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Daf Hashavua After 8.22Pm from the Long- Lasting Candle בס״ד רֹאׁש ROSH הַ ּׁשָ ָ נ ה HASHANA In loving memory of Harav Yisrael ben Eliyahu Volume 34 | #46 7 September 2021 1 Tishrei 5782 Rosh Hashana, 7th & 8th, September 2021, 1 & 2 Tishrei 5782 Candle Lighting London times: A long-lasting candle and the candles for the first night Shana Tova from of Rosh Hashana, Monday 6th September, should be lit by 7.21pm. the US and the Candles for the second night of Rosh Hashana, Tuesday 7th September, should be lit Daf Hashavua after 8.22pm from the long- lasting candle. team Rosh Hashana ends in London on Wednesday 8th September at 8:19pm Jerusalem Times: A long-lasting candle and the candles for the first night of Rosh Hashana, Monday 6th September, should be lit by 6.16pm. Candles for the second night of Rosh Hashana, Tuesday 7th September, should be lit after 7.32pm from the long- INSIDE: Please look regularly at the lasting candle. social media and websites Rosh Hashana ends in What can we learn of the US, Tribe and your Jerusalem on Wednesday community for ongoing updates 8th September at 7.31pm from our High Holy Days by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis relating to Coronavirus as well as educational programming Tzom Gedalia (the Fast and community support. of Gedalia), Thursday 9th When ‘Stacey Dooley You do not need to sign September, into Facebook to access the 3 Tishrei 5782 Sleeps Over’ came to US Facebook page. The US London: starts at 4.41am, Coronavirus Helpline is on ends at 8.11pm Woodford Forest 020 8343 5696. Jerusalem: starts at 5.06am, by Rabbi Mordechai and Rebbetzen Blima May God bless us and the ends at 7.23pm Wollenberg whole world. Daf Hashavua Welcome to the Rosh Hashana 5782 edition of Daf Hashavua by Rabbi Baruch Davis, Chigwell & Hainault Synagogue, Daf Hashavua Editor-in-Chief Since the first Covid Tribe team and Rebbetzen Kezia Levin, again during the chazan’s repetition? lockdown began in as well as an historical article on Tzom Rabbi Sacks gave a powerful answer, March last year, I am Gedalia and its message of hope by conveying one of the fundamental very gratified to say that Rabbi Dov Kaplan and a checklist elements of Judaism: the shofar we have managed to for the new year from Rabbi Gideon blasts before Musaf fulfil the produce a Daf online version every Sylvester. obligation of individuals to hear the single week, often under challenging Last November, we were shocked shofar, but the shofar blasts during circumstances. More recently we have and deeply distressed by the untimely Musaf fulfil the obligation of each resumed producing hard copies, four passing of Rabbi Sacks zt’l and we are individual as part of the community as weeks at a time. I’d like to thank our still reeling from the loss. Rabbi Sacks a whole. A community is not simply outstanding Editorial & Production was a mentor and guide to many a collection of individuals but much Team for making this possible: rabbis and rebbetzens around the more. Rabbi Michael Laitner, Rabbi Daniel world, but especially within the United Rabbi Sacks explained that, we are, Sturgess, Rebbetzen Nechama Davis Synagogue, and we have run many as it were, saying to God: “Even if You and Joanna Rose, along with the Tribe programmes during this year where can’t forgive us as individuals, forgive Page Team: Rabbi Nicky Goldmeier, we have shared his teachings. us as a people”! Rebbetzen Shira Chalk and Paul With the permission of the Rabbi Perhaps before the era of Covid, we Solomons. Our grateful thanks also Sacks Legacy Trust and the Jewish focused too much on those members to graphic designer Richard Herman, Chronicle, we have included an extract who were coming to shul, and not and, of course, to all our writers, from an article which Rabbi Sacks enough on those who stayed away. without whom there could be no Daf wrote for the Jewish Chronicle just The closing of our shuls meant that, Hashavua! before Rosh Hashana 1994, about the ironically, we reached out directly In this special edition, we welcome symbolism of the shofar. to ALL members. Even last Rosh the Chief Rabbi’s article about the Last year, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Hashana with our shuls open but timeless recipe for Jewish continuity, Mirvis invited Rabbi Sacks to address many members staying away, we took Rabbi Mordechai Wollenberg shares rabbis and rebbetzens just before the shofar to them. a thought-provoking idea with us Rosh Hashana, for what turned out As we re-open, the challenge for following the charming television to be the last time, where he spoke each one of us will be to find the programme featuring his family and about another aspect of shofar: the balance between our own individual Rabbi Rafi Goodwin poignantly reflects mitzvah itself. He asked the question spiritual and physical needs as well on the horrific attack that he endured of the Talmud (Rosh Hashana 16b): as those of the community. May we on Erev Shavuot. seeing that we blow 30 notes before choose wisely. We also carry several articles for Musaf, we have performed the mitzva. May God bless us all with a good our younger members, courtesy of the Why then do we blow the shofar and sweet year. United Synagogue Daf Hashavua Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue Editor-in-Chief: www.theus.org.uk Rabbi Baruch Davis ©United Synagogue 2021 Editorial and Production Team: To sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Danielle Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Fox on 020 8343 6261, or [email protected] Rabbi Michael Laitner, Rebbetzen Nechama Davis, If you have any comments or questions regarding Joanna Rose Daf Hashavua please email [email protected] What can we learn from our High Holy Days about the recipe for Jewish continuity? by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis Just before he passed fish, to wear their identity with pride. away, Jacob our This is a major lesson of our High If our children Patriarch summoned his Holy days. On Rosh Hashana, we see in us no more grandchildren, Ephraim read about the trials of Abraham, the and Menashe, born to founder of our faith, who brought truth than a superficial Joseph and Osnat in Egypt. As they and sanctity into a world of idolatry or intermittent sat before their saintly grandfather, he and sacrilege. It may not have been searched, at this poignant moment, easy or fashionable, but Abraham was commitment to our for appropriate words with which to committed to a life of service to God. bless them; words that would inspire Similarly, on Yom Kippur we read in Judaism, then there them and all future generations to the Book of Jonah of his confrontation is every chance retain their Jewish identity against with a group of sailors. He had initially all odds. attempted to flee from his sacred that their own Jacob declared: “May they prophetic mission, but the sailors had multiply like fish in the midst of determined that he was responsible Jewish identity will the land.” (Bereishit 48:16). What for the cataclysmic storm they were be superficial and supremely important message did he experiencing. Desperate to discover wish to convey through this blessing? the identity of this enigmatic stranger, intermittent The classic explanation is that fish they posed four questions to him: multiply rapidly and thus are a symbol “What is your occupation? Where do This is a timeless recipe for Jewish of continuity, but the Midrash gives a you come from? What is your country? continuity. If our children see in us no very different answer. Of the two signs From what people are you?” Jonah more than a superficial or intermittent of a kosher animal, cloven hooves and replied with one simple statement: “I commitment to our Judaism, then chewing of the cud, one is revealed am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God there is every chance that their own and one is hidden. Yet, the two signs of Heaven, who made the sea and the Jewish identity will be superficial of a kosher fish - fins and scales – dry land.” (Jonah 1:8,9) and intermittent. Yet, if they see in are both visible. Jacob wanted his As far as Jonah was concerned, us unbridled pride in our identity, grandchildren and all subsequent every significant element of his uncompromising commitment to Torah generations to know that if they were life, his comings and goings, his and mitzvot and the joy of being part to successfully contend with the occupation and his identity, were of a vibrant Jewish community, then challenges that each successive era encapsulated in one single fact: “I am they will treasure their identity just as would bring, they would need, like a Jew and I’m proud of it.” we have. In loving memory of Harav Yitzchak Yoel ben Shlomo Halevi In 1994, then Chief Rabbi Sacks wrote in the Jewish Chronicle, that the Jewish people was at a critical stage in its quest for continuity. This article has been edited for Daf Hashavua with the permission of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust and the Jewish Chronicle. Shofar’s message of return and renewal by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt’l MANY YEARS ago, I him since. The period from Rosh than of being lost. Teshuvah means spent Rosh Hashana Hashana to Yom Kippur is called finding your way back home again. with a Chasidic group the aseret yemei teshuvah, the The shofar on Rosh Hashana in New York.
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