Elul-Tishrei

B”H

I should take some time to describe the Chaggim in Jerusalem. This is, of course, impossible, but I might be able to give an idea of how I experienced them through my little Mayanot community.

Rosh HaShanah is a fairly cheerful holiday by most Jews, but by Chassidim it is the most austere day of the year. It’s on this day that we must beg Hash-m not only to sustain us physically and spiritually, but we must plead on behalf of the entire universe. Chasidus teaches that Hash-m creates the world anew every moment, and the only time when G-d reconsiders bestowing this great mercy upon us is on Rosh HaShanah. After a month of “The King in the field”, Hash-m dwelling among us during Elul, on this day G-d is seated on his throne of judgement and we cry out for Hash-m to judge us favorably.

I davened by the Yehsiva erev Rosh HaShanah, and by day I went to the Tzemach Tzedek’s shul in the old city. The Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Lubavitch, founded that shul almost 200 years ago and it’s one the best synagogues I’ve ever been to. It’s a long davening, and more than one baal tfilah broke into tears in the middle of chazonos.

If you’ve never davened a Chabad Yom Kippur, it’s one of those things you should do before you die. I haven’t been around long enough to compare, but Chabad must have the best approach to Yom Kippur; it’s a whole day of singing and freiliche davening without the slightest bit of gashmius to destract you. Y’K is a time of great simcha by Lubavitchers; Hash-m cleanses us of all our sins to prepare us for the coming year, what could be bad?

The chazzan at the yeshiva for Yom Kippur is an older man who comes from one of those Yerushalmi families that’s lived in Jerusalem for hundreds of years. He has a beautiful voice and wonderful kavonoh. It’s apparently a tradition by them to take snuff, what they call “tabac” in Hebrew, during Yom Kippur davenen, to take your mind off food I guess. He had the hook up too: We started off with banana flavor, then moved to mint during musaf, and he brought out a lemon flavored one at mincha. Every once in a while a little kid would go around with a jar of this stuff, and the davening would be peppered with sharp sneezes for a few minutes.

The Days of Judgement are always overwhelming for me. By always, I mean the past 3 times I actually observed them, and I came away feeling like a big schlepper. I'm just starting out in my tshuvah, and big holidays like that just show me how much further I to go and how much more I have to learn. I suppose that's kind of the point though; It's part of the awe of G-d. No every feels like they had a perfect year, or that they really brought all they could to the davenen, because who amounts to anything in front of Hash-m's throne of Glory? Maybe the Baal Shem Tov, but he was a player.

Kol Tuv,

Yoel David