-force emerging to sustain the world.

On Rosh Hashanah the world is new. It’s life-force is qualitatively different that of any previous year -- a spiritual color never seen before. We cannot see this profound renewal, but its effects are real.

For each of us individually, this means new potential for spiritual growth and development. Rosh Hashanah shakes us out of our spiritual slumber, hence the Shofar blasts, to reconnect to our source and recommit to our divine mission in this world.

On the threshold of the New Year, each of us pauses to draw up а balance sheet for the past year. With unflinching honesty we review and assess our past actions and reactions, and resolve to better ourselves. Thus committed, we confidently pray for а happy year, both materially and spiritually, for ourselves and our loved ones.

And for the world at large we fervently pray that this year will bring the coming of Moshiach -- and a transformation unfathomably joyous and complete, where our confusion and burdens are lifted and our unity is revealed.

Our Sages say that giving Tzedoko, charity, to the needy opens the way for our prayers to bring us good health, prosperity and happiness.

Wishing you and yours, and all the House of Israel, a sweet, prosperous, and meaningful new year!

For the convenience of those who would like to donate online, visit www.oneminutetorah.info

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Candelighting time Friday night for Los Angeles is 6:38 p.m. and Saturday night after 7:40 p.m.

SHANA TOVA!!

"One more blast"

Rebbi Chaim Elazar Spira, known as the Minchat Elazar, loved his grandson, Tzvi, in a exaggerated way.

On the first day of the month of Elul when he blew the Shofar, as is the custom, Tzvi was in the room and was visibly excited by its sounds.

He asked his grandfather for one more blast, and his grandfather gladly obliged. For the remainder of the month, this became a ritual; the Rebbe blowing the shofar each day for little Tzvi. On the day before Rosh Hashanah, Tzvi was there, awaiting his daily blast, but he was disappointed.

"Today is the day before Rosh Hashanah," his grandfather explained. "Today we do not blow the shofar. Tomorrow, on Rosh Hashana, we will blow the shofar in the synagogue."

The child did not comprehend. He kicked and screamed, "One more blast! One more blast!"

After a while, the grandfather softened at the sound of his favorite grandchild crying, and he took the shofar and blew one blast.

The next day, the Rebbe went up before the ark, opened it and said: "Master of the Universe, I have to repent. It's written that on the day before Rosh Hashanah one mustn't blow shofar, yet I did." He then began to cry and continued, "do you know why I transgressed this custom? It was because my young grandchild lay on the floor begging and crying that I should only blow one blast of the shofar for him. My heart melted, I couldn't bear to watch him cry and so I blew once for him.

"Tatte (Father), how can You stand by and see how millions of Your children are down on the floor, and crying out to You?! Tatte, one blast! Sound the blast of the "Great Shofar" which will herald the final Redemption! Even if the time for Moshiach has yet to arrive, Your children are crying out to You, Grant them their request!

Moshiach Now!!

Crowning Hashem as our King.

The fundamental theme of Rosh Hashanah is the coronation of G-d as King over us.

In addition to the collective aspects of Rosh Hashanah worship, the coronation renews each Jew’s personal bond with G-d, his direct inner connection as an individual. Each man and woman personally asks G-d to accept the coronation, thus creating the bond of,“We are your people and You are our King.”

As expressed in our heartfelt prayer and request to G-d: "Reign over the entire world!"

Such a request implies the readiness to utterly submit to the divine king, to the point that one's entire being, and all that one has, is the king's alone. This is the meaning of kabalat ol--"the acceptance of the yoke" of the divine sovereignty, which finds expression in all areas of daily life.

Every day must bring an acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, particularly when one recites the Shema. Rosh Hashanah however, is a time when submission to the sovereignty of Heaven is also the quality and content of the day. And this is the foundation of all our deeds throughout the year.

It is incumbent upon us to achieve a full acceptance of the divine kingship.

When a person who does not usually surrender his independence and his convictions, is convinced that he must recognize and submit to a higher authority, this decision is made on a much deeper and more fundamental level and is substantiated by an unshakable commitment.

May you to be inscribed and sealed for a sweet new year.

Shofar -(Change now)

The main mitzva (commandment) of the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashana is to hear the blowing of the shofar. More than the apples dipped in honey, more than the beautiful prayers, more than the festival meal, we must hear the shofar blown. This year, because the first day of Rosh Hashana is on Shabbat, we only have one opportunity to hear the shofar blown - on Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashana.

The Torah was given in the presence of a strong, constantly increasing, shofar blast. The G-dly revelation at that time was so intense that "their souls flew out of their bodies"; they were taken out of their worldly boundaries and elevated to a much higher plane.

The "Great Shofar," which will be blown upon the arrival of Moshiach will also cause us to break out of the limitations of this physical world and reach to a higher level of existence. And the prerequisite for this transformation is the desire to change, which must be present now, before Moshiach has arrived.

The shofar inspires one to abandon one's previous level in order to reach higher levels. We can and must achieve an inner change. And the time for change is now, even before the Rosh Hashana begins.

May we hear, this year, the sounding of the Great Shofar in the rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem with Moshiach, NOW!

PARSHA - Netzavim - Vayelach

This week we read two Torah portions, Nitzavim and VaYeilech. Nitzavim is always read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana.
Indeed the first verse says: "You are standing this day, all of you, before the L-rd your G-d." "This day" refers to the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashana. "Today" we are standing upright and secure that we will be judged favorably, for we stand as one and are unified in the mitzva of loving our fellow Jew.

It is this special unity which gives the Jewish people the strength to endure, and it is the vessel in which G-d's blessings are fulfilled. Like a bundle of straw: each one, individually, is weak and can be easily broken, but once the straw is gathered and bound together it is impossible to bend. When we, the Jewish people, are bound together, we stand powerful and secure. We then become worthy of entering into G-d's covenant on Rosh Hashana.

A covenant is designed to preserve the love that exists between two people. It is established at a time when their love is strongest. This bond connects them and ensures that their love will last.

G-d's love for us is strongest on Rosh Hashana. By us being united one with another we then arouse His desire to establish a covenant with us.

The Jewish nation is compared to the human body that is composed of many different limbs and organs, which achieves perfection only, when all its limbs act in harmony. We are composed of different types and ranks of people, and we can only achieve perfection when WE all act - in harmony.

May G-d grant us all a good and sweet year!

Parshat - Nitzavim & Vayelech

This week's Torah portion of Nitzavim (& Vayelech) is always read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana.

It begins with: "You are standing this day, all of you, before the L-rd your G-d, your heads, your tribes, your elders... all the men of Israel, your children and your wives ... that you should enter into the covenant of the L-rd your G-d."

With these words, Moses brought the Jewish people into a state of collective and mutual surety. Indeed, our Sages declared, "All Jews are guarantors for one another."

Commenting on the verse "You are standing this day, all of you," Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidut, explained that Jews comprise a single entity. Metaphorically speaking, the Jewish people form one body, with each individual Jew being an integral part of the whole.

A physical body is composed of many organs and limbs, each one of which serves its own unique function. That the head is superior to the foot is obvious, but without the foot, the body is incomplete. A defect in the foot affects the entire person. In order to exist as a healthy entity, the body requires all of its organs to be in prime condition and to work in consonance.

So too is it in regard to the Jewish people. There are many different types and categories of Jews. Some are on the level of "head," while others may be said to be the "feet." Nonetheless, each and every Jew is of inestimable value, an essential part of the Jewish people without whom the "body" of Jews would be incomplete. For this reason, all Jews are "guarantors for one another," as each individual possesses unique qualities which are necessary for the health and integrity of the whole .

True unity is only possible when all Jews stand together as one!

Candle lighting time for L.A. is 6:49 p.m.

Shabbat Shalom!

Ayeko - Where are you??

In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi was imprisoned on charges, put forth by the opponents of Chassidism, that his teachings undermined the imperial authority of the czar. For 52 days he was held in the Peter-Paul Fortress in Petersburg.

Among the Rebbe's interrogators was a government minister who possessed broad knowledge of the Bible and Jewish studies. He once asked the Rebbe to explain the verse: "And G-d called out to the man (adam) and said to him: 'Where are you?' Did G-d not know where Adam was?

Rabbi Schneur Zalman presented the explanation offered by several of the commentaries: that the "Where are you?" was merely a "conversation opener" on the part of G-d, who did not wish to unnerve Adam by immediately confronting him with his wrongdoing.

"What Rashi says, I know," said the minister. "I wish to hear how the Rebbe understands the verse."

"Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?" asked the Rebbe. "Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?"

"Yes," replied the minister.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman was extremely gratified to hear this. The czar's minister had affirmed a principle which lies at the basis of the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the very teachings and ideology for which he was standing trial!

"'Where are you?"explained the Rebbe, "is G-d's perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life. You have lived so many years and so many days," -- here Rabbi Schneur Zalman spelled out the exact age of the minister --

"Where are you? What have you achieved?"

The Mind rules the Heart

In his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi states: "By its very nature, the mind rules the heart." This is a cornerstone of the Chabad-Chassidic approach to life.

The renowned chassid Rabbi Moshe Meisels of Vilna, youngest of Rabbi Schneur Zalman's disciples, was an extremely learned man, was fluent in German, Russian, Polish and French. During Napoleon's war on Russia he served as a translator for the French High Command. Rabbi Schneur Zalman had charged him to associate with the French military officials, and to convey all that he learned to the commanders of the Russian army. Within a short while Rabbi Moshe had succeeded in gaining the favor of the chief commanders of Napoleon's army and was privy to their most secret plans.

Relates Reb Moshe:
"The High Command of the French army was meeting, and hotly debating the maneuvers for the upcoming battle. The maps were spread on the floor, and the generals were examining the roads and trails, unable to reach a decision.

They were still debating when the door flew open with a crash. The guard stationed at the door was greatly alarmed and drew his revolver. Everyone thought it was the enemy who had burst in.

But - it was Napoleon himself who appeared in the doorway. The Emperor's face was dark with fury. He stormed into the room and raged: 'Has the battle been planned?

And who is this stranger?!' he continued, pointing to me. In a flash he was at my side. 'You are a spy for Russia!' he thundered, and placed his hand upon my chest to feel the pounding heart of a man exposed.

At that moment, my mind commanded my heart to beat not an increment faster, as I was taught that 'the mind rules the heart'. In an unwavering voice I said: 'The commanders of His Highness the Emperor have taken me as their interpreter, as I am knowledgeable in the languages crucial to the carrying out of their duties...' "

The mind ruled the heart.