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Rosh HaShanah
Three Precious Secrets for Overcoming the Law of Strict Judgment (Karma)
Dearest Friends,
On behalf of each and every one of us, please join me in praying for Peace. (Psalms 122:9).
The Day we have been preparing for since the 15th of Av is finally arriving. The New Moon of Tishri, on which we celebrate Rosh HaShanah, falls this year on Shabbat. Our tradition teaches that on every Shabbat, the entire world is raised to a higher spiritual level. This year, when Shabbat and Rosh HaShanah coincide, the ascending energy is even more auspicious.
We celebrate the Beginning of Creation on Rosh HaShanah, but there is a famous Talmudic debate, concerning whether the world began around the spring equinox in the month of Aviv, or around the fall equinox in the month Tishri. (See B.T. Rosh HaShanah 11a). Rebbe Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev explains that we have these two views, because our Jewish Wisdom tradition is one of the oldest examples of integral spirituality and includes two complementary processes.
The existence, maintenance, and renewal of our world depend on what the kabbalists call Or Yashar (Direct Light) and Or Chozer (Returning Light). In the spring, when the month of Aviv begins with the first two letters of the alphabet, we experience the direct light of involution. The miracle of new creation appears before our very eyes as signs of spring emerge directly from the Divine Source. In the month of Aviv, we receive a new infusion to carry us through the spring and hot summer. With the fall new moon of Tishri, whose letters begin with the end of the alphabet and go in reverse order, we experience the secret of evolution, the process of returning to the Source of all beginnings. The reverse order of the letters alludes to the process of retracing the path of emanation back to the letter, “Yod.”
The Hebrew letters TiSHRY alert us that the time has come to see through any sense of being permanently stuck, condemned within the limitations of the previous year’s identity and self-image. On Rosh HaShanah, we have the unique opportunity to begin a return to a state of indeterminate possibilities within our source in the YOD, Hokhmah (Wisdom). As the verse says, Wisdom is found in the place where we are completely transparent to the Divine Source. (Job 28:12).
When we return to our Wisdom, which is so much deeper than anything we may think we are, we are able to see divinity more clearly. We can recognize that at the very root of Divine Manifestation G-d is El Rachum ve-Chanun, (the Power of Unlimited Compassion and Kindness). Throughout this sacred period, we repeatedly pull ourselves up to this highest level of manifest Divinity, by invoking this most Holy Name:
El Rachum ve-Chanun…
As the Berditchever Rebbe teaches us, generally we think dualistically about ourselves and our lives and we pray that despite our shortcomings, we will be favored with rav chesed (unconditional love). But on Rosh HaShanah, we rise above our limited individualities with their various stages of development and understanding. The view we regain when we return to our Wisdom source transcends the conflicting modes of dispensing divine justice. Beyond the polarities of limited understanding and strict justice vs. unconditional love, we find G-d, El Rachum ve-Chanun, always awaiting our return.
At the level of Keter (the Crown of Divinity), we are awed by this recollection that Divinity cannot fail to forgive us, because a Power that is Rachum ve-Chanun cannot really bear to witness another’s suffering.
On Rosh HaShanah Be-ing assures us: I will surely conceal My own concealment… (Devarim 31:18).
Rebbe Moshe Chayyim of Sudilkov used to prepare for Rosh HaShanah, by meditating on his Grandfather, the Ba’al Shem Tov’s, parable of the labyrinth:
Once a King decided to test his subjects’ understanding and devotion, so he built an elaborate labyrinth around the Palace. Whoever wanted to see the King had to find her way through the labyrinth. At each stage, there were both frightening deterrents and alluring treasures. Although many set out to reach the King, none was able to succeed. Either they were too frightened by the obstacles or too distracted by the treasures. Finally, one came who simply would not settle for anything but finding the King. When she succeeded, she realized that the labyrinth was illusory. Nothing had ever really prevented her from reaching her goal.
Rise up and shine, because your light is returning… (Isaiah 60:1).
When a light is brought to a dark place, all the darkness disappears. The Ba’al Shem Tov teaches that learning the Torah of the labyrinth has the power to overcome all our confusion concerning who we are and what G-d is. Guided by the light of our souls, we can make our way through all of the illusory obstacles that separate us from El Rachum ve-Chanun.
What separates us from this illumination? Our sages teach us that only our identification with habitual patterns of behavior condemns us to imagining that we are separate from our divine soul. Behind all of the illusory aspects of the labyrinth of our experience, G-d is always there for us as El Rachum ve-Chanun. Be-ing blesses us with the great Karma-breaking practice of the Ten days of Teshuvah: ten days that return us to alignment with the One.
As a sure method for overriding the karmic law of judgment, the rabbis teach us Three Precious Secrets: teshuvah (returning our awareness to the Shekhinah), tefillah (expressing the deepest concerns of our Heart while resting in the Divine Presence) and Tzedakah (contributing our resources in support of causes that connect us to El Rachum ve-Chanun).
Reb Nossen of Nemerov teaches us in the name of his Rebbe, Reb Nachman of Breslov, how teshuvah and tefillah are directly related. The essence of teshuvah, is when the Torahs that we learn become our prayers. Just hearing some nice teachings isn’t enough to really transform us. As long as Torah remains a head trip, it’s not powerful enough to overcome our karma. Only when we take the teaching in so deeply that we feel it in our Hearts, is its power to override karma released. We open the hidden place in our Hearts where El Rachum ve-Chanun is dis-covered. In that discovery is the Divine Power that can heal any split, see through the illusory labyrinth of separation from divinity, and override any karmic judgment.
The more we discover El Rachum ve-Chanun in our Hearts, the more our prayer life echoes the Psalm that we have been saying the entire month of Elul:
My only prayer is to remain continuously aware, discerning the Pleasantness of Be-ing everywhere, from the vantage point of the (King’s) Palace. (Psalms 27:4).
The third precious secret for neutralizing our karmic debts is tzedakah: supporting righteous causes. This is effective when our Hearts are so opened by teshuvah and tefillah that we are ready to do something to help reveal El Rachum ve-Chanun in this precious and holy world.
My dear friends, when you are considering worthy causes to support this Rosh HaShanah, please consider Gishmey Brachah (Rain of Blessings).
In less than two months, through the indefatigable efforts of our incomparable President Avital (Gratia) Meyer and the wisdom and generosity of our Vice-President, Dena Drasin, M.D., we have been able to form a non-profit organization and to file for 501c3 status, so that we are now eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Our Executive Director of Publicity and Marketing, Nesl (Sarna) Marcus generously devoted her time to creating this list-serve, so that we can send you the weekly parashah. Emmunah (Edie) Mueller has frequently worked late into the night as my very reliable and tough copy-editor. All of our efforts have benefited from the advice of my student, Rabbi Naomi Mara Hyman, Executive Director of our Satellite Study Groups.
Almost 1000 addresses are now receiving this message and the weekly parashah. If each of you would contribute even $18, it would cover our expenses for bringing you the parashah for the entire New Year. We would also be grateful for any help you can provide for underwriting the costs of constructing our website, which will enable us to initiate real-time interactive classes on the internet.
We are ready to begin registration for a Festival of Lights retreat in December. Next Passover, we are planning a very special Festival of Liberation retreat. We can really use your help so that we can provide scholarships for students to attend who otherwise would have no place to experience a seder.
Even if you can’t help us financially at this time, please do let us know other ways in which you can help. Even adding addresses of people to our list-serve, who you feel would appreciate receiving the parashah, is a form of tzedakah. Every good intention is a blessing.
I pray that each of us will find the best ways we can invoke El Rachum ve-Chanun by supporting righteous causes.
May we all be blessed through the Three Secrets for Overcoming Karma.
May the Torah of the Labyrinth become our prayer.
May we all succeed in returning to our root in Wisdom
And find El Rachum ve-Chanun in our Heart of Hearts.
May we all be immediately inscribed and sealed for a good year in the Book of Life!
Amen.
Rabbi Moshe Aharon Ladizhyner
5767
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