MOSAIC EXPRESS 1

FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES AT THE FAMILY STORE

Tishrei 9, 5781 - Friday, September 27, 2020

EXPRESS

ב"ה

Montreal Torah Center Bais Menachem Chabad Lubavitch Joanne and Jonathan Gurman Community Center ⬢ Lou Adler Shul ⬢ Marcia Gillman and Michael Flinker Early Childhood Center

28 Cleve Road, Hampstead Quebec H3X 1A6 ⬢ 514. 739.0770 Fax 514.739.5925 mtc@themtc.com WWW.THEMTC.COM ⬢ SODIA ICONS

YOM KIPPUR 5781

MAY YOU BE SEALED FOR A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SWEET NEW YEAR, GMAR CHATIMA TOVA!

Candle Lighting: 6:23 pm Fast ends: 7:23 pm

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‘SPONSOR OF THE DAY’ PROGRAM The ‘Sponsor of the Day’ program creates a consistent form of annuity,

contributing to MTC’s financial stability. Each sponsorship is recognized on our website, in our weekly Mosaic Express, in our Mosaic Magazine and on the screens in our lobby.

To become a sponsor of the day, please contact Itchy @ 739.0770 ext 223

SHACHARIT

Sunday…..Shacharis………....9:00 am

Tues-Fri…. Shacharis…….…....7:00 am

MINCHA Tues-Thurs..…...........6:35 pm

MAARIV Tues-Thurs...…....…..7:05 pm

In cherished memory of R’ Yeshaya Aryeh ben Menashe Treitel obm

WEEKDAY PRAYER SCHEDULE

HEART-TO-HEART Pre-Kol Nidrei Talk Sunday at 4:00pm

themtc.com/Zoom or FB Live

Torah Classes

THE MICHAEL CHERNACK SUNDAY MORNING CLASS at 9:20, on the weekly Parsha, geared for both the novice and the more advanced student.

Monday thru Thursday morning at 6:00, and Friday at 8:20, a more advanced class on Chassidus related to the Parsha and Holidays. This is followed by a chassidic story.

Friday at 6:30 am, Parsha Class. Tuesday 11:00am, a class for

women, held until now in the home of Debbie Cons.

Join a live class on zoom. VISIT THEMTC.COM/ZOOM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Goldberg & Libraty families on the birth of a daughter to Valerie & Chad Libraty

Gottesman & Shpigelman families on the birth of a son to Yanky & Penina Shpigelman

New, Raskin and Treitel families on the birth of a son to Rabbi Levi & Ita New

MTC WISHES A HEARTY MAZAL TOV TO

DOSE OF INSPIRATION

THE DAY OF EMBRACE by Tzvi Freeman

People know Yom Kippur as a day of repentance and forgiveness. But Yom Kippur takes you far beyond that.

Because repentance means regretting who you’ve become. Yom Kippur is a day when you are embraced for who you truly are.

You are a pure, divine soul. Today, in that embrace, you experience the bond that divine soul has with G-d, and you want to live that way.

So you rid yourself of some unbecoming things you picked up on the road, and you return home, picking up some beautiful mitzvahs along the way.

On Yom Kippur you return home to the One who embraces you because you are who you are.

On Yom Kippur you return home to the One who embraces you because you are who you are.⬢

YOM KIPPUR SCHEDULE Sunday evening, September 27 Mincha……………..............…......3:15 pm Candle Lighting*/Fast Begins…...…6:23 pm Kol Nidre**……………………....6:30 pm Monday, September 28 Shacharit**….………….….......…9:30 am Mincha/Neila**…..…......................6:00 pm Fast ends……………......................7:23 pm * Do not light after sunset. ** By prior reservation only Post Yom Kippur

Sounding of the Shofar Monday at 7:30pm

themtc.com/Zoom or FB Live

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ALIYAH SUMMARY

Jewish people with a three-fold blessing. It is customary to perform this duty during the Musaf service on festival days. In preparation for the blessing, the priests remove their shoes and the Levites ritually wash their hands, they then gather at the front or by the eastern wall of the synagogue. During the blessing, one must not gaze at the Priests directly as the Divine Presence rests upon them. It is customary for men to cover their eyes with their prayer shawls, and for women to gaze into their prayer books. After the blessing, it is customary to thank the Priests with the words, Yishar Koach. Afternoon Service The afternoon service consists of the Torah reading, the Amidah prayer, and the cantor's repetition of the Amidah. Torah Reading The Torah reading speaks of the purity of Jewish life. The Torah warns us not to follow in the immoral ways of Egyptians and native Canaanites, "that the land spew you not out also, when you defile it, as it spewed out the nations that were before you." The Haftorah We read the entire B ook of Jonah. It contains a timely message on the importance of repentance and prayer. If sinfulness can cause the land to vomit its inhabitants, repentance can cause the fish to deposit Jonah back on dry land and return him to life. One should never despair, prayer and repentance lead from darkness to light, from the shadow of death to a new life. Neilah The Closing Services The concluding service consists of the Opening prayers, the Amidah prayer, the cantor's repetition of the Amidah, Avinu Malkenu (Our Father, Our King), Declaration of our

(Continued on page 5)

Shacharit The morning servic e c onsists of the following: the morning prayers, the Shema, the Amidah, the reading of the Torah, the Yizkor service, the Musaf service, the priestly blessing. Torah Reading The reading of the Torah is about the solemn service in the Holy Temple on the Day of Atonement, conducted by the High Priest himself. This was the only day of the year on which the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to offer incense and pray on behalf of the Jewish people. Yizkor Service The Yizk or servic e is recited by those who have lost either one or both of their parents. Others leave the synagogue until the completion of the Yizkor service; the reason for this is to advocate long life for the living parents. The Yizkor is more than a service of remembrance, but rather it is a time for the relatives of the departed to connect with the souls of their loved ones on a deeper level; tradition has it that during the Yizkor service, the souls of the departed descend from heaven and are joined with those who are close to them. Musaf Service The Musaf service- which is held immediately following the Morning Service) consists of the Musaf Amidah, the cantor's repetition of the Amidah, the avodah -- a recounting of the Yom Kippur service in the Holy Temple -- and the priestly blessing. Priestly Blessing The priests, or kohanim, direct descendants of Aaron, the High Priest, are commanded to bless the

THIS WEEK’S CLASS

REPENT AGAIN?!

On Yom Kippur we are obligated to do Teshuvah

even for sins we have long repented for. This class explains this strange law and addresses the exquisite beauty of the holiest day of the year.

View this class at themtc.com/tapestry

By Sarah Chana Radcliffe

You're right. You know you're right. Now you want your spouse to know you're right...

You can be right, or you can be happily married. Which one are you going for?⬢

Whether or not you are a psychologist, be careful when it comes to "diagnosing" your family members...

Never "diagnose" your child (or partner!), saying things like, "The problem with you is that you're too rigid," or "You're like your father - that's why you can never admit when you're wrong," or "You don't know when to give up," or "You're just saying that because you're jealous." These kinds of false assessments are nothing more than negative judgments; your child (or partner) is likely to feel insulted, hurt and violated when you make your pronouncements, both because your words are hurtful, and because you are crossing a line in presuming to know "what's wrong" with him or her. Nothing good will come of your diagnosis so don't share it. Instead, simply ask for what you want.⬢

PARENTING POST

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Stanley & Helen Cons

We invite you to join our Diamond, Platinum, Corporate or Event Sponsors.

We’re counting on your support! Get involved in MTC’s life-line fundraiser of the year! CHAIRPERSONS Jarrid Adler, Jeremy Levi, Rick & Rachelle Merovitz

2020 DRAW

Michael & Avital Goldenblatt Michael Cons

& Family

Robert & Bunny Sigler

OCTOBER 29, 2020 DUE TO COVID, VENUE TO BE DETERMINED

Ronnie & Debbie Cons

Cola Family

Jon Assouline

Disability Tax Consultants of Canada

Peter & Marla Veres

Bonnie Chodos in honour of

Ted Cohen obm

The Slomovic Family

In honour of the Rebbe

Michael & Taryn Nehemia

The Finkelstein Family

Srolik & Shternie Neuwirth

Evan & Osnat Feldman

Jeremy Levy

Phil & Elaine Levi

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Gaby & Sheila Segal

In Appreciation of MTC

Yehuda & Bassy Gottesman

Jeff & Brenda Kirstein

faith and the sounding of the Shofar and the closing prayers. Neilah means "closing the gate". As the awesome day of Yom Kippur comes to a close, and our future is being sealed, we turn to G-d to accept our sincere repentance and new resolutions, and that He seal us in the Book of Life, granting us a new year replete with goodness and happiness. The Ark remains open for the entire Neilah service, signifying that the Gates of Heaven are wide open to our prayers and entreaties. Closing Prayers The apex of the servic e, the emotional peak, is when we pronounce the verses proclaiming G-d as our G-d, all together. It is written that when we recite the first of the three verses, the Shema, every Jew should have the intention of giving up their soul for the sanctification of G-d's name, this intention will be considered as if we had indeed withstood the test to sanctify the Divine Name. This is followed by the declaration of G-d's unity, "G-d - He is the Only G-d" -- First recited at Mt. Carmel by the prophet Elijah. This last verse is repeated seven times in the most ardent way. The shofar is then sounded one long sound and the Neilah service ends with the prayer: "Next Year may we be in Jerusalem!" ⬢

(Continued from Aliya Summary page 3)

CHAMPLAIN, NY

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In addition to our new online platform, The Family Store is currently undergoing a significant expansion. By doubling our premises, we will accommodate more clients and fulfill more food and household essentials deliveries.

The Family Store is ”Tzedakah. Evolved,” and it's thanks to you!

THE FUTURE OF FOOD SECURITY IS HERE! INTRODUCING THE FAMILY STORE’S DIGITAL PANTRY!

6 MOSAIC EXPRESS 

More than 10,000 people heard shofar at more than 102 public shofar services scattered around the Island of Montreal, as well as at hundreds of home visits or impromptu blowings in parking lots or on street corners.

The services were included on a specially built website, shofarmontreal.com, which listed shofar blowings organized by Chabad centers and other congregations that were safe, open to the public and did not require pre-registration.

Blowing shofar in parks, street corners, in hospitals, prisons, elderly-care facilities, military bases or nearly anywhere else you can think of—is nothing new for anyone influenced by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, who launched his Shofar Campaign prior to Rosh Hashanah of 1953 (5714). At the time, there was almost no concept of bringing Judaism to the streets or wherever else Jews found themselves, and blowing shofar outside the synagogue was a revolutionary concept.

This year, for the first time, it was replicated by the entire Jewish world. While many congregations operate on a membership model that necessitates the sale of High Holiday seat tickets, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically restricted in-person participation and led them to adopt the Rebbe’s model: focusing on the Jews beyond institutional walls.

Chabad’s effort this year allowed millions of Jews from Johannesburg to Jerusalem to hear shofar outdoors, where they could safely fulfill the mitzvah without subjecting themselves to increased risk of contracting COVID-19.⬢

FROM OUR MAILBOX

“Great initiative! We saw signs all over our neighborhood leading to the times at each park. With our kids being so young (2 year old boys) and the synagogues being closed this was the best way for us to engage spiritually for the holidays and it was KID FRIENDLY! We hit up 2 parks and our boys had a blast. It leads me to believe that even in a Covid-free future there should be shul alternatives to holiday gatherings where parents can bring their small kids to get out of the experience what they can. Thank you for your creativity and pivoting to cater to these unprecedented times. “

“I want to say that the experience of hearing Shofar in the park was most uplifting and fulfilling. I went with my kids and grandchildren to two parks, and it was amazing to see so many people congregating and joining together to celebrate Hashem.”

“Thank you and your family, and all the Chabad members who participated in this important endeavour. You helped to make this one of the most enjoyable and inspirational Rosh Hashanahs that I have experienced.”

“My whole family including my one month old grandchildren (twins) were part of the shofar experience in Dufferin Park. Lots of families visible and happy to be there. Amazing effort by Chabad! Thanks.”

“Brilliant.”

“I was there in front of my building on Honore de Balzac and there were a lot of people. Thank you again Chabad and Shana Tova.”

“We heard the shofar at Gayton Park. Shterny and her husband came to my house to blow shofar for our daughter who was quarantined. Great job and Thank you !”

“Wonderful idea. I still let people know about my almost private performance from you.... Always a blessing being with you.”

“Shannah Tovah! Thank you it was amazing to have been able to listen to the shofar. We went to Centennial Park!”

“The Shofar in the park idea was a truly special event and one that should be repeated every year from now on.”

“As I mentioned to Rabbi New the other day, when I read that the shofar in the park would occur at 4pm at Ruth Kovac Park, I immediately informed my whole family. All my relatives and several friends showed up. It was an exceptionally special moment for me as the park is named after my dear wife Ruth Kovac, who passed away last

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YASHER KOACH year on the 2nd day of Tishrei. This was the first anniversary of her passing and the day turned into a glorious sunny, family day, in the park. Deep down I know that my dear wife was there with us and was listening to the shofar calling us together as a family. My family stayed in the park long after the shofar blowing ended and all the children and the grownups played together in the warm sunshine and the green grass. This event turned into a glorious family gathering with love and wonderment all around us. It was as if my wife had orchestrated this event, as she was the glue that helped keep us together. I truly believe that she was there with us on this magnificent day. That is my personal story that left me in awe. As a closing portion to this story, when I returned home that day, there were two

love birds huddled together on my front porch. They stayed there for the 3 days and were a definite sign, to me, that something special happened this year on the 2nd of Tishrei.”

“Thank you for giving us the chance to hear the shofar last weekend! It was great to be able to experience it despite the current circumstances.“

“Thank you Levi, for the beautiful Shofar today!”

“Thank you so much for helping to make me feel a bit normal. Enjoyed the shofar at Kildare Towers on Honore de Balzac. The rabbi's young daughter was watching her father with such admiration in her eyes and her little legs would sometimes move to the rythym of the sounds coming from the shofar. It was beyond wonderful!”

TO OUR SHOFAR VOLUNTEERS

Mayer Chaiken and family Yossi & Nathalie Davis

Nussy Farnkforter Levi Goldstein and family

Michael Hirsch and family David Puterman and family

Mendy & Shternie Rosenfeld Yankie Shpigelman

Aaron Smith Aaron Spiro, and Dovid

Adam Spiro, Mushka and Chava ~~~

A big thank you to Councilor Harvey Shaffer, Mayor William Steinberg, and the entire team at the Town of Hampstead for your support and

partnership in this project.

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By Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org

One of the most remarkable advantages that organisms have over machines is their ability to detect their own faults and repair them. It’s also the noblest feature of a human being. To Jews, it’s such a precious act, we have a day set aside for self repair—the most special, unique day of the year, Yom Kippur.

So how does Yom Kippur work?

That’s a crucial question, because if we can find an answer, we can harness it for every sort of human rehabilitation. We may even find some key to moral and psychological health—upon which a great deal of physical health rests.

A good place to turn for some clues is the Talmud, where every vital topic is debated, including this one. But the Talmud presents opinions in the most economical terms. Every statement is a gold mine, and it’s left to us to dig for the gold.

So here’s the debate: The most authoritative sage of his time, Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi, president of the supreme court and redactor of the Mishnah, states: “On every crime in the Torah, whether a person repents or does not repent, the day of Yom Kippur atones.”

The majority of the rabbis, however, disagree: “The day of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent. It does not atone for those who do not repent.”

Here’s the first step in digging: Look for the consensus of the two opinions. It’s apparent from their words that both agree that “the day of Yom Kippur” is the effective agent here. It’s the day that atones—not the person. The majority view doesn’t deny that—they only qualify that the day can’t provide repair without your cooperation.

So now the next step to dig: Ask the question. If you don’t ask the tough questions, the Talmud remains a closed book.

How can a day effect atonement? Isn’t that entirely up to the individual?

Atonement, after all, means a lot more than forgiveness. Just as a crime against society causes damage that must be repaired, so too a crime against your Maker. Say you’re sorry with sincerity and you’re forgiven—but you still have to fix whatever is broken. That’s the full meaning of atonement: repairing the damage well enough that it won’t happen again.

How is it possible to ensure that it won’t happen again? Because that damage is first and foremost internal. The first repair is to fix the internal damage. Find whatever it is that drives this behavior. Fix that and you’ve made yourself a person that simply doesn’t do such things.

THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE AT WORK

Here’s a lucid explanation from Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1792–1863) of the dynamic of damage and repair in vivid psychological terms:

All human behavior, including self-damaging behavior, is driven by pleasure. That pleasure-association persists as a sort of being of its own, burrowing itself deeper and deeper into the human psyche every time it arises in memory, as that neuro-connection is consistently reinforced. That makes it easier for the person to fall into the same behavior a second time, and then repeatedly after that, each time further reinforcing that neurological bond.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel describes the associated pleasure as a kind of soul to this being. The actual behavior is its body.

Repair, then, is to un-pair: To dissociate that sense of pleasure from that behavior. To pull the soul out of that body.

Take a fit of anger. Anger is a serious crime.

(For the purposes of this article, I’ve chosen to use the word crime rather than sin. The word sin implies a dualism in which there exists a moral realm where there are sins and a civil realm where there are crimes, and I don’t see such a dichotomy in Torah.)

The Torah considers anger a crime not only against your fellow human beings, but against your Creator. “One who loses his temper is as though he has worshipped other gods.”

Why is that? For one thing, if you believe that G-d is in control of the universe, why are your raging against this human being?

Yet even more serious, in a rage of anger a person has become his own god. Think of the words often spoken at the time of rage—and if not spoken, tacitly implied: “How dare you do that to me? Don’t you know who you’re dealing with?”

Anger is especially difficult to overcome because it offers a perverse and intense form of gratification. For a fleeting moment, you are the most powerful being in the universe. You are the lion king asserting his rule over his kingdom, Darth Vader blowing an entire world to smithereens.

Anger brings with it an adrenaline rush of the sort athletes and musicians experience at the height of their performance. Neurotransmitter chemicals known as catecholamines pump your body to become physically much stronger and more dangerous. Endorphins are also released, tickling your opioid receptors and telling them, “This is good! Let’s get more of these highs!”

All that is encoded as neuropath memory. And as with every pleasure sensation, the brain will play it back again and again, in the form of fantasies and dreams, each time reinforcing that neuron path connecting anger to pleasure.

If you’re fortunate enough, at some point in life you awaken to the damage anger has brought about—the relationships broken, the hurt

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caused, the scars your children will carry with them for years to come and just the utter fool you’ve made of yourself pretending you are a god.

But it’s not about consequences alone. If your remorse is only over the lousy consequences, you haven’t dealt with the anger itself. Because that means if you could get away with throwing a temper tantrum without the consequences, you might still be okay with it. Which means the anger could well survive your regrets.

But if you believe there is an Absolute Judge of good and evil, and that Judge has determined anger to be evil just for being anger, then it’s no longer just about consequences—it’s about anger itself. That now puts anger in existential danger. Which is just where we want it.

Now, in a moment of deep remorse, anger gains a new and yet deeper association: It becomes tied to bitter remorse. Anger has become despicable to you. The remorse cancels out the pleasure and that anger-creature inside you begins to die.

But, Rabbi Menachem Mendel continues, that’s not enough. As long as this anger-creature’s

body is still around, that pleasure-soul may still return. Just as an emotion replaced the soul of this creature, so an action is needed to vanquish it’s body.

That’s why the Torah prescribes vidui to accompany remorse. Vidui means simply to say it with your lips. Not to any member of the clergy, not on FaceBook, but not just to yourself either. Vidui means to move your lips and speak to G-d in a soft voice, saying, “I committed a crime against You by losing my temper. I’m embarrassed and ashamed of what I did. I won’t do this again.”

And then you can go and say the same to the people you raged against. You ask their forgiveness. And once they forgive, you have faith and trust that you are forgiven by G-d as well.

It’s humbling. And at the same time it’s the bravest and most dignified act a human being can perform. You’ve self-repaired.

Does that mean you’ll never lose your temper again? That’s up to you. You’ll always have free choice.

FRIDAY AT FIVE ON ZOOM

But you have accomplished this: Next time you’re feeling the storm of anger may arise, you’ll be so horrified by the thought of losing your cool, you’ll want to run out of there before it’s too late. Which is a good idea. And by doing so, you have accomplished a complete self-repair, something to take great pride in.

Eventually, having no chance to express itself, anger will wither and weaken. Perhaps, with great effort, one day it may drop out of your life altogether.

BACK TO THE QUESTION

All this magnifies our question a thousandfold: How is it possible that a day could atone for you? How could an external force decide what is pleasurable for you and what is painful, what you embrace and what you reject?

The key to self-repair lies in that most intimate, essential core of your being that makes those most vital decisions. Change, then, could come only from within. What do the rabbis mean when they say “the day itself atones?” You are the only one who can clean up your own mess!

(Continued on page 10)

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And, indeed, that is precisely what Yom Kippur provides that’s missing the rest of the year: You.

Because in every act of remorse the rest of the year, you are not really there. As deep as you could reach within yourself, you simply do not have the capability to reach down to your very core and flick the switch that’s needed.

Think about it: Who is the you that feels remorse? Of necessity, it is the you that is entangled in this drama of crime and self-damage.

When you were doing the right thing and staying out of trouble, you identified with that good behavior. You felt that through this behavior you had a connection to G-d, to your soul and to your people.

Then, at some point, you realized you had fallen away. You were afraid that you had lost your connection, your relationship with G-d. Whether it was anger or shellfish, dishonesty or sexual impropriety—whatever the crime, you felt it had damaged you and rendered you unfit to stand before your Creator.

Fine, but that’s not the real you. It’s the you that has some connection to your faults and your damage.

True, the path of Torah and its mitzvahs connects us to G-d. Breaking that script is like breaking the fine threads that connect you.

But the very fact that you were able to wake up to your own damage, to your disconnect—that itself indicates that your connection runs deeper, that it’s not contingent on your behavior alone, that besides those fine threads connecting you above, there’s some other deeper, intimate and unbreakable bond. Because if you had truly lost that relationship altogether, what was it that drove you to come back home?

There is a deeper you that is always connected, always pure. And that’s where total self-repair must come from.

THE TRUE YOU CONNECTION

A pillar of the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching is that a Jew is never lost. His disciple, Rabbi Dov Ber, the Great Magid of Mezritch, is said to have

(Continued from page 9) once told his student, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizensk, “Do you hear what they say in the heavenly academy? They teach that you must love the most wicked Jew just as you love the most righteous!”

Because all Jews are connected and bonded by a single, pure soul that breathes inside each and every Jew.

Yes, the Torah says about certain crimes, “and that soul shall be cut off from its people.” Even then, nothing stands before one who determines he must return. Which means that some backdoor connection must still remain—enough to enable that impetuous thrust of return.

When Israel Singer, longtime secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, mentioned to the Rebbe that Lazar Kaganovitch still lives, the Rebbe asked, “Is he doing teshuvah?” Meaning, is he trying to make amends and come back to the fold.

Lazar Kaganovich was known as Stalin’s right-hand and can be counted among the most horrific mass murderers of the 20th century. The Rebbe had first-hand experience of the Soviet era these men dominated. For one thing, his own father had been brutally tortured by Stalin’s henchmen. Nevertheless, he still held hope.

But Singer replied that from the looks of Kaganovich’s penthouse apartment and his status in the Communist Party, there did not seem to be any signs of teshuvah.

The Rebbe took a moment to absorb that. Then he commented, “But you never know, maybe he’ll repent. When you go back the next time, you should tell him he should still do teshuvah, he still has a chance.”

I don’t want to stain this page with mention of the crimes against humanity and against his own people that Kaganovich plotted and perpetrated. My point is that if the Rebbe saw hope for Lazar Kaganovich, there cannot be a Jew in the world without hope.

Because within the Jew breathes a neshamah, the breath of G-d. And that neshamah is always pure. Even in the midst of the most horrendous crime, the neshamah screams, “I don’t want to do this! I am not part of this! It is not me! It is something that is happening to

me!”

That is the you that is in hiding the whole year long—every day except for the day of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the day when that pure core-essence of the soul flushes downward and pervades your entire being. It is a day when nothing stands between G-d and the Jew.

And that is the most essential element for a thorough cleansing and repair—that knowledge that you were always connected, always loved, never rejected. That the stains and damage are only external. That your true self never underwent any change at all.

With that knowledge, the cleansing of Yom Kippur happens in an entirely different modality. It begins not with a scrubbing down, not with remorse, not with pain, but with a joyful, blissful awakening that you are loved, you always were loved, and now it’s time to come back home.

Now the scrubbing can begin—and remorse, and even the pain of remorse. After all, the majority opinion is that Yom Kippur cannot have a lasting effect without repentance. And even Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi only speaks of washing away the crime. For the person to walk out of Yom Kippur cleansed, he will need to let go of his behavior.

That is why we repeat the long vidui on Yom Kippur, again and again, to go through that self-repair process on every level of our being, from the innermost to the most external.

But all enveloped within the context of the joy and bliss of return to our true and pure selves.

Undoubtedly, this is not a lesson for Jews alone. Every person who rehabilitates himself or herself can begin with this knowledge: I am a human being. I am created in the divine image. And I choose to return to that divine me, for, in truth, a spark of the divine can never be destroyed.

Even remorse can be with joy. Indeed, the most effective remorse comes hand in hand with a deep faith that G-d believes in me.⬢

AND FINALLY...

What do you call a person who points out the obvious? The person who points out the obvious.⬢

In November of 1986, my father was being treated at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, where the chaplain

was Rabbi Elya Gross, a Chabad chasid. I was staying at the hospital to help care for my father, who was in a coma following a sudden cardiac arrest, and we became close friends. I greatly appreciated that Rabbi Elya came every day to make sure we had kosher food, and also to make us feel as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances.

We saw each other a great deal, as I spent a full month sleeping in the hospital by my father’s side. Having recently graduated from medical school, I felt I had the responsibility to make sure everything possible was being done to help him live. As well, I wanted to provide support for my mother who was devastated by what had happened.

One day, Rabbi Elya said to me, “You know, you are a great example to others of how to perform the mitzvah of ‘honor your father and your mother.’” And then he added, “As soon as you can leave here, I want to take you to see the Rebbe.”

This is what happened. After my father awoke from his coma and was discharged from the hospital in early December, Rabbi Elya took me to Chabad Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway.

When we arrived, I saw a lot of people hovering around the Rebbe’s office, but Rabbi Elya ignored everybody, walked right up to the Rebbe’s door

and knocked. When we entered, we found the Rebbe sitting behind a desk, studying a holy book.

“This is the young doctor I was telling you about,” Rabbi Elya said.

The Rebbe nodded and welcomed us in, inviting me to take a seat.

In the conversation that followed, it became clear that the Rebbe was interested to know what had motivated me to do something as radical as sleeping in the hospital at my father’s side for thirty days straight. “Were you there to pray?” he asked. “Were you there to supervise his care? Were you there for moral support?”

I answered him honestly. I said I was very fearful that my father was going to die and I needed to share certain things with him before he departed this world. In the minutes after his resuscitation,

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Marking 70 years from the anniversary of the Rebbe’s leadership, each week, JEM will be focusing on one event, idea or personality in the Rebbe’s life.

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ערב שבת פרשת האזינו, ז׳ תשרי, תשפ״אErev Shabbat Parshat Haazinu, September 25, 2020

I S S U E

402

ב“ה

THE DOCTOR’S BEDSIDE MANNERSDR. STUART DITCHEK

For this week’s episode of Living Torah,

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I asked G-d to please give our family just a short time to say goodbye properly. My prayers were answered; indeed, my father miraculously recovered. Once he was stable enough and discharged from Brooklyn Jewish to undergo rehabilitation at NYU Medical Center, I knew I had done everything I could.

Hearing that, the Rebbe remarked, “Most people spend a lifetime trying to figure out how to properly honor their parents, but you seem to have figured it out in a very short period of time.” Those were his words.

Then the Rebbe explained why I was able to meet with him privately although at that point he was seeing people in large groups only. “We have something in common,” he said.

I was puzzled. “What do we have in common?”

The Rebbe answered: “I myself wasn’t always able to properly fulfill the mitzvah of honoring my mother while she was alive. I couldn’t take her to every doctor’s visit and I couldn’t always go to the pharmacy for her, so Rabbi Elya did that on my behalf. He essentially helped me to fulfill my obligation to honor my mother in the way it was supposed to be fulfilled. And just like Rabbi Elya helped me do this mitzvah, he also helped you. This is the bond we have in common.”

And then he said something amazing: “If you ever want to come see me, you are welcome to.”

I took him up on his offer because there were certain things I had to discuss with him — big issues, life and death issues, as I was specializing in pediatrics and I couldn’t understand why G-d would strike down a small child. I was also struggling with the daily sight of so many children suffering from serious diseases and injuries. I needed the Rebbe’s help in understanding how, as a Torah-observant Jew, I was meant to relate to the questions that the suffering of those little innocents raised. I needed to know how to answer these questions when their families would ask.

I needed to know whether I should continue my career as a pediatrician.

The Rebbe offered an insight into the meaning of suffering. “We should not see it as a bad thing,” he said. “Anything that is brought by G-d, is for the good, even if we don’t understand how.” His view was that we must have faith that the illness will eventually make sense, perhaps after a very long time, or only in the world to come. Only then will we come to know its intent — why it was necessary.

But the most important thing that he taught me is that anger at G-d or towards any human being destroys the Jewish people and it destroys the world. “If you are angry at G-d because of a diagnosis,” he said, “then you are hurting the chance that this child has for a miracle.”

“Anger should never be directed at G-d,” he stressed. “Be happy that you’ve been assigned this special role and given the opportunity to participate in the care of a sick child and in the miracle of healing.”______________Dr. Stuart Ditchek is a pediatrician practicing in Brooklyn, New York. He was interviewed in July of 2013.

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ואתה תצוה… להעלות נר תמיד

While we have done our utmost to authenticate these stories, they reflect the listener’s recollection and interpretation of the Rebbe’s words.

> 5737 - 1976, in a message transmitted by Rabbi Ephraim Wolff, a leading Chabad activist in Israel, the Rebbe encouraged Israeli rabbis and leaders, with special emphasis on the leaders of the Georgian Jewish community, to help people fulfill the mitzvot of Sukkot: shaking the lulav and eating in a sukkah. In particular, the Rebbe suggested that sukkot near synagogues be equipped with a lulav, and that some food be made available for drop-ins.1 12 Tishrei

1. Admurei Chabad Veyahadut Gruzia page 643

This week in….לע“נ ר‘ ישראל יעקב וזוגתו מרת קריינא ע“ה לאקשין

In honor of our children

By Anonymous

MOSAIC EXPRESS 13

YOM KIPPOUR

28 SEPTEMBRE 2020 10 TICHREI 5781

LA SIDRA DE LA SEMAINE

ATTENTION ! VOTRE EXTASE DOIT ÊTRE TEMPÉRÉE

La lecture de la Torah que l’on fait à Yom Kippour évoque le service du Grand Prêtre, dans le Temple, lors de ce jour le plus saint de l’année. Elle commence par les mots : « L’Eternel parla à Moché après la mort des deux fils d’Aharon, quand ils s’approchèrent devant D.ieu, et ils moururent ».

Quelle relation peut bien avoir ce verset initial avec notre service personnel de Yom Kippour ? L’examen attentif du « péché » qui conduisit à la mort prématurée de Nadav et Avihou répond à cette question.

Le Tabernacle avait été inauguré par une révélation Divine à laquelle avait assisté la nation entière. Le Peuple juif avait alors poussé un soupir de soulagement collectif, réalisant que D.ieu leur avait entièrement pardonné le péché du Veau d’Or. A ce moment historique et saint, les deux saints fils d’Aharon furent saisis d’une extase divine. Leur élévation spirituelle les fit se précipiter dans le Saint des Saints avec une offrande d’encens et là, leur âme fut saturée de Divinité et s’échappa pour être absorbée dans le Saint Feu qui jaillit pour accueillir ces âmes pures.

Alors que d’autres religions, toutes axées sur la poursuite de spiritualité, auraient récompensé un acte si imprégné de sainteté, le Judaïsme, quant à lui, considère « de travers » leur acte. Les élévations spirituelles sont exaltantes et inspirantes mais elles ne constituent pas la raison pour laquelle nous avons été créés. Nous avons été créés pour imprégner de Divinité notre environnement matériel, et ce, par les Mitsvot, actions apparemment très concrètes. Toute élévation spirituelle qui ne se concrétise pas,

par la suite et matériellement, dans la vie quotidienne est certes enivrante mais elle reste virtuellement inutile.

Quelle leçon importante à garder en tête le jour de Yom Kippour !

« Les affaires sont les affaires » ne peut tout simplement pas avoir de sens après Yom Kippour. Le but suprême de ce jour saint, le jour où nous sommes comparés à des anges vêtus tout de blanc, est de donner du sens et de la sainteté aux « affaires » de tous les jours.

COMMENT PÉNÉTRER DANS LE SAINT DES SAINTS

A ‘Hanouccah, nous allumons la Menorah et à Pessa’h, nous mangeons de la Matsa. Mais de quoi s’agit-il à Yom Kippour ?

Bien qu’il y ait un certain nombre d’interdits associés à ce jour le plus saint de l’année, manger, boire, porter du cuir, se laver, etc., Yom Kippour est principalement associé à la prière, aux longues prières qui occupent presque toutes les heures de la fête.

Il est intéressant d’observer que la prière est à peine mentionnée dans les commandements bibliques à propos de Yom Kippour. Au lieu de cela, la Torah consacre un chapitre entier à la procédure du service de Yom Kippour dans le Temple, un service comparable à ceux d’aucune autre fête, en termes de longueur, de difficulté et de détails. Le point central de ce service était la convergence entre les éléments les plus saints du temps, de l’espace et de l’être vivant. Le jour le plus saint de l’année, la personne la plus sainte, le Grand Prêtre, pénétrait le lieu le plus saint de la terre, le Saint des Saints dans le Sanctuaire, là où il allait prier pour le bien-être de tous ses frères et assurer leur pardon.

Aujourd’hui, nous n’avons plus de service dans le Temple, au lieu de cela, nous prions. Avec nos prières, nous tentons de reconstituer, en termes spirituels, le service du Temple et espérons ainsi produire le même effet, obtenir le même pardon que ceux que nous assuraient ces célébrations.

Chaque Juif est un Temple potentiel pour D.ieu et chaque individu est le Grand Prêtre qui officie dans son Temple personnel. Le but de la prière de Yom Kippour est d’accéder au Saint des Saints de son Temple privé.

Et le jour de Yom Kippour, nous est accordée cette possibilité d’accéder à ce lieu normalement hors de la portée de notre conscience. Ainsi nous ravivons notre relation avec D.ieu pour l’année à venir et suscitons en Lui un effet réciproque. Il Lui est rappelé que cette relation avec nous fait aussi partie de ce qu’Il est. Il ne peut nous oublier pas plus que nous ne pouvons L’oublier. Et ainsi, quelles que soient les transgressions de l’année précédente, D.ieu accorde à Ses enfants le pardon et les inscrit dans le Livre de la vie et de la prospérité.

* * *

(Le Rabbi, lors d'un discours prononcé la veille de Yom Kippour 5747-1986, mit l'accent sur le fait que le service de Yom Kippour révèle concrètement en nous la Ye’hida, c’est-à-dire notre union absolue avec l’étincelle Divine, éternellement parfaite, que chacun d’entre nous possède.)

En discutant du thème de la Révélation de « Celui Qui est Un et Unique en Haut » dans le monde temporel, nous observons que nous pouvons réfléchir aux outils de la technologie moderne, que nous utilisons dans un

(Suite à la page 15)

YOM KIPPOUR

14 MOSAIC EXPRESS 

Got’s Nommen…

Il y a trois mois, nous avons enterré une femme de 90 ans à Zhitomir (Ukraine). Malgré tout ce que cette femme avait enduré, elle était restée ferme dans ses convictions et son attachement au judaïsme.

Il y a 18 ans, le lendemain de Yom Kippour, elle avait surgi en larmes après l’office du matin dans notre synagogue de Zhitomir, vraiment bouleversée !

L’un d’entre nous s’est approché d’elle et lui a gentiment demandé quel était son problème : avait-elle des soucis d’argent ? S’était-elle disputée avec quelqu’un ? Avait-elle mal supporté le jeûne la veille ?

Non, son problème était différent, c’était un problème auquel nul d’entre nous n’avait jamais été confronté…

« Comment ai-je pu oublier Got’s Nommen ? » se désespérait-elle.

(Got’s Nommen - en yiddish : le Nom de D.ieu : c’est ainsi qu’on appelle le lendemain de Yom Kippour, quand les Juifs sont encore sous l’influence du Nom Ineffable de D.ieu qu’on entendait dans le Temple le jour de Yom Kippour).

On voyait sur elle qu’elle en avait le cœur brisé. Mais pourquoi était-ce si important ? Ce jour était-il si spécial ?

« Ma mère m’avait toujours appris que le lendemain de Yom Kippour, il faut se lever tôt pour aller à la synagogue, expliqua-t-elle dans un yiddish délicieusement ancien. Et voilà que je réalise que j’ai raté la prière ! »

Le Chalia’h (émissaire du Rabbi) présent tenta de la consoler en récitant avec elle quelques chapitres de Tehilim (Psaumes).

« Ma mère m’avait expliqué que, le lendemain de Yom Kippour, le mauvais penchant vient accuser les Juifs : ‘Voilà ! Ils ne viennent prier qu’un seul jour dans l’année et, le lendemain, la synagogue est vide ! C’est pourquoi il faut venir tôt à la

Choule le lendemain de Yom Kippour, ce jour qu’on appelle Got’s Nommen !’ ».

Telle était la cause des larmes de Grand-Mère Perla, la doyenne de la communauté de Zhitomir (Ukraine) que nous enterrons aujourd’hui, 3 Tamouz 5780, un jour avant qu’elle ne célèbre ses 90 ans. Elle avait traversé le siècle avec ses guerres et ses révolutions, elle avait survécu à tous ceux qui avaient voulu éteindre toute trace de judaïsme en Union Soviétique, elle avait vécu souffrances et privations, dans une quasi clandestinité pour respecter des Mitsvot et elle se désolait de n’être pas venue spécialement tôt pour prier le lendemain de Yom Kippour ! L’éducation que sa mère lui avait donnée avait été si évidente, si puissante qu’elle pleurait encore maintenant comme une petite fille de ne pas s’être rappelée de ce détail.

De cet épisode incroyable, on peut déduire combien cette femme et tant d’autres Nechamot, d’âmes juives qui avaient vécu dans ces conditions terribles, étaient habitées d’une foi pure qui force le respect. C’est vraiment un récit digne du Baal Chem Tov !

Perla avait habité dans la maison où avait grandi celui qui devint le grand poète israélien Bialik. (Il y a quelques années, on avait achevé dans cette maison l’écriture d’un Séfer Torah à la mémoire d’un proche parent de Bialik).

Il n’y avait pas d’eau courante dans sa maison et tous les mercredis, elle allait puiser l’eau pour nettoyer sa demeure en l’honneur du Chabbat.

Alors même qu’elle approchait des 90 ans et qu’elle craignait d’allumer du feu, elle tenait à garder la tradition et allumait symboliquement le vendredi soir deux lumières électriques. Durant tout le Chabbat, elle veillait scrupuleusement à ne manger que des ‘Hallot ou du pain cuit dans un four allumé par un Juif - non sans s’être préalablement lavé les mains de façon rituelle.

Elle possédait un Ma’hzor (livre de prière pour les jours de fêtes juives) et le feuilletait chaque jour.

LE RECIT DE LA SEMAINE Un jour on lui demanda si l’observance des Mitsvot avait représenté pour elle un grand effort ; elle raconta :

« C’était à Pessa’h. Encore avant la guerre. Il n’y avait pas d’école juive en Union Soviétique d’alors. Je suis arrivée à l’école laïque, affamée et faible parce que depuis quelques jours, il n’y avait rien à manger à la maison. Une de mes camarades s’en est aperçue et m’a gentiment proposé un petit pain frais, si appétissant !

J’avais très faim et j’étais sur le point d’accepter quand je me suis souvenue que c’était Pessa’h et qu’on n’a pas le droit de manger du ‘Hametz (levain). J’ai donc, évidemment, refusé le petit pain malgré cette faim insupportable… »

Elle avait dit « évidemment », car, pour elle, ce n’était même pas une question, ce n’était même pas un sacrifice, c’était évident, voilà tout !

Perla veillait sur les enfants des Chlou’him et racontait avec simplicité qu’elle récitait chaque jour des Tehilim pour leur protection. A la synagogue, elle distribuait des noix à tous les enfants et, à ‘Hanouccah, elle qui était pourtant loin d’avoir assez d’argent pour elle-même leur donnait du « ‘Hanouccah Gelt », les pièces que les parents donnent traditionnellement aux enfants en l’honneur de la fête.

Tous les jours de fête - et, bien sûr, spécialement le jour de Got’s Nommen - elle arrivait tôt à la synagogue. Pour Chavouot, elle n’oubliait pas d’apporter à l’avance des fleurs car elle se rappelait que, dans son enfance, on décorait ce jour-là la synagogue avec des fleurs.

A la synagogue, elle s’asseyait le plus près possible de la Me’hitsa et écoutait attentivement chaque mot de la prière. A la fin de l’office, elle s’approchait avec émotion de l’arche sainte et priait en versant des larmes.

Perla, Grand-Mère courage, vous étiez le symbole, l’exemple vivant d’une Nechama (âme) pure, lumineuse et sincère. Nous nous souviendrons toujours de vous comme la « Babouchka Perla » de la communauté de Zhitomir.

Et, en ce jour de Yom Kippour, nous pensons à vous ainsi qu’à toutes les Babouchkas qui se sont dévouées corps et âme pour transmettre le judaïsme aux générations suivantes - quelles que soient les circonstances et malgré toutes les difficultés. Certainement, de là-haut, vous bénissez votre communauté et tous ceux que vous avez connus et encouragés à votre manière, avec tant d’évidence, dans le chemin de la Torah.⬢

Mendel Wilhelm - Zhitomir Traduit par Feiga Lubecki

MOSAIC EXPRESS 15

LE COIN DE LA HALACHA

Dans la semaine qui précède Yom Kippour, on procède aux Kapparot : on fait tourner autour de sa tête trois fois un poulet vivant (ou un poisson, ou une somme d’argent multiple de 18) en récitant les versets traditionnels ; puis on donne le poulet (ou le poisson ou la valeur monétaire) à une institution charitable.

La veille de Yom Kippour (cette année dimanche 27 septembre 2020), on a coutume de demander au responsable de la synagogue du gâteau au miel, symbole d’une bonne et douce année. Jusqu’à la fin du mois de Tichri, on ne récite plus de Ta’hanoun (supplications).

Il est d’usage que les hommes se trempent au Mikvé (bain rituel), si possible avant la prière de Min’ha. On met les vêtements de Chabbat. Après la prière de Min’ha, on prend un repas de fête, sans poisson ni viande, mais avec du poulet. Après le repas, les parents bénissent les enfants et leur souhaitent d’aller toujours dans le droit chemin. Le jeûne de Yom Kippour commence à 18h23 (en Montreal).

Après avoir mis des pièces à la Tsedaka, les femmes mariées allument au moins deux bougies avant 18h23 (en Ile-de-France), (les jeunes filles et petites filles allument une bougie) et récitent les bénédictions.

Il est d’usage d’allumer également une bougie qui dure au moins vingt-cinq heures et sur laquelle on récitera la bénédiction de la « Havdala » à la fin de la fête. On allume aussi des bougies de vingt-cinq heures à la

QUE FAIT-ON À YOM KIPPOUR ?

mémoire des parents disparus.

On enlève les chaussures en cuir et on met des chaussures en toile ou en plastique. Les hommes mariés mettent le grand Talit et le « Kittel » (vêtement rituel blanc).

Pendant tout Yom Kippour, on récite la deuxième phrase du Chema Israël (« Barou’h Chem… ») à voix haute. Il est interdit de manger, de boire, de s’enduire de crèmes ou de pommades, de mettre des chaussures en cuir, d’avoir des relations conjugales et de se laver (sauf si on s’est sali ; de même, on se lave les mains pour des raisons d’hygiène). On passe la journée à la synagogue. Toutes les interdictions de Chabbat s’appliquent à Yom Kippour.

Ce lundi matin, on ne récite pas la bénédiction : « Cheassa Li Kol Tsorki » (« Qui veille pour moi à tous mes besoins ») car on ne porte pas de vraies chaussures.

Les malades demanderont au médecin et au Rabbin s’ils doivent jeûner ou non.

A la fin du jeûne (19h23 en Montreal), on écoute - si possible - la sonnerie du Choffar.

Après Yom Kippour, on se souhaite mutuellement « Hag Saméa’h ». Si possible, on prononce la bénédiction de la lune. On récite la prière de la Havdala, on se lave les mains rituellement et on se rince la bouche. Durant le repas qui suit le jeûne, il est d’usage de parler de la construction de la Souccah et, si possible, on construit effectivement la Souccah tout de suite après le repas.⬢

rassemblement, pour amplifier et transmettre instantanément le son, d’un lieu à un autre. Il apparaît ainsi une analogie significative avec la révélation de la Divinité dans le monde.

Cette technologie peut relier tous les Juifs de par le monde et réaliser concrètement le fait que « toutes les tribus d’Israël étaient unies. »

Dans notre cas, ce phénomène est extrêmement instructif.

Ici le Juif voit le potentiel de révéler l’infinie puissance de Celui qui est Un dans le monde, précisément dans la matérialité du monde (...) par le biais de la reproduction de la « Parole de D.ieu ».

Cela inclut également des mots d’encouragement qui peuvent être transmis et entendus partout dans le monde, instantanément. Et ils unissent tous les Juifs qui les entendent (…)

Cela accroît également notre potentiel de recevoir d’encore plus grandes bénédictions.

Que le Saint Béni soit-Il accorde à chaque Juif Gmar Ve’hatimah Tova, dans tous les domaines, spirituels et matériels.

Puisque nous désirons que les bénédictions de D.ieu s’expriment dans les différents aspects de nos besoins, il nous faut réellement prier et délimiter les bénédictions précises pour lesquelles nous invoquons D.ieu.

On a la coutume de citer ces bénédictions dans l’ordre de l’Aleph Beth.

Que ce soit une année de Orah (lumière)

Une année de Bera’ha (bénédiction)

Une année de Guilah (joie)

Une année de Ditsa (joie exubérante)

Une année de Hod veHadar (splendeur et gloire)

Une année de Vaad Tov (rassemblement heureux)

Une année de Zè’hiot Guedolot (grands mérites)

Une année de ‘Hayim Tovim VeArou’him (une bonne et longue vie)

Une année Tova (bonne)

Une année de Yi’houd (unité), « le peuple uni pour affirmer Ton unité » (Sidour) : quand les Juifs vivent une véritable unité, ils peuvent alors arriver au niveau du véritable Ahavat Israël

(Continuer de la page 13) (amour du prochain).

L’unité influencera le monde matériel et nous aurons une année de

Kalkala (abondance matérielle). D.ieu nous donnera également les forces et les qualités nécessaires pour accomplir ces bonnes résolutions et pour absorber toutes Ses

bénédictions, à commencer par la bénédiction de la paix et de la Torah.

Cela nous mènera à une année de Limoudim (étude de la Torah), avec une vigueur et une diligence renouvelées, et en même temps, une année élevée, où nous dominerons avec la main levée.

(Continued on page 16)

16 MOSAIC EXPRESS 

Tout a sans doute été dit sur Yom Kippour : sa grandeur et sa solennité, sa noblesse et sa subtile douceur et le fait que chacun sache y trouver sa place. Pourtant, on ne se lasse jamais de redire le caractère particulier de cette journée. On la garde au fond de soi comme un souvenir vivant, une chose que l’on chérit parce qu’ancienne et précieuse et qui sait, en même temps, avoir toute la vigueur du présent et l’enthousiasme de l’avenir. Et cette année, elle se découpe avec encore plus de clarté sur le fond morose de l’époque. Pourquoi donc Yom Kippour est-il ce jour qui ne se détache d’aucune conscience ?

De fait, à Yom Kippour, chacun ressent comme un appel profond, qui le touche plus qu’il ne saurait le dire. C’est un appel qui le traverse de part en part, se saisit de lui et l’entraîne dans ce grand voyage du jour. L’appel vient de loin : c’est l’essence du Créateur qui s’adresse à lui, souligne la mystique juive. Mais, alors qu’il est fait ainsi référence à l’Infini, cette voix pénètre jusqu’au niveau – pour ainsi dire intimiste – de l’essence individuelle de la créature. Peut-être approche-t-on le secret du moment : l’Infini s’unissant au fini, D.ieu à l’homme ? Est-ce un hasard si les Sages du Talmud qualifient cette journée de « jour unique de l’année » comme si, finalement, c’est d’une unité surprenante et bouleversante qu’il était alors question ?

A l’époque où le Temple se dressait sur sa colline, à Jérusalem, ce jour était celui où, pour la seule fois de l’année, un homme, le Cohen Gadol – le grand-prêtre – entrait dans l’endroit le plus saint qui ait jamais existé en ce monde : le saint des saints, au cœur même du Temple. Il y priait, demandant à D.ieu qu’Il accorde à tous une année de vie et d’abondance. En ce lieu et en ce moment où le plus haut niveau du spirituel apparaissait, c’est de vie quotidienne qu’il était ainsi question. Car c’est ainsi que vont les choses. De même que le monde ne doit pas gêner ou obscurcir le spirituel, le spirituel ne doit pas faire oublier le monde ou en détourner. C’est dans le monde et dans chaque seconde de la vie que l’on s’attache à D.ieu et Yom Kippour sait réunir ces deux pôles de toute existence humaine. Voilà qui lui donne une puissante signification en ces temps d’incertitude : se lier à D.ieu, c’est aussi apporter à tout et à tous vie et pérennité.

C’est aussi pourquoi on n’en sort pas inchangé. On sait que D.ieu pardonne les fautes commises et que la vie reprend sur des bases nouvelles. L’unité essentielle ressentie en ce jour nous conduit au-delà de nous-mêmes et ce dépassement nous mène à une réalité meilleure et plus sereine que celle que nous avons vécue jusqu’ici. En des temps difficiles, c’est là une certitude précieuse. Pour une année bonne et douce.⬢

LE SECRET DE YOM KIPPOUR

EDITORIAL

CONNAÎTRE D.IEU

Bien qu’il y ait des différences entre le grand et le petit, cependant quand il s’agira, après le venue de Machia’h, de « Me connaître » - c’est-à-dire de percevoir l’Essence de D.ieu – tous seront égaux. Le texte de la prière le proclame en ces termes : « Il est immuable et met au même niveau le petit et le grand ».⬢

ETINCELLES DE MACHIAH

Une année de Nissim Guedolim (grands miracles), plus grands encore que ceux que nous avons vécus à la Sortie d’Égypte.

Et que dès le début de l’année, puissions-nous voir un Simane Tov (un signe favorable) en même temps que Siyata DiChmaya (l’aide Divine).

Cela donnera à tous les Juifs une année de Oz

(Continuer de la page 15) (force) et une année de Pédout (délivrance) jusqu’au niveau de « délivre mon âme en paix ». Cela viendra avec la véritable et complète Rédemption.

Une joyeuse année de Tsahala (exultation))

Une année de Tsidkato (bienveillance du Saint Béni soit-Il) parce que ce sera une année où nous serons Komémiout (nous aurons la tête haute) et une année de Sim’ha (bonheur), « et

une joie éternelle sur leur tête » (Yichayahou 35 :10).

Cela conduira à une année de Tehila (louange), « que ma bouche soit emplie de Ta louange » (Tehilim 71 :8)).

Tout cela sera associé à : « Alors votre bouche sera pleine de rire » (Tehilim 126 :2) au moment de la véritable et complète Rédemption.⬢