4...tuawav.

Spirituality

RABBINIC MESSAGES

770, Torah And Mitzvot

0

ur sages teach that there are
no coincidences; everything
that we encounter is a Divinely
orchestrated message teaching us how to
better serve God. The Torah also places
great emphasis on the significance of
numbers and the numerical value of
Hebrew words.
This Rosh Hashanah ushers in the year
5770. For Chabad followers around the
world, as well as for tens of thousands
of Jews who wrote to Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher
rebbe of blessed memory, for advice and
blessings, the number 770 is significant:

770 Eastern Parkway was the
rebbe's address. For seven
decades, the number 770 has
been synonymous with the
rebbe and Chabad Lubavitch.
In fact, I've heard that letters
addressed simply to "Rebbe,
770, USA" routinely arrived at
Chabad headquarters!
The rebbe was the pioneer
of worldwide Jewish outreach.
Perhaps the approach of the
year 5770 is a signal to reflect
on his approach to outreach,
and how we can all be ambas-

sadors of Torah and mitzvot.
The leitmotif of the rebbe's
teaching was unconditional
love for every Jewish man,
woman and child. He believed
in non-judgmental acceptance
of every Jew, regardless of his
or her level of observance; as a
direct consequence of this love
he encouraged his followers to
influence our brethren to grow
in their Judaism through Torah
and mitzvot.
In the upcoming year of
5770, let us dedicate ourselves

to reach out to all Jews and share with
them the light of Judaism; to help others
(and ourselves) appreciate the beauty of
Shabbat, kashrut, Torah study and chari-
table acts; to stem the scourge of inter-
marriage, which has torn so many away
from our ranks.
As we commit to true Ahavat Yisroel
— unconditional love — this will assure
our continuity as a Jewish nation and the
redemption of Klal Yisroel through the
righteous Moshiach. Fl

Jewish year in the days ahead,
ity, resilience and courage
more than ever we look to our
while summoning an internal
tradition to help us find peace
boldness that will allow us to
and calm amid the storm of
persevere.
severe emotional distress.
It is, no doubt, a supreme test
Realizing that so much is
of the human spirit. But Jewish
well beyond our control, we are
teaching is clear on this one: The
presented with two options: We
very quality of our lives is in our
can feel sorry for ourselves, get
hands and our hands alone!
angry, throw in the towel and
In times of pain and struggle,
Rabbi Joseph
essentially withdraw from life
we must rise up and take
H. Krakoff
— or, as our tradition teaches,
responsibility for how we will
Special
to the
we can look deep within and
react and how we will recover.
Jewish News
summon the strength to see
We do this when we truly inter-
beyond the present moment,
nalize the advice that our great-
holding on tight and fortifying our tenac-
est teach er Moses left with Joshua just

hours before his own death. Moses blessed
Joshua with two powerful words: chazak
v'amatz — be strong and resolute!
At this season on the Jewish calendar,
we come in from the outside world and
seek a way to find balance and inner
peace. Many demands are made of us "out
there' Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
give us a chance to stop and come in, not
only into the synagogue, but also into our-
selves in the hopes of locating our center.
I pray: May we take advantage of this all-
important opportunity. Shanah tovah! Fl

Rabbi
Elimelech
Silberberg
Special to the
Jewish News

Elimelech Silberberg is rabbi at Sara Tugman

Bais Chabad Torah Center in West Bloomfield.

Finding Ourselves Again

W

e gather this High Holiday
season at a very serious time.
In every direction and in
every walk of life, people are suffering ter-
ribly. We are a hurting community in eco-
nomic upheaval, facing profound turmoil
and distress.
The American Dream has in some ways
turned into a nightmare. Almost all of us
in one way or another are experiencing the
somber ramifications of the current finan-
cial meltdown.
With our faith tested and our resolve
pushed to the brink, the question is simple
yet complex: What are we to do?
As we come upon the holiest time of the

Joseph H. Krakoff is a rabbi at Congregation

Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County.

May It Be A Good Year

F

or many of us in this community,
the last year has been a painful,
disappointing and challenging
one. We anxiously await the symbolism
and hopefulness of 5770. We wish each
other, L'shanah tovah tikateivu — May you
be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good,
new year!"
But looking beyond the obvious and
certainly important indications of a
good year — such as health, prosper-
ity and peace — what can we truly wish
each other? What is it that we really are
encouraging each other to achieve? With

what values can we approach
the Yamim Nora-im, the Days
of Awe?
Or perhaps put another way,
what does Jewish tradition
mean by "good"? What does
the Eternal One, the Source of
all that is good, mean when the
term is used in the Bible? How
can we properly live our lives,
reflect on our past and prepare
for the future so that we will
be worthy of the blessing of "a
good year"?

Rabbi Norman
T. Roman
Special to the
Jewish News

Our ancestor Jacob (the
first "Israel") simply asked
on his life journey for "bread
to eat, clothes to wear and
a peaceful returning to his
father's house." But our lives
and needs aren't that simple.
I would suggest that a
better framework for the
hoped-for "good" in the new
year might be found in rein-
terpreting the words of the
prophet Micah (6:8) "Man
tells you what is good, but

God? God expects you to seek the good
in your own self (in Hebrew, mimcha)."
The good is not found in possessions
or status, but in "doing justice, loving
humanity and walking with humility"
— all three goals of being "with your
God."
What a year it would be if more of
us committed ourselves to these core
values! [Based on a teaching by Rabbi
Moses Mescheloff]

Norman T. Roman is a rabbi at Temple Kol Ami

in West Bloomfield.

The Full Catastrophe

I

n Zorba The Greek, Zorba is asked a
question while clinging to the deck of
his ship as it is tossed about in a storm-
ing ocean. A young Englishman probes,
"Zorba, are you married?" To this, Zorba
replies with a wonderful Greek accent, "Am
I not a man? And is not a man stupid? I'm
a man. So I married. Wife, children, house,
everything — the full catastrophe' •

30

September 17 0 2009

In answering this way, Zorba is not just
continuing in the tradition of Greek trag-
edy, he is expressing a core truth about all
of our lives: Life is difficult. All the pain,
all the pleasure, all the met and unmet
expectations that we experience create the
full catastrophe that is life.
How can we embrace life as a full catas-
trophe? How can we confront and. ultimately

transcend the stress, pain, loneliness and
disappointment that is inherent in our lives?
This is what we are all looking for: The
inner knowing that no matter what hap-
pens in our lives, we have the resilience to
find our way back to joy. We want to know
that we can survive the full catastrophe
that is the human condition.
What is the meaning of the High

Holidays? What is the great spiritual ques-
tion that flows from this time of year,
beaconing to us from inside the heart of
Jewish history?
The answer lies in our origin: The word
Hebrew, Eevreem, means, "The ones who
came from the other side of the river."
The Jewish people were named by the
Canaanites who saw us come into the