Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Presents two classic meshalim on the meaning of the shofar. In the first, a king's only son, having forgotten his father's language after years away, is recognized and welcomed home by his cry alone. In the second, a king reunites with the man who once saved his life by reenacting the moment they met, paralleling how the shofar recalls Matan Torah and awakens Hashem's rachmanus for the Yidden who accepted the Torah with naaseh before nishma.
Rosh Hashanah
Explores the Chassidic question behind the halachah suspending shofar on a Shabbos Rosh Hashanah, and finds in it a teaching about two levels of submission to Hashem. Rosh Hashanah and Shabbos each express their own form of bittul, crowning Hashem as King and feeling His sole reality; together they produce a bittul so complete that it requires no action, unlike the effort of blowing shofar the rest of the year. Closes with Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev's argument for why such a day can only bring a good inscription.
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the day of קבלת עול מלכות שמים, yet the tefillot are full of requests for health, wealth, and ruchniyus — seemingly at odds with the bitul the day demands. The difference lies in why you want what you're asking for: wanting things for yourself is ego, but wanting them because they're the only way to serve Hashem is bitul itself. The Baal Shem Tov's reading of רעבים גם צמאים נפשם בהם תתעטף, on what the nefesh is really after even in ordinary hunger and thirst, shows how this dynamic runs beneath the most basic physical desires.
Why the Shofar Doesn't 'Make' Hashem King
A Rosh Hashanah class on the interdependence of the shofar blasts and their accompanying blessings, using the Berditchever's parable of a king in the forest to explain the shofar's real function.
Are We Meant to Fight the Yetzer Hara, or Use It?
A short piece contrasting the physical and spiritual dimensions of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and how both the good and evil inclination can be harnessed in Divine service.
Why Rosh Chodesh Is the Torah's First Mitzvah
Explores Rashi's view that Kiddush HaChodesh was the Torah's opening command, the idea that the new month represents renewal in creation, and the witness-based calculation behind declaring Rosh Chodesh.
Why Does Tu B'Shvat Count as a Rosh Hashanah?
Explores the four 'new years' in the Jewish calendar and why Tu B'Shvat is one of them, tying the agricultural cycle of Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos to the soul's own growth through bitul.
Why Does Tu B'Shvat Count as a Rosh Hashanah?
Explores the four 'new years' in the Jewish calendar, why a tree's growth reflects a higher bitul than grain, and the king's obligation to remain humble like Shmuel HaNavi taught.
Why We Say Shehecheyanu on Rosh Hashanah -- But Not Always
Covers the halachos of shehecheyanu for new fruits and clothing, the Omer-counting bracha debate, and what happens when Tisha B'Av or another fast lands on Shabbos.
Is the Mitzvah of Shofar Blowing It, or Hearing It?
A detailed sugya on Rabbeinu Tam's view that the core mitzvah is blowing the shofar (not hearing it), and the halachic implications for who can serve as an agent.
Crowning the King: The High Holidays (Lesson 1)
Opens a three-part High Holidays series exploring the shofar as a symbol of judgment, repentance and coronation, tracing the theme back to Adam's first proclamation of G-d's kingship on Rosh Hashanah.
Day of Judgment: The High Holidays (Lesson 2)
Continues the High Holidays series with the imagery of the Heavenly court, the Baal Shem Tov's description of the Divine trial, and how acts of kindness and suffering can tip the scales of judgment.
Doing Teshuvah: The High Holidays (Lesson 3)
Closes the High Holidays series with the three components of true teshuva, how it can transform the past, and the Ten Days of Teshuva as an especially opportune time for change.