בס״ד Heaven and Earth It distant. Indeed, (Deuteronomy 16:13-15.) contains only 43 verses, yet the the explains that The combination of Yom Weekly song taught the Jews on Moses was close to the Kippur and represents the last day of his life spans all heavens—i.e., spirituality was the life of the Jew. We are the reality of his existence. September 20-26, 2020 of Jewish history, from the very “close to heaven,” we connect Hence he employed the 2-8 Tishrei, 5780 beginning when “He found to our angelic, spiritual, and them in a desert land,” all the word haazinu when addressing pure soul on , and Torah: Ha'azinu: way to the future redemption the heavens. The material then we connect that spiritual Deuteronomy 32:1-52 when the nations will world, however, was distant awareness to the field, to Haftorah: Hosea 14:2-10; and insignificant to Moses, so sanctify and uplift the blessings Micah 7:18-20 praise G-d, “For He will... appease His land [and] His he used the word tishma when of everyday life. addressing the earth. PARSHAT HA’AZINU people.” (Adapted from the teachings of Moses was close to the the Rebbe, Likutei Sichot, We have Jewish In the opening phrase, Moses calls for heaven and earth to heavens, but since the purpose Haazinu, vol. 2.) By

Calendars. If you bear witness: of Judaism is to connect both Menachem Feldman would like one, matter and spirit, Moses had to please send us a Give ear, O heavens, and I will invoke not only heaven but The Inspiring Story of letter and we will speak! And let the earth hear earth as well. Rabbi Avner, the Sinner the words of my mouth! send you one, or We each have a “heaven” and I recently read a fascinating ask the (Deuteronomy 32:1) Calendars “earth” within us. Part of us story that I’d like to share with Rabbi/Chaplain to Because Jewish law requires seeks the transcendent and the you. Moses ben Nachman, contact us. legal matters to be established commonly known

spiritual, while another part is on the basis of two witnesses, drawn to the earthly and the as , and also Do you have family Moses called upon both heaven

physical. Perhaps more than referred to by the on the outside and earth to bear witness that he any other part of the song, the acronym Ramban, was a struggling? indeed had conveyed this song opening words, “Give ear O leading medieval Jewish Please contact or to the people. heavens” and “Let the earth scholar in the 13th century, in have them contact The testimony of heaven and hear,” capture the mission of Girona, Catalonia. He had a our office to learn earth is more than merely a the Jew. disciple, Avner, who strayed more about our poetic metaphor. Moses was The song is read on in from the path of observant family programs. conveying the profound lesson close proximity to the holidays Judaism, left his community You and they are that in order for the message to of Yom Kippur and Sukkot, for and became an important endure, the Jew must evoke government official. One Yom Family Programs Family not alone, we are Yom Kippur and Sukkot are the here to help. both heaven and earth. embodiment of the song. On Kippur, Avner sent guards to

the , ordering the The purpose of the Jewish Yom Kippur we reach to the Ramban to appear before him. people—the objective of all heavens, we connect to the core We offer free Grape Jewish history—is the marriage of our soul and feel unified with In his palace, before the eyes of Juice and Matzoh of heaven and earth. While G-d. But, just as we reach the his former teacher and master, for you to be able to many spiritual seekers and climax of the holiness of Yom Avner slaughtered a pig, make the blessings virtually all religions seek to Kippur, we transition to roasted it and ate it on this every Shabbos. escape the confines of the flesh preparation for the holiday of holiest of fast days. The Please have your and climb heavenward, the Jew Sukkot, when we celebrate the Ramban couldn’t contain his chaplain / Rabbi is charged with a far more physical bounty with which we anguish and cried, “What contact us to enroll profound calling: first create have been blessed: caused you to fall so low? What compelled you to abandon the (available to all peace, then build a bridge, and You shall make yourself the

Grape Juice & Matzah & Juice Grape holy teachings of your prisons). finally marry heaven and earth. Festival of Sukkot for seven ancestors?” “It was you, my Moses uses different words to days, when you gather in [the Hyman & Martha Rogal Center master!” Avner roared address the heavens and the produce] from your threshing 5804 Beacon Street derisively. “Your teachings earth. He says: “Give ear, O Pittsburgh, PA 15217 floor and your vat… Seven days completely disillusioned me heavens (Haazinu), and “let the 412-421-0111 you shall celebrate the Festival and caused me to reject earth hear” (va’tishma). The Fax: 412-521-5948 to the L-rd, your G-d, in the Judaism.” “You were once Hebrew word haazinu, give www.alephne.org place which the L-rd shall teaching the Torah portion of [email protected] ear, is used specifically when choose, because the L-rd, your Ha’azinu,” he explained. “You the listener is in close proximity G-d, will bless you in all your taught us that in this brief Torah to the speaker. The produce, and in all the work of word tishma, hear, however, your hands, and you will only applies to hearing something be happy.

IN JEWISH HISTORY portion of 52 verses, the Torah encodes all the Sunday, September 20, 2020 --- 2 Tishrei, 5781 details of the long history of the Jewish people First Shabbat (3760 BCE) until the coming of Moshiach. You claimed, Today marks the first Shabbat, when G-d rested after creating the world for six days: too, that encoded in its verses are the names of G-d completed on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. G-d blessed the seventh day and every Jew to have ever lived. sanctified it, for then He rested from all His work that G-d created to do (Genesis 2:2–3). “This is obviously preposterous!” thundered To commemorate this day, we are instructed to keep the day of Shabbat holy and rest Avner. “How could 4,000 years of history and from all work: millions of names be compressed into 614 Remember the day of Shabbat to sanctify it. For six days you shall work and perform all words?” your labor, but the seventh day is Shabbat to the L-rd your G-d; you shall not perform any “What I said is absolutely true,” declared the labor…For [in] six days the L-rd made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is Ramban. within them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the L-rd blessed the day of Shabbat and sanctified it (Exodus 20:8–11). “If so, then I must be found there, too. Where is my name, and where is my fate?” Monday, September 21, 2020 --- 3 Tishrei, 5781 The Ramban’s expression grew serious. He Assassination of Gedaliah (423 BCE) prayed silently to G-d to reveal this secret. Tishrei 3rd is a fast day mourning the assassination of the Jewish royal Gedaliah ben “Your name, Avner, can be found in verse 26. Achikam, governor of the for a short period following the destruction of Tell me, what is the third letter in these words: the First Temple. Gedaliah's killing spelled the end of the small remnant of a Jewish AmaRti (reish) AfEihem (aleph) AshBita (beit) community that remained in the Holy Land after the destruction. They soon fled to Egypt. (According to many opinions, the assassination of Gedaliah actually occurred on Rosh Me’eNosh (nun) ZichRom (reish)?” Hashanah, but the commemoration of the event is postponed to the day after the festival). The verse reads: “I [G-d] said in my heart, that Passing of Rebbetzin Devorah Leah (1792) I would scatter them, causing their memory to Rebbetzin Devorah Leah, daughter of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi and mother cease from mankind.” of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the "Tzemach Tzedek"), passed away on this Here, G-d rebukes the Jewish people for turning date just three days after her young son's third birthday. away from the path of the Torah and becoming so evil that He wanted to destroy them. Avner Tuesday, September 22, 2020 --- 4 Tishrei, 5781 turned deathly white and began to wail bitterly. Passing of R. Yoel Baal Shem (1713) “Is there any hope for me?” he begged. “Is there R. Yoel Baal Shem was a saintly rabbi and miracle worker who led the Society of Hidden Tzaddikim (righteous men) after the passing of its leader, R. Eliyahu Baal Shem. anything that I can do to rectify my terrible He was succeeded by R. Adam Baal Shem, who was in turn succeeded by R. Israel Baal sins?” Shem Tov. The Ramban looked compassionately at his former student. “The verse itself has provided Wednesday, September 23, 2020 --- 5 Tishrei, 5781 the rectification. It says that G-d will scatter Rabbi Akiva martyred (134) them till their memory is erased. You must run The great Talmudic sage, Rabbi Akiva, was taken captive by the Romans on Tishrei 5 of away, never to be heard from again.” the year 3894 from creation (134 CE). His subsequent torture and execution is recalled in Avner boarded a ship and was never seen again. the stirring Eleh Ezkarah poem of the Yom Kippur service. Birth of Naftali Notice that the name encoded in the third letters Naftali, the son of and Bilhah, sixth of the Twelve Tribes, was born on the 5th of of this verse is not Avner, but includes the Tishrei. He lived to be 133 years old. prefix “R,” which stands for Rabbi Avner. Even though up until this point Avner led a life that Thursday, September 24, 2020 --- 6 Tishrei, 5781 was the complete antithesis of what a rabbi Rebbetzin Chana (1964) stands for, the Torah calls him “Rabbi.” Tishrei 6 is the yahrtzeit of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1879-1964), mother of Avner had free choice to choose whether or not the Lubavitcher Rebbe. he would repent. But the Torah is confident that Passing of R. Aryeh Leib, "Grandfather of Shpoli" (1811) ultimately the holiness of his soul will shine R. Aryeh Leib was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov and of R. DovBer of Mezeritch, through, and that through repentance he will known for his passionate service of G-d. According to many sources, R. Aryeh Leib of have transformed himself not only into an Shpoli is identical with the righteous R. Leib Sarah’s.

Avner, but an illustrious Jew, a rabbi. Friday, September 25, 2020 ---7 Tishrei, 5781 What a lesson in how we must view every Jew, Birth of Zebulun even ourselves—with the confidence that even Zebulun, the son of Jacob and Leah, tenth of the Twelve Tribes, was born on the 7th of a great sinner like Avner can, and will, become Tishrei. He lived to be 110 years old. (Yalkut Shimoni, , remez 162) a great rabbi. By Chana Weisberg Shabbat, September 26, 2020 --- 8 Tishrei, 5781 Temple Dedicated (826 BCE) The 14-day dedication festivities, celebrating the completion of the Holy Temple in built by King , commenced on the 8th of Tishrei of the year 2935 from creation (826 BCE). The First Temple served as the epicenter of Jewish national and spiritual life for 410 year, until its destruction by the Babylonians in 423 BCE. Passing of R. Baruch (1791) Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Baruch, father of the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.