Rosh HaShanah 5785
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Please enjoy these Divrei Torah from students and Staff
One Hundred Shofar Blasts, Sisera's Mother and US
By Rabbi Yaacov Feit, Middle School Assistant Principal
While nine to thirty shofar blasts fulfills our Torah obligation to blow shofar, and sixty shofar blasts fulfills our Rabbinic obligation, common custom is to blow one hundred blasts by the end of the davening on Rosh Hashanah. Yet, the source for this custom is quite puzzling and even shocking. Because the mother of Sisra, the evil general heroically killed by Yael in Shoftim (perek 4), cried one hundred cries while waiting for her son who would never return from war, we blow one hundred blasts to commemorate her cries.
Why would we want to associate our holy mitzvah with the mother of an evildoer? Why do we want to invoke the memory of a sinner like Sisra on this holy day?
Perhaps the message we are supposed to internalize on this Day of Judgment is that even someone as evil as Sisra has a mother who still loves him. Even someone who has fallen so far has someone who still believes in him.
Every Rosh Hashanah I try to think in advance about what I will imagine when the shofar blasts. Sometimes I think of the image of a coronation of a King. Sometimes I conjure up pictures of Har Sinai and the receiving of the Torah. This year, I am going to try and think about how no matter how much we may have failed, our Father in Heaven still believes in us, cries for us, and waits for us to come home.
Just as Sisra’s mother waited for her child to come back because she believed in him, so too, Hashem is waiting for us to come back to him because He knows what we are capable of.
This message is so true for parents as well as teachers. The key to successful chinuch is believing in our children and our students. When children recognize that we believe in them there is no limit to the heights they can reach!
Why Don't We Say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah?
By Maayan Flancbaum, 8th Grade
Rosh Hashanah is the day of Judgment. Therefore one should be filled with fear and anticipation so they should avoid anything that could make them happy or could distract them. The fear of judgment on Rosh Hashanah is so great that we don’t say Hallel before Hashem unless our hearts are filled with joy, and during the days of judgment there is more fear and trembling in our hearts than rejoicing. One should not be saddened by fear of judgment. Rather, one should shave and wash oneself in honor of the festival and should wear his holiday clothing. This is how we are showing that we trust that Hashem shall judge us favorably. For the same reason one should not cry on Rosh Hashanah. During davening, however, crying is not forbidden and we therefore find people who cry like children during davening on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, to awaken the mercy of Hashem toward his children. Although we may be mature and knowledgeable, before Hashem we are each like a child who unashamedly cries before his Father over the yearnings of his heart.
We see that this was the case when Ezra read the Torah before Bnei Yisrael who had gathered on the first day of the seventh month. The people cried when they heard the words of the Torah being read, and Ezra and Nechemyah told them (Nechemya: 8:10) ‘Do not mourn and do not weep. Eat delicacies and drink sweet things and send gifts of food to those who lack, for the day is holy unto our Master. Do not grieve for G‑d’s joy is your strength.’
Lesson: We learn from this that even on a nerve racking day like Rosh Hashanah, and we don’t say hallel, we don’t go to shul like we are mourning; we are strong and we dress in white and wrap ourselves in white, and we eat and drink in joy, for we know that Hashem will perform miracles on our behalf and judge us favorably (Talmud Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah 1).
Rosh Hashanah and the Start of the School Year: Thoughts to Ponder
By Mrs Claire Kagel, Middle School Science and Language Arts Teacher
We are about to celebrate Rosh Hashanah which means the head of the year, or, as we refer to it the New Year. Just a short time ago we celebrated another new year – that of the school year. I would like to explore the relationship between Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of a new year from the perspective of a teacher.
A well-respected philosopher once said, “…a child’s mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited.” Once a vessel is filled there is no room for anything else. A fire, however, in order to blaze, has to be fed constantly. That is the true passion of a teacher.
Prior to the start of the school year I, and I am sure most of my colleagues spent time during the summer reflecting on the past school year. We asked ourselves, “What went right? What went wrong? What needs tweaking?” and, “What just needs to be completely overhauled?” This is not just true for our curriculum and lesson plans; this is true for ourselves as teachers. I honestly have never met a teacher who is not constantly critiquing her/himself and their lessons to ensure that they reach every student in the clearest possible way. I have never met a teacher who does not try their utmost to reach out to a challenging student, perhaps one from the previous year, and attempt to repair and improve that relationship for the positive.
Teaching, the art and science of it, essentially is about establishing and growing relationships. Without the establishment of a positive, productive relationship, learning either cannot take place or cannot grow and benefit both teacher and student.
How does this relate to Rosh Hashanah? During Elul, as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, we spend our time reviewing the past year to see what if any strides we’ve made in our relationships since last Rosh Hashanah, both with Hashem and our families – biological, communal and school? Did we grow in our bitachon and emunah? Did we incorporate more mitzvot into our daily lives? Were we kinder, more caring and more responsive to the needs of family and friends?
What about going forward? As a new school year begins, as a teacher, I look for new roads to take me further in the knowledge of subject matter. I look for professional development opportunities to enhance my learning of a particular subject. I work with colleagues and administration to hone my teaching skills within the entire classroom, small group, or individual instruction. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I try to commit to participating in more learning opportunities through shiurim and lectures. I commit to davening more often, and decide to take on a new mitzvah or two each year. Essentially, however, my greatest effort is in the realm of establishing and growing relationships – with my students and colleagues at school, and with Hashem and my community. Because we are all created b’Tzelem Elokim, in the image of Hashem (babies, children, teens , adults, elderly) the way we interact and nurture our relationships with each other has a powerful impact on how we interact with and nurture our relationship with Hashem.
May this Rosh Hashanah see a renewal of our commitment to respecting, valuing and believing in each other as a gateway to reaching out, venerating and loving Hashem and the extraordinary and incomparable road He has put before us.
Crowning Hashem as King
By Morah Chaya Schulgasser, 3rd and 5th Grade Limmudei Kodesh Teacher
Dipping the Apple in Honey
By Zev Lipschitz, 8th Grade
One of the classic symbols of Rosh Hashanah is the apple dipped in honey. On the night of Rosh Hashanah, after we have made kiddush, washed, and dipped the challah into honey, we dip a sweet apple into honey. This custom seems to date back to the Geonic period (c. 589-1038 C.E.).
Interestingly, although we eat many symbolic foods on Rosh Hashanah the apple is the most prominent. It is eaten at the very beginning of the meal before we enjoy all the other delicacies. Furthermore, even those who have the custom not to say a short prayer before each food is eaten (such as Chabad), do recite it before eating the apple dipped in honey.
So what is the significance of the apple dipped in honey? The basic explanation is that we should have a “sweet new year,” but there are many deeper reasons given for this custom as well. Here is one:
When Yaakov entered his father’s tent to receive the blessings, Yitzchak commented, “Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which Hashem has blessed.” The Talmud and Midrash explain that the fragrance of the Gan Eden entered together with Yaakov, and it had the scent of an apple orchard. On Rosh Hashanah we pray that we too should ultimately receive blessings, just as Yaakov did. Additionally, some suggest that this event took place on Rosh Hashanah. Thus, to invoke the blessings, we eat apples on Rosh Hashanah.