Rabbi Yitzchak David Essrig Zt”L
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NITZACHON VOLUME KIPPUR-SUKKOS-CHANUKA 3:1 • ROSH HASHANA-YOM ANGELES • LOS 5776 ראש וראשון Rabbi Dovid Revah • Rabbi Elazar Muskin Rabbi Daniel Grama - Guest Contributors - שפתי ישנים Rabbi Yitzchak David Essrig zt”l NITZACHONניצחון Rabbi Simon Dolgin zt”l Rosh Hashana - Yom Kippur Rabbi David Mahler Rabbi Yaakov Siegel Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Rabbi Avner Shapiro Rabbi Yisroel Gordon Sarah Pachter Avraham Azizi Leigh Greenberg David Manheim Daniel Feldmar Robert Millman Henry Manoucheri Dr. Abie Mendelsohn Sukkos Nina Adler Adiv Pachter David R. Schwarcz Avigail Manheim Chanuka Rabbi Pinchas Gelb Rami Glatt Eli Snyder Daniel Nagel • VOLUMEVOLUME 3:1 3:1 • ROSH• ROSH HASHANA-YOM HASHANA - YOM KIPPUR-SUKKOS-CHANUKAKIPPUR - SUKKOS - CHANUKA 5776 5776 • LOS• LOS ANGELES ANGELES Nitzachon Adas Torah Journal of Torah Ideas Volume 3:1 Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, Chanuka 5776 Adas Torah 1135 South Beverly Drive Los Angeles, CA 90035 www.adastorah.org [email protected] (310) 228-0963 Rabbi Dovid Revah, Rav and Mara D’Asra Alan Rich, President Nitzachon Editorial Team Michael Kleinman, General Editor Yaakov Siegel, General Editor Yaakov Rich, General Editor Peninah Cohen, Copy Editor Rob Shur, Design and Layout www.rbscreative.com VOLUME 3:1 • ROSH HASHANA, YOM KIPPUR, SUKKOS AND CHANUKA 5776 ראש וראשון Rabbi Dovid Revah: Even Without Them, I Will Carry On ..................................................................................... p. 13 Rabbi Elazar Muskin: Guest Contributor The Original Sin, Beards, and Havdala: A Study in Jewish Customs and Folklore ..................................................................................... p. 17 Rabbi Daniel Grama: Guest Contributor Teshuva: Getting it Right ..................................................................................... p. 21 שפתי ישנים Rabbi Yitzchak David Essrig zt”l: The Binding of Isaac (The Akeida) ..................................................................................... p. 33 Rabbi Simon Dolgin zt”l: The Lifeguard’s Call ..................................................................................... p. 41 ROSH HASHANA - YOM KIPPUR Rabbi David Mahler: Successful Judgment and the Most Important Job of Every Parent ..................................................................................... p. 47 Rabbi Yaakov Siegel: Outsmarting God ..................................................................................... p. 53 Rabbi Avner Shapiro: Seeing the Value of Every Individual, and Their Avoda ..................................................................................... p. 61 Rabbi Yisroel Gordon: The Calf, the Goat and the Sanctuary: A Historical Approach to Yom Kippur ..................................................................................... p. 69 Sarah Pachter: Imagination: The Power of Visualization ..................................................................................... p. 79 Avraham Azizi: Rosh Hashana: Our Personal Beis Hamikdash ..................................................................................... p. 85 Leigh Greenberg: To Vow or Not To Vow: That Is The Question ..................................................................................... p. 89 David Manheim: Watch What You Watch ..................................................................................... p. 93 Daniel Feldmar: Choose Life ..................................................................................... p. 97 3 ניצחון • NITZACHON VOLUME 3:1 • ROSH HASHANA, YOM KIPPUR, SUKKOS AND CHANUKA 5776 Robert Millman: The Bracha of a Cloud ..................................................................................... p. 101 Henry Manoucheri: Focusing on: The Sanctity of Speech ..................................................................................... p. 107 Dr. Abie Mendelsohn: “Kol” Shofar: Finding our “Voice” ..................................................................................... p. 115 SUKKOS Nina Adler: Hakhel: The Gathering of the Jewish People ..................................................................................... p. 123 Adiv Pachter: Hoshana Raba ..................................................................................... p. 127 David R. Schwarcz: Hoshana Raba: “The Final Judgment?” ..................................................................................... p. 131 Avigail Manheim: Joyful Water: Transitioning from Koheles to the Simchas Beis HaShoeva ..................................................................................... p. 137 CHANUKA Rabbi Pinchas Gelb: The Difference Between “Yeshuos” and “Teshuos” in Al HaNissim ..................................................................................... p. 143 Rami Glatt: Seudas Chanuka: A Transformative Opportunity ..................................................................................... p. 149 Eli Snyder: Beis Shamai, Beis Hillel and the loss of the Beis HaMikdash ..................................................................................... p. 153 Daniel Nagel: Yofi Inside or Out ..................................................................................... p. 157 ניצחון • NITZACHON 4 VOLUME 3:1 • ROSH HASHANA, YOM KIPPUR, SUKKOS AND CHANUKA 5776 Editors’ Preface “V’talmud Torah kineged kulam”. This is a phrase we’ve all heard countless times to describe the primacy of Torah study in the hierarchy of Jewish accomplishment. When viewed in its original context, however, this saying – from the famous firstmishna in Peah – is, in fact, teaching us a different lesson. Themishna lists the mitzvos for which one who performs them is ocheil peiroseihem ba’olam haze – reaps the reward of enjoyment and pleasure in his or her everyday life. Ending the list with “v’talmud Torah kineged kulam,” the mishna teaches that one can find as much satisfaction and enjoyment from one’s personal accomplishments in the study of Torah, as from all the other mitzvos combined. That’s right, all the other mitzvos combined. Forty-six members of our kehilla have contributed samples of their accomplishments in Talmud Torah to the first four issues ofNitzachon. Ask any of them if they agree. Michael Kleinman Yaakov Siegel Yaakov Rich 5 ניצחון • NITZACHON Dedicated in Loving Memory of Our Dear Grandparents & Great Grandparents: ראובן בן משה ע"ה לאה חניה בת זאב ע"ה חונן זאב בן שמואל ע"ה אברהם בן יצחק ע"ה רבקה בת נתן ע"ה יעקב דוד בן יהודה לייב ע"ה May the learning from this journal provide an everlasting zechus and aliyah for their neshamos. • Verity & Gabriel Weisz ניצחון • NITZACHON 6 In loving memory of our beloved parents Jacob and Rose Siegel - And - In loving memory of our beloved father Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann and our beloved brother Jamie Lehmann • Yitzchok and Barbara Lehmann Siegel 7 ניצחון • NITZACHON In appreciation of the Nitzachon team • Yossi and Bella Essas Dedicated to the sincere hard work done by those responsible for putting out this journal. • Alan and Barbara Gindi ניצחון • NITZACHON 8 החוברת הזאת מוקדשת לזכר נשמת האם היקרה קמו בניה ויאשרוה חוה גולדשין בת יעקב ע”ה This journal is dedicated in loving memory of Eva Rich • Marilyn & Alan Rich and Family Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Wohlgelernter 9 ניצחון • NITZACHON We would like to dedicate this issue to the memory of our sister Debby Schwarcz- Friedman a”h and Abba Tzvi Schlussel a”h for their courage, great spirit and Ahavat Torah • David and Caroline Schwarcz ניצחון • NITZACHON 10 ראש וראשון • Rabbi Dovid Revah Rabbi Elazar Muskin Rabbi Daniel Grama Guest Contributors RaBBI DOVid REVAH Even Without Them, I Will Carry On RABBI DOVID REVAH • he mishna in Sukka 2a says, סוכה שהוא גבוה למעלה מעשרים אמה פסולה TA sukkah which is above twenty amos is invalid. One of the reasons given by the gemara to explain the invalidity of this type of sukka is that the sukka must be a diras arai, a temporary dwelling, and a tall sukka cannot possibly be made in a temporary fashion. Thegemara explains that the main message of the mitzva of sukka is צא מדירת קבע ושב בדירת עראי Leave your fixed dwelling and enter into a temporary dwelling. Sukkos immediately follows the Yamim Noraim, during which we spend ten intense days reorienting ourselves and engaging in serious introspection. We shake off our preoccupation with our material needs and instead focus on our religious responsibilities. In order to put our newfound commitment into action, we leave the comfort and security of our homes, and enter into a rudimentary and exposed lodging. We hope that this will concretize the heightened spiritual awareness attained over the Yamim Noraim. This explanation has one obvious difficulty. After the seven days of Sukkos, we return to the same secure and comfortable home that we left. What do we achieve by sitting in thesukka , when we revert to our diras keva exactly as it was before? Would it not make more sense to harness the inspiration of Yom Kippur to make a long-lasting change, like finding some superfluous item in our life and removing it? Would that not be more of a statement of the ephemeral nature of this world? Rabbi Dovid Revah has served as the Rav and Mara D’Asra of Adas Torah since 2005. 13 ניצחון • NITZACHON ראש וראשון Themishna in Avos (6:4) tells us כך היא דרכה של תורה פת במלח תאכל ומים במשורה תשתה ועל הארץ תישן וחיי צער תחיה, ובתורה אתה עמל. This is the way of the Torah: Eat bread with salt, drink water in a small measure, live on the ground, live a life of deprivation, but toil in Torah. The