OCTOBER 7-8, 2016 6 TISHREI 5777
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"Blessed is His Name whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever." On Yom Kippur we have a very special halachah. When we say the Shema, we say the "Baruch Shem…" out loud. As we know, all year around we say it quietly; however, on Yom Kippur, since we are like angels, we say it out loud like them. Are we really like angels? Listen to a parable by Rabbi Elimelech Biderman, Shlita. A zoo found itself in a quandary after its star attraction, a pair of fierce lions, both died. Unable to procure another pair of these beasts, the zoo hired professional actors to play the role of lions. Two men were dressed up as lions, and while crawling around on all fours, they made a convincing show, perfectly imitating a lion's roar. All went well until an outraged visitor approached the zookeeper. "Whom do you think you're fooling?" he demanded. "Those aren't lions you have in that cage, but humans!" "What makes you think such a thing?" the zookeeper, eager to cover up, asked. "Why, walking by earlier I heard one of the so-called 'lions' whisper to the other in a very human voice, 'Until what time will we have to roar today?'" "I don't understand you," the annoyed zookeeper replied. "All day they roar exactly like lions, and because for one minute one spoke like a human, you already assume that he is a person?" The visitor was hardly amused. "That's exactly my point. If he speaks for a moment like a man, that shows that the rest of the time he is only acting." When a Jew raises himself up a notch and draws closer to Hashem during Yom Kippur, he is actually revealing his "real" self. He is proving that essentially, through and through, he is even higher than the angels. It was all the other times, when his evil inclination got the better of him, that he "dressed up" and behaved improperly. Shabbat Shalom and happy holiday Rabbi Reuven Semah Among the most important prayers on Yom Kippur is the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy - which we know as "??????". We say it on Yom Kippur a total of 26 times, and there is a covenant that we will always be answered with this prayer The Gemara tells us that Hashem showed Moshe Rabenu this prayer and told him when the Jewish people "do" this order of prayer they will be answered. The Rabbis point out that it doesn't say, "when the Jewish people will say this prayer," but rather will "do" this prayer. This means that for the "rucghu" to be effective, we have to learn to emulate the thirteen attributes of mercy which Hashem is known for. When we say them on Yom Kippur, let us reflect for a moment on the words. "He is merciful," let us acquire this trait within ourselves. "He is slow to anger," so should we be. "He forgives sins," we must learn to forgive others, etc. By saying these traits and trying to learn from them, we will become better people and merit forgiveness from G-d! Tizku Leshanim Rabot. Rabbi Shmuel Choueka
A quick tip to boost the power of your prayer. Hazal tell us (Masechet Baba Kama Daf 92A) that Hashem loves the tefilot of one Jew for another so much that anyone who prays on behalf of a fellow Jew with similar needs will have his prayer answered first. A special service has now begun to provide people with names of others who find themselves in a similar predicament. You can call with complete anonymity and get the name of someone to pray for and give the name of someone that needs our prayers. The name of the service is Kol Hamitpalel. Categories include: Marriage; Income; Health; To have children etc. Call to 646-279-8712 or email kol18@attglobal.net (Privacy of email limited by the email address) Please pass this message along. Tizku L'misvot. Please preserve the sanctity of this bulletin. It contains words of |
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