From Light To Salvation

From Light to Salvation Securing a Favorable Din on Yom Kippur By Rav Moshe Shternbuch The following was written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis based on a drasha given by Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Rosh Av Beis Din of the Eidah Hachareidis of Yerushalayim, on leil Rosh Hashanah. ••••• LIGHT AND SALVATION From Rosh Chodesh Elul to Shemini Atzeres, every day we recite the perek of Tehillim of “L’Dovid Hashem Ori Veyishi,” calling Hashem our light and salvation. Chazal explain that “light” refers to Rosh Hashanah and “salvation” to Yom Kippur. How does the light of Rosh Hashanah relate to salvation on Yom Kippur? Rosh Hashanah consists of two days of majesty. During this time, we coronate Hashem as our King, affirming our certainty that He is the Supreme Being in our lives. After two full days of instilling this in our hearts, we hope to have brought the illumination of Hashem’s Presence into our lives. This is the deeper meaning behind the words of the Me’iri (Rosh Hashanah 15a) who writes that whoever does not do teshuvah on Rosh Hashanah has no connection to the G-d of Klal Yisroel. Although Rosh Hashanah is not overtly about teshuvah, it is a day to come face-to-face with the reality of Hashem in our lives. Whoever shirks this responsibility has no connection to “the G-d of Klal Yisroel.” When we succeed in illuminating our lives on Rosh Hashanah by crowning Hashem as our King, we are ready for the remaining days of the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. Once His Sovereignty is firmly imprinted on our souls, we can try and improve

the present and rectify the past in light of this awareness. This is the salvation of Yom Kippur. A VISIT FROM THE KING During Pesach, Shavous and Sukkos, we have a special mitzvah of aliyah l’regel. Every Jew travels to Yerushalayim to offer korbanos and celebrate the Yom Tov. These days are among the

most significant of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are also important festivals, yet there is no mitzvah to travel to the Bais Hamikdosh. Yet, one might suppose that there is no time more fitting to absorb the rarified atmosphere of Yerushalayim than the awesome and holy Yomim Noraim. Why isn’t there a mitzvah to go to Yerushalayim for these days? It is not due to a lack of kedushah that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are exempt from the mitzvah of aliyah l’regel. In fact, the opposite is true. The reason we do not pay a visit to Hashem’s home on the Yomim

concept of Divine Sovereignty was recognized throughout the world. Yet, in some ways, it was more difficult to forge a relationship with Hashem in those days. This could only be accomplished through fasting, self-denial and various other forms of abstention. Only the select few were privileged to this experience. In today’s world, science, technology and social trends have clouded awareness of Hashem, to the point that His Sovereignty is almost imperceptible. And yet, in some ways, creating a relationship with the King is much easier when He is in exile, far from the trappings of majesty and honor that are due to Him.

Upon witnessing this incident, Rebbi started to cry. While we can understand why it is important to cry about our own transgression, Rebbi’s reaction seems strange. Shouldn’t he have been happy that the rasha atoned and gained entrance to the World to Come? What is the meaning of Rebbi’s reaction? Rebbi saw that it was possible to do instantaneous teshuvah and in a moment acquire a portion in Olam Habah. From this phenomenon, Rebbi deduced that the reverse is also true. Our relationship with Hashem is extremely fragile, and a person can also lose his place in the World to Come in a single moment. This terrify-

In some ways, creating a relationship with the King is much easier when He is in exile, far from the trappings of majesty and honor that are due to Him. Noraim is because on these awesome days, the Almighty descends from the Heavens and comes to visit us instead.

Strettiner Bais Hamedrash

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FOR LADIES AND GIRLS:

vars vcua ,ca ubhztv ,arp e”ca

Time: 4:00 p.m. Guest Speaker: REB. RUTHY ASSAF Principal of Manhattan High School for Girls

Language: ENGLISH Place: Strettiner Simcha Hall

4609 Bay Pkwy (off Ave I & Ocean Pkwy) Brooklyn, NY All women of the community are invited. Page 68

SINCERE REGRET The Gemara tells the story of a rasha who did teshuvah and was able to atone for all of his transgressions in a single moment of anguished sincerity. His repentance was acknowledged with a Heavenly voice that proclaimed that he had earned a place in the World to Come.

If we allow Hashem’s light to illuminate our lives, then we can rest assured of our salvation.

arsnv ,hc rgbhygryx

Sept. 26

“Create an opening in your heart the size of the point of a needle, and I [Hashem] will widen it to the size of an enormous hall.” Not everyone merits a visit from the King of kings. Only those who open their hearts and allow the light of the Shechinah to penetrate within are privileged to enjoy this special encounter. In previous generations, the

Hashem, tears are a powerful tool when approaching teshuvah. Crying shows that we truly feel pangs of regret for what we have done and are ready to leave our old ways behind and make a new start. This is the first step towards lasting change.

Especially during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, when Hashem reaches out to us, whoever makes the slightest effort to draw close will see major results. THE MESSAGE OF TEARS During Rosh Hashanah and the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we spend a lot of time involved with tefillah. Yet we may not be sure if Hashem is satisfied with our efforts. How can we know if our neshamos are really connected to Hashem and illuminated by His Presence? The Arizal revealed a powerful way to gauge our standing in this regard. If we felt tearful during the tefillos of Rosh Hashanah, we can be sure that our neshamos sensed the judgment taking place. If we did not have such an experience on Rosh Hashanah, we must work to repair our relationship with Hashem in time for Yom Kippur. In addition to being a test of our neshamos’ connection to YATED NE’EMAN

ing awareness brought Rebbi, a great tzaddik who had devoted his entire life to coming closer to Hashem, to tears. TESHUVAH, TEFILLAH AND TZEDAKAH During the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, every Jew does what he can to ensure that he will have a year of blessing. Some visit the kevarim of tzaddikim, while others search for segulos. While these practices may have some impact, one must make sure that our limited time during these precious days is invested wisely. Tzedakah is an extremely effective way to ensure a favorable din. When we give to others, we arouse Hashem’s middas harachamim. In doing so, we become beneficiaries of His infinite mercy. However, we must remember that although tzedakah is important, we cannot simply use it to buy ourselves a place in the Book

of Life for the upcoming year. In the Rosh Hashanah davening, we cry, “Teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah will save us from the evil decree!” Chazal were careful to present this trio in order of significance. Besides helping others with their problems, we face up to our own shortcomings. Rectifying our transgressions through teshuvah and reestablishing our relationship with Hashem through tefillah are the first steps. Only then will our tzedakah help us to annul any harsh decrees against us. A YEAR OF SALVATION We have explained how we can use the light that we unveiled on Rosh Hashanah to illuminate the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. If we follow through on what we started on Rosh Hashanah, we can look forward to salvation on Yom Kippur. This will help ensure that we will have a sweet year filled with blessing. During these auspicious days, we cannot bury our head in the sand and forget that we are surrounded by nations who want to annihilate us. Although government officials downplay the danger, there are thousands of missiles aimed at Eretz Yisroel from neighboring states and countless enemies plotting attacks on Jews around the world. Our antagonists are just waiting for the opportune moment to try to destroy us. In truth, the evil people who want to harm Klal Yisroel are powerless themselves. Hashem protects the Jewish people and will not allow any being to harm a hair on the head of a single Jew, unless He decrees otherwise. We have nothing to fear from them. Our real fear should be of Hashem, especially during these days when our entire future is being decided. If we allow Hashem’s light to illuminate our lives, then we can rest assured of our salvation. However, if we are lax in our responsibilities, then we really do have something to fear. The upcoming year of 5770 consists of the Hebrew letters Tof, Shin, and Ayin. These letters share the same root as the word teshuah, salvation. Let us use the illumination of Hashem’s Majesty that we gained on Rosh Hashanah to light the way towards 5770 as a year of salvation. ••••• Rabbi Travis is a rosh kollel of Kollel Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim, and is the author of Shaylos U’Teshuvos Toras Chaim and “Praying With Joy - A Daily Tefilla Companion,” a practical daily guide to improving one’s prayers, available from Feldheim Publishers. For more information about his work, contact dytravis@ actcom.com. 14 Tishrei 5770 • October 2 2009