Community Magazine September 2012

GET IMMEDIATE SAGE ADVICE OVER THE PHONE! CALL 971-ADVISE-ME (971-238-4736) To speak with Rabbi Elbaz, call Monday and Wednesday evenings from 8:30-9:00 pm (or leave a confidential message) for advice for those ethical dilemmas and practical predicaments which can’t wait. mobile: Scan the QR code at right online: go.CommunityM.com/ask email: Ask@CommunityM.com facsimile: 718-504-4246 postal mail: 1616 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11223 Dear Rabbi, We all know that Rosh Hashanah and Kippur are days of prayer and introspection, and for myself the days are really uplifting. My difficulty, however, is that as the hours in shul continue to pass, things tend to start feeling drawn out and perhaps even burdensome. What can I do to keep the momentum going throughout each of the days, so that I can make the most of them, and not feel at the end like I had given up before it was over? Signed, Short on Inspiration Dear Short on Inspiration, Firstly, I’d like to point out that keeping up a momentum may not be the ideal goal. Momentum is generally needed when a person is not involved in an activity that requires skill. When putting together a class, delivering a sales presentation or preparing a meal, one must coordinate his skills and focus on the completion of his task, rather than simply trying to keep up a momentum. Similarly, the work throughout the days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur should not just be focused on pulling through a specific number of hours and pages while trying to hang on to our sanity. Rather, each day has a task which needs to be learned and skillfully executed. Secondly, although we do have a basic “curriculum” for each of these days, it’s not one that’s engraved in stone down to the last detail. It offers a reasonable amount of space for personalization, and if we customize our days to some extent, they could really end up being very fulfilling and meaningful. The two days of Rosh Hashanah are days of judgment in which we desperately seek a favorable verdict, but another primary purpose of these days is to instill within our hearts the recognition and feeling that Hashem is the sole owner and operator of the entire world, and simultaneously place ourselves before him as loyal subjects (see Rosh Hashanah 16a-b), as demonstrated clearly in the Amidah prayers. Our work on Kippur, which is a day of atonement, is to take note of our misdeeds – or at least some of them – and to figure out how to correct them on a consistent basis. If we could see the beauty of those missvot from which we have regretfully strayed, and genuinely repent for the mistakes we have made, our service to Gd will be all the more perfect (see Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah 2:2-4). If you use your imagination or look into the books which discuss these topics, you will find many practices within the spirit of the days which you as an individual can relate to more comfortably. Of course, becoming acquainted with the prayers in advance will help bring them to life while reciting them in shul for real, and as the years pass, they will become more natural and meaningful, as well. To be sure, even with this advanced preparation, the services might still feel burdensome at times as the hours progress. When that happens, and our attention to the prayers is waning, we can take a few moments to walk outside for a breath of fresh air and the arrival of our second wind. It also helps to remember that regardless of what we’re thinking, the tefilot are going to finish the same time, and the fast will conclude at its designated moment after nightfall. So while we’re there anyway, it only makes sense to put in that extra effort to focus our minds on productive thoughts instead of sympathizing for ourselves or stirring up frustration. That way, the very same service will inevitably end all the happier and all the more fulfilling. May Hashem lead you in the righteous path which you have clearly chosen to take, and bless you with a happy and healthy new year. Tizku leshanim rabot ne’imot vetovot (may you merit many pleasant and good years). With Torah blessings and warm wishes, Rabbi Yechiel Elbaz E C I S a g e V a D A D V I C E 88 Community magazine