#rosh hashana

‪Wish you a happy & prosperous New Year! ‬

bennistar:

First of all a Gmar Chasima Tova to all of my followers and readers of this blog. Today we are at the beginning of Aseres Yemei Teshuva, the ten days of teshuva in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. As we all know Rosh Hashana is the Yom haDin, the day when we -and the whole world- are being judged by Hashem. 

From Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur we still have ten days to work on ourselves until our ‘judgement’ is sealed. As I wrote in this reply these days are not particularly some of my favorite days since I know I could still improve a lot and the Yom haDin is “serious business”. Hashem is our King and this is not a children’s game. But at the same time while Hashem is indeed our King, He is also our Father who loves us. 

The following maaseh I once heard from my Rebbe helped me a lot:

During one Rosh Hashana by the Chozeh m’Lublin the Rebbe refused to come out of his room for tekias shofar (blowing of the shofar). Since the chozeh had the minhag of davening in a side-room the chassidim were waiting a long time for him to come out. Once they saw he didn’t come’ one of the Chozeh’s closest talmidim went inside to see what was going on. 

Reb Dovid Lelover, who would later become the first Lelover Rebbe, went inside to see why the Rebbe didn’t come. After hours of waiting he asked the Rebbe to come out and listen to the shofar but he refused. No matter what Reb Dovid would say the Chozeh wouldn’t budge. He locked himself up in his room and refused to listen to anyone being too worried about the judgement in Shomayim. He had worries and questions that didn’t allow him to listen to the kol hashofar.

Among the mispalelim was also a little boy. This boy’s name was Shlomo Rabinovitz, who later later become the Tiferes Shlomo; the first Radomsker Rebbe who would attract many thousands of chassidim. Others say it was Itzikel Vorker, who would later become the famous Rebbe R’ Yitzchok Vorker. In any case Reb Dovid Lelover had adopted this little boy who was clutching on to his gartel as he went to speak to the Chozeh..

The Chozeh then asked the little boy for his name and what he was learning.

“Choshen Mishpat*” answered the boy. 

“Tell me,” said the Chozeh in a troubled voice. “I don’t understand. Why is a korev not allowed to testify for a beis din?” The halacha is that when a Korev (a close family member) testifies for a Beis Din they are not allowed to accept him as a witness.

“Because a korev is always trying to do a toiveh [favor] for his relative, and so we suspect him of having his own interests.”

“But why the korev is posul [unfit] for both for zchus [speaking good] and for chov [speaking negatively]. I understand if he has something good to say we should not accept it because he is a korev; but if he has something terribly bad to say it must be true!” 

Answered the little boy: “That’s because one shouldn’t say anything bad about a korev. We don’t want a korev to speak bad about other kerovim. A korov who testifies against his own flesh and blood is not a mentsh, and the posuk says ועמדו שני אנשים [Devorim 19.17] and two mentschen have to testify!”

After hearing this the Chozeh smiled and told the boy he comforted him saying, “Klal Yisroel are called kerovim of Hashem [Devorim 4.7] So the Ribono Shel Olam will not speak evil of His Children!” Now he walked inside the Beis Medresh b’simche [with a joy] and signaled to start with the tekias shofar.

_______________________

*A very complicated part of Shulchan Oruch that deals with finances/legal procedures etc.

Let us always remember and trust that no matter what; we are still Hashem’s kerovim. The Shem m’Shmuel writes that even though these are Yemei HaDin (days of judgement) we still say “שהחיינו וקיימנו לזמן הזה” on Rosh Hashana after kiddush because we are glad to be at this moment. The Tur brings down a medrash that a person has to dress nicely, get a haircut [and] act like it is any other Yom Tov where there is a mitzvah of simcha. Which is a very interesting thing to say. A simcha? We are being judged! That’s a simcha? It’s Yom haDin!

Yes, that is all true. It is a Yom haDin indeed; on the outside we do stand trembling in awe, but deep inside we all know that Hashem only wants it to be a good year for us, and therefore, it is a moed [a yom tov] as well.

Let it takeh be only a good year, a healthy and sweet year; a year of simches and teshuva sheleima for all of us!

bennistar:

May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

!א גיט געבענטשט יאר

bennistar:

With the current year coming to an end we will enter a new year. A new cycle to do good and serve Hashem. As we go and stand before the King within less than a day from now let us all remember that He’s not just the second part of “Avinu Malkeinu” [our King] but that He’s also “Avinu”[our Father] who only wants the best for His children. May our Tefillos be heard and accepted on the Yom HaDin and may everyone have געפוילט אלעס גוט'ס. It should be a גוט געבענטשט יאהר, a sweet year, a healthy year, a happy year, without any pain or tzoros and a year of chassudim tovim [good acts of kindness].

“Chasudim Tovim” every Chesed that the Ribono Shel Olam does to us is good. But we say “chassudim tovim” because we specifically want to see the good right away. May this year, 5776, be a year that we will indeed see and feel these chassudim tovim right away. May it be a year of Yiddishe simches and nachas; a year in which those who need it will find their right Zivug b’Korov u’Beneikel with Hatzlocha, Brocho and Nesias Chen. Everyone of them should be zocheh to build a Bayis Ne’eman b’Yisroel, A Bayis Malei Birkas Hashem, a warm Yiddishe house full of Torah, Yiras Shomayim and Chesed, all together with Doros Yeshorim u'Mevorachim, with parnosa and with health. And may we all be zocheh to serve the Eibishter with an Avodah Sheleima [complete avodah] and an Avodah Heimah m’Soch Simcha [avodah through joy].

May it takeh be a year of Geulos and Yeshuos for Klal Yisroel and may we all have a k’Siva v’Chasimah Tovah. We should all be zocheh to go מחיל אל חיל [from strength to strength] until the Geulah Sheleima b’vias Moshiach Tzidkeinu Bimhera b'Yomeinu, Amen!

Image from Epicurious

We are having a larger dinner party with friends on Friday to celebrate Rosh Hashana / Shabbat, so our Wednesday night dinner was just us to keep things sane. We went to the Emanu-El 8:30 pm service and when we finally got home it was quite late — as planned — and we had our festive meal at midnight.

An Italian-style brisket (braised in wine, with lots of onion, dried fruit, and rosemary) is our traditional Rosh Hashana dinner and it feeds a crowd so I planned that for Friday. In order to keep the brisket feeling special, and to honor our vegetarian daughter, I made it a milk meal. And since my husband’s family are Iraqi Jews I was inspired by Persian and modern Israeli cuisine.

• Homemade apple challah. Half whole wheat, with olive oil and honey. Based on Maggie Glezer’s “My Challah” recipe in A Blessing of Bread. In an Infinity Braid shape. Made it on Monday and froze it to keep it fresh.
• Beet & pomegranate salad with chopped preserved lemons. Simple small-dice roasted red beets (roasted the night before) tossed with pomegranate seeds and half a preserved lemon. A little red vinegar too.
• Wattercress, herb, pistachio, and orangeflower water salad. From Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty cookbook. Bright acidic bitterness to balance the sweetness.
• Magic Chickpeas. Veggie main dish. My own recipe, named by my daughter, mild but glowing heat. Simple stewed chickpeas with cumin, coriander, smoked sweet paprika, a touch of chipotle, Mediterranean oregano; onion & garlic; lots of olive oil; a good sploosh of white wine. After they’re done cooking add a bag of frozen spinach & let it sit for 20 - 30 min while the beans are still hot. Made these in the slow cooker, which the kids plugged in afterschool.
• Ottolenghi’sSea Bass in Harissa with Rose Petals.
• Avocado blossom honey (local! California!) and apples
• Cheese plate – 9-month Manchego (the kids’ favorite) and Humboldt Fog.

I love celebrating the holidays and creating a magical experience for friends and family. So I can cook — I’m glad it can help transform the day into a sacred space and experience. May you be inspired too. L'Shanah tova!