Rabbi Rael Blumenthal

The first meeting between Lord Arthur Balfour and Dr Chaim Weizmann took place in 1906, three years after the Zionist leadership had turned down the offer of a Jewish homeland in Uganda. Their conversation lasted more than an hour.

Balfour could not understand why the persecuted Russian Jews refused the offer of a safe asylum in East Africa. Weizmann tried to explain why the Zionists could not accept a home anywhere but Jerusalem. “Suppose,” he said, “I were to offer you Paris instead of London.”

“But, Dr Weizmann, we have London,” Balfour replied. “That is true,” Weizmann said, “but we had Jerusalem when London was a marsh.”

“Are there many Jews who think like you?” wondered Balfour.

“I believe I speak the minds of millions of Jews,” replied Weizmann.

“It is curious,” Balfour remarked, “the Jews I meet are quite different.” “Mr Balfour,” said Weizmann, “you meet the wrong kind of Jews.”

That conversation contained within it, the seeds of the Balfour Declaration, which was signed a decade later on November 2nd, 1917. It was the first modern international document acknowledging the Jewish claim to Eretz Yisrael.

When news of the declaration spread to Poland, Rabbi Shmuel Borenstein, the Rebbe of Sochachov gathered a group of his wealthiest and most influential chassidim and related the following:

”Until now we had seen no sign that Hashem wants us to continue our efforts in the Land of Israel, to the contrary, we have been met with pitfalls at every step in these matters. Thus, we too, have not acted urgently to advance the state and wellbeing of the Yishuv in our Holy Homeland. But now it has come to pass that the promise קול דודי דופק (The sound of my beloved is knocking) is being fulfilled in our lives. Hashem has placed in the hearts of the sovereigns of the land to appropriate our Holy Land to us; indeed it is like some of the Rishonim who explain that just the second Beis HaMikdash was predicated upon the permission of Koresh, so too will the final redemption begin with the permission of the nations...

Thus there is a Holy obligation on us to wake up and prepare ourselves both in the physical and spiritual realms. The time has come to work towards the expansion of the Yishuv in Eretz Yisrael through Torah and Mitzvos.”

Following the Balfour Declaration, the Sochatchover Rebbe redoubled the efforts of his father, the Avnei Nezer to purchase land in Eretz Yisrael with the knowledge that despite the secular nature of Zionism, the time had come for Jews to return home.

But this excitement was shared by many but not all Jews.

There were many Jews, both observant and unobservant, who opposed the visions and values of Zionism for various religious, social and political reasons.

It’s clear that this opposition frustrated the Sochatchover Rebbe.

In his Sefer, Shem Mishmuel, on Parshas VaYera 1920, the Rebbe raises the following question:

In our parsha the Torah relates to us the story of Lot, a resident of Sodom, and the nephew of Avraham. Due to his relationship with Avraham, angels arrive at his door to warn him of the impending destruction of his city.

As the angels arrive, Lot's house is besieged with angry neighbors demanding: אַיֵּה הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ אֵלֶיךָ הַלָּיְלָה – Where are the men that came you this night?!

A fight ensues between Lot and the other residents of Sodom. As tensions rose, the Angels inside the house dragged their host back in doors and bolted the door.

The Torah then describes the fate of the mob outside: הִכּוּ בַּסַּנְוֵרִים מִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל וַיִּלְאוּ לִמְצֹא הַפָּתַח – They struck with blindness, so that they were helpless to find the entrance.

With the people outside stricken with blindness, Lot takes the opportunity to tell his relatives that Hashem is about to destroy the city and that they too should flee, but the response he gets is less than enthusiastic: וַיְהִי כִמְצַחֵק בְּעֵינֵי חֲתָנָיו – It seemed like a joke to his sons-in-law.

This reaction is surprising and perplexing: Surely these sons-in-law could see the mob of people miraculously stricken with blindness? Could they not see how the violent rioters clamoring towards the door were suddenly robbed of their sight!?

If there was ever a sign that something serious and important was happening, miraculous blindness should fit the bill.

The Shem Mishmuel (וירא תר”פ) answers: > ונראה שגם זה הי' ממכת הסנורים, כמו שבגשמיות נלאו למצוא הפתח והיו רואין ולא רואין כן נמי בפנימיות הענין היו רואין את הפלא ולא היו יכולין לשים אליו לב.

It appears that this inability to understand the enormity of the situation was part of the curse of blindness. The physical aspect of blindness meant that they were unable to find the door – they were seeing and not seeing. Likewise the blindness effected them internally. People could see the miracle in front of their eyes, but could not take it heart.

He continues to warn us: In these times we need to be wary not to be afflicted with the blindness of רואין ולא רואין – seeing, but not really seeing. As the world is changing, and Hashem's hand is so clearly directing every aspect of the world, we cannot allow ourselves not to see.

Over a century has passed since the Shem Mishmuel wrote his warning; and in the past year, I have often wondered what part of Hashem’s message we’re still missing.

We have witnessed His Hand directing our lives in tragedy and triumph, and yet the war is not over. The hostages are not home. Mothers are still burying their sons who have fallen in Gaza and Lebanon.

But perhaps there is an even deeper blindness; one which have failed to notice, much less conquer.

Why were Lot’s sons-in-law laughing? What exactly did they think was a joke? Perhaps they could see indeed see clearly that Hashem was acting miraculously. Maybe they understood that Sodom was minutes away from annihilation. In that moment, they had resigned themselves to the fate awaiting them. They could not imagine that they had any chance to be saved.

That’s the blindness.

A friend of mine asked me this week how Mashiach will come to our fractured generation. Is unity not a prerequisite for redemption? We’ll probably have to wait for a future time...

Rav Kook was asked a similar question about the irreligious founders of the Kibbutzim: On what merit will these Jews build the Land of Israel?! Rav Kook responded: It will be in the merit of their actual work in building.

All too often we are blind to the truth that we can do something in our hearts and homes and heads. That the work we do is meaningful; that our actions are changing the calculus of the universe. We don’t need to know how it all adds up; only that it all adds up.

Sometimes the blindness is thinking that we still need to wait for history to unfold. Sometimes we cannot see that Hashem has already sent angels to pull us towards Geulah.

Sometimes, the only thing left to do is pack up and leave Sodom.

Hashem should help us that when the Angels come, we should be ready to go.

This week, whilst all eyes in the US have been fixed on the election, our brothers and sisters in Israel have not been so fortunate. The persistence of rockets, sirens and daily attacks makes it hard to be fully distracted by the endless news cycles, zingers and tweets.

Beneath the challenges of daily life in Israel, however, there is a conflict which is threatening, once again, to engulf the State in painful divisiveness. The issue at hand is exempting Yeshiva students from serving in the IDF.

Over a year into the war, with hostages still held captive in Gaza, Israel has learned that the idea of a “small smart military” is not enough. Tzahal needs soldiers.

With each soldier who has fallen, some of the them fathers of young children, the pressure is mounting on the many young men in Yeshivos who are learning Torah around the country.

I have no doubt that you have an opinion on this matter.

Perhaps you believe that every (or almost every) yeshiva student should be mandated to serve.

Perhaps you believe that it is only in the merit of the Yeshivos that the State of Israel continues to survive and thrive against all odds and enemies.

Whichever side of this debate you find yourself, there is most likely one thing that everyone agrees to: Young men who are not learning seriously in Yeshiva, should definitely serve in Tzahal. There is simply no defense we could offer to exempt a student who spends his time hanging around outside the Beis Medrash.

This clear and obvious conclusion, however, turns out to be more complicated than we might imagine at first gloss. Indeed, it becomes exceedingly challenging for us here in Chutz La’aretz.

Leaving aside Israeli Law for a moment, we should ask according to Halacha: Who is obligated to serve in the defense of the State of Israel? The answer to that question is simple. Every Jew; whoever, however and wherever we can.

The Rambam (הלכות שבת ב׳:כג) codifies this Halacha in the context of Hilchos Shabbos, addressing the issue of who should break Shabbos to stop a militant invasion:

וּמִצְוָה עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לָבוֹא וְלָצֵאת וְלַעֲזֹר לְאַחֵיהֶם שֶׁבַּמָּצוֹר וּלְהַצִּילָם מִיַּד הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת.

The mitzvah applies to every member of the Jewish people who can come [to their assistance] to go out and aid their brethren who are under siege and save them from the gentiles even if will violate the Sabbath.

Are Yeshiva students exempt from this? That’s at the center of the debate. But without doubt, we who live outside of Israel are not exempt.

All this is to say, that if you and me are not getting on a plane and offering our services to State of Israel and the IDF, we are also employing some kind of argument to exempt ourselves from this mitzvah.

Perhaps we feel that it is impossible to pack up and leave our families for an indefinite amount of time? But is that not exactly what we expect of the fathers who have spent months in Gaza and Lebanon? Why should their wives spend a year as single mothers, juggling their kids, expenses and careers?

Are the college courses and academic pursuits of Israeli soldiers less important than those in the US?

Perhaps we feel we are untrained. But is that really true? Is there nothing we can offer? So many wonderful members of our community have spend weeks and months packing bags or making BBQ’s. That’s also serving, and that mitzvah ends when the war ends.

As halachically observant Jews, we need to acknowledge that we share the obligation of Israel's defense with our brothers and sisters in Israel.

I suspect, however, that somewhere in our minds, consciously or unconsciously, we have already reached some kind of resolution, and goes something like this: “Our job is not to fight on the front lines. We are here to raise money and rally for political support. And when we are not actively engaged in these pursuits, the role of Diaspora Jews is to pray; to learn and to do mitzvos in the merit of our brave soldiers.”

This certainly has both merit and precedent. After all, in every army in history there have active soldiers as well as support staff.

Indeed, Rashi in our Parsha (יד:כד) tells us that when Avahram fought against the four kings, he left his friend Aner along with some others to watch and maintain their supplies.

So vital was this role, that Avraham insisted that they receive the same reward as the fighters. Rashi then writes that David HaMelech continued this practice with his army; dividing the spoils equally amongst the fighters and supporters.

But the Yid HaKadosh of Peshischa questions the fairness of this arrangement. Surely we should give more to the people risking their lives? No, he explains; those who are not actively fighting are not simply sitting around, taking it easy. At every free moment, they are the ones engaged in Torah, Tefillah and Chesed on behalf of Klal Yisrael; filling the gaps that have been left by the men on the front lines. They form a partnership with the Chayalim, giving them all that they need to win – both physically and spiritually.

I think that’s how we see ourselves. We’re not the fighters; we are the ones fulfilling our duty through support; Torah, Tefillah and Chesed.

In other words, in the US, we’re all Charedim.

And if this is true, then at the very least, we should be good Charedim; taking our learning and davening seriously. We should not be wasting time, hanging out, or schmoozing like bums outside the Beis Medrash. Klal Yisrael needs us, and this, it seems, is our chosen role.

My tefillah here is that perhaps, this year, if we work on being good Charedim, Hashem will help us to become good Zionists as well. After all, this is when The Journey begins: לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ.

Rav Menachem Mendel of Lisk, the father of Rav Naftali Tzvi of Ropshitz, was a paradigm of the mitzvah of Hachnosas Orchim. This was true all year, but especially on Sukkos, when we welcome the Ushpizin. The Zohar Hakadosh speaks strongly about the obligation to welcome human guests into one’s Sukkah in addition to our saintly spiritual guests.

When he arrived home one Sukkos night, he was dismayed to find that there were no guests who had been invited. And so he refused to begin the meal until he found guests to eat with him But his young son was hungry, and anxious to begin. When he saw that his father would not make Kiddush until a guest was found, he decided to take matters in his own hands.

The boy took an old bekesha and an old shtreimel that had been his father’s. He went out to the street and found a non-Jewish man and told him that if he put on this disguise, he would be given a really good meal. Of course, the non-Jew agreed, and the boy proudly brought the guest that he had found to the Sukkah.

When the Lisker Rebbe saw the guest, he was overjoyed. He went to say Kiddush, unaware the guest was a gentile from the street.

In the middle of the seudah, however, he realized that his son had fooled him. He asked the boy, “Naftali, what’s this? Why did you bring a goy into my Sukkah?”

The Ropshitzer Rebbe answered, “Tatteh, tonight is the Ushpizin of Avrohom Avinu. Tell me Tatteh, what type of guests did Avrohom Avinu have? Did he not also have non-Jews in his home? How could it bother you that a goy is sitting at your table with a shtreimel?”

If we zoom out from the war for just a moment, it’s important to remember that there’s a dream that we are fighting for. A dream that we will inspire all of humanity.

That's the tefillah of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur – that the whole world will recognize that Hashem is King. We are yearning for a day that the Beis HaMikdash will be a place of tefillah for all people.

But engaging with the rest of the world is so complicated, so fraught, and we're rightfully cautious about our involvements and interactions. We're worried about anti-semitism, and the influence of outside cultures. We know of the dangers to the chinuch of our children and our personal safety.

But beyond all the pragmatic concerns, there is a deeper issue: That we’re simply not confident enough in the righteousness of our lifestyle. We're not comfortable in our own skin.

Addressing this fear, the Sifsei Chaim on Chumash notes that Sukkos is the opposite of Pesach. On the night we left Egypt, we were instructed to stay confined inside. Indeed, for all generations, the Korban Pesach must be eaten indoors, in one place.

But on Succos, we are obligated to leave. We sit outside, exposed to the elements, with the confidence that Hashem has our backs. Cleaned from the faults and failures that have held us back, we venture boldly into a the world to represent Hashem and His Torah.

More than any other time of the year, Sukkos is the festival of bitachon; the knowledge that eventually we will win.

May we merit to see it soon.

Approaching Yom Kippur during any regular year is daunting. But the emotional whiplash of the past few months makes this year particularly confusing.

In the past few days alone, we have oscillated between national triumph and tragedy half a dozen times; constantly switching gears from Purim to Tisha B’av. And playing in the background of this relentless emotional rollercoaster is constant concern for our loved ones in Israel and our heroic chayalim on the battlefield. We have spend almost a year filling our shuls with desperate tefillos for the safe return of the hostages and strength for their families... And of course, immense gratitude to Hashem for guiding the hands of Tzahal to eliminate those who have sworn to destroy us... Not to mention the devastating effects of Hurricane Milton right here in Florida.

If we’re honest, it’s all a bit too much to bear.

The question arose in one of my classes this week. “Rebbe, are we supposed to be asking Hashem for forgiveness, praying for the things we want for ourselves and our families, or should our focus be all about Israel?” A few minutes of conversation later, and one student probed further: “Are we selfish if we daven for our own needs this year?”

For the first time in recent memory, it seems that Yom Kippur is simply not long enough. In the five tefillos and twenty-five hours of this lofty day, we will not have the time or mind-space to dedicate fully to any of these massive issues, let alone all of them.

We are each preparing to engage in a unique opportunity for conversation with the Melech Malchei HaMelachim. Yet we feel a frazzled, fragmented and disorganized, wondering what’s our goal here? What’s our aim? What are we trying to achieve?

Addressing these overwhelming questions, the Kriyas HaTorah for Yom Kippur describes the Avoda – the journey of the Kohen Gadol into the deepest and most transcendent place, on the most elevated day of the year. “See here”, the Torah details, “these are the directions to entering the world of Yom Kippur. This is how you do it.”

And so the Parsha begins: “With this, Aharon will enter the Kodesh”. This is the way in – בזאת יבא אהרן אל הקדש.

But the truth is that we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The Torah does not in fact begin with these instructions.

Instead, the Torah opens with the tragedy of the death of Nadav and Avihu, who died on the day of the inauguration of the Mishkan: אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן בְּקׇרְבָתָם לִפְנֵי־ה׳ וַיָּמֻתוּ – after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of Hashem.

It’s a bizarre place to begin. Why start our lofty and elevated Yom Kippur journey with this tragedy?

The Sod Yesharim explains with sensitivity and profundity:

בזאת היינו בזאת הגערה בעצמה שהיה במיתת בני אהרן כדכתיב עליהם בקרובי אקדש בזאת הגערה והיראה צריכין נמי ישראל להפריד מהם הרע בזה היום של יום כפור

With this pain and rejection that you feel over the death of Aharon's sons... Through that anger and fear itself, the Jewish people will rid themselves from all evil.

Somehow, the only way Aharon HaKohen can approach Hashem on Yom Kippur is by carrying the weight the of pain and loss of his children.

Imagine the scene: Moshe telling Aharon of the great mission he has been charged with. He will be entering into the Kodesh HaKodashim, on Yom Kippur. Achieving forgiveness and purity for Klal Yisrael and the world.

But Aharon is reluctant. He does not want to enter that place. For everyone else, that's the Kodesh HaKodashim, but for him, it's place where his two sons died.

Imagine the humiliation, the sadness, regret and anger, the self doubt, the survivors guilt. The questions of “What I might have done better, or differently? Maybe if I raised them with a little more or this or that... Maybe I could’ve stopped them... Maybe it all my fault? Maybe it didn’t need to be this way?”

With that pain and shame, Hashem tells Aharon: בזאת יבא אהרן אל הקדש. Bring it all in. Yom Kippur is a day that holds all of Human Experience. Everything that we are, and everything that we are not. Everything we wish to be, and haven't achieved. Yom Kippur holds all of it.

That’s the real invitation of the day. It’s the whole story, the whole person, the whole of life with all our flaws, faults and failures.

A few years ago Jeff Bezos decided to ride his rocket into orbit, he said he was looking forward to seeing earth from space to gain perspective on this life.

To this spectacle, one commenter responed:

If he wants perpective, I suggest he take a walk through a Children's Oncology Unit, or an impoverished neighborhood, or shadow a single working mom who's juggling three jobs to feed her kids... That's Perspective.

The secret of Yom Kippur is that we don't escape this world to find truth. We journey into it.

The Sifra tells us that there is a special name for Yom Kippur: “ואל יבא בכל עת” – זה יום הכפורים – Yom Kippur is called “every moment”. That is to say: Every second of our lives from last year to this one, are contained within this day. Every day from Creation until the World to Come are contained within this day.

In the deepest way, our sins are not forgiven on Yom Kippur because Hashem says “don't worry about it.” Our sins are forgiven because they are nullified in the infinity of Hashem.

Hashem Himself is the mikvah – מקוה ישראל ה׳ – when we hold onto Him, when we immerse ourselves in His Infinity, everything is part of the story. But in order to achieve this atonement, we need to be totally immersed, with all of our sadness, anger, pain, frustration and failure. With all of our joy, celebration and victory. בזאת יבא אהרן אל הקדש – We need to bring our whole selves inside.

In this place and space, there is no past, present or future. Here and only here, our pain can be healed in the grand story of Klal Yisrael. When we emerge from the Mikvah, we are purified from our sins, because the person that emerges has glimpsed at eternity. The person that exits Yom Kippur is different than the one who entered.

Rav Shlomo Twerski, the Malchus Shlomo of Denver, once served on the Beis Din for the conversion of righteous convert, a Ger-Tzedek. When the newly minted Jew arose from the Mikvah, Rav Shlomo overwhelmed by his commitment and connection to Hashem. He turned to him and said: “For your first mitzvah, as a Jew, I would like take my place and join this Beis Din!” He then proceeded to enter the mikvah himself, just as the Ger had done, and announced “I too wish to accept all of the Mitzvos! I want to become a Jew again.”

That’s the focus of Yom Kippur this year. All of us, our whole person, our whole nation. Everything and anything we are. Whoever we are. Whatever pains us. Whatever brings us joy.

For just one day, Hashem is inviting us to bring everything we have into His Mikvah. Just to be there with Him and the rest of His people.

And if we can find a way to do it, if can truly enter as we are, Hashem promises that we’ll exit as the people we all so desperately want to be – לפני ה’ תטהרו.

Wishing us all the greatest year ahead – גמר חתימה טובה.

One Friday, a man entered the study of Rabbi Duvid Moshe Friedman, the Tchortkover Rebbe, with a request that was tragically common in those days.

“My son was drafted into the Polish army,” the man began. “However, we have a way out. On Sunday, we are going to a doctor who will falsely declare him unfit for service. This way he will be spared certain misery, perhaps even death in that terrible army. Rebbe,” he asked, “I need your bracha that he evade the draft.”

The Rebbe quietly told him that Shabbos was nearing and he could not concentrate on such Brachos. The man should return to him on Friday evening after his tisch.

The man did so. After most of the chasidim had left, the man repeated his request, almost verbatim. Again the Rebbe was non-committal. “Return to me after Shachris.”

Dejectedly, the man noted that he would really like to resolve this matter before Sunday morning.

Shabbos morning, after davening, the man approached the Rebbe again. Calmly he repeated the predicament. “Sunday morning I am going to a doctor who will falsely declare my son unfit for military service. Please pray that we will evade conscription.” The Rebbe was not moved. Again, he deferred until the afternoon.

At Shalosh Shudos, the scene repeated again, precisely the way it had the previous three times. “I understand that you are leaving Sunday morning. Come back to me late Motzei Shabbos,” said the Rebbe. “By then I will have an answer for you.”

By this time, his Chasidim's curiosity was piqued. They had never seen their Rebbe so reluctant to give a bracha, especially when it was one that would save a Jewish soul from the frightful Polish army.

That Motzei Shabbos a large crowd gathered as the man approached with his request. Frustrated and disgruntled, the man, once again, repeated his story, almost verbatim, for the fifth time.

Immediately, the Rebbe sprung from his chair and began to shout. “What are you asking me? Why would one even try to evade the service of our wonderful country? How dare you ask me for a bracha of that sort? Your son would make a fine soldier for our country. I wish him the best of luck in the army!”

The man quickly scurried from the room and left town. The Chasidim stood shocked and bewildered. Never had they heard such an uncharacteristic outcry from the Rebbe.

“I will explain,” said the Rebbe. “That man was a fraud. He had no son, and if he did, he wanted him in the army. That man was sent by the government to test our loyalty. Thank God we passed the test.”

“But, Rebbe!” cried the chasidim, “how did you know?”

”It was quite simple,” explained the Rebbe. “When he first arrived, he asked calmly for a bracha. More calmly than a desperate father would ask. So I pushed him off, and I watched the level of intensity. From the moment he arrived until tonight there was no increase in intensity nor feeling of desperation with each request. And when I heard his fifth request tonight and it contained no more passion or desperation than his first request on Friday night, I knew he was a fraud.”

We all know the difference between sincerity and lip service, and keeping that in mind might help focus us for the days ahead.

We are about to enter 72 hours of connection, commitment and renewal. It’s a three day yom tov for Jews around the world. There will be thousands of words read and said. Hundreds of pages turned. Shofar blast after Shofar blast.

And after all of that, it’s still possible for all of it to be meaningless.

The litmus test of this Rosh Hashana is not in the amount of words that we say, but the meaning behind them. Are we going say what we mean, and mean what we say?

That’s the challenge. But this year, in particular there is a unique opportunity that we have this Rosh Hashana.

Perhaps for the first time in our lifetimes, the insanity and crookedness of the world around us is so blatantly obvious. The bubbles have burst, the illusions have faded, and we have witnessed a world of hatred that vehemently denies Hashem, His Torah and right for His People to Live.

But that’s only a piece of the story. Simultaneously, we have seen and participated in the greatest reawakening of Klal Yisrael in generations. Through the pain and brokenness we have met and discovered heroes of our people. We have shared their tears, and been inspired by these giants of spirit.

We are entering 5785 with a sense of clarity that we have never known before. The difference between good and evil has been highlighted with stunning precision.

As we stand in Hashem’s court room, He is asking each of us and all of us: How should we proceed? Are you willing to take a stand? Are you ready to make a change in your own life?

Hashem turns to us and asks a simple question: I know you want peace, safety and security; but why do you want it?

Are we yearning for the world to return to mindless narcissistic materialism? Or are we yearning for a global renaissance of morality, meaning and purpose?

Hashem does not make this decision. It’s up to us to choose how our world continues from this point onwards. The decisions we make in our hearts and minds are invisible to everyone outside of us and Hashem; but that’s where the difference is made.

The Torah speaks of Rosh HaShana as the hidden holiday – תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֶּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ – Blow the Shofar in the month of the concealed festival.

Rabbeinu Bachayeh explains:

ומה שבאה פרשה זו סתומה יותר משאר פרשיות המועדים, הענין הוא מה שידוע בעניני תורתנו הקדושה אותם שהן מפנות הדת ומעקריה, כי כל מה שהענין יותר נעלם ויותר פנימי הוא יותר סתום ובא הלשון בו בדרך קצרה ובמלות מועטות

Rosh Hashanah is hidden in the Torah. It has fewer details than any other Chag in the text. But we know and understand that the deeper something is, the harder it is to contain and define it with words.

We are entering the deepest days of the year; the Rosh – the mind of the year. From our thoughts, desires and dreams in this moment, everything will be different. It has to be.

Ultimately, Hashem is making us the greatest offer in history: You see how it is. You’re dreaming of what could be. You know that everything could change this year. Do you really want it?

Hashem should help us to want His wants, to dream His dreams. To partner with Him in the last moments of history before He sounds the Great Shofar of our Freedom.

One thing is clear; our hopes, prayers and dreams from last Rosh Hashana did not turn out the way we wanted.

The lights of 5784 are beginning to fade this Shabbos. By Wednesday night, as Rosh Hashana enters, our world will be shrouded in the darkness and mystery of what is yet to come. Once again, we will enter the fray, yearning to move Hashem from the seat of Judgement to seat of Mercy.

The Alter Rebbe writes that until we sound the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah morning, the world is still in flux. It hangs in the balance between being and not being, and we are the ones who are charged with the responsibility to bring it into existence for the year ahead. It is up to us to recreate it and reconfigure it.

Being that we have the power to do so, I think I know what we’re all aiming for.

We are trying to change the world into one where Jewish boys and girls are not stolen from a music festival, and held in torturous captivity for almost a year. We would like to see a world where an army of terrorists occupying territory in Lebanon are not treated with any legitimacy on the world stage.

The world we would create includes the safe return of our soldiers to the homes, and the safe return of the residents of the North.

Of course, there are thousands more specific needs, many more details to pray for. But if we could all yearn for just one thing, perhaps it might be that this should be the End. This year should mark the ultimate end. Meaning, that we should be the final generation before the Geulah. That all the pain comes to an end.

But what if the way to achieve it is hiding in plain sight?

It’s humbling to realize that Moshe Rabbeinu in his prophetic vision saw all the way to our time and beyond. He saw me and you, our lives and challenges. And this Shabbos, he reveals what will happen in the end:

וְאָמַר הַדּוֹר הָאַחֲרוֹן... עַל־מֶה עָשָׂה ה’ כָּכָה לָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מֶה חֳרִי הָאַף הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה

And the last generation will say ... why has Hashem done this to our Land? Why is He so upset?

They will answer:

וְאָמְרוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר עָזְבוּ אֶת־בְּרִית ה’ אֱלֹקי אֲבֹתָם Because they abandoned the covenant of Hashem the God of their ancestors.

Moshe Rabbeinu was standing on the border of Eretz Yisrael, looking thousands of years into the future, to a time when calamity would strike his people. After generations of straying from Hashem and His Torah and suffering in exile, Klal Yisrael will finally ponder the reason for our troubles.

R’ Shlomo HaKohen of Radomsk (פר’ אחרי) explains this enigmatic vision: Moshe Rabbeinu is not simply predicting the future. He is prescribing it. This parsha is not revealing events that are yet to unfold, it is telling us how to make them happen.

Who is this final generation? It is the generation that finally asks the question “Why is this happening?” And answers “because we abandoned Hashem.”

כל דור שישים על לבם את הדברים האלה להצטער על גלות השכינה ולשוב אל ה' הנה הם יהיו הדור האחרון כי מיד ושב ה' אלהיך את שבותך ולכך קראם הכתוב הדור האחרון כי אם יעשו כן יושיעם ה' מיד ויהיו הם האחרונים בהגלות

Any generation that will internalize this message, to be pained over the Exile of Hashem’s presence, and chooses to return to Hashem; that will be be the final generation to experience the exile.

Our obligation is not, Chas V’Shalom, to point fingers at others Jews and decry their lack of observance. That is not our Avoda. Rather, Moshe Rabbeinu is challenging us to take stock of our place in this process. To ask ourselves honestly: What could I do better? If the world is not perfect and I am not perfect, then perhaps by fixing myself, I can fix a little bit of the world.

The task is daunting, but perhaps now is the time. Perhaps we are finally ready to become that Final Generation.

If we accept the mission to do so, then we enter into the final stage of the prophecy: וְשָׁב ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶךָ וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ – Hashem will return our captives, and have mercy on us, and gather us together. וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ – Hashem will bring us to the Land of our ancestors; He will be good to us. Better than ever before.

May He give us the strength to achieve it. Wishing us all a כתיבה וחתימה טובה and the sweetest year ahead.

Aside from being the first Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was also the Ba’al Kriyah of his shul, reading the Torah every Shabbos.

Naturally, whenever he would travel, there was a big tumult who should Lein in his place. And it so happened that one year, the Rebbe was away for Parshas Ki Savo in which the terrible curses are read.

The leining began without a hitch. The Chosid chosen to read was clearly an expert; not only in the grammar and tunes, but his reading and inflections displayed a profundity of understanding of the words he was reading.

But in the middle of the Kriyas HaTorah, there was a sudden commotion: the Alter Rebbe’s son, Rabbi Dov Ber, had fainted.

When he was revived, he was asked what had affected him so much. “I could not bear to hear such curses,” he said.

“But surely this is not the first time you’ve heard them?!” the chassidim asked. “You hear them every year!”

“It’s true that we read these curses each and every year, but the Zohar tells us that hidden in the curses are the greatest blessings. When I hear them from my father, I don’t just hear the words of the curse, I hear the blessings as well.”

In a small way, each one of us has experienced a moment of hindsight induced clarity. We have all experienced the blessings in our hardships.

We can all relate to stories of the job offer that tragically fell through, which enabled us to get the much better job later on. We all know stories of the house, or business deal or shidduch that didn’t work out, only to lead to much better opportunities just when we thought it was impossible.

Countless stories abound of missed trains and planes which ended up saving lives. Or painful invasive surgeries that unwittingly and miraculously revealed hidden diseases.

There are times when we are fortunate to see the blessings in the curses. But oftentimes we cannot.

We cannot see the brachos hidden in the tragedies of October 7th. From our perspective, there is nothing good about the deaths of hundreds of young chayalim; thousands more injured. I am not the Alter Rebbe; I can’t see the goodness hidden in these horrors.

Reb Shlomo of Krasna explains that perhaps it is for this reason that we read the Tochacha, the curses, softly. Because the ability to hear the Brachos in the horror and tragedy is a secret. And secrets must be whispered.

For most of us, however, these curses will not provide any mystical revelations of blessings. They will not even be whispered as deep secrets. Instead, they will be rattled off quickly and quietly in order to ensure that we are fulfilling the obligation of reading the Torah. After all, we’re up Parshas Ki Savo and we’ve got to get through the Torah.

What exactly are we supposed to gain from these harsh and traumatic pesukim?

It seems that there’s a piece missing from our understanding.

Even if we weren’t reading Ki Savo this Shabbos, Ezra instituted that we read these curses before Rosh Hashana every year (מגילה לא ב), and this institution predates our custom of completing the Torah on Simchas Torah every year.

תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: עֶזְרָא תִּיקֵּן לָהֶן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיְּהוּ קוֹרִין קְלָלוֹת ...שֶׁבְּמִשְׁנֵה תוֹרָה קוֹדֶם רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי וְאִיתֵּימָא רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכְלֶה הַשָּׁנָה וְקִלְלוֹתֶיהָ.

It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Ezra instituted that the Jewish people should read the portion of the curses that are recorded in Sefer Devarim before Rosh HaShana. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for this? Abaye said, and some say that it was Reish Lakish who said: In order that the year may conclude together with its curses.

Somehow, the reading of the curses in our Parsha is supposed to help us conclude the curses of this year. But how?

To understand this we need to consider why the Torah contains these curses in the first place, and to this end, the Talmud instructs us in peculiar Halacha: The Baal Kriyah is not allowed to stop in the middle of the curses in the Tochecha.

The Avnei Nezer (שם משמואל ראה) explains: The whole purpose of this Tochecha is to encourage a person to see that our actions have consequences. The Tochecha is a long Mussar Schmooze, where the Torah tells us to take responsibility for our actions and our inactions, and realize that we are here for a purpose.

The Torah demands from us that we live up to our God given potential. But also requires that we do not live isolated ascetic lives. We are commanded הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך – you should surely rebuke your friend. Each and every one of us has an obligation to use our influence on other Jews to bring them closer to Hashem. Sometimes, that means we need to have uncomfortable conversations. Sometimes, we need to point out weaknesses that we’re rather overlook. Of course, we are only obligated to give mussar if we believe it will work. There’s no mitzvah to make another Jew upset with no positive outcome.

Most often, we probably err on the side of avoiding our own discomfort. But if we truly care about each other, and we truly care about Hashem, then we wouldn’t only worry about our own Ruchniyus. We’d care about each other as well. That’s the mitzvah of Tochacha.

R’ Yaakov Yosef writes (בן פורת יוסף, דרשות שבת תשובה א׳), however, that the obligation to give Mussar to each other does not apply on Rosh Hashana. In fact, the opposite is true:

מבואר בכתבי האר”י זלה”ה שלא להזכיר שום חטא בראש השנה, שלא יהיה פתחון פה למקטרג וכו'. ואם הוא עצמו אינו רשאי לפרש חטאו, אשר בזה אמרו (משלי כח, יג) ומודה ועוזב ירוחם, מכל שכן שאין המוכיח רשאי לפרש חטא הדור

The Arizal writes that we do not mention any of our sins on Rosh Hashana. And if one is forbidden from mentioning their own sins, how much more so that we are forbidden to mention the sins of our generation.

Rosh Hashana is the day we approach the King of Kings on the day of His Coronation. Pointing out the faults of any His subjects is not just bad form; it’s frighteningly dangerous for you and them!

In the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, our love of the Jewish people demands that we take the time to help each other correct our actions. That way, when the new year enters, we will see no flaws in each other.

Chas V’shalom that anyone of us should mention or point out anything negative about any Jew on Rosh Hashana. We have plenty enemies who are trying to exploit any weakness we might have, and we dare not join them on the day when Hashem is judging us.

All of this is to say, that when Ezra told us to read the Tochecha this Shabbos, he was telling us: “Take a moment now to hear what you’re doing wrong. Accept the Mussar now, because we don’t want to call you out on Rosh Hashana.”

In the deepest way, “the year and its curses will end”, because this year, we will finally stop cursing each other.

Our goal is to arrive at the Yom HaDin with a united front. We will stand before the Melech Malchei HaMelachim with unity and dedication, advocating for each other. We will present our case that the year and its curses must finally end.

Hashem should give us the strength to become the greatest people we can be, and when Rosh Hashana comes, to see only that greatness in each other.

This Elul feels strange to me.

Every year as the summer ends, and Elul begins, I get excited. I love Elul. I love the energy, the drive, the possibilities and preparation.

As Rosh Hashana draws closer, the air is filled with meaningful conversations about personal growth and deeper connections. Friends and family begin reaching out to each other, trying to mend relationships and bridge gaps.

We invest time and resources in trying to break bad habits and work on creating new positive practices.

But this year feels different. We’re a third of the way through the month of Elul and, perhaps it’s just me, but I think we’re all still gasping for inspiration.

On the surface, it seems strange that not more “into it” this year. After all, the stakes have never been higher and the future of Klal Yisrael is so obviously hanging in the balance. If there was ever a time to overcome our complacency, it should be now.

The war. The hostages. Antisemitism. Iran. Hezbollah.

Our own religious aspirations and standards should be demanding a significantly heightened Elul experience this year. We should all be on fire with new commitments; with Teshuva, Tefillah and Tzedaka. We should be pounding on the gates of Heaven with our words and deeds.

And yet, we’re tired. It’s been a hard year for the Jewish people.

Perhaps we’re playing the long game, taking it slow, preserving our energy. We know that Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are coming. We know that this year, the trepidation does not end with the Shofar at the conclusion of Neilah. The Yamim Noraim this year will continue through Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah. These days will not be filled with the same exuberant relief as before. Somehow, joy and celebration will need to be coupled with the complexity of brokenness and loss. Somehow we’ll be creating a new holiday of intensity and emotion.

But even if all of that is true, I’m still concerned. I’m worried that there is something more sinister and depressing at work here. Maybe our lack of motivation right now is not simply pacing ourselves for a season of real work and growth.

At our core, the reason we’re feeling demotivated is that we’re questioning the meaning and purpose of Chodesh Elul this year.

There’s a piece inside of us that’s wondering whether it actually makes any difference if we work on not speaking Lashon Hara. Will that bring the hostages home?

If we say brachos with care and kavana, will it help the soldiers that haven’t seen their children for weeks and months? Will it make their lives any better?

Will an extra hour of learning convince Hezbollah to stop firing rockets at Jewish homes in the north?

More than any other year, we are contrasting the smallness of our own Avoda with the enormity of the challenges we face. When we weigh them up, it doesn’t feel like there’s anything we can do that will create any kind of meaningful change. After all, what hasn’t been done already?

Of course, we know that Hashem can fix the world. We know that He can make it all better. But more and more, we’re becoming convinced that we cannot.

This feeling of inability and inadequacy is a powerful demotivator; in other words it’s a Yetzer Hara. It’s a voice inside dissuading us from propelling ourselves forward as individuals and as a nation.

This is yet another element of our perpetual war against Amalek which we read once again this shabbos. Amalek is the one who originally “cooled us off” on our journey – אשר קרך בדרך.

The Mei HaShiloach (ח”א בשלח ד”ה ה’ ילחם לכם) explains that Amalek is not like the other nations in the world. Other nations try to replace Hashem. They deny the existence of an all powerful, almighty infinite God, and in His place they insert powers of their own choice and making.

But Amalek is not an atheist. He doesn’t deny Hashem’s existence; rather he denies our ability to make any meaningful change in the world. Amalek believes in God; he doesn’t believe in man.

This Yetzer Hara is seducing us to become weak willed and angry. It preys on our frustrations and failures until we do little more than sit on the couch, grumbling at the news. We are reduced to reposting in our echo chambers and pointing fingers at politicians and pundits.

But all of this despondency is an illusion.

The Torah describes the creation of Mankind in the Image of God. On this, the Nefesh HaChaim (שער א ג׳) writes that each person is entrusted with the Godly controls of their Universe. Quite literally, Hashem gives us the ability to change the world through our thoughts, speech and actions.

שכמו שהוא ית' שמו הוא האלקים בעל הכחות הנמצאים בכל העולמות כולם. ומסדרם ומנהיגם כל רגע כרצונו כן השליט רצונו יתברך את האדם שיהא הוא הפותח והסוגר של כמה אלפי רבואות כחות ועולמות עפ”י כל פרטי סדרי הנהגותיו בכל עניניו בכל עת ורגע ממש כפי שרשו העליון של מעשיו ודבוריו ומחשבותיו כאלו הוא ג”כ הבעל כח שלהם כביכול.

Just as Hashem is the Master of the powers found in the totality of all the worlds, and organizes and governs them each instant per His will, so too did He rule that man should be the enabler and disabler of many multitudes of powers and worlds via all of the detailed patterns of his large scale behavior, in every situation, literally in every instant and moment, according to his supernal root, which includes his actions, speech and thought, as if he too is the master of their power, as it were.

But if this is true, then why is it that we don’t always see it and feel it? And why do we feel that nothing we do is making a difference?

The truth is, we do see it and we do feel it. But we never see it immediately. In all of our great attempts at building and developing ourselves, success is never apparent at the outset.

We never lose weight on the first day of a diet. We never build muscle on the first day at the gym. No one ever built a fortune by saving that first dollar. No-one ever finished Shas after the first daf. But it has to begin somewhere.

The changes we make are tiny and incremental; they’re imperceptible and invisible to the naked eye. But they are as real in the world as they are in us. The compounded affect of our Avoda changes us and shapes the world around us.

There are two ways that we can approach Rosh Hashana this year. Either we will scream out to Hashem that enough is enough and it’s time for Him to save us. But we would much rather scream out to Hashem that we are a new Jewish people who are working towards a different world.

We can only utilize this second option if each one of us is actually a little different; even if the changes are too small for our eyes to see.

This perspective is not theoretical. Indeed, the Rambam (הל’ תשובה ג:ד) codifies it l’halacha, telling us that we should always see that world is hanging in the balance.

עָשָׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת הֲרֵי הִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת וְגָרַם לוֹ וְלָהֶם תְּשׁוּעָה By performing one mitzvah, one tips their balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to themselves and others.

Rebbe Nachman tells us that when Moshiach comes, he will turn to each one of us and tells us the story of our lives. He will show us how our actions fit in to the great story of Jewish history.

Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on Hashem. Klal Yisrael needs us this Elul. Pick an Avoda – It’s up to us to make a difference.

Every Friday night since October 7th, just before we make Kiddush, my family and I turn to face the Shabbos candles (שו”ע או”ח רעא:י בהג”ה) and join together in Tefillah.

We ask Hashem to keep our soldiers safe, and to grant them a swift and conclusive victory. We ask Him to heal all of our brothers and sisters who have been injured in this war.

We ask Hashem to bring the hostages home.

Right next to the Shabbos candles, my wife placed a digital photo screen. It doesn’t have pictures of our vacations or celebrations. It’s a slideshow displaying the faces and names of the hostages.

They’ve become part of our family. We see their faces as often as we see our own, and every Friday night, we daven for them together. Our kids sometimes ask us how they're doing; if they have been rescued and when they're coming home.

Hersh. Eden. Almog. Ori. Alex. Carmel.

These are the ones who are not coming home this week.

But there are still more than a hundred that we are all waiting for.

Our family has chosen to daven for them just before we make Kiddush because Chazal teach us that when we make Kiddush, we are partnering with Hashem in the recreation of the world. The Yesod Tzadik of Zhevill explains therefore, that this is the best time of the week for us to ask Hashem to make changes in our lives. After all, partners are allowed to negotiate the terms of a deal before proceeding.

The Ohr Hachaim HaKadosh writes that the world was only ever created to last for six days at a time. On Shabbos, every Shabbos, Hashem renews the lease on the world.

Tragically, last week, our requests were denied; and our world has been smothered by a suffocating darkness as Klal Yisrael attends the funerals and listens to the heart wrenching eulogies.

The Sod Yesharim of Izhbitz explains that we have a term in Halacha for this overwhelming sadness – it’s called Tumas Meis – the impurity of death, which has been forced up us. It’s the most severe and debilitating form of impurity, holding us back from coming closer to each other and closer to Hashem.

As individuals and as a nation, we are feeling sullied, violated and broken. And from this place of pain, for the first time since October 7th we, the Jewish people, seem to be falling apart.

Naturally, the news outlets have been all too excited to report the size of the protests that have erupted in Tel Aviv and the strikes around the country.

The brutal murder of six innocent hostages last week is threatening to reignite the divisiveness that we have all been desperate to avoid. Jews are blaming Jews for this horror and the political rifts appear to be widening.

A friend of mine in Israel told me that this week that it’s starting to feel like October 6th again. That’s a frightening thought, because there is no-one that believes we will be more successful if we’re divided. And yet, we can’t seem to help ourselves.

On one side, there are families of hostages who are fearing for the lives of their loved ones still held captive by merciless terrorists. They want a deal now.

On the other side are soldiers, reservists and grieving families who have risked their lives and paid the ultimate price to defeat Hamas. They want to finish the war.

I am not a politician and I am not an expert on the strategies of warfare. I will not pretend to know what the State of Israel should do to resolve all this pain and heartbreak.

But regarding these divisions that are threatening to unravel us Rav Kook (אורות התחיה כה) has a perspective that I’ve been clinging to, as we mark 89 years since his passing on 3 Elul.

סמוך לעקבא דמשיחא מתרבה סגולת האחדות באומה, המעשים הטובים והדעות והאור האלהי הנמצאים בצדיקים פועלים על קדושת הכלל יותר מבשאר הזמנים. טמונה היא סגולה זו במטמון של קטיגוריא ומריבות, אבל תוכו רצוף אהבה ואחדות נפלאה, שמעוררת הרגשה כללית לצפיה לתשועת הגוי כולו.

Close to the time of Mashiach there will be an overwhelming increase in our national unity. The positive actions, thoughts and Godly light that are usually found in the lives of Tzadikim are activated throughout the nation at these times. This beauty is, however, hidden behind a veil of accusations and arguments. But inside there is only love, and wondrous unity that awakens the collective desire for national redemption.

Can you see it?

These painful fights erupting in Israel are not about religion or secularism. Beneath it all, they are not about right wing or left wing politics.

Of course, on the surface, we cannot agree on how to act. Despite the best of intentions, our thoughts are clouded by ego, affiliations, and frustrations that predate October 7th.

But Rav Kook is opening a window into the soul of our nation. At our core, Klal Yisrael is deeply united on the existential need to destroy our enemies; and at the same time, the obligation to save every Jewish life.

Sometimes, when we cannot see the depth of our shared destiny, our enemies remind us. The Megillah tells us that when Haman hatched his plot to murder Klal Yisrael, he claims: “ישנו עם אחד מפוזר ומפורד” – “There is one nation, scattered and divided...”

In his notes on Purim (מאמרי הראי”ה עמ’ 155), Rav Kook notes that this contradiction is central to our national legacy:

באמת מפוזר ומפורד הוא העם האחד אבל בכל זה עם אחד הוא ושמא תאמר איך יתכן שיהיו שני הפכים אחד עם אחד מצד אחד ומפוזר ומפורד מצד השני אל תתמה על החפץ ישנם פלאים בעולם והעם הזה שכל עמידתו בעולם מרופדת היא בפלאי פלאות הוא מראה בהוייתו גם כן את הפלא הזה ובמהותו העצמית הרי הוא עם אחד למרות מה שהוא מפוזר ומפורד

Indeed, we are are both “scattered and divided” and still “One Nation.” Don’t be surprised by this; there are wonders in our world. The Jewish nation’s entire existence is always hanging in the balance, and yet, somehow, we continue to survive. That same infinite nation can be both divided and united at the same time.

Our essence is to defy the odds; to defy the rules of nature. Somehow, in the infinitude of Jewish existence, there is still a way to bring the hostages home and defeat Hamas. It’s all still possible, with different Jews each holding up the values of a different side of battlefront. While no single person can see the way forward, Klal Yisrael can.

This perspective is not simple conjecture; it’s a bonafide obligation in our Parsha:

כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶךָ וְרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב עַם רַב מִמְּךָ לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם

When you go out against your enemies, and see horses and chariots — forces larger than yours — have no fear of them...

The Vilna Gaon (אדרת אליהו שם) notes that the Torah could have dispensed without telling us that we go to war “against our enemies.” But the Torah is cautioning us: Even though you come from different tribes, fight your enemies, not each other. Then you will have nothing to fear.

This Shabbos, as we raise our Kiddush cups, we will once again have a chance to partner with Hashem in Creating the World. Our avoda, as we look into the light of the Shabbos candles, is to see ourselves and each other a part of something much bigger; sparks of a much greater light.

In turn, Hashem should grant us the ability to see beyond the veil of politics and pain to the victory and unity that is inside of us, waiting to be revealed.

Last Shabbos, one of the cherva approached me and asked if it was appropriate for him to Daven for the results of the US elections to go the way he wants them to go.

(Don’t worry, I definitely did not say it depends on who he’s voting for...)

My immediate reaction was that he most certainly should. After all, Moshe Rabbeinu tells us this Shabbos that we are all children of Hashem – בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה’ אֱלֹקיכֶם.

From this pasuk, Rebbe Nachman (שיחות הר”ן ז׳:א) teaches that we can and should ask Hashem for anything in the world:

טוֹב מְאֹד מִי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לִשְׁפֹּךְ שִׂיחוֹ לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּרַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים כְּבֵן הַמִּתְחַטֵּא לִפְנֵי אָבִיו. כִּי הֲלֹא הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ כְּבָר קְרָאָנוּ בָּנִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: “בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם” (דְּבָרִים י”ד). עַל־כֵּן טוֹב מְאֹד לְפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ וְצַעֲרוֹ לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּבֵן שֶׁקּוֹבֵל לִפְנֵי אָבִיו בִּתְנוּעוֹת שֶׁל חֵן וְרַחֲמִים (שֶׁקּוֹרִין פְּיֶעשְׁטְשֶׁין).

It is very good to pour out your thoughts before God like a child pleading before his father (Ta'anis 19a). God calls us His children, as it is written, “You are children to the Lord your God” (Devarim 14:1). Therefore, it is good to express your thoughts and troubles to God, like a child complaining and pestering his father...

But before responding to the question, I paused. Because there is another approach. The Mei Hashiloach (ח”א פ’ אמור) explains that when we stand before the Ribono Shel Olam in Tefillah, we should be reticent to declare that we know what He should or should not do with His world. After all, while we are certainly his children, we are also His servants.

כי תפלה הוא שהש”י יאיר עיני האדם במקום שאין ידו מגעת The essence of Tefillah is that Hashem should illuminate our vision in places that we cannot grasp.

Tefillah by its very nature demands a sense of bitul. It requires a deep sense of dependence on Hashem, and an understanding that we are addressing the Infinite Creator of All Things.

Naturally, this tension is not exclusive to praying about the US elections. It is central to our entire concept of davening, and whether we are conscious of it or not, we have all made these types of choices before. “Should I daven for this deal to go well? Do I really deserve it? Can I ask Hashem for this refuah? Or perhaps that’s too audacious...?

Our approach to solving this conundrum however, might be hiding in plain sight this Shabbos.

The Talmud (ברכות טז ב) tells us that at the end the Shmoneh Esrei every day, Rav would say a unique Tefillah.

We do not say this Tefillah daily, but many communities have co-oped this text as the prayer before announcing Rosh Chodesh on Shabbos Mevorchim: (שערי אפרים י:לה)

רב בתר צלותיה אמר הכי: ״יהי רצון מלפניך ה׳ אלקינו שתתן לנו חיים ארוכים, חיים של שלום, חיים של טובה, חיים של ברכה, חיים של פרנסה, חיים של חלוץ עצמות, חיים שיש בהם יראת חטא, חיים שאין בהם בושה וכלימה, חיים של עושר וכבוד, חיים שתהא בנו אהבת תורה ויראת שמים, חיים שתמלא לנו את כל משאלות לבנו לטובה״.

May it be Your will, Lord our God, that You grant us long life, a life of peace, a life of goodness, a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of freedom of movement, a life of dread of sin, a life without shame and disgrace, a life of wealth and honor, a life in which we have love of Torah and reverence for Heaven, a life in which You fulfill all the desires of our heart for good.

It’s certainly a beautiful Tefillah, but its placement in the siddur is questionable. There are many siddurim which do not include it, with Poskim raising the concern of making additional requests on Shabbos. But even for those who do uphold this custom, we might wonder why this is the prayer to say before announcing Rosh Chodesh.

Rav Yonasan Eibeschitz (תשית לראשו עמ’ שמג) explained the connection, noting that this Tefillah contains precisely eleven requests for חיים – life; one request for each Shabbos Mevorchim of the year. (The month of Tishrei is not announced on the Shabbos preceding it.)

It follows that when we consider our hopes and dreams for the month ahead, we already have the template illustrating the life we should be yearning for during the upcoming days and weeks.

The month of Elul is centered around the request for חיים שתמלא לנו את כל משאלות לבנו לטובה – a life in which You fulfill all the desires of our heart for good.

The Klausenberger Rebbe wondered why we add the final word here: “for good”. Surely when we ask Hashem to fulfill the desires of our hearts, we are already asking Him for good?

The Rebbe explains this additional word with an insight that could only be gleaned in Chodesh Elul:

As the year begins to draw to a close, we look back on our successes and failures, our triumphs and disappointments, our achievements and our unfulfilled dreams.

An honest retrospective, by definition, offers us a certainly humility that we could never have anticipated.

None of us could’ve predicted the life changing events of this year. None of us knew how this year would transform our lives on a personal or national level. In hindsight, were we to know anything of what was to come, our tefillos last year would certainly have been radically different.

Last Elul we were preoccupied by a litany of wants and needs. We committed to improving ourselves in the hopes that Hashem would answer all of our tefillos for health, wealth and happiness.

But the truth is, a year ago, we had no idea what we might actually need. We had no way of knowing what lay ahead. In the deepest recesses of our souls, can we ever ask anything of Hashem with the full confidence that it’s the best thing for us?

To this end, the Klausenberger Rebbe writes: We ask Hashem that He fulfill all of the requests of our hearts for good. The kind of good that only the Omnipotent, All Knowing Master of the World can guarantee.

Effectively, we are adding a massive disclaimer to the entirety of our davening. “Please Hashem, give me all the things that I need and want... But only if it’s actually good for me. I trust You to know what I need far more than I trust myself. And if I’m wrong, then don’t listen to me. Instead, give me what you know I need most, painful as it might be...”

A number of years ago, Rav Shachter told us that Rabbi Soloveitchik cried many nights in Europe. He begged Hashem that he would not be forced to take a position in the USA – the “treifeh medina”.

It’s at this point in the story that Rav Schachter began crying. “Imagine if Hashem would’ve listened to his Tefillah. Imagine if Rabbi Soloveitchik had stayed in Europe. He would have been murdered along with everyone else.”

Perhaps the greatest lesson of the past year has been the recognition of our own limitations. As David HaMelech (תהילים קכ״ז:א) tells us: אִם ה’ לֹא יִשְׁמָר עִיר שָׁוְא שָׁקַד שׁוֹמֵר – If Hashem doesn’t watch over the city, the guard has watched in vain.

In the past year, we have witnessed tragic and devastating gaps in Israeli security. In the US, we looked on in shock and horror as all the might and prowess of our political connections were rendered useless in the face of campus anti-semitism.

Our generation has enjoyed enormous achievements, but this is no time to rest on our laurels.

We have been thrust into a moment in history where the stakes have never been higher. Throughout the world Jewish communities are suspended precariously in the space between Redemption and annihilation. Perhaps from our vantage point, neither option seems likely in the immediate future; but then again, what do we really know?

The only Tefillah we can offer this Elul is this: All that we really want is what You want. We have our prayers, our designs and desires. But ultimately, Hashem please do what You know is good.