Rosh HaShana thoughts:

i read an amazing rticle on LH that may help people.. i’m not sure how to get to it, but i know if u type on google, ‘Rabbi Yaakov Luban, AN EMAIL FROM HASHEM’ then it comes up as the first one.. read it!

This time of year is really a time of reflection, usually about the past year. What hits me most is usually how fast the past year went by. Each year as we look forward it seems like so spread out and it will take forever to get to the next New Year, but each year as we look back we are usually amazed at how quickly it passed.

That is something i reflect on, how time truly passes so quickly and years do actually slip by. Maybe it is because I am getting older and have suffered many losses, or B”H I watch my grandchildren grow and are amazed at how quickly the transitions happen. The realization that time passes so quickly makes one think more about how to use their time wisely and how not to waste any time on negativity and nonsense. Life is too short to be angry; Life is too short to hold grudges; Life is too short to put things off; Life is too short to miss opportunities. Family members are precious, good friends are gifts, health is not to be taken for granted.

The values we hold most dear such as love, trust, loyalty & devotion lose their merit without the proper and essential personal effort and energy they require. Each relationship we have whether with our spouse, parent, child, friend, neighbor or Hashem need that effort and energy to be honest and real. Having true emunah and bitachon in Hashem, helps one with the other relationships in their lives. When we come each year to the Yamim Noraim, we are never alone. We are part of a K’lal and we go as one to hear the Shofar and to daven as one to ask Hahsem to heal the sick, to bring peace to Eretz Yisroel, to give Parnasah to the poor, to forgive us and all of K’lal Yisroel of our sins. We think of ourselves, our families, our friends, our acquaintances, all the mispallelim.

Maybe that is one of the great big differences between us and our counterparts. They talk about their New Year’s resolutions. They might say they will: lose weight, stop smoking, start exercising, clean the garage, and some other superficial concepts. They are important but they are singularly important for that individual. We are thinking more in terms of giving tzedaka, doing cheesed, helping our neighbors, etc. Our New Year’s resolutions have to do with bettering the world and other peoples lives not just our own.

So lets all wish each other a K’siva V’chasima Tova. May we all have a sweet New Year and successful year in general, for all and their families and friends as well as K’lal Yisroel.

Maybe when Obama is removed from “office” and the presidency is cleansed and healed with new leadership, then after the Teshuva process Hashem will help us install a “chaver” of E”Y and no longer head our fine country with Soneh Yisroel and we can also come together as Yidden and support each other in the coming year.

That says so much about the incredible power of Tefilla.

*kapusta*

Aries2756 that is the most profound and touching post I have EVER READ. I really enjoy reading your comments. So beautiful. DId you really write that? why don’t you send that into Mishpacha or Bina magazine? I could cry from those words. G-d bless you. And wishing you a k’siva v’chasima tova.

By the way, how do you deal with all your losses? I too have had my share. It still hurts. i recall the past with a great deal of sadness. I regret many things.My husband always advises me to “Throw it over board” but I can’t. I still remember them all. And love them. Despite the hurt.

BaalHabooze, that is a great volt!!! Good reminder to open your heart and your eyes to what true cheesed is all about, and how to stop judging others, be accepting of others, be understanding, soften your heart, etc.

scissors, thank you. About losses, you try to let go of the pain by remembering the love and holding on to the amazing memories. Hashem is in charge and we can’t argue with his plans we have to learn how to accept them. Of course it hurts, I just finished my year of availus for my mom and my arms ache to hold her and hear say “I love you more”. No one makes you feel more loved than your mom no matter how old you are. But I had to let her go. It was her time, she was B”H 90 and she was ready. I have to hold on to the love and let go of the pain. I have to respect her and do everything in my power to honor her and my father and make them proud of me. When I do my cheesed I do so l’zecher nishmas. Sometimes when I work with a particular client, or I have to raise money for someone I smile up to the heavens as I remember my father-in-law who used to collect for his chaverim in E”Y. I feel connected to him and as though he put me up to it. It is not an easy thing to do and I never understood how he could do it when he was alive. It was quite an undertaking.

Keep the good memories alive by talking about their wonderful middos and the wonderful things they did and remember that they don’t want you to mourn their deaths, they want you to celebrate their lives. There is only room for the one niftar in the kever, no one else is allowed to jump in with them. There is a time for mourning and then we must get on with our lives and honor their memories and that is what I try to do.

Thank you for this post BaalHaboze, I have been thinking the past couple days that it would be wonderful to read some reflections on Rosh Hashana here!

I don’t recall if I ever posted this, but when I was in Seminary many decades ago, my father Z”L, sent me a letter (yes, we still used snail mail in those days)in time for Rosh Hashana, and started it off with a short D”T. He said that in the word BREISHIS is contained the essence of why Hashem created the world.

He Created/Barah – Beis, Reish, Aleph, Shisha (Sidrei Mishnah) – Shin, 10 (Dibros) – (Yud), and it all comprises the Torah – Tov.

I really liked that one.

I meant “thank you”!

Ok so I just heard a great speech which has really just stayed in my head and has been replaying ever since. Obviously I will not be able to write it over as well as the speaker gave it, but I will attempt to just because I really found it to be so helpful. It’s a bit long so anyone not interested just skip this post. It is from Rabbi Ephraim Twerski, Rav of Kahal Chassidim of Chicago. I might end up saying some of this a bit out of order but you will hopefully get the point.

On Rosh Hashana we beg Hashem to give us a good and blessed year. One of happiness, success, health. parnassah, and only good. How can we ask Hashem for such a great year if we are not deserving of this based on our past actions? After all this is a world of deserving. We would not be created otherwise. We would have just stayed up in shamayim, our neshamos still right below the kisai hakavod. So Rabbi Twerski explained that we daven and admit that yes we have not been the best we could be but this was just the past we are going to be better from now on. And if Hashem can forget the past then we need to so that it does not act as an impediment for our growth.

We say Avinu Malkeinu during the aseres ymei teshuva and most are clear. But one seems strange. Its says Zchor ki afar anachnu – Remember that we are dust. What does this come to show? It says we have a past, a past of just dirt but Hashem look at our future because we will make sure that it is a brilliant and glorious future!

It says Hashiveinu Ainu Eilecha v’nashuva chadesh Yameinu… Why V’nashuva? this should not be the lashon, and why Chadesh- will be new? If we follow in the ways of Hashem no matter our past, and really truly forget our past and put it behind us doing teshuva to become a better person then chadesh yameinu! We will be almost renewed! Our days will become great and will be as good as new!

He explained how so often it is our past sins which stop us and discourage us in our journey to become better. We think about all we have done and feel we can never become great if we have done these sins. Rabbi Twerski stressed how important it is to put our past behind us and do teshuva while looking into the future and hoping for the better. He ended off with a story showing this.

He was talking to a vishnitzer chassid who admitted that he had commited a grave crime. This chassid told Rabbi Twerski that he couldn’t live with himself so went to the Vishnitzer Rebbe at that time (The name has slipped my mind) He broke down to the Rebbe and asked for what he can do to help. The Rebbe said he didn’t have an answer. He went into hysterics and was sobbing. The Rebbe said he has an answer but then said that he knew the chassid will not accept it so did not want to say. the chassid begged and pleaded and after much convincing that he would accept immediately, he said FORGET ABOUT THE SIN! The chassid was in shock and started to argue and the Rebbe reminded him that he needs to take the answer. The Rebbe showed how we need to forget the past in order to move forward. If Hashem can do it, then we need to! Last part was that We say in L’david Hashem Lulei hemanti… so lulei is spelled the opposite of elul in hebrew. Lulei means “had I not!” If we focus on the “had I not” then that is the opposite of what elul shoudl be and we are going to have a harder time doing teshuva and growing higher. May we all come to truly deserve a g’benched year!

in the interest of upholding our Yomim Noraim values it should be noted that a pshat recently posted was taken from one of two cites on the internet almost word for word.(other than cosmetic additions it is what I wrote with my name signed) I will say that the essence of it is found in emunas itecha from rav moshe wolfson.

While my final rewrite of this vort did give credit to Rav Wolfson it would be nice if all us writing in this forum cite our sources

BH for BH! What a great thread. Pls do one for each ??? ???

I find the OP thoughtless.