Rabbi Pinchas Teitz Z”L, a great Rabbi and Scholar who was the founder and dean of the Yeshiva in Elizabeth, NJ that I attended for elementary and high school, used to address the student body of the Yeshiva every year during these Days of Repentance. Every year he repeated the same parable that touched my heart in its simplicity and depth and has stayed with me since.

Imagine taking a final exam that will decide your entire academic career. You’ve studied for the test but as you take it you become so nervous that you start forgetting all the material. You struggle through the exam and, with a heavy heart, you hand in your exam booklet with the almost certain knowledge that you got many of the answers wrong. You feel like a failure. Suddenly your entire class is called back into the exam room. The teacher makes an incredible announcement. Every student can take back his or her exam and change any answers that they think are wrong before returning it for grading. Can you even imagine that?! A second chance! A dream come true.

This is the essence of the Days of Repentance. Our judgment has been inscribed on Rosh Hashanah. We leave court dejected and afraid. Surely, judging by our actions of the past year, we have not merited a favorable verdict. All is lost. But then God calls us back and gives us our personal verdict book with the amazing opportunity to change its contents. We have the incredible opportunity, during these ten days, to rewrite our verdict before it is sealed on Yom Kippur. What a wondrous gift.

Let us all take this special gift and use these days to make changes in ourselves and our relationships with others. If we make a sincere effort right now we can be sure that the verdict that is sealed on Yom Kippur will be the right one for us.

** This essay can be found in Deep Waters: Insights into the Five Books of Moses and the Jewish Festivals

The traditional form of communication with God is through prayer. The Sages composed the traditional prayer service and hid within its words the secret formulas to unlock the mysteries of the heavens and the gates of atonement. In fact, the Torah in Genesis teaches that God created the world with the words, “Let there be light”. The Kabbalists derive from this that the letters of the Hebrew alphabet possess the power of creation. Therefore, for those who are capable, it is highly efficacious to pray in the original Hebrew syntax.

For those who cannot pray in Hebrew, the Talmud clearly teaches that the prayers can be recited in any language understood by the petitioner. What if the words of the prayer book simply do not stir the heart of the supplicant? Then he should use his own words to cry out to God from the depths of his emotions.

However, what if the person standing before the Creator is so broken with pain and sorrow that he cannot even utter a single word in prayer? What if no sound comes forth from his throat, as hard as he might try to scream out?

King David, in the Psalms, says, “I am a prayer”. What does this mean? For example, when you encounter a homeless beggar on the street with his hand outstretched, palm facing up, he doesn’t need to deliver a fundraising pitch to let you know that he is in desperate need. All you need to do is to take one look at him to know he needs your help. His whole presence screams out to you. This is exactly what King David is saying. His whole physical being was transformed into a supplication without even uttering a single word.

On Rosh Hashanah the sounding of the shofar is our deepest and most powerful prayer because it transcends words and emanates from the depths of every Jewish soul regardless of linguistic or oratorical skill level. The same is true when we join together in a Niggun, which is a song with no words.

On Yom Kippur our fasting transforms our bodies into humble vessels of supplication. Therefore, when we come before God on Yom Kippur with broken hearts and shattered egos, humbly bowed before Him with outstretched hands like simple beggars, we ourselves become prayers. Our very presence cries out to God for health, love, success, peace and salvation. No words are necessary.

May God bless us all with the strength to be able to cry out to Him in whatever way we are best able to and may He answer all of our prayers and seal us all in the Book of Life.

** This essay can be found in Deep Waters: Insights into the Five Books of Moses and the Jewish Festivals

The man returned home and told his wife what happened. He then went out to think of a plan to raise the funds. While he was gone his wife gathered all the silver utensils in the house and went to the market to sell them. She brought back the coins and spent the entire evening polishing them. When the man returned home his wife presented him with a bag of coins. The next morning the man brought the coins and gave them to the Rebbe. When the Baal Shem emptied the coins onto the table he was taken aback by their shining brilliance. He blessed the man and asked how the coins had gotten so shiny. The man had no answer.

When the man returned he told his wife what had happened at the Rebbe’s and asked her where she had found such shiny coins. The wife answered that the coins weren’t shiny when she got them. However, since she knew that they would be in the presence of the Rebbe she stayed up for hours polishing them until they sparkled.

In a few weeks we will all stand in the presence of the All Mighty…Our Father, Our King. Even though we might be a bit dirty we should take this opportunity to polish ourselves up a bit so that we can shine before Him. Let’s pick one or two things that we feel we can “polish” in ourselves and work on them for the next couple of weeks. Even if we feel we won’t be able to keep it up for the long term at least we will be shiny and polished for the High Holy Days. It’s not hypocritical; it’s just taking one small step at a time and being the best we can be right now.

** This essay can be found in Deep Waters: Insights into the Five Books of Moses and the Jewish Festivals

It was told that in the shul of the great Chassidic Master, the Chozeh (Seer) of Lublin, they sang and danced on the night of Rosh Hashanah. When the Misnagdim, the anti-Chassidic proponents, heard of this they were taken aback. How could the so called great Rebbe allow dancing on the awesome Day of Judgment? They decided to send a spy to the Chozeh’s synagogue to investigate.

The undercover Misnaged traveled to Lublin on the eve of the new year and witnessed the community diligently preparing for the holy day. That night in the synagogue of the Chozeh the mood was serious as the Chassidim fervently prayed for a favorable heavenly judgment. Everything seemed very proper until the services ended. Then the Chassidim moved the benches to the side and began joyously singing and dancing with all their might. The Misnaged, unable to contain his anger, ran up to the Chozeh and reprimanded him. “How can you allow this merriment on the Day of Judgment?” Without replying the Chozeh placed his hand over the man’s eyes allowing him to see a vision. In the vision the man saw the gates of the Garden of Eden within which a group of Jews danced fervently in a circle. Outside of the gates stood one man, watching and crying, unable to enter. The Chozeh removed his hand and the Misnaged realized that he was the solitary man in the vision prevented from entering the Garden of Eden. He began to cry and plead with the Chozeh. “Rebbe, how can I too

How many times we think about doing something but never end up doing it because we feel it is something that is perhaps good for others but not something that we could ever do? We see others singing and praying and we wish we could have the same spirit and fervor. We see others doing Mitzvot and wonder how it would feel if we did them as well. We think, “how good would it be if we could attend prayer services every Shabbat”.

The Chozeh of Lublin gave us the secret of success and fulfillment. If you want to join the Jews that are dancing in the Garden of Eden, just join them and dance. Just sing and pray and do mitzvoth and go to shul. Don’t just think about it. Try it. Do it. See how it feels for you.

On Rosh Hashanah we pray to God for health and peace, the things we have no control over. For everything else we need to make the effort to have a sweet year. Much of it is in our hands. If we want to have a great year of growth and success, make it happen. Just dance.
** This essay can be found in Deep Waters: Insights into the Five Books of Moses and the Jewish Festivals

The traditional answer is that we, the Jewish People, are confident that God will have mercy on us and rule leniently in our case, as He promised our forefathers He would. Therefore, we can rejoice even as we are judged.

I’d like to offer another way of reconciling our paradoxical situation. Although we know that we are being judged and that we face the possibility of being found guilty, at the moment we are still considered innocent. As long as we still have the possibility of acquittal, we can enjoy our freedom and celebrate.

Often, in life, there are challenges and obstacles that loom in our future that we may one day have to confront. Some of these challenges will definitely confront us, such as old age and death, and others may never actually come to pass. However, if we spend our time focusing on these future events, we will definitely feel sad, anxious, and depressed now. What a waste, to worry and destroy ourselves for something that might not even happen! Why not be happy with our current situation and worry about the future when, and if, it actually happens?

This is the message of the High Holiday paradox. We can rejoice and celebrate, even though we know that we might be judged unfavorably in the future. God is telling us to not spend our days worrying about an uncertain future, but to live every moment of our present in joy and happiness, while we pray for forgiveness and mercy.

May Hashem judge us mercifully and grant us forgiveness, and may He bless us all with health, happiness, and success, and seal us in the book of life.

When the man returned he told his wife what had happened at the Rebbe’s and asked her where she had found such shiny coins. The wife answered that the coins weren’t shiny when she got them. However, since she knew that they would be in the presence of the Rebbe she stayed up for hours polishing them until they sparkled.

In a few weeks we will all stand in the presence of the All Mighty…Our Father, Our King. Even though we might be a bit dirty we should take this opportunity to polish ourselves up a bit so that we can shine before Him. Let’s pick one or two things that we feel we can “polish” in ourselves and work on them for the next couple of weeks. Even if we feel we won’t be able to keep it up for the long term at least we will be shiny and polished for the High Holy Days. It’s not hypocritical; it’s just taking one small step at a time and being the best we can be right now.

Here are a few suggestions: being nice to someone every day, appreciating your parents, studying a piece of Torah daily.
Please add your own suggestions in the comments…

** This essay can be found in Deep Waters: Insights into the Five Books of Moses and the Jewish Festivals