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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future
THE BENJAMIN AND ROSE BERGER
TORAH TO-GO
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Rabbi Josh Goller
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Rabbi Gideon Shloush
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2
Table of Contents
Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur 2016/5777

Dedicated in loving memory of
Dr. Harlan Daman
by Carole, Gila and Avi Daman

Teshuva and Self-Esteem
Rabbi Reuven Brand . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 5
Apple Dipped in Honey: Whats the Real Appeal?

Rebbetzin Marjorie Glatt, JD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 8
Kol Nidrei: The Great Unifier

Rabbi Meir Goldwicht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 12
Eating Before Tekias Shofar: Revisiting the Custom of Yeshivos

Rabbi Joshua Goller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 16
The Shofars Experiential Call

Mrs. CB Neugroschl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 19
Yom Kippur Lessons from Three Great Zionist Leaders

Rabbi Gideon Shloush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 23
Special Symposium: From Tanach to American Democracy: Leadership in Transition

The Challenge of Leadership in a Privileged Generation
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 30
What Can we Learn from the Laws of Lashon Hara about Negative
Campaigning?
Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 35
Voting: A Religious Act?

Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 41
What Qualities Define a Leader? A Tale of Two Executives

Rabbi Steven Weil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 45
Introduction
or most, the final hours of Tisha

BAv are marked by counting
down the minutes of a long
summer day until the fast is complete
and we can indulge in food and drink
once again. For me, growing up, this
was not the case. My father has served
as a chazzan for the Yamim Noraim
for decades, and the final hour of
the Jewish peoples national day of
mourning was marked by removing
the Yom Kippur machzor from the
shelf, and chanting the entire service
of Neilah. These moments served
as test conditions for the physical
demands of leading the congregation
in the final moments of Yom Kippur.
From Shabbos Nachamu and on,
I would fall asleepon Fridaynight
listening to thenuschaosand
nigunimof the prayers of the Yamim
Noraim as my father, similar to other
chazzanim around the world, worked
to master the melodies and nuance
that inspires the community to the
lofty moments of the High Holiday
prayers.
In a generation of Carlebach
minyanim and the increasing
shteibelization of weekly davening,
the Yamim Noraim tefilos remain
anchored in the rich musical traditions
of previous generations, and we find
ourselves transported to another
world as the majestic notes of Kaddish
initiate our prayers on Selichos night.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser

David Mitzner Dean, YU Center for the Jewish Future
Rabbi, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton
The chazzan is our guide through
the journey of coronating G-d, and
framing our emotional plea for
another year of health and prosperity.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable
and ubiquitousnuschaosis the
haunting tones of the Kol Nidrei
prayer. The melody immediately
takes us deep within ourselves, as
we reach for that one final day to
make an appeal for our lives before
the Almighty. Yet if one considers
the text of this most profound
cantorial piece, the words that
emerge are significantly incongruent
with the tone of their delivery. Kol
Nidrei is a highly technical halachic
proclamation relating to oaths, vows,
and commitments made throughout
the year. While many reasons have
been offered for its inclusion in
these most solemn moments of
initiating Yom Kippur, there remains a
dissonance between Kol Nidreis focus
and the atmosphere that the chazzan
creates in infusing the prayer with its
distinguishednusach.
Perhaps we could consider another
approach. The power of Kol Nidrei is
found, not exclusively in appreciating

its halachic efficacy relating to vows,
but in our ability to elevate the most
obscure aspects of Jewish observance
to the loftiest levels of inspiration
through the power ofshira the
awesome experience of music.
Indeed, a necessary and core aspect
of theavodah(service) in the Beis
Hamikdash was theshiraof the
Leviim. As Kohanim were engaged
in the technicalities of sacrifice,
the experience became even more
transcendent through the power of
music which reaches the depths of the
soul.
Yom Kippur begins with a simple
message: We are not in control of the
lyrics of our life, but we do have the
power to shape the music that infuses
every experience with meaning,
purpose, and passion.
Wishing you a year of blessing and
inspiration,
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser
Teshuva and Self-Esteem
any communities have a

custom to sing aloud the
communal recitation of
Vidui (the verbal acknowledgement
of our mistakes) in an upbeat melody
that seems almost joyous. This
experience for many Ashkenazim
during the recitation of Ashamnu and
for Sephardim during the recitation
of Chatanu Lefanecha seems
glaringly dissonant. How can we sing
happily while we admit our guilt for
misdeeds?1
Rabbi Reuven Brand

Rosh Kollel, YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago
considered dust during my lifetime and

certainly after I have passed. In Your
Presence, I am like a utensil full of shame
and embarrassment. May it be Your will,
Hashem, my God, that I will never sin
again, and the sins that I have committed
before You, wipe away with Your great
This incongruity hints at a deeper
mercy, but not through suffering and
question regarding the overall
terrible diseases. This is the confessional
experience of teshuva the process
of Rav Hamnuna Zuti on Yom Kippur.
of returning to our spiritual selves. The Berachot 17a
Rambam notes that Vidui is central to
Any serious contemplation of this
this journey:
statement, which we repeat annually
as part of our Yom Kippur liturgy,
. - creates feelings of sadness, shame
When one engages in repentance and
and disappointment. When we
returns from ones sin, one must perform consider the number and scope
a confessional before the Almighty.
of our misdeeds, we can become
Rambam, Hilchot Teshuva 1:1
overwhelmed and depressed; the
We are obligated to verbally admit our multitude of shortcomings we
guilt. Rav Hamnuna articulated this in repeat from year to year can leave us
despondent.
one general declaration:
-

.
Rava would recite the following after his
prayers: My God, until I was created,
I was not worthy and now that I was
created, it is as if I wasnt created. I am
With all of this heavy emotional

baggage of teshuva, how could Chazal
describe Yom Kippur as one of the two
most joyous days of the year (Mishna,
Taanit 26b)? How can we approach
the Yamim Noraim without atzvut
vatzvanut (sadness and consternation)
in the words of Rav Shlomo Wolbe ztl
(Alei Shur vol. 1 p. 47)? How could it
be that in Talmudic times, young single
people would dance in the vineyards
(Gemara, Taanis 31a) on such a
somber day of teshuva?

The answer to these questions is that,
contrary to what it seems, the process
of teshuva actually gives us several
reasons to celebrate.
The first reason is that, as the
Rambams passage explains, our Vidui
takes place Before the Almighty.
We stand before Hashem during the
process of teshuva. This, in and of
itself the experience of being in
Hashems presence is reason alone
for joy and celebration.
A second reason to celebrate is that
through teshuva we cleanse ourselves
from the stains of our misdeeds.
Like the refreshing feeling of a long
overdue shower, our neshamot are
delighted to be refreshed through
teshuva. The Gemara explains:
.
Yom Kippur [is a joyous day] because
there is forgiveness and exoneration.
Taanit 30b
Additionally, on a more global level,
we are happy to rid Hashems world
from the barriers that separate Him
from us and the spiritual pollution
that we have generated. The Baal
Shem Tov likens this to the joy of the
palace janitor who takes great pride
and pleasure in removing the dust
from the royal residence.2
Many thanks to Avi Mori Mr. Etzion Brand, Rabbi Yisroel Greenblatt and Mrs. Andrea Polster for their help with this article.
5
challenges of life and of being worthy of

happiness. It consists of two components:
1) self-efficacy, or confidence in our
ability to think, learn, choose, and make
appropriate decisions; and
Self-esteem is a crucial component
2) self-respect, or confidence in our
of our spiritual lives. Reb Tzadok
right to be happy; and in the belief that
Hakohen of Lublin explains:
achievement, success, friendship, respect,
love and fulfillment are appropriate to us.
. The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Just as a person must have faith in
In light of this understanding, we learn
Hashem, so too, afterwards, a person
what self-esteem is not. Self-esteem
must have faith in oneself.
does not mean that one considers
Tzidkat Hatzadik no. 154
himself or herself to be great. Rather,
The Talmud (Makkot 24a) teaches,
it means that every person believes
based on the words of the prophet
in their potential and worthiness.
Chavakuk (2:4) vtzadik beemunato With this in mind, we can understand
yichyeh, the righteous one will live
how teshuva reinforces rather than
through his faith, that emunah in
impedes self-esteem in various ways.
Hashem is the cornerstone of Judaism.
According to Reb Tzadok, the concept On a basic level, self-esteem is about
accurate self-knowledge, which is the
of believing in ourselves is just as
purpose of Vidui. The Hebrew word
important. This is because self-esteem
may be the most basic ingredient in the vidui is etymologically related to the
development of a healthy life of avodat word vadai, which means certitude. In
Hashem. Without healthy self- esteem, our Yom Kippur teshuva we affirmour
we are subject to debilitating emotional mistakes, butthis is not the whole
story. The word vidui in the context of
challenges that inhibit our growth.
teshuva reminds us of the same word
The prominent psychiatrist Rabbi Dr.
used in the context of accomplishment
Abraham J. Twerski has noted:
vidui maaser.3 This term is used
I have been accused of having a one-track by Chazal to describe ones proper
mind, and I plead guilty as charged. I
accounting upon the completion of
have indeed said that with the exception correctly tithing produce. Hence,
of those psychiatric disorders that are
when we introspect and enumerate
of physiologic causation, e.g., bipolar
our mistakes, we grow in our selfdisorder, all psychological disorders are
awareness as part of our overall
due, at least in part, and sometimes
understanding of our achievements as
entirely, to low self-esteem.
well.
Letters to My Children, pg. 16
Teshuva also addresses self-esteems
The question is what does self-esteem emphasis on potential, which we can
mean? Does it ignore our past actions illustrate with a parable. Imagine two
and current reality? The answer is
patients lying near each other in a
found in the definition of self-esteem, hospital ward. The first is being cut,
as outlined by Dr. Nethanial Branden, poked and prodded by a phalanx of
a leading expert on the subject:
doctors and nurses, while the second
is lying quietly, unattended. An
Self-esteem is the experience of being
onlooker, unfamiliar with hospital
competent to cope with the basic
Yet there is another reason for
joy in teshuva, which addresses a
fundamental aspect of our lives: selfesteem.
routine, might pity the first patient,

who is suffering at the hands of the
doctors, and feel happy for the patient
who is resting quietly. But the truth is
that the first patient is the beneficiary
of medical attention because the
staff has hope for his recovery, while
the second patient is receiving only
palliation because all hope is lost.
The regimen of teshuva that the
halacha outlines for us is a symbol
of our potential our hope for the
future. Like medical intervention, it
often hurts. We do and should feel
pain under the scrutiny of personal
introspection that the Yamim Noraim
require. However, instead of these
feelings pushing us into a downward
spiral of despair, the opportunity
to address our past errors should
reinforce the notion that Hashem
believes in us. Teshuva is predicated
on the idea that we always have the
possibility to change. Rabbi Joseph
B. Soloveitchik explains that this is a
fundamental idea:
Repentance is grounded in two
principles. 1. On the power within man
to accuse himself, and his ability to see
himself as unworthy and inferior. In
the confessional declaration on Yom
Kippur But Thou art righteous in all
that is come upon us; for Thou has
acted truthfully, but we have wrought
unrighteousness, the wonderful power
of total, unreserved self-accusation is
expressed. 2. On the great ability of each
individual to cleanse himself, to grasp
that the boundless spiritual forces hidden
away within the human personality
(including that of even the greatest
sinner) drive one towards return to God.
On the ability of man to raise himself
to the greatest heights, if he but wishes
it, though he has sunk to the abysmal
depths of impurity.
The second principle is just as important
as the first. A person is unable to repent

if he lacks the courage to blame and to
condemn himself. Regret is impossible
without recognition of sin. On the other
hand, one cannot imagine recognition of
sin and commitment for the future unless
man believes in his creative faculties and
ability, and in the powers of his soul that
help him to sanctify himself.
The Rav Speaks, p. 1334
The entire premise of teshuva is that
Hashem believes in our worthiness
and in our ability to improve. The
introduction to the Vidui of Neilah
reminds us that:

:
.
Regarding words of encouragement
in order that a person doesnt become
discouraged from the multitude of
harmful and destructive acts brought
about by ones actions [Rebbi
Nachman] said: if you believe that you
can destroy, believe that you can repair.
Likutei Moharan Tinyana no. 112
We must believe in ourselves and have
confidence in our teshuva. Rav Kook
stresses this often in his major work,
Orot HaTeshuva.5

.

. Finally, there is one more profound
You give a hand to sinners. Your right
aspect of self-esteem in our teshuva.
hand is extended to receive repenters.
The last of the Rambams four steps of
teshuva is commitment not to repeat
The connection between teshuva
our mistakes in the future (Rambam,
and self-esteem also manifests itself
Hilchot Teshuva 2:2). Having high selfin an attitude of confidence: that we
esteem is crucial for this all-important
are able to do teshuva. Our tradition
ability to move forward. A person
emphasizes that the possibility and
who doesnt believe in their ability
ability of teshuva exists for everyone.
and significance may not have the
No matter how far one may have
strayed, every person must remember motivation to make the right choices.
that he has the ability to return. In this However, one who does believe in
light, we can appreciate the Rambans himself has a reason to live up to noble
expectations. Rav Shlomo Wolbe
view that the Torah is referring to
articulates this point with a powerful
teshuva when it speaks of a matter
statement (Alei Shur, vol. 1 p.168):
that is close to us:

.
This matter is close to you. It is in your
mouth and your heart to do it.
Devarim 30:14
The Torah wants to reinforce our
self-confidence; we should not be
overwhelmed by our past mistakes
and think that teshuva is beyond our
reach. It is not.
This confidence is reinforced by
a teaching of Rebbi Nachman of
Breslav:
, ,

,
- ,) (
.
:
, : :
.
) ,(
Every person must know that he has
importance. Not imaginary importance
where one values oneself through
ones own evaluation, a phrase used
by Mesillat Yesharim to describe
haughtiness. Rather, importance with
7
deep and trembling ramifications. [The

Gemara, Sanhedrin 37a, states] Each
person must say: the world was created
for me. Rashi [explains] Meaning that
I am as important as a whole world. I
wont ruin my place in the world with a
single transgression.
A person with healthy self-esteem will
distance himself from spiritual pitfalls
because he will see them as beneath
him.
With these insights we appreciate
the important relationship between
teshuva and self-esteem. We can
understand why, despite the inner
sadness engendered by confronting
our mistakes through teshuva, this
process of spiritual renewal is the
source of so much joy and meaning
in our lives. It is what builds our true
character and helps us grow. Who
could ever imagine a happier day than
one on which a person finds their
self-esteem in the presence of the
Almighty? Surely this is cause for a
joyous melody.
Endnotes
1 Dr. Miriam Sova recalls how Rabbi
Shimon Schwab instructed his community at
one point to adjust the cadence of the Vidui
nusach because it sounded too celebratory.
2 Perhaps this is why the world was able to
receive the second Luchot on Yom Kippur.
3 This connection is developed by Rabbi
Joseph B. Soloveitchik in The Rav Speaks, pp.
133-134.
4 Perhaps this is why the Rambam interrupts
the Laws of Teshuva with a discussion of
the doctrine of free will; it is precisely our
ability to choose that enables us to transform
through teshuva; see Hilchot Teshuva ch 7.
5 See Orot HaTeshuva, chapter 14, for
example. For an extensive discussion of
this concept of confidence in teshuva and
overcoming the despair of past errors, see
Ashiv Mimetzulos by Rav Yehoshua Shapira.
Apple Dipped in Honey:

Whats the Real Appeal?
y family is full of picky

eaters. We rarely change
our yom tov menus; even
trying a new fruit on Rosh Hashana
can be challenging. For that reason,
we are grateful to be Ashkenazi Jews
with the sweet and simple minhag
(custom) of dipping the apple into the
honey on Rosh Hashana night.
Should we have been born into the
Sephardic culture or adopted some
of the simanim,(auspicious foods)
mentioned in the Gemarah, one can
only imagine the reaction at our dinner
table. Ma, really? You expect me to eat
fenugreek? Leeks? Or black-eye peas?
You have got to be kidding
Lets face it, the custom isnt
complicated. Every preschooler knows
the simple song with easy instructions.
Dip the apple in the honey, make
a bracha loud and clear. Shana Tova
Umetuka, have a happy, sweet new
year! The actualYehi Ratzon prayer
that accompanies it is similarly both
standard and meaningful:
Rebbetzin Marjorie Glatt, JD

Special Projects Coordinator, YUConnects
can be applied to each person seeking

greater insight.
A Little Background
When and where did this minhag
first appear? Is it mentioned in
the Gemarah or by the Geonim?
Interestingly, while the earliest sources
for simanim on Rosh Hashana precede
the Second Temple and some are
mentioned in the Gemarah, the apple
siman does not make the cut.
Indeed, there are two separate

passages in the Gemarah that discuss
the simanim for Rosh Hashana.1 Those
simanim are listed by Abbaye2 as kara
(gourd) karsi (leek), silka (beet),
tamri (date) and rubia (fenugreek or
black-eyed peas). These particular
foods are singled out for their specific
. positive attributes: their sweet taste,
their rapid growth or that their name
May it be Your will, HaShem, our G-d
simply alludes to, or reminds us, of a
and the G-d of our ancestors, that You
good omen.3 Apples, however, did not
renew for us a good and a sweet year.
even get a shout-out.
Grateful that I am to be dipping the
We do know that it was on Rosh
apple into the honey, and not have
Hashana when Ezra and Nechemia,
irritable family members at our yom
the leading sages during the building
tov table, I delved a bit further into
of theSecond Temple, told Bnei
the tasty apple dipping custom.
Yisrael to go and eat fat [foods] and
Not only did I find some fascinating
tidbits, but there are some lessons that drink sweet [drinks] as a sign for a
8
prosperous and good year.4 The early

Geonic responsa singled out honey
as one of those sweet drinks, though
there was no dipping of fruit.
And what about the apples
connection to Gan Eden, on this
holiday that celebrates the New
Year and the beginning of creation?
It is worthwhile to dispel the
misconception in the secular literature
attributing the apple to the fruit of the
Garden of Edens Tree of Knowledge.
In fact, there are at least four opinions
in the Gemarah and midrashim
(grape, fig, esrog or wheat tree)
regarding which fruit was plucked
from that Tree of Knowledge. Apples
are not one of them! While there
is a fascinating notion that the tree
was actually an orchard and thus
all four opinions can be considered
correct no Tannaitic source
suggests it was an apple.5
The Root of the Custom
Yet dipping the apple in the honey is
a very old custom, mentioned in our
halachic literature in the 13th century
by the Tur,6 who stated it is an ancient
Ashkenazic (Germanic) minhag to dip
the apple in the honey at the start of
the Rosh Hashana meal, to symbolize

having a sweet new year. The Maharil
adds that the custom is to pick up a
sweet apple,7 dip it in honey and say
aloud the Yehi Ratzon.8
The borei pri haetz blessing is said
first, a small bite is taken, and then
the Yehi Ratzon request is made after
the first bite is consumed so as not to
make a hefsek, interruption, between
the bracha and the bite.9 The minhag
is done on the first night of Rosh
Hashana, after making kiddush and
eating challah.
So why is the apple the preferred
fruit of Ashkenazic Jews? Is it simply
because it was abundant in Europe, not
too expensive, and tasty? Some of the
well-accepted reasons brought down
by our Gedolim (sages) explain the
selection of the apple for the custom.
On the external level, an apple
is a fruit that has a pleasant
fragrance, appearance and taste.
Not many fruits have all of those
qualities. Would one say a dragon
fruit has a pleasant appearance?
Or that carobs, known in yiddish
as bukser, have a pleasant
aroma? The apple is the one that
has it all with wholesome
qualities and many ancillary
healing benefits as alluded to in

the Tosefta and Zohar.10 These
qualities correspond to the totality
of brachos that we would want
Hashem to grant us all nachas
from children, good health and
sustenance.11
On a more abstract,
philosophical level, eating
the apple with unusual botanic
properties reminds us of a unique
quality exemplified by Bnei
Yisrael. The Midrash tells us that
in an apple tree, the blossoms
appear before the leaves, the little
nub peeks out even before the
leaves that will protect it. So too,
the Jews, at the time of receiving
the Torah, first said: naaseh, we
will do, and then said vnishma,
we will understand. On this
judgment day of Rosh Hashana,
as we submit ourselves to the will
of Hashem, we are reinforcing our
commitment to the mitzvos, even
before our rational understanding
and learning of the Torah.12
Likewise, on a kabbalistic plane,
apples were chosen because they
are the ideal fruit for this omen.
When Yitzchak blessed Yaakov
with wealth and power, there
was the scent of an orchard

surrounding Yaakov as he
approached Yitzchak to kiss him.13
Since the Gemarah attributes the
aroma to an apple orchard,14 the
Maharil15 gives this as the source
for the use of the apple on Rosh
Hashana, the actual day many
believe the blessing to Yaakov was
given.16
Questions Remain
Two questions, however, still
remain and will provide food for
thought in these days of awe. First,
we know the sources for the appledipping custom, but are we merely
asking G-d for a sweet year? Can
this Ashkenazic ritual demonstrate
a deeper relevance to our everyday
lives? A lesson perhaps? Second, can
there be another perspective of the
relationship between the apple and
the honey? If we are truly eating the
apple for its sweetness, why do we
put the fruit into an additional sweet
sticky substance?17 Why is the apple
uniquely singled out in this ritual with
an added delectable layer?
The answer to both of these questions
can lend insight into our request
An apple is a fruit that

has it all, a pleasant
fragrance, appearance
and taste. These
qualities correspond to
the totality of brachos
that we would want
Hashem to grant us all.
9
for a good, sweet new year by

demonstrating the ideal mode of
behavior during these most holy days.
Apples are, quite simply, wholly
good. Appealing in its colorful
attractiveness, its aromatic fragrance,
and its crunchy, scrumptious taste,
the apple is an all-around treasure.
Additionally, the very same fruit
produces little buds before its leaves
first develop; it is a fruit that is eager
to appear on the tree, paralleling the
pinnacle moment of naaseh vnishma.
Our tapuach is even mystically
connected to the holy avot and
theentirety of our nationhood. This
perfection couldnt possibly get any
better, could it?
Actually, it could, and perhaps that
is the take-away message for the
chag. Our tradition is not to simply
consume an apple slice and be content
with the taste. No; instead we pick up
this piece of natural perfection and
dip it into something even sweeter,
honey. We demonstrate that every
item and truly every person can
be made sweeter and better, can be
improved upon.
The dipping of the apple into honey
can be viewed not just as another
Rosh Hashana siman, but as a
paradigm of the way Jews should

act during this time of intense
introspection. Just as the apple is a
perfect fruit that can be made sweeter,
we too can, and must, demonstrate
our own eagerness to improve and
enhance ourselves.
When we think we are good, we can
always do better. If, for example, we
have worked long and hard to virtually
stop speaking lashon hara, we can now
turn to making berachos with more
kavana (meaning).If we currently treat
our spouse with respect and kindness,
lets focus on honoring our parents.
There is no end to self-improvement,
and that is what a new year, new
commitment, and an added layer of
sweetness to the apple is about.
Perhaps this is why we seem to favor
this minhag over all the rest of the
simanim. The apple doesnt stand
alone as a siman. It is the combination
of sweet with sweeter, good with
better, which is the exemplification of
self-improvement and development.
On a contemporary note, each year,
around the Yamim Noraim, Apple
Inc. unveils its newest iPhone. They
offer an upgrade to their current
device equipped with advancements
previously unimagined. An amazing
piece of Apple technology, initially

perceived as perfect, was somehow,
incredibly, improved. Arent we
fortunate as Jewish people to make
our own free upgrades, to have these
days of opportunity to enhance our
ways and make a newer version of our
former selves?
So, the apple accessory on our yom
tov table gets dipped into the honey.
The flawless fruit just became better,
tastier, and upgraded. As we take a
crunchy bite this year, let us hope
for a sweet year with continuous
improvement on Version 7.0 of
ourselves and our actions.
Endnotes
1 Horayos 12a, Krisos 6a.
2 In Maseches Horayos 12a Abbaye is quoted
as saying that the beneficial properties are
gained by gazing at these items, while in
Maseches Krisos 6a the text states that these
same items must be eaten.
3 It is interesting to note that many poskim
allow other foods to be introduced, based
on the linguistic connotation of their name.
Rabbi Moshe Shuchman, in Kosher Kurrents
(Star K), Fall 2010, quoting Geonic and
Rishonim sources, points out that these
original simanim also have dual meanings to
their names. Rubia indicates that our merits
or assets should increase in the coming
Our tradition is not to simply consume

an apple slice and be content with the
taste. Instead we pick up this piece
of natural perfection and dip it into
something even sweeter, honey. We
demonstrate that every item and truly
every person can be made sweeter
and better, can be improved upon.
10
year. Karsi suggests that our enemies should

be cut down; silka and tamri refer to the
removal and obliteration of our enemies.
Additionally, he notes that the Magen
Avraham has allowed foods that sound like
the word abundance in any language to be
used. Carrots are popular since mehren,
carrot, in Yiddish is similar to more. Rav
Moshe Heinemann of Baltimore is credited
for introducing lettuce, half a raisin and celery
as a positive siman for let-us-have-a-raisein-salary. And naturally, at the YUConnects
office we recommend some dates for dates.
4 Rashi in Nechemia 8:10.
5 Rabbi Aaron Glatt, National Council of
Young Israel in Toras Aish, Volume XIII,
Number 4, Beraishis 5766, quoting from
numerous sources including Berachos 40a;
Sanhedrin 70a and Bereishis Rabbah 15:7.
6 Orach Chaim 583.
14 Taanis 29b.
7 It is preferable to use a sweet apple and

not a tangy or sour one. SeeRav Yaakov
Kamenetzky, Emes LYaakov to Orach Chaim
583, Footnote 538.
15 Taz in Orach Chaim 583:2, quoting the

Maharil, Hilchos Rosh HaShanah 7.
8 Darchei Moshe quoting the Maharil 583:3.

9 Magen Avraham 583:2.
10 Baba Metzia 7:2; Zohar, Acharei Mos; Ziv
HaZohar, VaEtchanan.
11 Ben Ish Chai, Year 1, Nitzavim Section 4.
12 See Rabbi Berel Weins excellent article,
Apples and Honey from www.aish.com.
http://www.aish.com/h/hh/rh/guide/
Apples_and_Honey.html, quoting the
Gemara, Shabbos 88a.
13 Beraishis 27:27.
16 The Vilna Gaon, Biur HaGra, Orach Chaim

583, states it is well known to have occurred
on Rosh Hashana. However, not all agree with
this chronology, as Rashi and Targum Yonasan
ben Uziel to Beraishis 27:9 believe the bracha
of Yitzchak was given to Yaakov on Pesach.
17 Rabbi Wein, ibid, notes the connection
of honey to the common Biblical phrase
describing Eretz Yisrael as the land
flowing with milk and honey, although the
aforementioned honey was made from
overripe dates, not bee pollen. Rosh Hashana
is an apropos time to use honey as the word
dvash, honey, has the same gematria (numerical
value) as Av Harachamim or merciful Father.
Special thank you to my husband, Rabbi Aaron Glatt, and to my son, Chezkie Glatt, for their analysis and editing guidance;
additional appreciation to Reuben Zimilover for the Apple Inc. insight.
How do the Simanim work?
We find two very different approaches as to how eating (or looking at) the simanim of Rosh HaShanah can help bring
about a good year.

( )

.
... .

. The concept that symbolism is significant and what we do
. on the evening of Rosh HaShanah can be explained based
There are many things that are permissible that are similar
on the comments of Nachmanides, that all heavenly decrees
to [the prohibition against] divination (using omens to
have a permanent effect when they are converted from a
predict the future) but are not actual divination, rather a
statement to an action. Therefore, in order to concretize
sign to inspire one to perform good deeds. This is why they
the good decrees that God bestowed upon us, [we eat these
said to place on ones table on the night of Rosh Hashanah
foods] so that they have a permanent effect. [Note: This
pumpkin, fenugreek, etc., for some of them grow quickly
approach represents a more mystical view of the simanim.
and some grow to large sizes. In order that one does not
The judgment of Rosh HaShanah is determined at the
violate the prohibition against divination, they instituted
beginning of the holiday at night, but is not finalized until
a recitation that inspires one to reflect on ones actions.
the morning. By eating these foods, one can solidify a good
It is known that this is only a point of reference, a catalyst,
decree through action and that might prevent its reversal
because it is not contingent on the recitation alone, rather on over the course of Rosh HaShanah.]
action, repentance, and good deeds.
R. Shmuel Bornstein, Shem MiShmuel, Rosh
R. Menachem Meiri, Beit HaBechira, Horayot 12a
HaShanah 5677
Torah To Go Editors
11
Kol Nidrei: The Great Unifier

Prepared for publication by students of
Rav Goldwicht
he Mishna, Yoma 1:5, teaches

us about a statement that
the elder kohanim would
say to the Kohen Gadol while he was
preparing for Yom Kippur:
, , ,
,
,
, .
.
They said to him, The Honorable Kohen
Gadol, we are representatives of the court
and you are our representatives and the
representative of the court. We adjure
you in the name of He who dwells in
this abode that you will not stray from
anything we tell you. He would leave
crying and they would leave crying.
Rambam, Hilchot Avodat Yom
Hakippurim 1:7, explains the Mishna:

, .

.

.

...

.
During the Second Temple Period, heresy
sprouted among the Jewish people, and
the Sadducees, who didnt believe in the
Oral law, emerged. They would say that
the ketoret of Yom Kippur should be
Rabbi Meir Goldwicht

Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS
placed on the fire in the Heichal, outside
of the Holy of Holies, and when it starts
to produce smoke, it should be brought
into the Holy of Holies. Their reasoning:
The Torah states, I will appear in
smoke above the Kaporet, and they
said that this refers to the smoke of the
ketoret. Our rabbis had a tradition that
the ketoret is only placed in the Holy of
Holies before the Ark as it states, The
ketoret is placed on the fire in front of
Hashem. Since they were concerned
during the Second Temple period that
the Kohen Gadol was influenced by
this heresy, they would adjure him on
the eve of Yom Kippur and say to him
Honorable Kohen Gadol etc. . . . He
would leave crying because they accused
him of heresy and they would leave
crying because they accused someone
whose slate is clean and maybe doesnt
harbor such thoughts.
Let us ask a few questions. First, why
was it so important for the Tzedukim
to prepare the ketoret outside of the
Kodesh Kodashim and enter only
after the smoke rose? Why were they
so bothered by the practice of the
Perushim to do everything in the
Kodesh Kodashim?
The Midrash Tanchuma states:
utensils were assembled, the sacrifices

were slaughtered and offered, and set on
the Altar up, the Table and the Menorah
were set and everything was in place. But
the Divine presence didnt descend until
the ketoret was brought.
Tanuchma, Parashat Tetzaveh
What was so special about the ketoret,
that it was the only vehicle in the
Mishkan that brought the Divine
presence?
Kol Nidrei
We begin the holy day of Yom Kippur
with the recitation of Kol Nidrei.
Synagogues are filled from wall to
wall, more so than any other part of
the Yom Kippur service. This is true
despite Kol Nidrei being simply an
annulment of vows.
How does Kol Nidrei begin? We recite
the following sentence three times:
,
,
.
With consent of the Omnipresent and
with consent of the congregation, in the
assembly above and the in the assembly
below, we approve praying with the
transgressors.

The Tur, OC 619, writes:

.

R. Yitzchak ben Eliezar said: Know that
.
the Mishkan was constructed, all of its
12

.
In the evening [of Yom Kippur], we enter
the Synagogue. In Germany, the custom
is that prior to praying, we authorize
the transgressors so that we may pray
with them, even if they dont request
authorization. [The reason for this is] that
R. Shimon Chasida said, any fast day
that doesnt include Israels transgressors is
not a [bona fide] fast. Behold, galbanum
has a bad odor and yet the Torah includes
it as one of the spices of the ketoret.
The recitation of Kol Nidrei
specifically our authorizing prayer
with the transgressors connects us
to the ketoret. Just like the ketoret
which is made with spices of beautiful
fragrance and also one spice whose
fragrance is bad so too, we include
the transgressors among us when we
pray on Yom Kippur.
Yet the recitation of Kol Nidrei itself
has not always been universally
accepted. Tur quotes R. Natronai Gaon
that in his time, many did not recite
Kol Nidrei. R. Amram Gaon also writes
that it is a mistake to recite Kol Nidrei.
Those who question the practice do
so out of concern that it is ineffective
in annulling past vows or preempting
future vows. While many Rishonim do
endorse the practice, let us ask a third
question: Why has Kol Nidrei become
universally accepted? Given the
controversy, why dont we simply rely
on the annulment of vows that takes
place before Rosh Hashanah?
You Have Said Enough!
When Moshe Rabbeinu beseeched
Hashem to enter the Land of Israel, he
was told by Hashem (Devarim 3:26)
rav lach, you have said enough. The
Daat Zekeinim Mibaalei Hatosafot
expand on this:
Kol Nidrei: For Past Vows or For Future Vows?

Kol Nidrei was classically understood to be an annulment of all previous
vows. Rabbeinu Tam (cited in Tosafot, Nedarim 23b), however, noted
that there are a number of components lacking from Kol Nidrei that are
required for annulment of vows: a specific list of the vows taken; regret for
the vows taken (our current text does include regret, but earlier texts did
not); and a competent beit din (rabbinical court) or an expert to evaluate
the merit of the annulment. Rabbeinu Tam therefore suggests that the
Kol Nidrei service should be modified, and any reference to annulment
of vows of the previous year should be eliminated. The purpose of the
service should be to preempt future vows from taking place. In order to
accommodate this new understanding of Kol Nidrei, Rabbeinu Tam is
forced to change the text of Kol Nidrei. Whereas the ancient text refers to
vows from the previous Yom Kippur until this Yom Kippur, Rabbeinu
Tams version refers to vows from this Yom Kippur until next Yom Kippur.
Rabbeinu Tam also changes the pronunciation of the words in order that
they refer to the future tense rather than to the past tense.
Rabbeinu Asher, Yoma 8:28, defends the ancient version of Kol Nidrei from
the questions of Rabbeinu Tam. Nevertheless, Mishna Berurah, 619:2, writes
that the text of Kol Nidrei should follow the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam and
refer to vows from this Yom Kippur until next Yom Kippur. However, some
siddurim try to satisfy both opinions by referring to vows from the previous
Yom Kippur until this Yom Kippur, and from this Yom Kippur until next
Yom Kippur. The hatarat Nedarim on the eve of Rosh HaShanah is a more
robust form of annulment of vows and preemption of future vows, and
addresses many of the challenges that face Kol Nidrei.
Torah To Go Editors
.

, .

.
Moshe said before Hashem, Master
of the universe, if You took a vow or
oath that I should not enter the Land,
go and annul Your vow just like You
annulled that vow that I swore to Yitro
(mentioned by Rashi in Parashat
Shemot). Hashem said to him, Moshe,
rav lach, you have a teacher above you
that can annul your vow. I dont have a
teacher above me and there is nobody to
annul my vow.
13
While Moshe had the ability to annul

his vow, there doesnt seem to be any
way for Hashem to annul a vow that
He took.
Vayechal Moshe: An
Annulment of Hashems
Vow?
When the Jewish people sinned with
the Golden Calf, Moshe pleaded
to Hashem for forgiveness. The
Torah (Shemot 32:11) uses the
term vayechal Moshe. The midrash
comments on this term:

-
-

.
Another interpretation of vayechal
Moshe: What did he say? R. Berechiah
said in the name of R. Chelbo in the
name of R. Yitzchak: [Moshe] annulled
the vow of his creator. How so? When
the Jewish people made the [golden] calf,
Moshe tried to appease G-d to forgive
them. G-d said: Moshe, I already swore
that One who worships idols will be
destroyed, and I will not retract on an
oath that came out of My mouth. Moshe
said, Master of the Universe, did You
not teach me about the annulment of
vows, and You said If a man takes a
vow to Hashem or an oath to prohibit
something on himself, his word shall not
be desecrated?
,

,

.- -
[The verse records that Moshe said] I
sat on the mountain. What does this
refer to? R. Huna b. Acha said, he sat to
annul the vow of his creator. And what
did he say to Him? Something difficult
to say. R. Yochanan said, [Moshe]
said something difficult to say to the
Almighty: perhaps You regret what
You said (that You are going to destroy
the Jewish people). [G-d] said, I regret
the evil that I said I would do to My
nation. At that time, Moshe said, it is
permissible for you, it is permissible for
you, it is permissible for you, there is no
vow or oath. This is what is meant by
vayechal Moshe he annulled the
vow of his creator, just as we find the
language lo yachel devaro. R. Shimon
b. Lakish said, therefore [Moshe] is
called The Man of G-d to teach that he
annulled the vow of G-d.

.

At Sinai you angered G-d and G-d was
enraged with you and wanted to destroy
you. When I ascended the mountain to
take the tablets of stone, the tablets of
the covenant that G-d sealed with
you. I sat on the mountain forty days
and forty nights. I did not eat bread and
I did not drink water.
Devarim 9:8-9
We see that Moshe Rabbeinu was able

to annul the vow of Hashem. Why,
then, did Hashem tell Moshe Rav
lach, you have a teacher above you
, that can annul your vow. I dont have a
teacher above me and there is nobody
to annul my vow? Why couldnt
Moshe pleaded before Hashem. Rava
Moshe annul Hashems vow not to let
said, [He pleaded] until he annulled
Moshe into the Land of Israel, just as
His vow. It states here vayechal and it
Moshe was able to annul Hashems
says there lo yachel devaro. It has been vow to destroy the Jewish people?
taught, he may not desecrate, but others
may desecrate it for him (i.e. through the Perhaps the answer can be found in
another verse describing how Hashem
annulment of vows).
forgave the Jewish people for the sin
The midrash elaborates on the details of the golden calf:
of the annulment:

.

This insight helps explain the

difference between the Tzedukim and
the Perushim regarding the ketoret.
The Tzedukim took the approach
that the relationship with Hashem is
distant. Before entering the Holy of
Holies, one must first create a barrier
of smoke so that the Kohen Gadol
cannot see what takes place inside.
However, we follow the Perushim
who see ourselves as partners in the
transmission of Torah. We dont
need a barrier to separate us from
Hashem. The Kohen Gadol enters the
Holy of Holies as a representative of
the Jewish people. There is no King
without a nation of followers and
the rendezvous with Hashem in the
Holy of Holies is a rendezvous of the
The midrash connects the term

vayechal Moshe to the term lo yachel
devaro his word shall not be
desecrated found in the section
about annulment of vows. Moshe in
fact annulled Hashems vow!
The Gemara, Berachot 32a, makes a
similar observation:
14
When Moshe annulled the vow of

Hashem not to destroy the Jewish
people, he invoked another vow
the covenant that Hashem made with
our forefathers that their children
will forever carry their legacy. Moshe
came as a representative of the Jewish
people pleading to Hashem that He
must keep His original covenant.
However, when Moshe requested to
enter the Land of Israel, his request
was not as a representative of the
Jewish people but as an individual. To
that request, Hashem responds that
He has no means of annulling the vow.
Entering the Holy of Holies
King with His people, with the Kohen

Gadol acting as a representative. He
enters with the ketoret to symbolize
that he is not only representing those
with a beautiful fragrance, but he is
also representing those who dont
have a nice fragrance, those who are
distant from Judaism.
Shehechiyanu Vekiyimanu
Today, we dont have a Kohen Gadol,
or ketoret or a Beit Hamikdash. What
we do have is Kol Nidrei. The chazzan
stands with the entire congregation
and after specifically including the
transgressors in the congregation,
begins to annul vows. Whose vows?
The vows of Hashem! Hashem, if You
ever took an oath or a vow to punish
us, we come to you to annul that oath
or vow because we are going to invoke
the covenant that You sealed that the
Jewish people will remain forever, no
matter how far we have strayed.
Orach Chaim no. 619, writes that we

recite Shehechiyanu in the synagogue
because we dont recite Kiddush on
Yom Kippur. However, based on what
we said, perhaps we can explain why
we recite Shehechiyanu specifically after
Kol Nidrei. After annulling the vows
of Hashem, it is as if we are born anew.
What more appropriate time to say a
blessing that He gave us life, sustained
us and brought us to this time?
With Your Sweet Aroma
This idea explains why it was
specifically the ketoret that brought
the Divine presence and not the
Altar, the Shulchan or the Menorah.
The Divine presence is a reflection of
the unity that exists among us. This
unity generates unity and partnership
with the Almighty. It is this type of
unity that we need to enter into Yom
Kippur.
The Mishna, Tamid 3:8, teaches us

that the smell of the ketoret reached all
the way to Yericho. In order to enter
the Land of Israel, we need to have
that sense of smell that allows us to
. connect and unify.
.
The prophet Yechezkel tells us that
For forty years I was angered by a
when the Almighty will gather us in
generation and I said, They are a nation from the exile, it will be in the merit of
that errs in their heart. Therefore, I
a pleasant smell:
swore in my anger that they will never

enter My resting place.

Tehillim 95:10-11
.
Without Kol Nidrei, where would we
be? Hashem took a vow that we would
never enter the Land of Israel:
Yet we entered the Land of Israel.

How did that happen? We the Jewish
people annulled that vow. This is
why we recite Shehechiyanu out loud
immediately after Kol Nidrei. Tur,
and gather you out of the countries

where you have been scattered; and I
will be sanctified in you in the eyes of
the nations. And you shall know that I
am G-d, when I shall bring you into the
Land of Israel, into the country which I
lifted up My hand to give to your fathers.
Yechezkel 20:41-42
Which aroma is the verse referring to?
The Metzudat David suggests that it
refers to the ketoret:
.

.
With your sweet aromaBecause
of the offering of the ketoret and its
aroma which comes to bring a spirit of
satisfaction, I will accept you. This will
be during the time when I take you out
from the nations.
How can the ketoret be responsible
for the ingathering of the exiles?
Nowadays, we dont have an altar
or a Beit Hamikdash! The answer is
that the ketoret of today is unity. If
we can learn to overlook the flaws of
others the same way we overlook our
own flaws, we can recreate that sweet
aroma that was created by the ketoret
and could be smelled from miles away.
Therefore, despite the controversy surrounding whether or not to recite Kol

Nidrei, it has become the introduction
to Yom Kippur in almost all circles.
It unifies us as a people and allows us
to tell Hashem that He should annul
any vows that He may have made to
punish us. Through it, we merit that

He gives us life, sustains us and brings
.
us to this time.
With your sweet aroma will I accept you,
when I bring you out from the peoples,
Find more shiurim and articles from Rabbi Meir Goldwicht at

http://www.yutorah.org/Rabbi-Meir-Goldwicht
15
Eating Before Tekias Shofar:
Revisiting the Custom of Yeshivos
here are so many sacred

memories that stay with
us from the special time
that we spend in Yeshiva in Israel. I
was privileged to spend one year at
Yeshivas Reishis Yerushalayim, at
that time located in the Old City of
Yerushalayim. Of the many unique
memories that stuck with me, I will
never forget the moment that I first
realized what was happening prior to
tekias shofar. As the haftarah ended
(I cannot recall if there was a derasha
beforehand), the second-year boys
began to place table cloths on our
tables. Before I knew what happened,
there were some of Brooklyn Bakerys
(in Meah Shearim) most delicious
cakes set in front of us. Kiddush was
made and we partook. I thought:
What a great idea!
The following year, as I returned home
for the Yamim Noraim, the haftarah
ended, the derasha was given, but no
kiddush to follow. As my stomach
growled in despondency, I began
to wonder: Are we stricter than the
yeshivas? Why cant we take a kiddush
break before tekias shofar as well? So I
would like to offer a few thoughts about
the issue of eating before tekias shofar.
Rabbi Joshua Goller

Mashgiach Ruchani, YU High School for Girls
Assistant Rabbi, Young Israel of West Hempstead
. .
A person should not sit before the barber,
prior to mincha, nor go to the bathhouse,
the tanner, to eat (a meal) or to court. If
they began, they are not required to stop.
The Gemara explains that the rabbis
were concerned that these activities
sometimes lasted for an extended
period of time and while one is
engaged in these activities, one may
forget to recite the mincha prayers.
Regarding the taking of the lulav, the
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 652:2,
citing the Mishna, Sukkah 38a says:

,

: , ;

,
.) (
It is prohibited to eat before taking [the
We find no shortage of mitzvos in
lulav] and if one forgot and ate and
which the rabbis were concerned
remembered while eating, if it is the first
about eating prior to performing
day, where the obligation to take a lulav
them:
is biblical, one must stop eating, even
if there is time to take it after the meal.
The Mishna in Shabbos 9b, states:
After the first day, if there is time to take
it after the meal, one is not required to
,
16
stop, and if not one must stop. [Glosses

of Rema:] If one began to eat more than
a half hour before the time of obligation,
one is not required to stop even on the
first day, provided that there is enough
time in the day to perform the mitzvah
[after the meal].
Perhaps even more poignantly,
the Rema, Orach Chaim 692:4
(commenting on the Shulchan
Aruchs ruling that a person unable
to wait until after Megillah to eat,
may hear the Megillah as early as plag
hamincha):

(
.)
But it is forbidden to eat prior to hearing
the Megillah, even if one finds the fast
difficult.
The reason why this last case is
so crucial in relation to the other
aforementioned examples is that one
could make the following argument:
Reading the Megillah is only a mitzvah
midivrei sofrim, a mitzvah instituted
by the rabbis, and yet we are so strict
when it comes to eating beforehand.
As such, we should certainly be strict
when it comes to eating prior to
tekias shofar. Indeed, in discussing

whether it is permissible to eat before
the daytime reading of the Megillah,
the Mishna Berurah 692:15, groups
shofar together with Megillah and
lulav, in prohibiting eating before the
performance of these mitzvos:
His first suggestion is that due to the

fear that people have of the Days of
Awe and Judgment, they will surely be
attentive as not to miss tekias shofar.
He adds that we do find a precedent
that the fear of judgment mitigates
the rabbinic prohibition against
reading by the light of a candle. The
" rabbis prohibited reading by the
. light of a candle on Shabbos out of
concern that one might tilt the candle.
And you should know, that just like it
[It is generally assumed that this
is forbidden to eat prior to its reading
prohibition does not apply to electric
(Megillah) at night, the same would
lighting (see Beiur Halacha 275:1 and
apply to the daytime, even if one prayed
Yechaveh Daas 6:20).] The Shulchan
already, it is forbidden to eat before its
Aruch, Orach Chaim 275:8 states:
reading just like shofar and lulav.
, "
On the other hand, it is particularly
. "
interesting that while the Shulchan
It is common practice to read from
Aruch mentions a prohibition against
eating prior to so many other mitzvos, machzorim (by the lamp) on the eve of
we do not find any specific mention of Yom Kippur, since the awe of judgment is
upon them.
a prohibition when it comes to tekias
shofar. Instead, we are left to infer
from the other examples we cited that
the same law would apply.
This obvious omission was indeed

noted by Rabbi Shimon Sofer in his
Hisorerus Teshuva no. 225. If there is
indeed a prohibition relating to eating
prior to tekias shofar, why is there no
mention of it in the Talmud, or the
Shulchan Aruch, as there is by other
mitzvos, such as those mentioned
above?
On Yom Kippur, one may read by

the light of a candle and there is no
concern for tilting the candle because
the awe of the day will prevent a
person from accidentally tilting the
candle. Rabbi Sofer suggests that
similar logic can be applied to eating
before tekias shofar.
Rabbi Sofer offers a second reason to
be lenient, one of lesser fame, based
on the Mishna in Rosh Hashana 30a:
According to the first approach, the permission

to eat before tekias shofar is directly dependent
upon whether or not true fear of judgment
exists. If not, it is arguable that no such
dispensation is granted. If it is the result of a
calendaric rule, then it should remain intact,
regardless of the overall feeling and mindset of
the people.
17
,
,
.
.
At first, they accepted the testimony
for the [new] month all day. One time,
the witnesses delayed coming and the
Leviim mistakenly sang the incorrect
song. Therefore, they instituted that they
should only accept [testimony] until [the
time of] mincha.
The Mishna tells us of the procedure
for Kiddush hachodesh. On the 30th
day of the month, the Beis Din
would wait to see if witnesses would
come and declare the new month.
In the morning, to accompany the
tamid shel shachar, the daily morning
sacrifice, the Leviim would sing the
weekday song (there was a song to
accompany this sacrifice for every
weekday and special ones for Shabbos
and holidays). This was because the
witnesses rarely came in the morning.
Therefore, the rabbis never instituted
the special song for Rosh Hashana
along with the tamid shel shachar;
only alongside the daily afternoon
sacrifice. Nevertheless, until the
day was declared as Rosh Hashana,
they treated it as a regular weekday.
The assumption was that eating was
permitted until the witnesses came.
If so, even though we now have a set
calendar and we know when Rosh
Hashana is, the allowance to eat is still
intact. This, Rabbi Sofer suggests, is
how the custom developed to allow
eating prior to tekias shofar.
Perhaps there is an important
practical difference between the two
approaches of Rabbi Sofer. According
to the first approach, it would seem
that the permission to eat before
tekias shofar is directly dependent
upon whether or not true fear of
judgment exists. If not, as may be the
case today, it is arguable that no such

dispensation is granted. On the other
hand, if it is the result of a calendaric
rule, then it should remain intact even
today, regardless of the overall feeling
and mindset of the people.
Aside from the practical motivation
behind making kiddush before tekiyas
shofar, there is a halachic motivation to
do so as well. On an ordinary yom tov,
there is a prohibition against fasting.
Included in the prohibition is waiting
until after midday to eat. Generally,
the Rosh Hashana prayers finish after
midday. The solution to this problem is
to have kiddush before tekiyas shofar.
Nevertheless, while it is prohibited
to fast until midday on an ordinary
yom tov, the same might not be true
of Rosh Hashana. The prohibition
against fasting on yom tov is a
function of simcha, joy. Is Rosh
Hashana a day of simcha? The Gemara,
in explaining why we dont recite
Hallel on Rosh Hashana states:

.
R. Abahu said: The angels said before
the Holy One Blessed be He, Master of
the Universe, why dont the Jewish people
recite Hallel before you on Rosh Hashana
and Yom Kippur? He said to them, is
it possible that the King is sitting on the
seat of judgment and the books of life and
books are death are open before Him and

the Jewish people should recite Hallel?
Rosh Hashana 32b
Yet despite the lack of recitation of
Hallel, the Rosh (Rosh Hashana 4:14)
rules that it is prohibited to fast on
Rosh Hashana. This ruling is codifed
in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim
697:1. However, Mishna Brurah 697:2,
notes that there is no requirement to
eat before midday. This ruling seems
to be a concession to the approach
that Rosh Hashana is not a day of
simcha, but rather a day characterized
by the books of life and death are
opened before you. Ironically then,
fear of judgment serves as a reason
to permit having a kiddush, but also
serves as a reason to permit not having
a kiddush.
How do we balance the simcha
of Rosh Hashana with the fear of
judgment?: The Tur 581 mentions an
interesting midrash:

.
They eat and drink and celebrate on
Rosh Hashanah because they know that
Hashem will make a miracle for them.
Even while we are entrenched in the
prayers and seriousness of the day,
we have the utmost confidence that
Hashem wants so much to forgive
us and grant us a good year ahead. In
one moment we can tremble as we
recite the words of Unesaneh Tokef and
a moment later sing the triumphant
18
Responding to the
Fear of Judgment
The fear of judgment is
portrayed poignantly in the
prayer Unetaneh Tokef, which
(based on the Mishna, Rosh
HaShanah 16a) compares us
to a flock of sheep walking
single file. The farmer
counts each one and then
every tenth is marked for a
sacrifice. R. Yitzchak Blazer,
Kochvei Or pg. 174, notes
that if the marked sheep
has any intelligence, he
would jump into the river
and wash off any marking
that the farmer put on him.
We too, enter the High
Holiday season with the
fear of judgment, the fear
that a marking was placed
on us. But we are intelligent
enough to realize that we
have the ability to wash off
that marking through the
process of teshuva.
Torah To Go Editors
tune of Ain Kitzvah. Our confidence in
the justice of our judgment is the very
reason to celebrate.
The Shofars Experiential Call
here are many meanings

behind the shofars call:
the coronation of Hashem;
a clarion call and reminder of
repentance; reclaiming our zechut
avot, the merit we received from
our forefathers. Still, with a Rosh
Hashanah liturgy containing pages and
pages of carefully composed prayers
and piyyutim that address all these
aspects, the shofar also serves to give
a voice to the unspoken words. The
shofar remains a uniquely unformed
expression. The question that follows
is why? Is it merely symbolism, merely
referential to specific moments in
our history where the shofar was
significant? And if so, why does it retain
such prominence in the chag?
At the close of a recent conference held
at the Harvard University Graduate
School of Education, in a room full of
over 200 educators from around the
world, an unassuming woman from
Canadas Northwest Territories stood
and asked permission to share her
shrill. In a quiet voice and with grace,
she described the Native American
custom to share a shrill a highpitched whistling tune unleashed
in the face of a great personal
accomplishment. As others around
the room expressed their appreciation
for the learning we had done in
carefully crafted sentences, anecdotes
and emotions, her shrill reminded
me of how much we can learn from
what is not said! How hidden behind
words, within the recesses of our
hearts, entangled in our memories
and experiences, there are hopes and
dreams, fears and facts that words cant
always capture.
Mrs. CB Neugroschl
Head of School, YU High School for Girls
The poignancy of this type of

moment, this highly personal cry,
is reflected in the classic tale of
the Baal Shem Tovs embrace of a
peasant child who is so moved by the
davening on Rosh Hashanah that he
calls out nonsensically and disrupts
the shofar blasts in the middle of
davening. The simpletons cries, the
Baal Shem Tov declared, were in fact
the proper response to the shofar on
Rosh Hashanah. They represented
the kavanot (intents) the community
needed at the time.
It seems easy to relate to the blasts
of the shofar as a wild call of deep
yearning perhaps, lhavdil, akin
to the Native American shrill. No
words, just a call from the depths of
our fears and hopes expressing the
wish for a future so desperately that
we may never have the right words
to articulate. How does the Rosh
Hashanah liturgy and ritual reflect this
value of the shofar as a prayerful call
that inspires us in ways beyond what
the vast words of our machzor can
achieve?
Is there a basis within our traditional
texts and values for valuing the
wordlessness and unshaped call of
the shofar?
While blowing the shofar is
mentioned only three times in the
Torah in relation to Rosh Hashanah,1
19
the prominence of the shofar blasts in

the liturgy cannot be overestimated.
The basic understanding from the
biblical texts is that tekiat shofar
requires three blasts of teruah,
which is based on these verses. The
Beraita in Rosh Hashanah 33b, parses
the language and use of the words
vhaavarta and taaviru to mean that
biblically we must have a tekiah blast
before and after each teruah. The
Gemarah goes on to describe different
traditions regarding the proper sounds
for the teruah blasts. We follow all
of the variations. With differences
about exactly when and where the
sets of shofar blasts are included, most
accept the requirement to hear one
hundred blasts in total.2 The sheer
volume of shofar blasts, incorporating
multiple traditions so as to be sure
we get it right, impresses upon us its
significance to Rosh Hashanah. As we
call Rosh Hashanah Yom Teruah, not
Yom Tefillah, getting the shofar blasts
just right is clearly essential.
Rosh Hashanah is a chag with a
complex identity whose aspects
are all poignantly expressed in the
mitzvah of tekiat shofar. On Rosh
Hashanah, we have ample reason to
celebrate; the creation of the world
and the coronation of Hashem
as our Sovereign are the primary
themes of Rosh Hashanah. Still, the
solemnity of the day is ever-present;
Shem MiShmuel on the

Dual Message of the Shofar
,"

...
,
.

, ,
, . "
,
,"
" .
,
, "
:
Based on this, we can understand the idea of
having a simple sound (tekiah) before [teruah]
and after it. Teruah symbolizes a broken heart,
humility and subjugating ones thoughts We
see that the idea of a curved shofar vs. a straight
shofar and the idea of tekiah and teruah speak
to one idea: [curved shofar and teruah] represent
subjugating ones thoughts and [straight shofar
and tekiah] represent expanding ones thoughts.
Following this approach, one can explain the
midrashic texts that state that there are two ideas
included in [the mitzvah of] shofar: to remember
the binding of Isaac and to remember the shofar
sounds of the giving of the Torah. The binding
of Isaac is related to subjugating ones thoughts.
They knew the foundations of sacrifices and
knew that a person is not worthy of becoming a
sacrifice. Yet they bent their ears and subjugated
their thoughts to the idea of the Omnipresent.
This is represented by the curved shofar and the
teruah. But the giving of the Torah was an event
that led to expansion of the mind. They were able
to understand Divine concepts to the extent that
their character traits were perfected and the evil
inclination left their hearts. This is represented by
the straight shofar and the tekiah.
Shem MiShmuel, Rosh HaShanah 5679
Rosh Hashanah is Yom HaDin,

The Day of Judgment, and its
celebratory theme is paired
with the weightiness of teshuva
as Rosh Hashanah inaugurates
the Ten Days of Repentance
culminating with Yom Kippur.
The stark contrast between the
celebration and the judgment
aspects of Rosh Hashanah
is challenging to grasp as we
balance the themes of Rosh
Hashanah and dance between
emotions.
How does the mitzvah of tekiat
shofar contribute to these
dueling identities of Rosh
Hashanah?
sovereignty of Hashem, the

use of a shofar to accomplish
this is not surprising at all.
In describing the moment of
revelation at Har Sinai we have
a shofar blast signifying the
celebrations and the momentous
occasion of accepting the Torah:

.

The sound of the shofar was getting
continually stronger. Moshe would
speak and God would respond
with a voice.
Shemot 19:19
Further, the Gemara lists

Rosh Hashanah as the date of
numerous nationally historic
The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah
moments each deserving of
16a, identifies the shofar as
celebration. As we recognize
the vehicle through which
Hashems sovereignty over the
we can fulfill both aspects of
world, in accepting His Torah
Rosh Hashanah. Apparently,
and our commitments as His
both requirements to celebrate
people, we are also recognizing
Hashems sovereignty and to
the way in which He has a hand
remember the deeds of the past
in the design of the events of
(worthy and not worthy) are
significant turning points for
linked to the shofar:
Klal Yisrael. The shofar was
there and brings us back, as a
nation, to that moment.

.
Recite before me [verses] of

kingship, remembrance and shofar.
Kingship so that you can coronate

Me, remembrance so that I shall

remember you in a positive light,
.
and with what? With a shofar.
R. Eliezer said, The world was
Rosh Hashanah 16a
created in Tishrei, the forefathers
were born in Tishrei and died in
Tishrei. Yitzchak was born on
Shofar as a Celebratory
Passover. On Rosh Hashanah,
Instrument
Sarah, Rachel and Chanas
prayers [for a child] were
Certainly the shofar is
answered. On Rosh Hashanah,
recognizable as an instrument
Yosef was freed from prison, on
used in ceremonies to coronate
Rosh Hashanah, our forefathers in
a king. As we celebrate the
20
Egypt stopped performing slave labor. In

Nisan we were redeemed, in Tishrei we
will be redeemed.
Rosh Hashanah 10b-11a
Once again, Rosh Hashanah gives
us ample reason to celebrate; and
the shofar shall be sounded! It is a
regal ceremony; a coronation for
The King of Kings. In this domain of
Rosh Hashanah, the shofar represents
grandeur and harkens back to Har
Sinai, the foundation of our covenant,
our acceptance of a relationship with
Hashem in which He would be our
guarantor and us His.
Shofar as an Instrument of
Teshuva
The clearest depiction of Rosh
Hashanah as Yom HaDin is the
Gemarahs description of Hashem
sitting before the open heavenly
ledgers, the sifrei chayim and sifrei
meitim the books of life and books
of death. The actions of each person
are inscribed in these books and
these actions are being measured
and weighed and informing the fate
of each person. In this way, on Rosh
Hashanah, the scales of justice hang
in the balance as the value of our past
year is measured against the merit of
another chance.

.
R. Kruspedai said in the name of R.
Yochanan: Three books are opened on
Rosh Hashanah, one for the completely
wicked, one for the completely righteous
and one for those in the middle. The
completely righteous are written
and sealed immediately for life. The

completely wicked are written and sealed
immediately for death. The middle
hang in abeyance from Rosh Hashanah
to Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are
written for life. If they do not merit, they
are written for death.
Rosh Hashanah 16b
The idea is premised on the belief that

students learn what they experience;
not what they hear. That the deepest
form of learning happens when the
setting, the activity, and the ideas
shared are not just external to the
student but also resonate within a
persons personal set of experiences.
Certainly this theme is most

prominent in the Unetaneh Tokef
section of our Rosh Hashanah prayers,
which depict a personal moment
of judgment as each person files
before Hashem as a sheep before
its shepherd, totally dependent and
totally indebted.
Rav Soloveitchik describes the power

of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah in
just those terms. The shofar is to be
experienced, not simply heard. It
can be the force that forces you to
reckon with your reality. In the same
way that many mitzvot in the Torah
have a level of fulfillment beyond the
action required, in order to fulfill the
mitzvah of tekiat shofar, one must not
only hear the blasts of the shofar but
also experience its force internally.
Hearing the shofar should connect us
to a part of ourselves that is at our very
core. The Rav described this as hirhur
teshuva a jarring awakening. In
order to help describe what this type
of experience was like, the Rav added
his own personal anecdote:
...

,

.
.
.
.

.
How can the call of our shofar even
approximate the same message of this
poignant image? Perhaps the blasts of
the shofar are hinting at this aspect of
our dependence on Hashem, His merciful
compassionate and caring shepherds eye On the seventh day of Pesach, 5727
to spare us a harsh judgment.
(1967), I awoke from a fitful sleep. A
thunderstorm was raging outside, and
The Joy and Reverence of the the wind and rain blew angrily through
Shofar
the window of my room. Half awake,
I quickly jumped to my feet and closed
How does the power of the shofar
the window. I then thought to myself
help us to accomplish both the joy and that my wife was sleeping downstairs
the reverence of Rosh Hashanah?
in the sunroom next to the parlor, and
I remembered that the window was
In the education field, educators
search for how to reach their students left open there as well. She could catch
pneumonia, which in her weakened
and engage them fully so that they
condition would be devastating.
can reach their best potential. One
I ran downstairs, rushed into her room,
adage that represents a growing field
and slammed the window shut. I then
of experiential education claims:
turned around to see whether she had
Give pupils something to do, not
awoken from the storm or if she was still
something to learn; and if the doing
sleeping. I found the room empty, the
is of such a nature as to demand
couch where she slept neatly covered.
thinking; learning naturally will
In reality she had passed away the
result. ( John Dewey)
21
The shofar is an instrument that erases the

distinctions of each persons current setting,
their davening skills, or the markers of their
intellectual abilities.
previous month. The most tragic and
frightening experience was the shock I
encountered in that half second when I
turned from the window to find the room
empty. I was certain that a few hours
earlier I had been speaking with her, and
that at about 10 oclock she had said
goodnight and retired to her room. I could
not understand why the room was empty.
I thought to myself, I just spoke to her. I
just said goodnight to her. Where is she?
Before Hashem You Shall Be
Purified: Rabbi Joseph B.
Soloveitchik on the Days of Awe,
pp. 8-9.
This, according to the Rav, is the
condition that the shofar provokes.
A jarring recognition of our realities
that are buried deep within us. This
experience must be evoked by an
experience that the words of the
machzor dont approximate. In the
voice of the shofar we are returned
to our inner beings and we are thus
prepared for teshuva.
This state of being, hirhur teshuva, may
come about suddenly, as the blasts of
the shofar, but it is a prerequisite stage
for teshuva. While teshuva must be,
according to the Rambam, a thorough
process with multiple difficult stages,
hirhurei teshuva can be so powerful as
to catapult a person through teshuva
with great force and speed. This can
be illustrated in the story of the death
of R. Chaninah ben Tradyon. As he
was being burned to death, a Roman
officer tried to ease his pain:

.
The officer said, my master, if I fan the
flames and remove the wool sponges
from your heart, will you bring me
to the World to Come. [R. Chanina]
responded, yes He immediately
fanned the flames and removed the wool
sponges from his heart and R. Chanina
died quickly. [The officer] too jumped
and fell into the fire. A heavenly voice
called out: R. Chanina ben Tradyon
and the officer are invited to the World
to Come. Rebbe cried and said, there are
those who can acquire their portion in
the World to Come in one moment and
there are those who acquire it over years.
Avodah Zarah 18a
Rav Soloveitchik explains that this
example shows how hirhur teshuva can
even serve as full redemptive teshuva.
The shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah

can surely be encountered as thoughtprovoking symbolic reminders or as
poignant markers of the significance
of Rosh Hashanah and of our rich
zechut avot. Alternatively, if we can
allow ourselves to experience the
power of the shofar blasts, they can
help us achieve so much more. The
shofar is an instrument that erases the
distinctions of each persons current
setting, their davening skills, or the
markers of their intellectual abilities.
22
Even the possible judgments that

we have of each other can fall away.
The shofar blasts can shake each of
us equally, and express for us what
we cannot say even to ourselves,
resurfacing our innermost fallacies.
The shofar speaks of what makes us
shiver when we face the awesomeness
of a Divine being who believes in our
capacity. What disappointments have
we faced as we peek into the ledger
resting before God? What berachot
of the past year did we choose to
embrace and which chances did we
ignore? What hopes do we have that
make us reach higher, what aspirations
do we cling to as we stand on the
precipice of a new year? What faith
do we have in Hashems merciful
benevolence and love for Am Yisrael
and for each of us?
The shofar cries out for us, in ways
that words and formulas cannot. Our
experiences are awakened, not our
intellectual selves, not our emotional
selves but an integrated whole being
that is the sum of all the experiences
that shape who we are. The shofar
makes Rosh Hashanah a Yom Teruah,
a day when we can share a single voice
of celebration and hope, of past and
future, of blessings and of aspirations.
It can unify the voices and dreams of
our people may its call be heard.
Endnotes
1 Vayikra 23:24, 25:9, and Bamidbar 29:1.
2 See R. Josh Flug, The Mitzvah of Tekiat
Shofar, (2006) available at: yutorah.org/
lectures/lecture.cfm/716110/.
Yom Kippur Lessons from

Three Great Zionist Leaders
ur High Holiday liturgy is

replete with petitions to Hashem
to return us to Eretz Yisrael.
Jewish Studies Faculty, Stern College and RIETS
We find this in every Amidah, in our
Selichot prayers, and we even conclude
Rabbi, Congregation Adereth El, NYC
Yom Kippur withlshana habaah
National Director of the Religious Zionists of America
bYerushalayim. In my sermons, I have
President of the New York Board of Rabbis
oftenfocused on using the inspiration
of Yom Kippur to connect to the Land
of Israel. This article follows a similar
his grave site, the museum tells his
away at the young age of 44. He did
approach.
story.
not realize his dream. But he was the
This past summer our family enjoyed
first modern Jewish leader to put
Born in 1860, a proud and cultured
a fabulous summer in Israel. It was
the Jewish problem on the world
European, Herzl paid little attention
a marathon. Hikes, tours, galleries,
agenda.
synagogues, tunnels, kibbutzim, army to his Jewish roots. But as a journalist
The second museum that we
bases, look-outs. I came home wiped. in Paris during the Dreyfus Affair, he
was outraged. He came to realize that visited was the Palmach Museum
Even my kids were farmisht!
rampant anti-Semitism haunts the
located near the campus of Tel Aviv
secular Jew no less than the religious
University.
Three Museums, Three
Jew.
The Palmach was the strike force
Extraordinary Individuals
In 1896 he published a small
of the Haganah, the pre-state
pamphlet called The Jewish State.
underground defense organization
One of the highlights of this trip
In it, he presents his vision for the
that was eventually incorporated into
was seeing and experiencing three
the Israel Defense Forces after 1948.
great museums. Remarkably, all were establishment of an independent
state
for
the
Jewish
People
in
a
place
designed by the same individual.
More of an experience than a museum
yet to be determined. A year later, in
Each took a little over an hour to see
tour (using incredible special effects),
1897, he convened 197 delegates to
but the quality of the exhibits and
the exhibits bring to life what it was
the first Zionist Congress in Basel,
the educational value was second to
like to train and fight as a member of
Switzerland. The World Zionist
none.
the Palmach.
Organization was established. The
What was the common denominator
th
next year, 360 attended the Congress. But being that last year was the 75
among these three museums? For me
anniversary of his death, the second
The year after that, 1,300 attended.
it was an appreciation for three exalted
modern Zionist leader that I would
Soon after, The Jewish National
personalities in the history of Modern
like to highlight is the man who was
Fund was founded (1901). He
Zionism. It is these larger-than-life
responsible for the organization of a
traveled extensively, meeting with
people that I would like to focus on.
Jewish military organization in the
prime ministers, caesars and sultans
modern world. Zev Jabotinsky.
The Herzl Museum shares the
desperately looking for someone to
illuminating story of Binyamin Zeev
approve his charter for a Jewish State. For Jews who were ever familiar with
Herzl. Located just a short walk from
pogroms, inquisitions, blood libels,
Many are unaware that Herzl passed
Rabbi Gideon Shloush
23
SACRIFICE
NOTHING
massacres and persecutions, the
idea of organized self defense was
unthinkable until Jabotinsky.
Coming on the heels of Herzl,
Jabotinsky wrote extensively about the
misery and vulnerability of the Jews in
the exile. He spoke unabashedly about
Jewish Nationalism. The need for a
Jewish State in Palestine.
He represented the new Jew.
Fiercely proud of his ancient culture.
Free of the fears and inferiorities of
the ghetto. Fully capable of meeting
the non-Jew on equal terms.
During World War I he was a prime
mover in bringing about the Jewish
Legion (in the British Army), which
would help conquer Palestine. He
created the Haganah. He founded
Betar, the 80,000-member Zionist
youth organization that trained its
constituents in military discipline and
skills.
In the 1930s, Jabotinsky told the Jews
of Warsaw, liquidate the diaspora or
the diaspora will surely liquidate you.
Jabotinsky understood the importance

of protecting the lives and property
of the Jewish People. He felt strongly
about the personal dignity and honor
of Am Yisrael.
Although he died in 1940 at the
young age of 60, he had the foresight
to realize that a Jewish State would
require a strong military to defend
itself.
The third museum that I visited was
the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.
This was arguably the crown jewel of
the three.
Having escaped from the Nazis in
Poland, imprisoned by the Soviets
in Siberia, and hunted by the British
Mandatory Government while leading
the Irgun, Menachem Begin barely
appeared as someone destined for
longevity, let alone destiny! But of
course, as we all know, he became the
sixth prime minister of the State of
Israel.
At one point on the tour we found
ourselves in a room standing behind
24
metal barricades, participating in an

enormous election rally, listening
to Begin giving one of his rousing
speeches.
Menachem Begin was one of a kind. A
student of Jabotinsky, he believed that
the right of the Jewish People to the
Land of Israel was a natural, eternal
right that cannot be challenged. He
expanded Jewish settlements in Judea,
Samaria, the Golan Heights and Gaza.
He said ours is a might to right not a
right to might.
With all the peace talks of the past
two decades, its worth noting
how Menachem Begin (in 1981)
responded to the United States upon
being informed that Israel would be
punished for incorporating the
Golan Heights into Israel.
Begin issued a statement that he read
to the United States Ambassador to
Israel and subsequently issued it to the
public:
A week ago, at the instance of the
Government, the Knesset passed on
ACHIEVE
ANYTHING
all three readings by an overwhelming
majority of two-thirds, the Golan
Heights Law. Now you once again
declare that you are punishing Israel.
What kind of expression is this
punishing Israel? Are we a vassal state
of yours? Are we a banana republic? Are
we youths of fourteen who, if they dont
behave properly, are slapped across the
fingers?
Let me tell you who this government is
composed of. It is composed of people
whose lives were spent in resistance, in
fighting and in suffering. You will not
frighten us with punishments. He
who threatens us will find us deaf to his
threats. We are only prepared to listen to
rational arguments.
As regards the future, please be kind
enough to inform the Secretary of State
that the Golan Heights Law will remain
valid. There is no force on earth that can
bring about its rescission.
Asking Ourselves the Tough
Questions
Why do I share with you the lives of
these three larger-than-life individuals

in the context of Yom Kippur, the
holiest day of the year?
Because it provides an opportunity to
think about our own standing in the
world. As a People. As individuals.
Herzl analyzed the Jewish condition.
He sacrificed his family fortune to
pursue a vision for the Jewish People.
Let us each ask ourselves: Where is
my head this Yom Kippur? Am I only
focused on myself or am I paying
attention to the larger concerns of
my people? Am I a good ambassador
for the State of Israel? Do I speak
up when opportunities arise? Am I
involved with institutions in Eretz
Yisrael? Am I a supporter of yeshivot
and centers of Jewish education
that keep the Holy Land spiritually
vibrant?
At the same time, how am I doing in
my personal life? I may not be able
to build a Jewish homeland but am I
building a Jewish home? I may not be
hawkish but am I militant about my
25
observance of the commandments?

I may not be prepared to sit in prison
for my belief but am I willing to
experience discomfort for my faith?
What are my achievements? How
is my personal voyage? Where can
I improve? What can I be doing to
make a difference in the coming year?
When someone fills out an
application for an important job, one
of the questions he/she must answer
is, Why do you want this job?
Similarly, when we petition Hashem:
zochreinu lchaim Remember us
for life we too must explain why
we want this, why we are deserving of
another year of life.
And when we make that plea before
Hashem, we should do so with
sincerity. Our Sages teach us:

.
Even though the gates of prayer are
locked, the gates of tears are not locked.
Baba Metzia 59a
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Long-Term Commitments
The tenacity and commitment
of Herzl, Jabotinsky and Begin
to their cause is a lesson we can
apply to our teshuva process. The
accomplishments of these leaders
didnt take place in a single day. They
worked day in and day out for their
cause. If we want our teshuva to be
successful, we too have to make it a
long-term commitment.
The Talmud tells us:

.
Rabbi Eliezer taught: Repent one
day before your death. His students
questioned him: Does one really know
when they will die? Rabbi Eliezer
answered: All the more reason to repent
today, lest one die tomorrow, and one
will spend ones entire life dedicated to
repentance.
Shabbat 153a
One major benefit of repenting daily

is that it safeguards a person from
being involved in more serious sins.
Usually, a career of sin begins with
one small act. The Talmud, Ararchin
30b, teaches that the first time a
person does something forbidden, his
conscience is usually troubled. By the
second time, it becomes habit, naaseh
lo kheter (in ones own eyes it is made
to be permissible). If we review our
behavior often then we are more likely
to stop sins before they become habit.
I once heard that Rav Levi Yitzchak
of Berdichev would sit down nightly
with a paper and pen and review his
actions for that day. He would make
a list, review it and say: I did some
things today that were wrong. I wont
let them happen again tomorrow.
Taking Action
Herzl, Jabotinsky and Begin were all
people of action. They didnt just talk
about what they were going to do.
They did it.
26
In Sefer Tehillim (34:13) we are

taught: Sur merah, vaaseh tov, turn
away from evil and do good. Merely
regretting our transgressions of the
past is not enough. By discarding our
sins we only fulfill the first half of King
Davids directive sur merah. The
key is to follow through on the second
half as well aseh tov. Chart a new
course of action for yourself.
Say to yourself: What concrete actions
can I take to change from being the
person Ive been to the person I wish
to become? I might be committing
to attend services every day or every
Shabbat, concentrating more on
prayers, or allotting more time for
Torah study.
Two weeks after Yom Kippur is
Simchat Torah. At that time, we will
start to read the Torah all over again.
Here is an opportunity to take it upon
oneself to study the weekly Torah
portion with greater rigor over the
course of this coming year.
Do those things you always said you

wanted to do. Be that person you said
you always wanted to be. Think of the
impact you want to have in the limited
years that God gives us to walk this
earth.
There are numerous volunteer
opportunities available to us. We
can use our call to action to commit
ourselves to visiting the sick or
homebound individuals, inviting
people in need of company to a
Shabbat meal or helping one of the
local institutions. We can also commit
to spending more time with our
family.
Having the Proper Attitude
Being action-oriented is not only
about doing what it right, but doing it
with the proper attitude.
I once heard a beautiful insight from
Rabbi Paysach Krohn said over in
the name of the great baal mussar, Rav
Elya Lopian.
Rav Elya depicts the scenes in two
different stores adjacent to one
another. The building on the right
is a hardware store. The observer
enters the store, it is Erev Pesach
and the scene is extremely hectic.
People are rushing through the aisles
frantically doing their last-minute
shopping. One wants dishes, a second
needs light bulbs, a third is returning
damaged goods. The people behind

the counter have their hands full
trying to cope with the mild hysteria
of the customers demands. An
observer notices a teenage boy who
at first seems to be helping to stack
some merchandise, then he is helping
a customer carry her packages to
her car, and then he returns, hurries
behind the counter to see where else
he could be of assistance. He seems to
be everywhere. The observer wonders
who this boy is and which of the many
jobs that he is attending to, are actually
his responsibility.
customers? How could he sit there so

calmly?
The same person then goes next door

to the building on the left. This one is
a grocery store. Here too, he observes
people rushing about for the lastminute items. Bedlam rules as one
person buys fish, another matzah, a
third grape juice and a fourth is trying
to pay her bill. Here too, the aisles are
crowded with shoppers. The owners
and workers dont know where to turn
to first.
Says Rav Elya Lopian: at times the

Jewish People are lovingly referred
as banim, children of Hashem. Yet
at other times they are described as
avadim, servants of Hashem. What is
the difference between a loyal son and
a dutiful servant? Both do their jobs
and take care of their obligations. But
a son runs with enthusiasm, trying to
be of service at all times. The dutiful
servant carries out his task, but in a
dull, lifeless way.
In the back of the store there is a

young man, about the same age as
the boy in the hardware store, who is
sitting quietly doing the bookkeeping.
He sits calmly amid the storm of
noise, oblivious to everything else
as he proceeds with his work. Once
again, the observer cant help but
wonder. Why doesnt this young
fellow come forward to help with the
Chart a new course of action for yourself. Say

to yourself: What concrete actions can I take to
change from being the person Ive been to the
person I wish to become? Do those things you
always said you wanted to do. Be that person
you said you always wanted to be.
27
Upon inquiring, the observer finds out

that the teenager in the first store is
the owners son. Customers gratefully
describe him as someone who is always
around to help. He has a keen sense
of where to be and is always available
to fill the gap where its required. You
dont have to tell him every little thing.
The young man in the second store
is a paid employee. One customer
described him this way: He shows up
to work at 9 am and leaves at 5 pm. He
does what he is told and nothing more.
We can all relate. A servant prays three

times a day, but merely recites the
words, not thinking much about their
meaning. A servant buys an etrog and
builds his sukkah, but doesnt spend
much time or money to make them
beautiful. A servant studies Torah or
learns Gemara but makes no special
effort to remember the learning and
put it into practice.
A son is different. A son fulfills
Hashems will with joy and goes
beyond the letter of the law. A son
does everything he can to improve
the prospects of the family business,
because he is a part of it and it is a part
of him. Our teshuva of Yom Kippur is
a time for action and contemplation
about our personal approach and
behavior.
Yom Kippur and Gratitude

The atonement that accompanies
Yom Kippur should provide us with a
sense of gratitude. We read in the Yom
Kippur liturgy that the Kohen Gadol
would make a yom tov upon exiting
the Holy of Holies unharmed. The
Rama writes:
of the Irgun; or Zev Jabotinsky

collaborating with the British to free
Palestine from Turkish rule.
Think about the soldier who reported
that in 1967, when he was rushing
through Jerusalems Old City gates:
I felt the presence of my papa

Herschel-Zvi of Jerusalem on one
shoulder. And I felt my grandfather

Moses and my zeide Yisrael (who were
.
slaughtered in Punar) on my other
We eat and rejoice the night after Yom
shoulder. They were right with me.
Kippur because it is a partial holiday.
Encouraging me. Giving me strength.
Rama, Orach Chaim 624:5
I felt as though I were a messenger of
Yom Kippur is a time to give thanks
generations of Jews who sent me and my
to G-d for our lives, our families, our
brigade to liberate the city they yearned
friends and our community. But we
for 2,000 years. When we reached the
must also remember to express our
Western Wall someone near me made
heartfelt gratitude for the miracle
the Shehechiyanu blessing. But I could
of the State of Israel. We might
not answer Amen.I just put my hand
imagine the members of the Palmach
on the stones as the tears flowed from
and how they sweated on malariamy eyes. They were part water and part
infested farms to revive the neglected
prayers. They were tunes and the longing
and barren land; Menachem Begin
of generations of Mourners of Zion.
strategizing in the secret headquarters
28
How we must give thanks for the gift

of Medinat Yisrael. The homeland of
the Jewish People. Finally, after 2,000
years!
How we must give an extra klap
during the Al Cheits for not
dedicating ourselves enough to the
Land that they so toiled to hand to
us. Have we given enough thought
as to why we havent returned to our
homeland?
The Jewish people are called Am
Yisrael, the nation of Israel. Rabbi
Joseph B. Soloveitchik used to say
that the word am is the same spelling
as the word im, which means with.
In order to really develop into Am
Yisrael, we must be im Yisrael, with
the Jewish people.
May our prayers be heard on this
Yom Kippur. May our teshuva be
sincere and may we and our families
merit to be sealed for a year of health,
happiness and blessing.
SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM:
FROM TANACH
TO AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY:
LEADERSHIP IN
TRANSITION
29
The Challenge of Leadership

in a Privileged Generation
n 1825, there was only one

synagogue that served the
religious and communal needs
of all the Jews living in the New York
City area. It was Shearith Israel, the
Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue,
which was founded in 1654.1 By
this time in early American Jewish
history, newly arriving immigrants
were predominantly Ashkenazim from
German-speaking lands.
Representatives of this growing
constituency approached the Board
of Directors of Shearith Israel and
requested to hold an earlier minyan
on Shabbat mornings, during which
the full service would be accompanied
by English explanations of the
prayers. This group had consented
not to change the nusach hatefilah,
the Sephardic traditional liturgy,
which was used by the synagogue.
They explained that their primary
goal was that their children would
understand the prayer service. They
expressed hopes of positive change
and avoided any indication that this
reflected grievances. The committee
representing this group was
comprised of prominent members of
the community. They included:
Haym M. Solomon, the namesake
and son of the financier of the
American Revolution
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander

Vice President for University & Community Life, YU
Rabbi Emeritus Boca Raton Synagogue & Founder
Yeshiva High School of South Florida
E.S. Lazarus, the interim chazan
after Gershom Mendes Seixas
death, as well as co-editor of the
Hebrew-English prayer book
S.H. Jackson, publisher of Judaic
texts
J.B. Kursheedt, a Jewish scholar
involved in the relief efforts of
Jews in the Holy Land
H. Myers, the builder of the
Newport Synagogue
explanatory minyan was denied twice

by the Board of Shearith Israel. There
was an opportunity, briefly, to appease
a group of Jews who had come to feel
disconnected or underserved by the
synagogue, but such a compromise
did not happen. There was no trust
between the divided parties. Instead,
there was complete rejection and
resistance by the leadership against
the innovative, but by no means
The representatives presented a formal transgressive, proposed prayer service.
The lack of interest in accommodating
proposal to the Board including a
the new immigrant constituency
printed constitution and by-laws to
resulted in the immediate creation
govern the members of the society,
which would initiate the new minyan. of a new synagogue, Bnai Jeshurun.
That was the second synagogue built
The document specified the goals
in New York City. However, within
of this service and expressed a
the next twenty-five years, twentyfirm commitment to remain fully
five synagogues split away from
affiliated with the Spanish and
Shearith Israel and Bnai Jeshurun.
Portuguese Synagogue. They called
The proliferation of houses of worship
their association: ,
The Society for the Education of the was not due to a massive increase in
the New York Jewish population but
Children.
demonstrated that the center could
Their request for the earlier
not hold in New York City in that
LEADERSHIP IN TRANSITION
Special Symposium Rosh Hashanah 5777
30
era. The absence of mutual respect

and cooperation had a negative
impact on almost every aspect of
Jewish communal life: united worship,
kashrut supervision, marriage (and
divorce), and political initiatives in
pursuit of shared Jewish interests
such as combating anti-Semitism and
rescuing Jews. All of these proved
to be beyond the capabilities of an
aggregate of Jews that could not act as
a community of Jews.
Now let us shift our attention to a
troubling story in Sefer Bamidbar.
of Israel and someone else will lead

them in his place:
-
, -

, , -
, ;
-
, .
. , , -

, , -
-
: ,

. - ,
And Hashem said to Moshe: Go up
onto this mountain of Avarim, and
behold the land which I have given to
the children of Israel. And when you
see it, you shall also be gathered unto
your people, as Aaron your brother was
gathered; because you rebelled against
My commandment in the wilderness of
Zin, in the strife with the congregation,
to sanctify Me at the waters before their
eyes. These are the waters of MerivatKadeish in the wilderness of Zin.
Bamidbar 27:12-14
However, this was not a new decree;
Moshe was already told that he would
not be able to enter the Land of Israel.
As we are all aware, when Moshe
struck the rock instead of speaking to
it, Hashem declares:
Title Page: , The Society

for the Education of the Children
We are told (ch. 25) that after years

of wandering in the desert, the Jewish
people engaged in acts of idolatry and
brazen behavior with the daughters
of Moav. In particular, a prince of
Israel from the tribe of Shimon, Zimri,
and Kozbi, a princess of Midyan, are
specifically described as committing
lewd acts in public. They are killed for
their heinous conduct. Shortly after
these events, a Torah passage narrates
that Moshe will not lead the people
into the Promised Land. Moshe will
die prior to their entry into the Land

, -

- , -
, --
. - ,
Because you [Moshe and Aaron] did
not believe in Me, to sanctify Me in
[front of] the eyes of the children of
Israel, therefore you shall not bring this
community into the land which I have
given them.
Bamidbar 20:12
What is the connection between the
episode of Baal Peor, the events in
Parshat Pinchas, and the decree that
Moshe will not lead the Jewish people
into the Land of Israel? In fact, this
decree the doom against Moshe,
is repeated after each crisis event in
the second half of Sefer Bamidbar
and several times in Sefer Devarim.
31
For example, we hear of Moshes fate

hinted to in Matot (32:12) and clearly
mentioned in Sefer Devarim (ch.3 )
after the description of the incident
with the tribes of Gad and Reuven.
The repetitions of Moshes doom
suggest that it is not just the act of
striking the rock that prevented him
from leading the Jews into the Land
of Israel. Rather, that event was a
symptom of how Moshe engaged with
a new, second generation of Jews. It is
his difficulty with them that prevents
Moshe from entering the Land and
brings about the necessary change
in leadership over the people. In the
words of the Gerrer Rebbe, R. Yehuda
Aryeh Alter, commenting on why
Moshe couldnt enter Eretz Yisrael:

.
This was not a punishment, but an
indicator and proof that the generation
about to enter the Land was not
well-matched with the transcendent
leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu, may he
rest in peace.
Sefat Emet, Chukat 5647
The generation of Jews who were
about to enter the Land were born in
the desert into a life of freedom and
experienced an unusual solicitude
from Heaven. Moshe somehow does
not connect with this new generation
with the same degree of empathy that
he displayed repeatedly toward the
first generation of Jews, the group that
had been born into slavery but who
left Egypt and received the Torah.
After all, that first generation had been
robbed of so much normal life. They
had grown up in slavery under the
lash of the taskmasters whip, with the
daily possibility of death as a threat
for disobedience. The members of
the first generation had their marital
lives disrupted and remembered the

terror of helplessly seeing male babies
cast into the waters of the Nile by
the oppressors. Moshe was able to
forgive many of the shortcomings
of that generation; their peculiar
indulgences and rebellious behavior
could be understood in light of their
harrowing life experiences. Moshes
concern was almost exclusively
focused on protecting the people from
themselves, from understandable
limitations and cultural defects, and
when necessary, even from Hashems
judgments.
The second generation was born
into freedom. They witnessed the
miraculous existence of living in the
desert and signified to Moshe the
hope of a new and glorious possible
future. At our distance from them,
we can hardly imagine the desert
reality of experiencing the presence
of the protective cloud by day and
the pillar of fire by night. The Torah
tells us (Devarim 8:3-4) of the desert
generation that their clothing grew
with their bodies. Their food and
drink rained down from Heaven.
What did they know of the silence
of God during years of oppression?
Moshe had high hopes for the new
generation. He created a whole plan
and schedule for how they would use
their time to study Torah and how
Divine knowledge would be imparted
to them. This generation had not
been robbed of their childhood or
young adulthood. They were given
all the creature comforts available
at that time. Instead of achieving
greatness, the generation that
seemingly had everything, continued
to struggle and to rebel. It seemed
impossible, incredible that the vision
of a redeemed community proved
unattainable to the people of Israel
under those circumstances. Moshes
frustration and anger with this second

generation seeped into the language
he increasingly used in addressing the
people. In his disappointment, Moshe
was unable to effectively communicate
with this new generation.
The demand for water that led to the
judgment against Moshe was not a
new or especially terrifying challenge.
The people had complained about
water early on in their desert journey.
In Shemot (15:23; 17:6) we read
that the Jews cry out for water. There,
Moshe responded by taking the steps
needed to provide water. Yet at the
event described in Parshat Chukat
(chap. 20), with the repetition of
the complaining, Moshe feels a deep
sense of alienation from the people.
They should know better! With daily
miracles sustaining them for years,
how could the nation continue to
complain and challenge Hashem? This
time, when they whine about water,
Moshe just walks away:
-
,
,- ; -
, ,
.
Moses and Aaron moved away from the
community to the entrance of the Tent
of Meeting, and they fell on their faces.
[Then] the glory of the Lord appeared to
them.
Bamidbar 20:6
Moshe does not seize the initiative.
He is too frustrated with their
conduct. This paralysis is again seen
when the prince of Israel engages
in an idolatrous lustful public act
with a princess of Midyan. Moshe
was the leader who first faced down
the individuals directly involved in
the sin of the Golden Calf and then,
practically in his next breath, took up
the defense of the community of Israel
before God, boldly saying that if You,
G-d, destroy the Jewish people,
32
please remove
me from Your book, which You have
written (Shemot 32:32). But here,
Moshe weeps at the sins of Israel with
the daughters of Moav at Baal Peor.
Moshe cannot believe his eyes. This is
the second generation, the generation
for whom he has labored to teach
Torah, the generation born into
freedom and advantage. Even when
God intervenes and instructs Moshe
on what to do, Moshe delegates
carrying out the Divine instructions
to the appointed Judges of Israel:
,
-
- , -

; ,

... - ,
.
And Hashem says to Moshe: Take all
the chiefs of the people who were engaged
in these activities, and hang them up
in front of Hashem in face of the sun,
that the fierce anger of Hashem may
turn away from the Jewish People. And
Moses says to the judges of Israel
Bamidbar 25:4,5
Similarly, when the tribes of Gad and
Reuven request not to enter Israel
proper but instead want to stay on the
other side of the Jordan, Moshe again
displays his frustration and anger:

:

:
And Moshe said to the children of Gad
and Reuven: Shall your brothers go to
the war, and you shall sit here? You
are the progeny of sinful men (spies),
and have increased the anger of Hashem
toward Israel.
Bamidbar 32: 6, 14
Moshe recognizes that he cannot
negotiate their needs, he cannot offer
any compromise. This is not the Moshe
of the past who was able to see the
silver lining in clouds much darker than
this. As new problems arise, Moshe is
no longer the active protector of the

Jewish People before Hashem. Moshe
feels that he can no longer suffer Bnei
Yisraels impudence. At that moment,
Moshe turns to God using language
only found in this one location. Moshe
demands that Hashem find a leader
who appreciates the needs of all:
and genuine spirituality, empower

our community, and challenge our
people, as Elie Wiesel once said, to
think higher and live deeper.2 Our
new generation needs leaders who will
celebrate both young men and women
who study Shas and Poskim as well as
those who find their connection with
. - , God through a passion for justice and
. -
, , -
social action. The best Jewish leaders
respond to and inspire not just a
segment of the Jewish community, but
. take responsibility for the whole of the
Jewish people.
Moshe speaks/demands (not vayomer)
to Hashem saying: Let Hashem, the
Moshe offers a principled comment
God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man
on the kind of leadership that can
over the congregation who can tend to
rightfully follow him in leading the
the diverse needs of all people. A leader
Jewish people:
who may go out before them, who will
- , A leader who may go
bring the people together, who will lead
out before them.
[the people] out and bring them in and
Our community looks to our leaders
the congregation of God will not be like
to create halakhically appropriate
sheep that dont have a shepherd.
opportunities for our women to play
Bamidbar 27:15-17
meaningful leadership roles in our
At times, the challenge of leading the
communities.
Jewish people must have been so great
, Someone who will
to indeed bring Moshe to such a point
bring the people together.
of near despair. In modern times, the
challenge has not lessened. Today,
In our generation, this means leaders
we need leaders who can inspire the
who protect the community by
Shomer Shabbat Jew and the serious
speaking out against all forms of abuse
Jew who is not Shomer Shabbat. We
and immorality which destroys families.
seek leaders who can embrace the
, Who will lead
complexity of the Jewish people. Our
leaders need to celebrate individuation [the people] out and bring them in.
In our generation, this means opening

doors to the most vulnerable and
needy among us. This includes leaders
who will engage with those living
on the periphery or in environments
that we have been unaccustomed to,
yet wish to stay connected with our
kehillot. We need to help to create
a context for inclusion, while still
protecting halakha and the norms and
mores of our community.
Who does Hashem choose to take
Moshes place? Moshes prize student,
Yehoshua. He was raised in the tent
of Moshe, he understood the mesorah
(tradition) and the values of his rebbe.
Yehoshuas communal experiences
are similar to Moshes. Both cross
bodies of water with Knesset Yisrael
and celebrate a national communal
rendezvous with God. However,
Yeshoshua handles the experiences
with this second generation differently
than Moshe did with the first.3 He is a
new leader for a new generation. Bolder
in the way he engages, yet steady in the
recognition that his epicenter is the
mesorah from his rebbe, Moshe.
One of the most famous Italian
Renaissance painters of the 15th
and16th century is Giovanni Bellini.
Interestingly, when he depicted
religious personalities in his
masterpieces, he often painted the
personalities barefoot, or sometimes
Today, we need leaders who can inspire the

Shomer Shabbat Jew and the serious Jew who
is not Shomer Shabbat. Our leaders need to
celebrate individuation and genuine spirituality,
empower our community, and challenge our
people, as Elie Wiesel once said, to think
higher and live deeper.
33
wearing one sandal, or both sandals.4

Bellini seemingly borrowed from
the leadership initiations described
in Tanach regarding Moshe and
Yehoshua. Both Moshe and Yehoshua,
as they accept their responsibility
as leaders at the beginning of their
journey as Jewish community leaders,
have an encounter with Hashem. Both
Moshe and Yehoshua are told that
they are standing on sacred ground
and must remove their shoes.
If we examine the description of the
removal of the shoes in the initiation
of Moshe and Yehoshua, it seems
that each description was reflective
of their unique leadership paradigm.
Shoes symbolize our treading and
engagement with the everyday. When
we wish to step back, be detached
and reflective, we remove our shoes.
When we sit shiva, we remove our
shoes. When Kohanim participated
in the service of the Beit haMikdash,
they removed their shoes. When
a Jew entered the Temple, he/she
removed shoes. We remove our
shoes in situations in which we focus
on transcendent ideals and not on
momentary mundane worries.
Moshe as a leader was totally
connected to the Divine, in ways that
are unparalleled. As we are told:
shoes (Shemot 3:5). This is symbolic

of Moshes leadership paradigm.
Moshe needed to constantly
communicate with the Divine in order
to move his people from a slave nation
to a chosen nation and to formally
bring HaKadosh Baruch Hu into this
world. Moshe is removed from the
everyday.
planted in the ideals of our mesorah

and halakha. Change can only happen
when we are willing to be bold and
steadfast simultaneously.
Today, as in 1825, we continue to be

a community far better at dividing
into non-cooperating groups than
multiplying into a force for collective
accomplishment. Today we need
When Yehoshua is initiated as leader,
to cultivate a more united, trusting
he has a similar, yet slightly different
leadership who can engage once again
experience. He is told:
a diverse aggregate of Jews, which will

help guarantee the immortality of our
people and the eternality of the Divine.
:

Endnotes
And the captain of the Lords host said
to Yehoshua, Remove your shoe (shal
1 See http://shearithisrael.org/history.
naalcha, one shoe only) from your foot;
However, most scholars believe it was not
for the place upon which you stand is
earlier than 1695. See Hershkowitz, Leo.
holy. And Yehoshua did so.
New Amsterdams Twenty-Three Jews in
Hebrew and the Bible in America: The First Two
Joshua 5:15
Yehoshua is not told to remove both
shoes, but to remove just one shoe.
Leave one shoe on and one shoe off.
His leadership paradigm must be
rooted in transcendent values (one
shoe off), but also in the immediate
struggles and opportunities of the
people (one shoe on). Leaders need
to be able to live in both worlds
simultaneously.
There are so many important

issues that now require courageous
leadership. We need a collaborative
. conversation with Roshei Yeshiva,
And there was no other prophet who
Rabbinic leaders, educators, and
arose in Israel like Moshe, who Hashem
community thinkers. It is something
knew face to face.
that we must do together, recognizing
Devarim 34:10
that one foot must be firmly fixed
At the burning bush, at his moment of in the unique challenges and
opportunities that our community
initiation as leader, Moshe is told by
faces, and a second foot resolutely
God: shal naalecha remove your
Centuries. Ed. Shalom Goldman. Hanover,

NH: Brandeis UP, 1993. 171-183 and The
Mill Street Synagogue Reconsidered in
American Jewish Historical Quarterly 53.4
( June 1964): 404-410; Sarna, Jonathan.
American Judaism: A History. New Haven: Yale
UP, 2004. 10; Snyder, Holly. Rethinking the
Definition of Community for a Migratory
Age. in Imagining the American Jewish
Community. Ed. Jack Wertheimer. Waltham:
Brandeis UP, 2007. 3, 4; and Marcus, Jacob
Rader. Studies in American Jewish History;
studies and addresses. Cincinnati: Hebrew
Union College, 1969. 41.
2 http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/
thinkhigherfeeldeeper.aspx.
3 For further elaboration see the following
Eli talk http://elitalks.org/collaborativeleadership-prosumer-generation.
4 See Agony in the Garden, where Belini

depicts all three variations. Available at:
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/
giovanni-bellini-the-agony-in-the-garden.
Find more shiurim and articles from Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander at
http://www.yutorah.org/Rabbi-Dr-Kenneth-Brander
34
What Can we Learn from the Laws of

Lashon Hara about Negative Campaigning?
residential politics in America

have always been contentious
and often acrimonious. But
this current cycle has seen new depths
of negativity. While this is enough to
dismay any American, those with a
sensitivity to Jewish law and values feel
particularly stressed. The egregious
prohibition against lashon hara is
well-known and is the source of much
harsh condemnation throughout the
Torah and all of rabbinic literature, and
avoiding this transgression is the focus
of so much of Jewish education.
Accordingly, following the path of
the presidential election is fraught
with challenges. While we are
anguished by the discourse that we
see playing out in front of us, our
role here is not just passive. To what
degree can we ourselves take part in
the conversation? How can we be
responsible participants in democracy
if we are not well informed and
involved in the discussion? On the
other hand, the lashon hara directive
prohibits us not only from relating
negativity, in most circumstances, but
even from receiving or accepting
the statements. There are no easy
answers to balancing these competing
responsibilities, but we can start by
looking at a few principles.

Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS
Rabbi, Congregation Ohr Sadiah, Teaneck, NJ
Permitted Lashon Hara:
Purposeful And Beneficial
Speech
One of the rabbinical court judges

in 19th-century Vilna, R. Yisrael Isser
Isserlein1 (1827-1889), wrote that
while so many spoke forcefully about
One of the most consequential,
the prohibition of lashon hara, an
controversial, and complex aspects of equally important issue is neglected:
the laws of lashon hara is that known
the failure to speak when innocent
as toelet or purpose. This notion
people are at risk of harm.2 Similarly,
indicates that when the information
a contemporary authority, R. Moshe
is necessary to a third party for that
Sternbuch, in his responsa,3 represents
individuals protection, it is not only
rabbinic concern about the issue
permissible to relate the information,
when he expresses in forceful terms
but obligatory. More broadly, a general the pressing need to be well-versed
productive purpose, under certain
in the intricate details of lashon
circumstances, may also be considered hara regulation. As he observes, as
justification for what otherwise could severe a prohibition as lashon hara is,
be termed lashon hara.
neglecting to inform when necessary
can be a violation of equal or greater
Consequential, then, in that in the
severity. Thus, as well, the complexity.
presence of this idea, an action
flips from forbidden to mandatory.
Approaching the notion of toelet at
Controversial, not in its existence,
its roots may also call for a reflection
which is undisputed, but in its
upon the two established perspectives.
application. The evaluation of
If the prohibition of lashon hara
toelet is resistant to generalized
is directed at the indulgence of a
legislation and is often dependent on
negative character trait, it might be
painstakingly considered judgment.
explained that a statement for toelet is
Adapted from Rabbi Feldmans False Facts and True Rumors: Lashon HaRa in Contemporary Culture
(Maggid Books and RIETS Press, 2015).
35
simply not lashon hara.4 As some have

noted, such an understanding emerges
from one of the scriptural instructions
regarding lashon hara, Thou shalt
not bear a false report.5 The word
translated as false, shav, actually
more often connotes needless,
thus referring to derogatory
information that cannot produce a
benefit. By definition then, if there
is a benefit, the prohibition would
appear inoperative. Motivated by the
protection of another, the speaker
lacks the malevolence that typifies the
transgressor.6
Alternatively, if lashon hara is defined
as an act of putting another at risk
through speech, the exception of
toelet requires another explanation.
The subject is still harmed, even if
less so than the listener or any
potential victim would have
been. Thus, the transgression is not
absent, only outweighed by a greater
need. The Torah obligates protecting
others from harm, as it prohibits one
to stand idly by the blood of [his]
neighbor.7 This reference to the
neighbors blood is understood to
be not only to risking life, but to any
type of harm.8 Accordingly, toelet
would represent the danger to the
listener overwhelming the harm to the
subject.
This rationale is cited explicitly by
the Chafetz Chaim as the motivation
behind toelet.9 Indeed, this structure
flows from a direct reading of another

of the primary scriptural references
to lashon hara, contained in the
same verse: Thou shalt not go up
and down as a talebearer among thy
people; neither shalt thou stand idly
by the blood of thy neighbor: I am the
Lord. The connotation is that while
one is generally not to be a tale-bearer,
this ideal should not prevent one from
acting to save one who is at risk.10
Thus the license or mandate to speak
purposeful negative speech about
another has two possible models:
either such speech is simply not
included in the prohibition; or,
alternatively, it is included, but the
prohibition itself is overridden by
the protection imperative.11 There is
a major difference between the two:
In the second model, as an otherwise
forbidden action is being advocated,
the decision must rest upon a solid
foundation of necessity. In other
words, the threshold for justification
is higher if one value, protection of the
innocent, is outweighing the other,
the general abhorrence of negative
speech. Alternatively, if lashon hara
is needless gossip, and purposeful
speech is simply not in that category, a
lower standard may suffice.
In the writings of the Chafetz Chaim,
it seems that his premise is that
purposeful speech is permitted
because it justifies the offense, not
because it is outside of it. Accordingly,
Lashon hara includes the relating of

true information that is disparaging.
As such, would refusing to receive
such information not constitute willful
self-deception, an act essentially both
dishonest and irrational in nature?
36
he refers in his formulation of the

protection mandate to definite
knowledge of potential harm.12 It is
specifically when the risk is definite
that the dictum of do not stand idly
by is understood as an obligation.
When the harm is less apparent,
do not stand idly by presents as
a praiseworthy ideal, rather than
a mandatory directive that can
outweigh conflicting values.13
Accepting Lashon Hara
One of the most difficult, and at the
same time most illuminating areas
of study and practice in the realm of
lashon hara, is the unique prohibition
of receiving (kabbalat) lashon hara.
The prohibition of malicious speech
is extended not only to the speaker,
but to the listener as well; the listener
is identified by the Talmud14 as one
of three victims of lashon haras
destructive impact, together with
the speaker and the subject. In fact,
as will be detailed below, receiving
lashon hara is condemned with a force
equal or possibly even greater than the
initial act of speaking.
It is here, then, that we find both
the difficulty and the illumination.
First, the difficulty: how can one be
prohibited from receiving, a role
that is essentially a passive one, and
a generally involuntary one at that?
And, perhaps even more challenging:
even if it is granted that one can
control what he receives, is it
truly desirable to do so? As we have
established, lashon hara includes the
relating of true information that is
disparaging. As such, would refusing
to receive such information not
constitute willful self-deception, an
act essentially both dishonest and
irrational in nature? Understanding
the Torahs directive in this case
requires both a careful analysis

of earlier and later sources and a
considered and balanced investigation
as to how integrity and intellect can
coexist with the injunction.
Understanding what it means to
receive lashon hara goes to the core
of understanding the entire concept
of lashon hara. This is particularly so
in light of the fact that receiving lashon
hara is not considered a secondary or
subsidiary violation, but an equal sin
to that of the speaker, and possibly
the primary locus of the lashon hara
interdict itself. If so, to understand
receiving lashon hara is to better
understand the foundation of lashon
hara in its totality.
That said, it makes sense to begin
the journey with the key Talmudic
passage introducing the prohibition.
In that passage,15 R. Sheshet, on the
authority of R. Elazar ben Azariah,
issues a harsh condemnation of three
apparently equal and connected
offenses: speaking lashon hara;
receiving lashon hara; and bearing
false witness. All of these are attached
to one biblical verse (Exodus 23:1):
You shall not accept (tisa) a false
(shav) report. As the parentheses
indicate, this represents a tentative
translation of some Hebrew words
that will be seen to be ambiguous.
There are at least two striking
aspects to this scriptural derivation.
One is that the connotation of the
verse appears to be passive (
shall not accept); as such, it
would be satisfactory as a source
for not receiving lashon hara, but
less obviously so for not speaking
lashon hara. In the standard editions
of the Talmudic text, this problem
is addressed in the passage itself,
which further advocates an alternate
reading of the word tisa, rendered
above as accept. In this reading,

the word would take on a different
pronunciation (tasi) and connote
inducing, misleading, thus reading,
You shall not mislead with a
false report. Alternatively, some
commentaries16 omit that part of the
passage, placing the entire burden on
the initial, direct reading of the verse.
In either case (and more so in the
latter), the basic prohibition against
speaking lashon hara is being sourced
by this passage in the context of
receiving lashon hara. This is not
the structure we would expect; one
would think that speaking lashon
hara is the primary sin, deserving the
most attention from Scripture, while
receiving is an ancillary activity that
deserves secondary mention.17 R.
Sheshets formulation inverts that
expectation: receiving is the primary
subject of the verse, and speaking
is derived from that. This could
potentially redefine our relationship
to lashon hara as a concept: the main
crime is committed by the listener,
who is enabled by the speaker, and not
the other way around.18
In that light, it is noteworthy that
Maimonides, in his code,19 identifies
receiving lashon hara as not merely
equal to, but actually worse than,
speaking lashon hara. This is a
surprising formulation, as it exceeds
what the Talmud says. Accordingly,
much has been written in explanation
of Maimonides statement.20 Most
simply, it may be that if the controlling
source is indeed focused on receiving,
it follows logically that this act is
an even greater transgression than
speaking.21
The second, equally striking aspect
of R. Sheshets statement centers on
the word rendered above as false, the
Hebrew word shav. If, as we have
37
repeatedly seen, the transgression of

speaking lashon hara is inclusive of
relating true information, why would
the verse refer to a false report? Such
language would seem to fall short of
the mark, as it would fail to address
the receiving of true disparaging
reports.22
Indeed, the proper translation of
the word shav is the topic of debate.
The term false is consistent with
the understanding of many major
commentaries,23 who equate it with
the word sheker, the general term for
falsehood. Nonetheless, there are
other possible translations of the term.
One possibility, which we discussed
above in the context of necessary
permitted speech, is that it connotes
useless, meaning lashon hara may
be accepted when there is a pressing
purpose, but not otherwise. Others
see the term as meaning hated
or despised, thus referring to the
prohibited and malicious nature of the
speech, and not necessarily indicating
that the content is factually false.24
If, however, the word is indeed
translated as false the initial question
remains as to how this is consistent
with the factual nature of lashon hara.
One approach, adopted by R. Yonah
of Gerondi, is to insert a possibly
into the verse (by including that
modifier in the translation). Thus,
the exhortation is not to accept as
definitely true a report that may not
be true. As some have observed,25
this may be the only tenable reading:
no one needs to be instructed not to
accept a report that they know is false.
Rather, the verse is warning against
accepting as true a report that may
not be. It may be, then, that to accept
a report as possibly true rather than
definitely true may not be a violation
of this principle.
Similarly, the Sefer HaChinnukh26

places this prohibition within the
context of the Torahs broad aversion
to dishonesty. Since falsehood is not
only prohibited, but condemned
with a more sweeping exhortation
to stay far away,27 included in this
avoidance is a sensitivity to falsehood
in the speech of others, and a refusal
to participate in the slander even in
the passive role.28 Further, the effect
of the Torahs commandment to judge
others favorably may add to the need
to thoroughly consider the possibility
that the negative report is false.29
express his views without the benefits

of opposition and correction from the
other party. Equally, the translation
of useless is also appropriate, in that
such testimony, lacking the elements
of necessary balance, is worthless
in a courtroom setting, and thus
contributes nothing to the judicial
process. As such, it constitutes both
a breach of judicial integrity and a
violation of lashon hara. In that sense
the falsity and the uselessness of the
reports are essentially products of
each other.
Other possible interpretations are

consistent with our earlier discussions
about the complex nature of lashon
hara, which can be factually accurate
and yet false at the same time.
Accordingly, the Chafetz Chaim is
concerned that even if the core item
is true, false details will be woven
in.30 Further, even if all the facts are
true, it is still possible to emerge with
a false picture of the subject, as we
have seen.31 Further still, it may be a
question not of the facts but of the
assessment: even if the item is true,
the result that the subject will be
diminished in the eyes of the listener,
due to some insignificant flaw, is an
injustice that is in essence false.32
It can be suggested, then, that this

application to listening to ex parte
testimony is quite instructive in its
location within the same verse, as a
general acceptance of lashon hara. It
sheds light on the concept of lashon
hara as a whole, and the nature of
factually true statements conveying
false impressions. Negative speech
that is protected from corrective
opposition from the subject is by
its nature susceptible to distortion
and false impacts, and thus is useless
for any constructive purpose. In
that sense, the judicial application is
reflective of the general application
of lashon hara and the inherent
relationship between unwarranted
gossip and falsity.34
In this vein, it is also possible to relate

some of the translations of the word
shav to each other, particularly the
notion of false and useless. It is
instructive that the same verse is also
cited by the Talmud as a prohibition
for a rabbinic court judge to listen
to ex parte testimony.33 In that
context, both translations are equally
compatible with the intent of the
prohibition. It can be understood
that listening to one party outside the
presence of the other yields false
results, as the speaking party is able to
All of these factors are relevant

considerations as to why a speaker
should choose not to share
information that he would consider
to be true. However, it is possible
that there is an even greater concern
regarding the listener of such
information, and thus there may be
particular relevance to the prohibition
of kabbalat lashon hara. In his book
The Watercooler Effect, Nicholas
DiFonzo describes a study entitled
Why Listeners Hear Less Than
They Are Told, conducted by social
38
psychologist Robert S. Barron and

his team, which was undertaken in an
effort to understand why people who
listen to a story of someones misdeeds
rate that person more negatively than
people telling the story do.
As DiFonzo puts it: this is known
as the teller-listener extremity effect
the listeners rating of the person
is more extreme than the tellers.
Barrons study makes a convincing
case that the culprit behind this
effect has to do with the limits of
human attention while attending to a
disjointed message. The details that
people tell one another are often so
hard to follow that listeners are only
able to process the main storyline; the
finer points and subplots are simply
missed. He further cites other studies
that indicate that listeners, in order to
make a story they are hearing simpler
and more comprehensible, tend to
adapt and conflate details, known as
leveling and sharpening.35
The Political Culture and
Negative Campaigning
Technically speaking, the prohibition
of lashon hara does not likely apply
to a presidential campaign, or in any
situation where the information can
be crucial to making a decision on
an important matter. It may be, as
some have noted, that it is necessary
to allow the candidates to go at
each other mercilessly in order to
guarantee that any potentially relevant
information will come out. However,
that doesnt change the fact that what
does come out can be misleading
and voters ignore that fact at their
own risk. It is important for voters to
be fully informed as to the positives
and negatives of the individuals who
seek to lead them. It is thus equally
important to correct for factors that
may detract from the accuracy of what

presents itself to voters, who come to
eventually feel that they are drowning
in a sea of slung mud.
Negativity gets an additional edge
from the natural inclination to
enhance ones self-image at the
expense of others. Consequently, the
desire to see larger-than-life political
figures cut down to size, coupled
with the necessarily zero sum nature
of a competitive election that can
have only one winner, further distorts
the picture, skewing in a decidedly
negative direction.
beneficial to a company or a product

to simply smear one competitor. In
politics, however, demolishing ones
opponent can often produce a direct
gain for the other candidate.36
Clearly, these factors, while
possibly very real for the candidates
themselves, do nothing to guarantee
the accuracy or the fairness of the
attacks, and are thus relevant to the
laws of lashon hara. Even if this is of
no concern to the candidates, from an
acceptance perspective, it should be
the concern of the voters.
Add partisan politics into the

mix, and a few other factors also
come into play. A pre-existing
political view risks confirmation
bias, the tendency to interpret all
information through the prism of
what you already believe. (This bias
is on easy display after each debate,
when Democrats overwhelmingly
assign victory to the Democratic
candidate, and Republicans to the
Republican candidate.) And the
habit of fraternizing with others of
like political views gives rise to a
polarization effect, the likelihood of
members of a group to hold views
more extreme than they would if they
were alone.
It is problematic enough that those

predisposed to dislike one candidate
will be skewed further in that
direction by attack politics. What
is even more disturbing is a finding
described by Dr. Marco Iacoboni
in his book Mirroring People. In an
experiment conducted during the
2004 U.S. presidential campaign,
advocates for either John Kerry or
George W. Bush registered positive
emotions (as measured by neural
testing) when shown pictures of their
preferred candidates. Several months
later, however, after extensive negative
campaigning, even supporters
failed to display positive emotions
in connection with their own
presidential preferences.
This issue is exacerbated by the

fact that politics is about winning
elections, and negative advertising
is simply considered more effective
than positive advertising. It is far
more likely to catch the attention of
the voter, and consequentially more
likely to motivate action on his part.
Further, as Andrew Potter notes
in his book The Authenticity Hoax,
in contrast with the commercial
realm, politics is a zero sum game. In
business, purely negative advertising
is less prevalent, as it is less likely to be
Dr. Iacoboni, a neurologist at UCLA,

theorized that the campaign had
tainted all of the candidates, even for
their partisan supporters negative
ads can create a dangerous emotional
disconnect between voters and the
leaders who should represent them.
He further opines that, A healthy
democracy needs mechanisms
of empathy and identification
between the people and their political
representatives. Without these
unifying emotions, we run the risk
of an ever-growing disenchantment
39
with the political system that may

make people more receptive to other
forms of government [which] have
proved to be much worse than what
we have now.37
Endnotes
1 Pitchei Teshuvah, O.C. 156.
2 R. Shlomo Zalman Braun, in his
commentary Shearim Metzuyanim
BeHalakhah to R. Shlomo Gantzfrieds Kitzur
Shulchan Arukh (30:2), places a citation of
this comment at the beginning of the laws
of lashon hara, apparently considering the
warning a necessary introduction to the
subject.
3 Resp. Teshuvot VeHanhagot, I, 558. See also
R. Shrayah Deblitsky, Zeh HaShulchan, p. 62.
4 See R. Yitzchak Hutner, Pachad Yitzchak,
Iggerot UKhtavim, 59. See also R. Ariel
Chiyun, in the journal Torat HaAdam
LeAdam (V, pp. 187-193).
5 Exodus 23:1.
6 R. Asher Weiss (Minchat Asher al haTorah,
Lev p. 268) favors this understanding and
considers it self-evident. This perspective is
also taken in Kodesh Yisrael, 15, who notes
that the license of purpose is not discussed
in the early codifications of lashon hara, with
the Chafetz Chaim the first to write about it in
detail and in specificity. He thus assumes that

this can be attributed to such speech simply
not being included in the definition of lashon
hara. See also R. Yehudah Herzl Henkin,
Responsa Bnei Banim, I, 42. R. Elchanan
Wasserman (a prominent student of the
Chafetz Chaim) asserts a broad formulation
of toelet, maintaining that it essentially
justifies the overriding of any interpersonal
commandment, in that they are all, in his
understanding, defined by malicious intent,
and thus permitted when the purpose is
constructive (Kovetz Hearot to Yevamot, #70).
Regarding this, see R. David Ariav, LeReakha
Kamokha, II, biurim, 13.
7 Lev. 19:16.
8 See Sanhedrin 73a, and Sefer HaMitzvot of
Maimonides, negative commandment 297;
Responsa Radbaz. V, 218 (1582); R. Yaakov
Bruchin, Responsa Mishkenot Yaakov, CM 12;
see also R. Shmuel David Friedman, Sdeh
Tzofim, Bava Kama, p. 616. See also Minchat
Chinnukh, 239:6, who applies this mandate to
the prevention of spiritual harm as well.
9 Hilkhot Issurei Rekhilut 9:1.
10 As expressed by Sefer Chareidim, negative
commandments, ch. 4, and others; see Alei
Ber, 1. See also R. Moshe Shternbuch, Taam
VeDaat to Leviticus. R. Ovadiah Yosef, Resp.
Yechaveh Daat, IV, 60, emphasizes this idea at
length.
11 See also the extensive discussion in Emek
HaLashon, 8-9.
12 See R. Binyamin Cohen, Chelkat Binyamin
#3 and #6.
13 See also R. Yeruchem Fishel Perlow,
commentary to Sefer HaMitzvot of R. Saadiah
Gaon, positive commandment 28. See also
Responsa LeChafetz BaChaim, III, 5, regarding
the interaction of this mandate with the laws
of lashon hara.
halakhic prohibition of enabling sin (lifnei

iver lo titen mikhshol), see Chafetz Chaim,
Petichah, lavin 4; Alei Beer; Shevilei Chaim,
#12; Ohev Yamim, 4-6; Birkat Yitzchak, pp. 1419; R. Reuven Grozovsky in the journal Kol
Torah, LV, pp. 54-55; and see also Chut Shani,
Shemirat HaLashon, 1:1 and R. Yehonatan
Rozler, Hearot Rigshei Chaim, p. 20.
18 One interesting question to consider is to
what extent the prohibition of kabbalah is a
direct correlate of the prohibition of speaking,
and to what extent it is an independent
concept. In other words, is there a prohibition
of accepting any and every time the speaker is
subject to a prohibition? Conversely, is there
ever a prohibition of accepting even if the
speaker is permitted to say what he is saying?
See Chafetz Chaim, Hil. Lashon Hara 6:9, and
Chelkat Binyamin, loc cit.; Birkat Yitzchak, pp.
14-15; R Yosef Aharon Openheimer, in the
journal Kol HaTorah, LX, p. 97; LeReakha
Kamokha, p. 153, in Nir LeDavid, 2; see also
Chafetz Chaim 6:3, in note.
19 Hilkhot Deiot 7:3.
20 See Avodat Melekh and Chelkat Binyamin,
lashon hara 6:3. See also Minchat Yitzchak to
Minchat Chinnukh # 236, #3 who suggests an
explanation based on the notion that without
acceptance the transgression is incomplete;
see also R. Shmuel Aryeh Leib of Bialya,
Rimza DeChakhmata p. 137, writing from
a kabbalistic perspective. Netiv Chaim, 6:3,
suggests that the accepter is transgressing
more seriously than the speaker because
his unjustified reliance on the report may
indicate greater irresponsibility than that of
the speaker; see also see Daat UMachshavah
to Hil. Deiot. For further suggestions, see R.
Menachem Troyesh, Orach Meisharim, 8:23,
and also Shaarei Avraham, p. 376.
14 Arakhin 15b.
21 See also Chafetz Chaim, petichah, lavin,

Beer Mayim Chaim #3, as to whether the
recipient is equally susceptible to the affliction
of tzaraat. See Zikhron David pp. 27-28.
15 Pesachim 118a. See also Mishneh Torah,

Hilkhot Sanhedrin 21:7.
22 See R. Yaakov Zvi Meklenberg, HaKetav

VeHaKabbalah to Exodus.
16 See, for example, Rashbam, loc cit.
23 See Rashi and Onkeles to Exodus.
17 As to whether and under what

circumstances accepting is a violation of the
24 See Yad HaKetanah, Hilkhot Deiot, 9; as well

as R. Aharon HaKohen, Imrei Aharon, Parashat
Mishpatim, p. 62, and R. Shlomo Wolbe, Alei

Shur, II, p. 534. See also R. Aryeh Lubetsky,
Nachal Kedumim, to Exodus, pp. 32-33; R.
Moshe David Valley, Berit Olam to Exodus, pp.
360-361; and R. Tzvi Shlav, Niflaot MiTorat
Hashem Yitborach, ch. 56, pp. 241-243.
25 See R. Avraham Yitzchak Brazil, Iyyunei
Rashi (Exodus: Mishpatim- Pekudei, pp. 176178).
26 Commandment 74.
27 Ex. 23:7.
28 However, note the comment of Zera
Chaim, p. 360.
29 See Chelkat Binyamin, klal 7, #3, and R. Zvi
Hertzka, Ateret Tzvi, to Exodus.
30 Petichah, lavin, in Beer Mayim Chaim, 2;
see also Shemirat HaLashon, ch. 12. See also
Orach Meisharim, 8:26.
31 See Shaarei Avraham, p. 235, n. 147.
32 See Chelkat Binyamin, beginning of klal 7,
and Zera Chaim, p. 362-364.
33 Shavuot 31a and Mishneh Torah, Hil.
Sanhedrin, 21:7.
34 A suggestion along these lines is asserted
by R. Eliyahu Bakshi Doron in Responsa
Binyan Av, III, 66. This notion may also be
relevant to understanding the position of
some authorities that statements made in
the presence of the subjects are by definition
not lashon hara, even if they constitute other
offenses.
35 The Watercooler Effect, pp. 154163.
36 See The Authenticity Hoax, pp. 192-199.
37 See Iacoboni, Marco. Mirroring People:
The New Science of How We Connect with
Others. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2008, ch. 9 and 10. See also the volume,
Going Negative: How Political Advertisements
Shrink & Polarize the Electorate, by Stephen
Ansolabehere and Shanto Iyengar (New York:
The Free Press, 1995). For more about the
advantages and disadvantages of negative
campaigning, see Buell, Emmett H. and
Lee Sigelman, Attack Politics:Negativity in
Presidential Campaigns since 1960 (Lawrence,
Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2008).
Find more shiurim and articles from Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman at

http://www.yutorah.org/Rabbi-Daniel-Z-Feldman
40
Voting: A Religious Act?
n the Roman era, Jewish sages

opposed voluntary involvement
in the corridors of non-Jewish
power. As expressed in Shemayahs
advice to avoid making ourselves
known to authority,1 and in Rabban
Gamliel IIIs counsel to be careful of
government and its self-serving ways,2
we feared the attention that could
come with political activism.
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner

Rosh Beit Midrash, YU Torah Mitzion Zichron Dov
Beit Midrash of Toronto
Dov Soloveitchiks observation: We

cooperate with the members of other
faith communities in all fields of
constructive human endeavor, but,
The most striking biblical precedent
simultaneously with our integration
for this attitude may be in our
into the general social framework,
ancestor Yosef s advice to his brothers. we engage in a movement of recoil
Although personally a model of
and retrace our steps. In a word, we
civic engagement, Yosef nonetheless
belong to the human society and, at
instructed his brothers to shun contact the same time, we feel as strangers and
with Egyptian powers and to seek a
outsiders.7
3
life apart. Following this approach,
Despite the above, the spectrum of
Talmudic sages discouraged living
arrangements which might bring a Jew modern American Orthodox rabbinic
opinion, from Modern Orthodox
into regular contact with non-Jews,
4
to Chassidic, supports the civic
lest he learn from their conduct,
engagement of voting. One might
and they outright prohibited certain
contend that voting does not invite
commercial activities that could
5
entanglement with government
do the same. The Talmud records
but in truth, democratically elected
rabbinic prohibitions against eating a
governments pander blatantly to
variety of foods prepared or handled
minorities that are known to vote,
by non-Jews, due to concern that
and political parties expend great
familiarity might lead us to devalue
resources to identify and influence
our differences. Even where there is
super voters. Voting could call the
no animus toward Judaism, Rambam
physician to the Sultan and scholar Jewish community to the attention of
government and society.
of foreign philosophies warned
that trust in human government is
What is the religious benefit of
deleterious to faith in God.6
modern voting, such that it escapes
the rejection that has met other forms
Our classic retreat from involvement
of civic engagement? Does voting
with non-Jewish authorities may
have redeeming value within a Jewish
be best illustrated with Rabbi Yosef
perspective? We might suggest three

positive religious models of voting.8
Model 1: Utilitarian
Transaction
A simple way to look at voting is
as an exchange of currencies. Each
voting citizen possesses a single
unit of currency, and the candidate
who collects sufficient currency,
in sufficient districts, will win the
election. Candidates bargain with
citizens for their currency, by offering
policies or products.
From this perspective, voting is a
utilitarian act, supporting particular
leaders in order to achieve particular
goals. As twentieth-century political
scientist Joseph Schumpeter wrote,
The democratic method is that
institutional arrangement for arriving
at political decisions which realizes
the common good by making the
people itself decide issues through
the election of individuals who are
to assemble in order to carry out
its will.9 In that light, a voter with
religiously valuable goals will have a
religiously valuable vote.
Jewish communities have long
41
taken this transactional approach to

supporting government, praying for
the governments welfare as a means of
maintaining a beneficial social order.
As the prophet Yirmiyahu advised
the exiled Jews of his time, Seek the
peace of the city to which I have exiled
you, and pray to God on her behalf,
for in its peace shall you find peace.10
During the period of the Second Beit
haMikdash, Rabbi Chanina, Sgan
haKohanim, advised, Pray for the
welfare of the government, for without
fear of government one person
would swallow the next, alive.11 The
Talmud12 records that this was done
in the time of Alexander the Great; in
the sixteenth century, Rabbi Meir of
Padua13 invoked that as precedent for
having the chazan hold the Torah and
bless the king or governor and all of
his nobles, holding the Torah in hand
for the sake of peace.
In our own day, Rabbi Yitzchak
Frankfurter describes voting along
these same lines: a means of acquiring
benefit, rather than expressing Jewish
communal values. He writes,
I remember how in old times people were
happy that they were able to go on the
streets with a shtreimel and not be pelted
with stones and eggs. I wasnt brought
up in a community that was trying to
impose Jewish values on others. Rather
we were very happy to be able to preserve
our Yiddishkeit and practice it in this
medinah shel chessed . . . I spoke to Rav
Reuven Feinstein . . . He told me that Rav
Moshe did not believe that family values
would outweigh a politicians support for
yeshivos.14
Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, in a recent
shiur delivered at Yeshiva University,
presents a similar, transactionfocused approach as one reason
why young people must vote.15
Rabbi Wieder advocates registering
and voting as a means of drawing

the attention of candidates to ones
personal demographic: Politicians
pay attention to who votes, and this
is a very, very serious issue [I]t is
important that everybody who can
vote, vote, and especially younger
people, because even if the politicians
know that they are going to win the
state, they will pay attention to the
demographics that are voting. Rabbi
Wieder contends that failure to take
advantage of this opportunity is a
rejection of the kindness afforded to
us by God in enabling us to live in a
democratic society.
A refined personality might find
this self-interest distasteful, if
well-pedigreed but the Torah
itself provides ample basis for this
approach. Does Moshe not leave
Pharaohs palace to look after his own
brethren? Does Judaism not believe
in prioritizing the welfare of ones kin
and neighbors above that of others?16
Is it not our duty to use the powers at
our disposal to better the lot of those
who are closest to us and is this
duty not a fundamental assumption
of a democratic society, and certainly
one that is also capitalist in nature?
The authorities who praise voting
in a more utilitarian way are aware
of our historic reticence regarding
involvement with government.
Nonetheless, they seem to view
the act of voting as too valuable an
opportunity to miss.
Model 2: Citizenship
A second way to look at voting is as
participation in building community,
beyond the welfare of the individual
and her demographic. The act of
casting a ballot contributes to the
health of society as a whole, and should
42
be carried out with the religious goal of

serving that public good.
It is commonly understood that
voting is a fundamental contribution
to broad society. Russell J. Dalton, a
widely published political scientist,
has noted,
[P]ublic participation in politics is
broadly considered to be a defining
element of democratic citizenship
(Dahl, 1998; Pateman, 1970; Verba
et al., 1995) . . . Allegiance to the state
and voting have been linked together
in discussions of citizenship, at least
since Tocqueville. For instance, the
US Immigration and Naturalization
Services brochure for new citizens
begins its description of the duties
and responsibilities of citizens as
follows: the right to vote is a duty as
well as a privilege (Immigration and
Naturalization Service, 1987, p. 11).
Similarly, research on voting turnout
stresses the importance of citizen duty
as a predictor of voting (Blais, 2000;
Wolfinger and Rosenstone, 1980).17
This approach, which identifies each
vote as an inherently valuable act of
citizenship, seems to be what Rabbi
Moshe Feinstein expressed in his
much-publicized 1984 letter declaring
voter registration a religious act. Rabbi
Feinstein wrote:
A fundamental principle of Judaism is
hakaras hatov recognizing benefits
afforded us and giving expression to our
appreciation. Therefore, it is incumbent
upon each Jewish citizen to participate in
the democratic system which safeguards
the freedoms we enjoy. The most
fundamental responsibility incumbent
on each individual is to register and to
vote.18
On a simple level, then, voting is an
act of membership in society. More,
though, some political scientists
contend that what makes a vote truly

valuable as citizenship is the degree
of altruism involved the extent to
which ones decision is an attempt
to benefit society as a whole. This is
what motivates people to vote, even
when they are aware that their vote
is exceedingly unlikely to sway the
national result.19
The same emphasis upon altruistically
aiding society may be found in
Talmudic comments on Bereishit
33:18. The Torah states that Yaakov
camped before the face of the city
[of Shechem]. On this verse, Rav
explained that Yaakov established a
currency for the population, Shemuel
contended that Yaakov created
marketplaces for them, and Rabbi
Yochanan said that Yaakov prepared
bathhouses for them. In other words:
Yaakov sought to contribute to the
welfare of society.20
unknown to it, namely, our otherness as

a metaphysical covenantal community.21
Within this school, voting is
religiously valuable as a formal
contribution to society. Despite the
historic concern loudly echoed by
Rabbi Soloveitchik for negative
results from our close encounter with
government, we find value in voting
as a means of fulfilling our mission on
earth.
Model 3: Public Expression
and Kiddush Hashem
A third approach sees voting
as more than selecting political
representatives; the vote of an
individual or community is a form of
public expression. Indeed, the authors
of a 2012 study of American voting
behavior22 argued that:
In our own era, the importance of

aiding society was reiterated by Rabbi
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, in the essay
cited above. Summing up the complex
role of the Jewish people within
society, Rabbi Soloveitchik wrote:
Instead of conceptualizing voting as

a self-interested decision that is
made at a single moment in time, we
conceptualize voting as self-expressive
social behavior that is influenced by
events occurring before and after the
actual moment of casting a vote.23
First, as we have mentioned previously,

we, created in the image of God, are
charged with responsibility for the great
confrontation of man and the cosmos.
We stand with civilized society shoulder
to shoulder over against an order which
defies us all. Second, as a charismatic
faith community, we have to meet the
challenge of confronting the general
non-Jewish faith community. We are
called upon to tell this community not
only the story it already knows that
we are human beings, committed to the
general welfare and progress of mankind,
that we are interested in combating
disease, in alleviating human suffering,
in protecting mans rights, in helping the
needy,et cetera but also what is still
Taken in that light, we may

understand that a Jews vote is
religiously valuable as self-expression,
for its potential Kiddush Hashem.
Avraham was commanded, Walk
before Me, and the sages understood
this as a mission of trumpeting Divine
ideal in the world.24 The prophet
Yechezkel envisioned a future in
which G-d will be elevated and
sanctified, and known before the
eyes of many nations.25 And what
Jew could recite Aleinu thrice daily
and not treasure the opportunity
to proclaim the beliefs which are
the province of the Melech Malchei
haMelachim! Of course, the secret
ballot renders a vote private, but
43
participating in opinion polls and

actively supporting candidates can
send a positive message about the
values of the Jewish community. Not
only should we vote, but we ought to
vote loudly.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller is said to
have taken this view of voting. His
grandson, Rabbi Yisrael Brog, cites
Rabbi Miller as saying in the latter
half of the twentieth century, Im
not afraid of Russia personally. The
President, who is against Russia, is
against them for his own reasons,
because they are the Big Bad Wolf
and they are having an arms race with
nuclear ballistic missiles. Our interest
has nothing to do with that. Were not
afraid of them; we just have to stand
against them because they are kofrim
[deniers] in Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Rabbi Brog continues to say, He held
that everybody should vote. The point
that he made was that the voting was
not to manipulate things; it was that I
have to do what Hakadosh Baruch Hu
expects of me.26
Similarly, Rabbi Myer Schwab
claimed that his father, Rabbi Shimon
Schwab, was very concerned that the
Jewish communitys voting record
could disgrace the Name of God. He
declared in the 1990s, If it would
come out that the frum Jews voted
for and put into office someone
whose behavior was despicable by
all standards of humanity that

decent people everywhere consider
abominable if it became known
that the frum Jews of Boro Park or
Monsey or New York voted for him, it
would be a chillul Hashem, and chillul
Hashem trumps everything.27
The historic concern for fallout
when Jews come to the attention of
government remains. Nonetheless, the
act of voting and political engagement
may be too valuable an opportunity
for Kiddush Hashem to miss.
Today
The current American presidential
election has challenged the willingness
of many people to vote; published
polls claim that the two major
party candidates have the highest
unfavorable ratings in the history of
polling.28 Nonetheless, the three values
we have identified here should factor
seriously in our decision of whether
to enter the booth on Election Day.
As a transaction benefiting our
personal and communal causes, as
a demonstration of citizenship and
altruism, and as an act of Kiddush
Hashem, the power to vote should be
taken seriously by every Jew.
To echo the wish of Rabbi
Yochanan,29 may we soon merit to
see the difference between the kings
of the present, and our anointed
Mashiach.
Endnotes
1 Pirkei Avot 1:10.
2 Ibid. 2:3.
3 Bereishit 46:34.
18 http://torahbyemail.blogspot.ca/2008/11/
voting-per-rabbi-moshe-feinstein.html.
4 Eruvin 62a.
5 Bava Metzia 71a.
6 Commentary to Avot 1:10. Note, of
course, that many sages have adopted
a positive approach toward communal
involvement, and some of this will be visible
in the sources cited below regarding voting.
The point is not to depict the issue as onesided, but rather to show the weight of the
sources opposing engagement with nonJewish political leadership.
7 Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,
Confrontation, Tradition 6:2 (1964). http://
traditionarchive.org/news/originals/
Volume%206/No.%202/Confrontation.pdf
8 A possible fourth model would be
establishment of a proper government meeting
halachic criteria as enforcers of Noachide
law or a fulfillment of the mitzvah of placing
judges and officers upon our communities,
but that is beyond the scope of this article.
It may be worth seeing Ramban to Vayikra
27:29, Derashot haRan 11, Chatam Sofer Orach
Chaim 208, Mishpat Kohen 144:15a, HaChukah
lYisrael al pi haTorah I, Amud haYemini 7 and
Tzitz Eliezer, Hilchot Medinah I 3:1.
19 For more on voting as a form of altruistic

community service, see James H. Fowler,
Altruism and Turnout, Journal of Politics 68:3
(2006).
20 Shabbat 33b-34a.
21 Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,
Confrontation, Tradition 6:2 (1964)
available at: http://traditionarchive.org/
news/originals/Volume%206/No.%202/
Confrontation.pdf.
22 Emphasis added. Rogers, T., Gerber, A. S.,
& Fox, C. R. (2012).Rethinking Why People
Vote: Voting as Dynamic Social Expression. In
Behavioral Foundations of Policy (Princeton
University Press, 2012). http://scholar.
harvard.edu/files/todd_rogers/files/
rethinking.pdf.
12 Yoma 69a.
23 Along the same lines, in 2011, the United

States Supreme Court heard a case in which
it was argued that limiting a legislators right
to vote on law is a violation of freedom of
expression. The judicial opinions, while ruling
against the legislator, recognized that a citizens
vote is an expression of his personal thoughts.
As Justice Samuel Alito wrote, If an ordinary
citizen casts a vote in a straw poll on an
important proposal pending before a legislative
body, that act indisputably constitutes a form
of speech. (NEVADA COMMISSION ON
ETHICSv. CARRIGAN, (2011) No. 10-568,
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supremecourt/10-568.html).
13 In his Responsa #87.
24 Bereishit Rabbah 30:10.
14 R. Yitzchok Frankfurter, The Values

voteHow important are moral issues when
we get into the voting booth?, Ami Magazine
(Feb. 2012), available at: http://amimagazine.
org/the-values-vote.html.
25 Yechezkel 38:23.
9 Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy,

Chapter 21, pg. 250.
10 Yirmiyahu 29:7.
11 Pirkei Avot 3:2.
15 Voting and Hakarat ha-Tov, www.

yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/853470/.
16 Bava Metzia 71a.
17 Russell J. Dalton, Citizenship Norms and the
Expansion of Political Participation, Political
Studies 56 (2008).
26 Rabbi Yitzchak Frankfurter, op.cit.

27 Ibid.
28 https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/twothumbs-down-2016-presidential-candidatesfavorability/, http://fivethirtyeight.com/
features/americans-distaste-for-both-trumpand-clinton-is-record-breaking/, http://
www.cnn.com/2016/03/22/politics/2016election-poll-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/
29 Berachot 58a.
Find more shiurim and articles from Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner

at http://www.yutorah.org/Rabbi-Mordechai-Torczyner
44
What Qualities Define a Leader?

A Tale of Two Executives
ing Shaul and King David

were the first two executives
of the Jewish People. Both
men were chosen by Hashem due to
their righteousness, their character
and their outstanding leadership
skills. Neither of them were perfect,
however, and the Navi has a no-holdsbarred approach to detailing their
flaws and iniquities.
Shaul disregarded an explicit
command to destroy Amalek in
its entirety. Out of compassion, he
allowed Agag, king of the Amalekites,
to live, and he kept the choicest
animals alive to be able to offer
korbanot. David spent the night with
Batsheva, and tried to cover up her
resulting pregnancy by bringing her
husband Uriah home from battle.
When he refused to go to her, David
ordered Uriah be sent to the front
lines of combat where he knew he
would not survive, thus clearing the
way for his marriage to Batsheva and
concealing the tryst.
If we were to compare the sins of these
two great leaders, it would appear that
the sins of David were more severe
than the sins of Shaul. David acted out
of passion and desire, and while he
was technically not guilty of adultery
(Batsheva had a get and was divorced
as were all soldiers wives to prevent
aguna situations Shabbat 56a) or
murder (by refusing the direct order
Rabbi Steven Weil

Senior Managing Director, Orthodox Union
of the King, and by referring to Yoav

as his master, Uriah was a moreid
bmalchut and deserving of the death
penalty ibid), he was guilty of a
gross impropriety and an underhanded
plan to conceal what he had done. This
was certainly not behavior befitting
a king of Israel. Shaul, on the other
hand, came so close to completing his
mission. The majority of Amalek had
been decimated under his command.
He failed to destroy everything,
but he had noble reasons for his
noncompliance; compassion and the
opportunity to offer korbanot. Why is
it then, that Shaul, who seems to have
committed the lesser of two evils, was
stripped of his kingdom, but David,
whose guilt was so blatant and whose
offense so egregious, retained an
enduring dynasty?
The Gemara in Yoma 22b, offers
an interesting insight why Shauls
kingdom was eradicated. It states:
Shaul was the product of a charmed

life. He came from a good, solid
family, he had the best education, he
was tall and handsome; essentially he
had no skeletons in his closet or kupa
shel shratzim as the Gemara describes.
He was so accustomed to being
admired and respected by others that
popularity and approval became very
important to him and his perceived
success as a leader. On two occasions
where Shaul ignored the command
given to him, he attributed it to the
desire of the people.

.
Shmuel said, What did you do? Shaul
responded, For I saw that the people
had scattered from me, and you didnt
come by the arranged time and the
Plishtim had gathered at Michmash.
Shmuel I 13:11
This is Shauls defense for not waiting

for Shmuel to offer the korbanot prior
. to the battle against the Pelishtim as
We do not appoint a leader over a
instructed. The people were getting
community unless he has a box of
antsy. He had to do what the people
creeping creatures hanging behind him.
wanted. Similarly, when confronted
45
by Shmuel after his failure to kill all

the animals of the Amalekites, he said:
able to lead the people with a clear and

unfettered vision of what is ultimately

in the best interest of the nation.
Both men made grave mistakes, and

.
perhaps Davids was worse, but David
Shaul said, They were brought from the had the sense of self that is so crucial
Amalekites for the people had pity on the to successful leadership. Shaul didnt
best of the sheep, and the oxen, in order
lose the kingdom because he failed his
to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the mission. He lost his kingdom because
rest we destroyed.
of the personality flaw that caused
Samuel 1 15:15
him to fail his mission, his need to be
The people wanted to do this. He was loved by the people. Davids monarchy
ceding to the will of the people. Shaul endures not because David was
perfect, but because his imperfections
was humble to a fault, and too much
humility is intertwined with the need immunized him from the need to
please the masses and enabled him to
for the support and endorsement of
fulfill the mandate of the Almighty.
others.
David, on the other hand, was the black
sheep in his family, hailing from a long
line of what was widely perceived to
be inappropriate relationships. His
Moavite great-grandmother Ruth was
a thorn in his side his whole life. The
gossip mongers scoffed that Boaz, his
great grandfather, married a much
younger former princess from a nation
that had been banned from joining
with ours. He was an old man, they
jeered, trying to justify a relationship
with a pretty young woman. Many
scorned David and did not recognize
his legitimacy as a Jew, let alone a king.
David was followed by a payload of
skeletons in his closet, and because of
this, he never expected or sought the
approval of anyone. His decisions as
a leader, as opposed to those of Shaul,
were motivated solely by the will of
God and what he thought was best for
the nation. Shaul was too consumed
with the bloggers and what the people
were saying about him in the back
row of the shul and the kiddush club.
Anyone who tries to please all of the
people all of the time is doomed to fail.
David, who knew he had nothing to
lose if he made unpopular choices, was
A second answer to why David and

not Shaul lies in the response of
each man when confronted with his
sin. As we mentioned above, Shauls
knee-jerk response was to blame the
people, make excuses, get defensive.
Shmuel had to really lecture Shaul
before Shaul even understood that
he had done something wrong.
David, when confronted by Natan
after the Batsheva debacle, utters two
very heart-rending words (Samuel
II 12:13), chatati laHashem. No
argument that it wasnt adultery, no
defense that Uriah deserved to be
killed, simply taking responsibility
that I have sinned against Hashem.
Perek 51 of Tehillim is a more
elaborate version of Davids admission
of guilt and soulful desire to repent
and make it right.

.
There is no righteous person in the land
who does [only] good and does not sin.
Kohelet 7:20
What defines a persons character
is not that they sin, but how they
respond to that sin. Do they
46
rationalize, get defensive, make

excuses, pass the blame? Or do
they take responsibility, admit their
mistake, and work to change, to
improve and to learn and grow? Shaul
did the former, and lost his claim to
the throne. David did the latter and his
monarchy is eternal.
The melucha (the executor of the
halachic community) and the
modern-day presidency are very
different institutions. Judaism was
never a democracy, but a meritocracy.
Only the best and the brightest and
the most perfected are the individuals
who are governing. The melech was
chosen by God via the prophet and
Sanhedrin, and his most important
task was to enforce and implement
the decisions of the legislative body,
the Sanhedrin. In a democracy anyone
can get elected, even if they are sorely
unqualified, as long as the people
decide that that person can fulfill
their needs at that moment, even if
completely ignoring what is best in
the long run. Like the philosopher
king in Platos Republic, the most
qualified person should be the one at
the helm. Hashem decided that King
David was the most qualified leader.
Because he was invulnerable to public
opinion, because he was a man who
took responsibility for his mistakes
and worked tirelessly to right them,
because he only wanted what was best
for the nation long term, he earned the
title David HaMelech.
We hope and pray for the day when
leadership is not a popularity contest
in which presidential candidates
pander to the short-term wants of
the electorate, but that leadership is
chosen as a function of the persons
merits to fulfill the will of the Creator
in Heaven and take care of the longterm needs of the nation.
47
We thank the following synagogues and schools for partnering with Yeshiva University to
help distribute printed copies of the Benjamin and Rose Berger Torah To-Go series.
If you would like to begin receiving printed copies please contact shur@yu.edu
Adas Israel
Hamilton, ON
Adas Torah
Los Angeles, CA
Adath Israel Cong.
San Francisco, CA
Adath Israel Poale Zedek
Hampstead, QC
Agudath Shalom
Stamford, CT
Ahavas Israel
Passaic, NJ
Ahavas Torah: The
Scottsdale Torah Center
Scottsdale, AZ
Ahavas Yisrael of Edison
Edison, NJ
Ahavas Yisroel
Flushing, NY
Ahavat Achim Orthodox
Cong. of Fair Lawn
Fair Lawn, NJ
Anshe Sholom Bnai
Israel
Chicago, IL
Anshei Chesed Cong.
Boynton Beach, FL
Avenue N Sephardic
Cong.
Brooklyn, NY
Ayin LTzion
Thornhill, ON
BACH Jewish Center
Long Beach, NY
Bais Abraham
St Louis, MO
Bais Hamedrash Oneg
Shabbos
Montral, QC
Baron Hirsch Synagogue
Memphis, TN
Bais Chaim Dovid
Lincolnwood, IL
Beis Medrash of
Harborview
Lawrence, NY
Beis Midrash of
Bergenfield
Bergenfield, NJ
Beis Midrash of
Woodmere
Woodmere, NY
Beis Yosef Dulem
Flushing, NY
Beit Chaverim
Synagogue
Westport, CT
Beit David Highland
Lakes Synagogue
Aventura, FL
Beit Knesset Emek

Refaim
Jerusalem , Israel
Beit Kneset Mercazi
Yad Binyamin, Israel
Beth Tikva
Dollard Des Ormeaux, QC
Cong. Anshei Chesed

Woodmere, NY
Beth Zion Cong.

Cote-St-Luc, QC
Cong. Bais Efraim

Yitzchok
Woodmere, NY
Beit Knesset Feigenson

Beit Shemesh, Israel
Bikur Cholim Machzikay

Hadath
Seattle, WA
Beit Knesset Mitzpeh

Ramot
Jerusalem , Israel
Blake Street Hebrew

Cong.
Melbourne, Australia
Beit Knesset of North

Woodmere
North Woodmere, NY
Bnai David-Judea Cong.

Los Angeles, CA
Beit Midrash Kol

BeRamah
Santa Fe, NM
Bet Kneset Shimon
Hatzadik
Jerusalem, Israel
Bet Knesset Emek
Refaim
Jerusalem , Israel
Bet Knesset Hanassi
Jerusalem , Israel
Bet Midrash Torani
Leumi
Bet Shemesh , Israel
Bnai Torah
Toronto, ON
Cong. Bais Torah

Suffern, NY
Cong. Beit Tikvah
Nepean, ON
Cong. Beth Aaron
Teaneck, NJ
Cong. Beth Abraham
Bergenfield, NJ
Cong. Kadimah-Toras
Moshe
Brighton, MA
Cong. KBY
Suffern, NY
Cong. Kehillath Jacob
Beth Samuel
Peterson Park, IL
Cong. Kehilath Jeshurun
New York, NY
Cong. Keter Torah
Teaneck, NJ
Cong. K.I.N.S.
Chicago, IL
Boca Raton Synagogue

Boca Raton, FL
Cong. Beth AbrahamJacob

Albany, NY
Boca Raton Synagogue

West
Boca Raton, FL
Cong. Beth El Atereth

Israel
Newton, MA
Calabassas Shul
Calabasas, CA
Cong. Beth El
Brooklyn, NY
Cong. Magen David of

West Deal
Ocean, NJ
Center for Jewish Life

Princeton, NJ
Cong. Beth Hamedrosh

Wynnewood, PA
Cong. Mogen David

Los Angeles, CA
Chabad of Richmond
Richmod, VA
Cong. Beth Israel

Berkeley, CA
Cong. Ohab Zedek

New York, NY
Cong. Kol Israel

Brooklyn, NY
Cong. Machzikei Hadas
Ottawa, ON
Cong. Sherith Israel

Nashville, TN
Cong. Shevet Achim
Mercer Island, WA
Cong. Shomrei Emunah
Baltimore, MD
Cong. Shomrei Shabbos
Far Rockaway, NY
Cong. Shomrim Laboker
Montral, QC
Cong. Shomrei Torah
Fair Lawn, NJ
Cong. Sons of Israel
Allentown, PA
Cong. Sons of Israel
Cherry Hill , NJ
Cong. Tifereth Beth
David Jerusalem
Cote St. Luc, QC
Cong. Torah Ohr
Boca Raton, FL
Cong. Torat Emet
Phoenix, AZ
Cong. Zichron Yisroel
Thornhill, ON
Beth Avraham Yoseph Of

Toronto Cong.
Thornhill, ON
Chabad Of Richmond
Richmond, BC
Cong. Beth Israel

Metairie, LA
Cong. Ohav Emeth

Highland Park, NJ
Clanton Park Synagogue

Toronto, ON
Cong. Beth Sholom

Lawrence, NY
Cong. Ohav Sholom

Merrick, NY

West Hartford, CT
Community Synagogue
of Monsey
Monsey, NY
Cong. Beth Sholom

Providence, RI
Cong. Ohr Hatorah

Phoenix, AZ
Cong. Beth Yitzchok

Chicago, IL
Cong. Ohr Saadya

Teaneck, NJ
Cong. BIAV
Overland Park, KS
Cong. Ohr Torah

West Orange, NJ
Cong. Bnai Brith Jacob

Savannah, GA
Cong. Or Torah
Skokie, IL
Cong. Bnai Israel

Brooklyn, NY
Cong. Rinat Yisrael

Teaneck, NJ
DRS High School for

Boys
Woodmere, NY
Cong. Adath Israel

Elizabeth, NJ
Cong. Bnai Israel-Ohev

Zedek
Philadelphia, PA
Cong. Rodfei Sholom

San Antonio, TX
EDOS
Denver, CO
Beth Jacob Cong.

Atlanta, GA
Cong. Adereth El
New York, NY
Cong. Bnai Torah

Springfield, MA
Cong. Schomre Israel

Poughkeepsie, NY
Beth Jacob Cong.

Irvine, CA
Cong. Agudath Achim

Bradley Beach, NJ
Cong. Brothers of Israel

Long Branch, NJ
Cong. Shaar
Hashomayim
Westmount, QC
Eitz Chayim of
Dogwood Park
West Hempstead, NY
Elmora Hills Minyan
Union, NJ
Beth Jacob Cong.

Oakland, CA
Cong. Ahavas Achim

Highland Park, NJ
Cong. Darchei Noam

Fair Lawn, NJ
Cong. Shaaray Tefila

Lawrence, NY
Eretz Chemda
Katamon, Israel
Beth Jacob Cong.

Beverly Hills, CA
Cong. Ahavat Achim

Portland, OR
Cong. Dor Tikvah

Charleston , SC
Cong. Shaare Tefilla

Dallas, TX
Etz Chaim
Beth Joseph Cong.

Phoenix, AZ
Cong. Ahavat Shalom

Teaneck, NJ
Cong. Eitz Chaim

Flushing, NY
Cong. Shaare Tzedek

Englewood, NJ
Ezra Bessaroth
Seattle , WA
Beth Ora
St. Laurent, QC
Cong. Ahavath Torah

Englewood, NJ
Cong. Emek Beracha

Palo Alto, CA
Cong. Shaarei Tefillah

Newton Centre, MA
Fifth Avenue Synagogue

New York, NY
Beth Shalom
Rochester, NY
Cong. Aitz Chaim

West Palm Beach, FL
Cong. Ezras Israel

Chicago, IL
Fleetwood Synagogue
Mount Vernon, NY
Beth Shalom
Congregation
Scranton, PA
Cong. Anshe Sfard

Kehillat Torah
Glendale, WI
Cong. Israel of
Springfield
Springfield, NJ
Cong. Shaarei Tzedek

Mishkan Yair
Chicago, IL

Binghamton, NY
Beth Hamidrash Cong.
Vancouver, BC
Beth Israel Synagogue
Omaha, NE
Beth Israel Synagogue
Edmonton, AB
Beth Jacob Cong. Of
Kitchener-Waterloo
Kitchener, ON
Cong. AABJ&D
West Orange, NJ
Cong. Adas Israel
Passaic , NJ
Cong. Adat Yeshurun
La Jolla, CA
Cong. Adas Yeshurun
Chicago, IL
Cong. Shaarei Torah

Cincinnati, OH
Darchei Noam Cong.

St Louis Park, MN
Darchei Noam of
Glenbrook
Northbrook, IL
Darchei Zion
Modiin, Israel
DAT Minyan
Denver, CO
Daughters of Israel
West Orange, NJ
Forest Hill Jewish

Centre
Toronto, ON
Golf Manor Synagogue

Cincinnati, OH
Kew Gardens Synagogue

Kew Gardens, NY
NY Hospital - Queens
Flushing, NY
Great Neck Synagogue

Great Neck, NY
Kingsway Jewish Center

Brooklyn, NY
Ohab Zedek
Belle Harbor, NY
Green Road Synagogue

Beachwood, OH
Knesset Beth Israel

Richmond, VA
HAFTR
Lawrence, NY
Knesseth Israel Cong.

Birmingham, AL
Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai

Synagogue
Lyndhurst, OH
Hebrew Institute of
Riverdale - The Bayit
Bronx, NY
Kohelet Yeshiva High

School
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Hebrew Institute of
White Plains
White Plains, NY
Koschitzky Minyan
North York, ON
Or Chaim
Toronto, ON
KSY
Orot Hacarmel
San Diego, CA
Lechu Neranana
Raanana, Israel
Orthodox Union
New York, NY
Lido Beach Synagogue

Lido Beach, NY
Petah Tikva
Toronto, ON
Lincoln Square
Synagogue
New York, NY
Queens Jewish Center

Forest Hills, NY
Heichal Shiloh
Rosh HaAyin, Israel
Heichal Shlomo
Jerusalem , Israel
Herzlia - Adas Yeshurun
Winnipeg, MB
Hildesheimer Shul
Jerusalem , Israel
Hillel at Brandeis
Waltham, MA
Hoshen Modiin
Modiin , Israel
The Jewish Educational
Center
Elizabeth, NJ
JLI - The Johns Hopkins
University
Baltimore, MD
JLIC at Queens College
Hillel
Queens, NY
Joint Distibution
Committee
Jerusalem, Israel
Kehilat Zichron Yosef
Jerusalem, Israel
Kehillas Bais Yehudah
Tzvi
Cedarhurst, NY
Kehillat Ahavat Tzion
Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel
Kehilat Chovevei Tzion
Skokie, IL
Kehillat New Hemsptead
Spring Valley, NY
Kehillat Ohel Ephraim
Ariel, Israel
Kehillat Shaareei Torah
Of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Kehillat Shaarei Yonah
Menachem
Modiin , Israel
Kemp Mill Synagogue
Silver Spring, MD
Kenesseth Israel Cong.
St Louis Park, MN
Kesher Israel Cong.
Harrisburg, PA
Kesher Israel
Washington, DC
Lower Merion
Synagogue
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Maayanot Yeshiva High
School for Girls
Teaneck, NJ
Magen David Sephardic
Wykagyl, NY
Margolin Hebrew
Academy
Memphis, TN
Marlee Shul
Toronto, ON
Meitar Merkazi
Beer Sheva, Israel
Menorat Hamaor
Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel
Merkaz Modiin
Modiin , Israel
Mishkan Shilo
Beit Shemesh , Israel
Mizrachi Bayit
Toronto, ON
MJE
New York, NY
Moledet
Beer Sheva, Israel
Moriah Shul
Raanana, Israel
Moses Montefiore Anshe
Emunah
Baltimore, MD
Ner Tamid Cong.
Baltimore, MD
New Toco Shul
Atlanta, GA
North Shore University
Hospital
Manhasset, NY
Nusach Hari Bnai Zion
St Louis, MO
Ohev Sholom Cong.

Williamsport, PA
Ohr Shalom
Bet Shemesh , Israel
South Fallsburg Hebrew

Association
South Fallsburg, NY
JLIC at Yale University

Hillel
New Haven, CT
Young Israel of New

Rochelle
New Rochelle, NY
Spanish & Portuguese

Synagogue Of Montreal
Montral, QC
Yeshiva of Flatbush
Brooklyn, NY
Young Israel of North

Woodmere
North Woodmere, NY
Suburban Orthodox
Synagogue Toras Chaim
Baltimore, MD
Synagogue of the
Suburban Torah Center
Livingston, NJ
The Beachwood Kehillah
Beachwood, OH
The Frisch School
Paramus, NJ
The Jewish Center
New York, NY
The Jewish Center of
Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach, NY
Rambam Mesivta
Lawrence, NY
The Jewish Learning

Initiative On Campus
Toronto, ON
Rambam Shul
Beer Sheva, Israel
The Kipa
Beer Sheva, Israel
Riverdale Jewish Center

Riverdale, NY
The Roslyn Synagogue

Roslyn Heights, NY
SAR High School

Riverdale, NY
The Village Shul

Toronto, ON
SCY High
San Diego, CA
Thornhill Community
Shul
Thornhill, ON
Sephardic Bikur Holim

Seattle, WA
Sephardic Institute
Synagogue
Brooklyn, NY
Sephardic Kehila Centre
Synagogue
Thornhill, ON
Shaare Zedek Cong.
Winnipeg, MB
Shaarei Shomayim
Cong.
Toronto, ON
Shaarei Tefilla
Las Vegas, NV
Shaarei Tefillah Cong.
Toronto, ON
Shaarei Torah Orthodox
Cong. of Syracuse
Dewitt, NY
Shaarey Yerushalayim
Valley Village, CA
Shaarey Zedek
Valley Village, CA
Shalhevet High School
Los Angeles, CA
Tiferet Israel
Toronto, ON
Torat Emet
Columbus, OH
Touro Synagogue
Newport , RI
Ulpanat Orot
Downsview, ON
United Orthodox
Synagogues
Houston, TX
University of
Massachusets JLIC
Hillel
Amherst, MA
University of
Pennsylvania Hillel
Philadelphia, PA
Viewmount
Toronto, ON
West Coast Torah Center
Los Angeles, CA
Westville Synagogue
New Haven, CT
Shivtei Yisrael
Raanana, Israel
Woodside Synagogue
Ahavas Torah
Silver Spring, MD
Shomrai Shabbos
Toronto, ON
Yagdil Torah
Boca Raton, FL
SKA High School for

Girls
Hewlett Bay Park, NY
Yavneh Academy
Paramus, NJ
Yeshiva University
Torah Mitzion Kollel of
Chicago
Young Israel Of
Baychester Traditional
Synagogue
Bronx, NY
Young Israel of
Brookline
Brookline, MA
Young Israel of Canarsie
Brooklyn, NY
Young Israel of Century
City
Los Angeles, CA
Young Israel Of
Chomedy
Chomedy, QC
Young Israel of Deerfield
Beach
Deerfield Beach, FL
Young Israel of Flatbush
Brooklyn, NY
Young Israel of Forest
Hills
Forest Hills, NY
Young Israel of Fort Lee
Fort Lee, NJ
Young Israel of Hewlett
Hewlett, NY
Young Israel of Hillcrest
Flushing, NY
Young Israel of
Holliswood
Jamaica, NY
Young Israel of
Hollywood-Ft.
Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Young Israel of Houston
Houston, TX
Young Israel of Jamaica
Estates
Jamaica, NY
Young Israel of
Lawrence-Cedarhurst
Cedarhurst, NY
Young Israel of Long
Beach
Long Beach, NY
Young Israel of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Young Israel Of
Montreal
Montral, QC
Young Israel of Neve
Aliza
Karnei Shomron, Israel
Young Israel of New
Hyde Park
New Hyde Park, NY
Young Israel of
Northridge
Northridge, CA
Young Israel of Oak Park
Oak Park, MI
Young Israel of
Oceanside
Oceanside, NY
Young Israel Of Orange
County
Irvine, CA
Young Israel Of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON
Young Israel Of PassaicClifton
Passaic, NJ
Young Israel of
Plainview
Plainview, NY
Young Israel of Potomac
Potomac, MD
Young Israel of Queens
Valley
Flushing, NY
Young Israel of Riverdale
Bronx, NY
Young Israel of Scarsdale
Scarsdale, NY
Young Israel of Sharon
Sharon , MA
Young Israel of Skokie
Skokie, IL
Young Israel of
Southfield
Southfield, MI
Young Israel of St. Louis
St Louis, MO
Young Israel of Staten
Island
Staten Island, NY
Young Israel of Toco
Hills
Atlanta, GA
Young Israel of West
Hartford
West Hartford, CT
Hempstead
West Hempstead, NY
Rogers Park
Chicago, IL
Young Israel Ohab
Zedek of North
Riverdale
Yonkers, NY
Young Israel Shomrei
Emunah
Silver Spring, MD
YU High School for Girls
Hollis, NY
Recent publications from the Roshei Yeshiva and faculty

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Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS

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Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS

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Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS
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50
SAVE THE DATE
to celebrate with the next generation of rabbinic leaders.
Chag HaSemikhah
Convocation
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017
WILF CAMPUS
For more information: call 646.592.4027 or email chag5777@yu.edu
51
Rabbi David Aaron, Rabbi Elie Abadie, Yehuda Leib Abberbock, Rafi Abraham, Professor Abraham S. Abraham, Jed H. Abraham, Aaron Abramson, Rabbi David Abuchatzeira, Nina J. Ackerman, Ms. Malka Adatto, Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Rabbi Moshe Adler, Rabbi
Aharon Adler, Dana Adler, Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, AlHaTorah.org, Judy Alkoby, Rabbi Jason Allen, Rabbi Nisson Lippa Alpert, Shiri Alpert, Rabbi William Altshul, Alon Amar, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Professor Zohar Amar, Joshua Amaru, Claudia Esther Amzallag, Rabbi Hayyim Angel,
Ashley Ansel, Shira Apfel, Rabbi Howard Apfel, Dr. Stuart Apfel, Pamela Apfel, Dr. Maryln Applebaum, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Yosef Leib Arnest, Various Artists, Dr. Adrienne Asch, Sam Ash, Rabbi Pinchas Ashen, Rabbi Dovid Asher, Dr. Shawn Zelig Aster, Shayna Aster, Abigail Atlas,
Dr. Gil Atzmon, Rabbi Kenneth Auman, Rabbi Avrohom Ausband, Professor Nathan Aviezer, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Chaim Axelrod, Dr. Harvey Babich, Rabbi Elisha Bacon, Dr. Joshua Bacon, Dean Karen Bacon, Rabbi Asher Balanson, Rabbi Hanan Balk, Rabbi Yehuda Balsam, Rabbi
Yisrael Balsim, Rabbi Moshe Bamberger, Rabbi Natan Bar-Haim, Yonah Bardos, Dalia Barenboim, Rabbi Noah Baron, Dr. Sara Barris, Rabbi Simon Basalely, Rabbi Tzvi Basch, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Dr. Steven Bayme, Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Katie Becker,
Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh, Cantor Bernard Beer, Yitzchak Editor Beis, Rabbi Binyomin Beiser, Rabbi Eli Belizon, Mrs. Rebecca Belizon, Rabbi Shmuel Belkin, Gurion Prime Minister David Ben, Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Chaim, Geulah Ben-David, Eitan Ben-David, Rabbi Hanan Benayahu, Rebecca
Benhaghnazar, Diana Benmergui, Rabbi Moshe Benovitz, Mr. Ronald Benun, Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Dr. Michael Berger, Rabbi David Berger, Ari Berger, Rabbi Gedalia Berger, Dovi Bergman, Rabbi Moshe Bergman, Rabbi Ozer Bergman, Rabbi Ari Bergmann, Retter Aliza Berk, Netanel
Berko, Dr. Jay R. Berkovitz, Rachel Berley, Cantor Moshe Berlove, Rabbi Todd Berman, Rabbi Etan Moshe Berman, Rabbi Ari Berman, Rabbi Saul Berman, Reuven Berman, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman, Rabbi Julius Berman, Sara Bermish, Dr. Moshe Bernstein, Ayelet Bersson, Rabbi Yedidya
Berzon, Rabbi Azarya Berzon, Rabbi Chananya Berzon, Rabbi Abraham Besdin, Mrs. Rachel Besser, Rabbi Donny Besser, Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Rabbi Ezra Bick, Rabbi Jack Bieler, Rabbi Richard Bieler, Rabbi Jonathan Bienenfeld, Rabbi Marvin Bienenfeld, Amanda Bier, Rabbi Avi Billet,
Nun Rabbi Elchanan Bin, Nun Rabbi Yoel Bin, Mrs. Malke Bina, Rabbi Aaron Bina, Rabbi Gidon Binyamin, Pnina Birman, Kaganoff Mrs. Miriam Birnbaum, Rabbi Elichai Bitter, Rabbi Mendel Blachman, Rabbi Josh Blass, Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, Rabbi Binyamin Blau, Rabbi Yonason Blau,
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What is the purpose of Kol Nidrei according to one of the articles?

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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary

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by Carole, Gila and Avi Daman

Rabbi Reuven Brand . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Special Symposium: From Tanach to American Democracy: Leadership in Transition

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or most, the final hours of Tisha

Rabbi Yaakov Glasser

found, not exclusively in appreciating

Rabbi Yaakov Glasser

Teshuva and Self-Esteem

any communities have a

Rabbi Reuven Brand

considered dust during my lifetime and

With all of this heavy emotional

somber day of teshuva?

challenges of life and of being worthy of

routine, might pity the first patient,

as the first. A person is unable to repent

deep and trembling ramifications. [The

Apple Dipped in Honey:

y family is full of picky

Rebbetzin Marjorie Glatt, JD

can be applied to each person seeking

Indeed, there are two separate

prosperous and good year.4 The early

the Rosh Hashana meal, to symbolize

healing benefits as alluded to in

was the scent of an orchard

An apple is a fruit that

for a good, sweet new year by

paradigm of the way Jews should

piece of Apple technology, initially