Rosh Hashanah day 2

One of the most moving pieces in the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers is that of Unetane Tokef. This prayer, authored by R. Amnon of Mainz who was killed with these words on his lips, describes the awesomeness of the day; how we are judged for the upcoming year; and how g-d decides what our fate will be. It is a very descriptive prayer, one which captures our dependency on G-D. There is one phrase towards the end which reads as follows: Vchol Boue Olam Yaavru Lfanecha Kbnei Maron All of mankind passes before you like Bnei Maron. What does this mean? As usual we find multiple interpretations. 1) Bnei Imrana Like Sheep (Imra = Sheep). During the High Holidays we pass before Hashem like sheep before their shepherd. In truth, we are not simply passing before hashem like sheep we are being judged Kbnei Maron as sheep. G-D is examining our past year to determine whether we lived up to the title Bnei Maron sheep. In our society the term sheep has a derogatory connotation. Blind followers, mindless zombies they are all sheep. But they possess positive traits as well, a few of which I would like to discuss. Sheep are extremely gregarious. They tend to stay in groups and are loyal to the herd. They rely on each other and tend to stick together. It is concerning this attribute that are judged. Hashem looks at us and asks How much of yourself did you give for our people? Were you a go-giver as well as a go-getter? But its not just about being part of a larger group of identifying oneself as a member of Am Yisrael. To be a sheep is not only to be gregarious; it goes much deeper. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a sheep? Youll notice a few things. 1) Very large pupil. 2) Rectangular shaped. 3) Eyeball placed to side of head. Behavioral scientists explain that this is due to them being animals of prey as opposed to predators. The position of their eyes and the shape of their pupils enable them to have much wider vision. They have a built in wide-angle lens to scan their surroundings. I believe that it is regarding these characteristics of the sheep that we are being judged. Its not just about being amongst people and having a sense of camaraderie, but of being sensitive to their needs. The amazing thing about humans is our ability to be so close yet so far. We can talk smile chat, but are we really aware of whats going on with the other person? Are our wide-angle lenses functioning? When in New York a few months ago I observed different types of people who have one thing in common: their obliviousness. You have the Oblivious Walker. This is the guy who turned down his self-awareness to zero. He or she can be on the phone, texting or even reading a book while walking down Fifth Avenue. (The best strategy for dealing with these guys is to just get behind them. The path the clear is amazing.) 2) Earphone Wearing Multiple Bag Carrier. These guys are multitaskers par excellence. They can be listening to their headsets while writing a text and at the same time rummaging through their bag to find that leftover chocholate bar they know is somewhere in that abyss.

Kbnei Maron means to stop for a moment and take the time to really think about a friend. Not about the whole world but about one or two important people in your life. Think about what they need what they are lacking and how you can make a difference. 2) The Talmud continues that there is a second interpretation to the word Maron. 3) Maron is actually a location. It refers to a mountain in Israel that was well known at that time. What was unique about the mountain was its narrow path leading up and down. There was only enough room for one individual to pass through. When we say Mankind passes before you Kbnei Maron we are saying that we pass before G-D one by one like the travelers on the mountain of Maron, each of us as an individual is judged by G-d. To take it a step further, we are not only judged as individuals, we are judged whether we are like the mountain of Maron. Mountains represent the idea of pride; feeling elevated and above the rest of the world. Joke: Rabbi takes over confession. Woman: Ive sinned, been proud and vain, I look in mirror twice daily and tell myself how beautiful I am. To which the Rabbi responded, Lady, that isnt a sin, thats a mistake. Pride is generally a negative trait, one t avoid. But every negative trait has its positive counterpart. A positive application to a generally negative trait. The pride Im talking about is Jewish Pride. There are those who shy away from taking pride in their heritage. They fear that it smacks of racism, superiority, denigrating those who are not like you. But the truth is that Jewish pride has nothing to do with putting others down, its all about lifting yourself up. As a small child, Reb ZalmanAharon (the Raza), the older brother of RebbeSholom DovBer of Lubavitch(the Rashab), often complained that he was noticeably shorter than his younger brother. One day, the Raza sneaked up behind his brother and pushed him lightly into a small ditch. As the Rashab stood up in surprise, the Raza seized the moment and pointed out that now he was taller. Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, the father of the two boys, observed the entire episode. The Rebbe asked for a chair, ordered the Raza to stand on it, and asked him, Tell me, whos taller now? The Raza answered excitedly that yet again he was taller. Aha! said Rabbi Shmuel. There you are! To be bigger than your friend, there is no need to pull him down. Simply elevate yourself! Jewish pride means not being ashamed of who you are and what you stand for. We can all express it in different ways. For some it may mean putting on your tefillin or davening in an airplane without being ashamed of the other passengers. Or to be proud to tell your friends that Friday Evening are booked because you are going to shul. Last month Rabbis conference, Rabbi Fuerer shared story. Fellow in neighbourhood named Shai. Member of a very prestigious Kollel in Shaarei Chessed. One day chatting, I asked what did you learn? Laws of Birchat HaTorah. Taz writes: When recite blessing consider as if you at Mount Sinai saying naaseh vnishma. As Shai's saying that, tears well up in his eyes and becomes quite emotional. This brocha is very significant to me.

Starts telling his story: 4 years ago, finished army. Felt like a Gornisht hanging around Rechov Dizingof. Wasnt doing anything with life. Usually Israelis in this situation after army go to india find spirituality. Wasnt interested, instead decided to go to Africa not civilized world class South Africa but deep dark Africa the Congo. Was a light traveller shirt on back a backpack and a couple of bucks and a ticket to the jungles. Never had experience in Africa. Lands comes out rents Jeep and makes way to the veld. Suddenly sees little black child running towards Jeep with outstretched hand. Not knowing any better stops Jeep to give kid some sweets. As he stops 25 guys come out of nowhere holding machetes and surrounding his car. The child was a decoy and now he was trapped. Sweating heart beating he was sure that it was over for him. Suddenly the leader of the gang yells out: Where from? Where from? My nerves increased. What am I to say? No friends of Israel. But I felt I must be true to self and said Israel. I could see at that moment face changed from menace to awe respect. He says "You! You chose people! You chose people!" Never felt more embarrassed in my life. Felt so embarrassed, I know nothing about being Jewish. Most embarrassing moment of my life that they know more about being Jewish than I do. I had no idea what we were chosen for. Immediately turned around went straight to airport came back to tel aviv. Saw advert for daf yomi began studying became more involved and here I am. Now when I say the words asher bachar banu I remember the words that brought me back to my heritage and to who I really am. As we begin the month of Tishrie its important to remember that we come before Hashem Kbnei Maron. We are being judged regarding our communal responsibilities as well as our pride in who we are. May we all pass this judgments and recognize the needs of others and stand strong as proud committed Jews.