The Out-of-the-Box High Holidays Guide 5772/2011 August/September/October 2011 Yo u are cordially invited to the world’s GREATEST Birthday Party! The soulful meaning and practical guide of how to celebrate the High Holidays. Newinto Discoveries the meaning of Rosh Hashana,and Shofar, moreand Book and more… more of Life “Insanity” it is said, “is doing the same today as Celebration! Some High yesterday and expecting different results.” Holidays If we expect change on a universal level, how High Holidays 5772 / 2011 about changing things in our own lives? Doing things 3 The Rebbe’s Message Thoughts differently from what we are accustomed to? 3 Questions You Are Uncomfortable To Ask We wish for ourselves to feel more Jewish. We want My Dear Friends, Wisconsin Jewry, 4 The Month of Elul our children to grow up in a Jewish environment. We Change. What a sweet word. We’re all so ready for 5 The Grand Birthday Celebration would like our children to feel pride in their identity. We 7 Life: A Shopping Experience change. We all know something drastic must occur. 8 Rosh Hashanah The economy is beyond shaky, indeed it is quaking. certainly want them to be kind, considerate, involved and 9 The Book, The Writing, and the Seal Old regimes are toppling, for the good or for the moral Jews. But, what are we really doing to make any of 10 The Shofar unknown. Global security is at a nadir. Education is this actually happen? 11 The Possible World shallow. Discipline, morals and values are anachronisms I’d like to suggest an out of the box idea – an idea 12 Rosh Hashanah – Customs & Reasons from a bygone era. that will without doubt bring measurable results. This Rosh Hashanah let’s resolve to do something Jewish that 13 High Holidays Services – It’ll Blow You Away Change is not just an option. It is a necessity! 14 Feeling a Little “Big Banged Up? Yet, life goes on, for better or for worse. Mostly we we did not do yesterday. Here are some examples: 14 Partners feel pretty helpless, thinking there isn’t a whole lot we 16 Eve of Yom Kippur • Have a charity box in your home, displaying it in can do. So we settle for business as usual, taking care 17 Yom Kippur – Bonding With G-d a conspicuous place such as the kitchen. Keep it active of our lives and our loved ones in the fashion to 18 The Boy Who Cried Cock-a-doodle-do! yourself, and also have your children drop in a few coins which we are accustomed, even if it no longer 19 Why Do We Fast? works for us. every weekday. 19 Yom Kippur – The Happiest Day! Yes, we believe the world must change. • Make Friday night a special night, a Shabbat 20 Festival of Sukkot Government must exercise its responsibility; the celebration. Beginning with the women of the house 21 We Are All United corporate world must think beyond the bottom – mother and daughter – lighting Shabbos candles 22 The Four Kinds line; everyone that can make a difference must before sunset. 23 A Personal Experience participate. Here and there some governments are • Have a mezuzah at the entrance to your home, 24 Shemini Atzeret & Simchas Torah indeed taking initiatives. In commerce, numerous and/or any doorpost within. This will identify yours 25 It’s Who We Really Are major corporations are taking the plunge in an effort as a Jewish home. 25 Services & Dancing Schedule to upgrade the quality of education and lives of the • Acquire a basic book of the Torah. The Five 26 Dancing In Circles underprivileged. Books of Moses. (How can a Jewish home be 27 Twelve Meditations But, it’s hardly enough. Things must change radically. without the most basic Torah book?!) 29 Complete Selflessness – Two Fascinating Stories To achieve the desired results, everyone must sacrifice. • Take time off to read a chapter or two of 30 From Our Mailbox Nevertheless, while we expect change, let’s be real. Torah, or browse the internet to read, to listen and learn a 31 Heeding the Cry of a Woman -A Story What about me and you? Are we ready and willing to subject that interests you. 33 Photo Gallery meet the challenge for genuine change in those aspects • Add any other mitzvah or other Jewish practice to 46 Candle Lighting, Blessings & Schedules 47 Blessings on the Sukkah and the Four Kinds of our lives that desperately need it? your daily routine. I’m not so sure. Sadly, those who are actually • Finally, for your children, provide them with a thinking and acting out of their comfort zone and taking meaningful Jewish education that teaches them Torah, steps to alter their lifestyles are few and far between. the core and essence of our Jewishness, in a way that they Celebration! As the High Holidays approach, every Jewish heart can and will appreciate and will empower them to feel Volume 43 #1 August 2011 is excited, energized and moved. This is the time we feel proud to be Jewish. Published 6 times a year by: connected. Connected to our inner Jew. Connected to our Lubavitch of Wisconsin Turn over a new leaf. Enter 5772 connected. Affect 3109 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53211 fellow Jews. Connected to G-d. true out-of-the-box change. You will be so proud of Phone: (414) 961-6100 • FAX: (414) 962-1740 Some experience Rosh Hashanah and Yom yourself and, yes, make G-d smile! Kippur positively. Some experience a profound void, a E-mail: [email protected] • www.chabadwi.org disconnect at a time that we should feel connected. But This Rosh Hashanah, may you and yours be this, too, is an inner expression of a sense of connection, inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year, Dedicated to the Rebbe, of belonging. materially and spiritually. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, OBM, To all my friends, and first and foremost to myself, I’d whose boundless love and like to state the following: Rabbi Yisroel Shmotkin teachings are an endless source of inspiration and guidance. 2 CHECK OUT OUR WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE AT WWW.CHABADWI.ORG THE REBBE’S MESSAGE youthful energy, and where this spirit characterizes the Said G-d: …Recite before Me verses of sovereignty entire structure of personal and communal life – all of on Rosh Hashanah, so that you make Me king which make it more difficult over you. (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a) to conform to the criteria of very period and every locality has its special “accepting the yoke.” qualities and its particular challenges. However, since submission In our time, there is a prevailing trend towards to the sovereignty of G-d is the essence of Rosh Hashanah Eincreased self-sufficiency and independence, (and the foundation of all our deeds throughout the year), not only in regard to material matters, but in ideological this is obviously applicable to all times and places. And matters as well; an increasing unwillingness to submit to indeed, there is a special quality to our kabalat ol in our time the established order, to accept things before they are fully and in this part of the world. understood by one’s own mind and the like. When a person who has been conditioned to having A basic theme of Rosh Hashanah is the coronation of G-d limits placed on his independence accepts something as king of Israel and king of the universe, as expressed in our unquestioningly, this does not constitute a thorough and heartfelt prayer and requests: “Reign over the entire world!” unequivocal acceptance; for such a person is accustomed to being told what to do and is often compelled to yield his Such a request implies the readiness to place oneself in a will and modify his opinions. On the other hand, when a state of full conformity with the Divine sovereignty; that one person who does not, as a rule, surrender his independence is prepared to utterly submit to the Divine king, to the point and his convictions, is convinced that he must recognize that one’s entire being, and all that one has, is the king’s and submit to a higher authority, this decision is made on alone. This is the meaning of kabalat ol – “the acceptance of a much deeper and more fundamental level and yields and the yoke” of Divine sovereignty – an acceptance which finds absolute and immutable commitment. expression in all areas of daily life. This is particularly the case in countries which were Adapted from the works of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. established upon a foundation of self-initiative and Schneerson, OBM. INSCRIBING AND SEALING? And what about being Questions You Have But You “inscribed” in the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah and Were Too Uncomfortable To Ask “sealed” on Yom Kippur? Is this Book of Life made of paper, parchment, marble slabs? Perhaps it’s virtual? NEW YEAR? Is Rosh Hashanah really a new year or did we Jews simply And how exactly does G-d write, and what is the invent Rosh Hashanah because we like to be different? meaning of sealing? ••• Does Rosh Hashanah even cause a ripple anywhere? In business? At the bank? On the school calendar? (Other than when a school is closed because it These and other questions come to the surface as we think of the High Holidays and has a large Jewish student body?) especially during services in the Synagogue. Most importantly, how does all this concern KING? What’s all this “king” business? In the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, we us, you and me? In other words, what can we coronate G-d as our king, as the king of the world.