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Spiritna
THE GEM
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CENTURY THEATRES
Torah Portion
Yom Kippur Enables Jews
To Dedicate Themselves To God
Ths Sounds e! the ili's
Repentance, we invoke the figure of
Elijah the Prophet, herald of redemp-
tion, declaring that his most awesome
challenge and greatest accomplishment
will be "to turn the hearts of the parents
to the children and the hearts of the
children to the parents." If the Chinese
taught that the longest march begins
with the first mile, Rosh Hashanah —
Judaism — teaches that perfection of
world begins with perfection of one spe-
hat is the essential signifi-
cific family!
cance of Yom Kippur —
The second day's Torah reading, the
especially since it doesn't
binding of Isaac, continues this theme.
seem to fit within the
Mount Moriah, the scene
general universal theme of our
of the binding, is our Temple
fall festivals?
Mount, the most sacred locus
After all, the Jewish calen-
in the Jewish tradition.
dar is divided into two holiday
Abraham ascended Mount
periods: the spring Passover-
Moriah with his son Isaac,
Shavuot season, which high-
making it a familial rather
lights the birth of the Jewish
than an individual experience.
nation and our religio-legal
Abraham and Isaac were will-
heritage of Torah; and the fall
ing to present God with a
Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur-
sacrifice. There can be no re-
Sukkot season, which empha-
creation, there can be no per-
RABBI
sizes the creation of the world
fection, without the willing-
SHLOMO
and the sacred character of all
ness to sacrifice!
RISKIN
of nature as well of the 70
Yom Kippur is the Rosh
Special to the
gentile nations.
Hashanah Torah reading
Jewish News
Why does Yom Kippur
applied in practice. The indi-
shift our attention from uni-
vidual retreats for a 24-hour
versalism to particularism?
period from the maelstrom — and
I believe that the answer is to be
majestic macrocosm — of the world
found in the curious Torah reading of
around him. He devotes a complete day
Rosh Hashanah, the very beginning of
to personal introspection and self-cre-
our festival period. One would expect us
ation. As God revealed to Abraham and
to celebrate the anniversary of the cre-
Isaac, when He demanded that
ation of the world by publicly reading
Abraham not trick his son or do him
the first verses of Genesis, which majesti-
any harm, the most profound sacrifice
cally describe the first primordial week
lies in living for God rather than in
of creation. Instead, we turn.to the birth
dying by His name.
of Isaac on the first day of Rosh
Hopefully, Yorn
. Kippur enables the
Hashanah, and the binding of Isaac on
individual to re-create himself in dedica-
the second. Why? What's the connec-
tion to God's will. As the day nears close,
tion?
we read the Book ofJonah — reminding
I believe that the Jewish message is
us of our obligation to then'reach out to
most profound. The vision of Rosh
the world, even to our enemies like
Hashanah is that we must perfect the
Assyria, and teach them God's will.
imperfect world created by God, that
Andjf the Day of Forgiveness has
we must accept responsibility as God's
succeeded, we are ready to confront the
partners to "cause all the wicked of the
world of nature and nations on the festi-
earth to turn to ethical monotheism."
val of Sukkot, prepared to sanctify every
But one begins perfecting the world by
aspect of creation and cosmos to the
perfection of oneself; one re-creates the
glory of the God of love and peace.
world by creating one's private world,
one's family.
The "macro" is comprised of many
"micros": re-create the world by re-creat-
ing yourself, re-direct the world by re-
In what ways can we re-create our-
directing your family — towards the
selves and our families (perfect our
Godly ideals of lovingkindness, truth
ethical characteristics) so as to bet-
and peace.
ter ourselves and also motivate
Indeed, on this very Sabbath of
others? What sacrifices can we
make in our personal lives to bet-
. .
Shlomo Riskin is head ofIsraers Ohr
ter live those lives?
Shabbat Shuvah
(Haazinu):
Deuteronomy 32:1-52;
Hosea 14:2-10; Micah
7 :18 - 20; Joel 2:15-27.
starring the music of
The Carpenters
The Emotions • Elton John
Aretha Franklin
Marvin Gaye • Barry Manilow
K.C. and the Sunshine Band
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