Shalom Friends;
Our Yom Kippur vort is being sponsored by Yossie and Elisheva Schulman of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated l’zecher nishmas Elisheva’s Grandmother, Zemira bas Yehuda Leib and her aunt, Rivka Necha bas Moshe Yitzchak and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages and their return home home without experiencing any further harm, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To Yossie, Elisheva and the Schulman family, may you all be inscribed and sealed for only simcha, success, good health, nachas from your children, and only good things in the year to come and to at least 120 years. Many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued multitudes of kindnesses.
Friends, you can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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In one of the most compelling and pertinent vorts this author has seen relating to Yom Kippur, sefer “Shem Mishmuel,” The Sochaczever Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, z”l renders to English Sefer Devarim, Perek 29, posukim 9 – 10, the opening posukim of Parshat Nitzavim, and provides commentary (pages 440 – 441) :
In [one of] Moshe’s final address[s] to Yisrael, he describes ten categories of people:
“You are all standing here today, before the Lord, Your G’d — Your heads, your tribes, your elders. and your officers, every Jewish man. Your children, your women, the outsider who is in your camp, your woodcutter to your water-drawer.” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 29, posukim 9 – 10)
These divisions of people represent the whole gamut of the nation, from young to old, the powerful and the ordinary — in short, everyone of every type.
Let us now examine the incense used in the Beit HaMikdash. It was used as part of the daily offering, but on Yom Kippur it played a primary role. The Kohen Gadol took… ground incense [for reference: see Shacharit morning davening in korbonot section, Talmud Kereisos 6a, Yerushalmi Yoma 4:5] into the Kedosh Kadoshim [on Yom Kippur] and waited there until the cloud of spices filled the room. This incense contained eleven spices, ten of which were pleasant smelling, but one which had a foul odor. We may suggest that the ten sweet-smelling spices corresponded to the ten groups within the Jews as noted above.
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for “incense” is “ketores” a word that is etymologically linked to “kesher,” which means “connection.” The spices were pounded together to make a single compound. This illustrates that each group within Yisrael must recognize that it has value only as part of a larger entity. When this occurs, it’s possible to add the eleventh, malodorous spice, which represents the bad elements within Israel. Only when these eleven spices are pounded to indistinguishable dust, that is, completely mingled, can they be brought into the Kedosh Kadoshim on Yom Kippur. In the same way, only when everyone, good or bad, acts for a single purpose, nullifying his individuality to the benefit of the community, can the “compound” of the Am Yisrael be presented to Hashem for His scrutiny on this great and awesome day [Yom Kippur]. However, if dissonance [noun: inharmonious or harsh sound; discord] exists within the various elements of the klal, then the weaker, eleventh group cannot join. Since there is already disharmony among the people, adding the sinful element will not produce a unified Yisrael and, therefore, serves no useful function. In fact, this will cause additional strife, as the weaker group will join one side or the other of the rift, strengthening the divide.
Shem Mishuel continues (ibid, page 441) :
Let us deepen our understanding of this idea. The Gemara explains:
He [spice-maker] would return [the spices] to the mortar on the day before Yom Kippur and grind them thoroughly so that [compound] would be extremely fine. (Shem Mishuel citing Talmud, Kreisos 6a)
This symbolizes the notion that to achieve real unity in the community, a sort of “grinding” of the personality is needed. It is arrogance that leads to disunity, the feeling that one is special and in some way above everyone else. One must pound this arrogance out of one’s character to effect the realization that one’s whole existence depends on the community. This development of the personality removes its dross, allowing the pure light of the soul to shine through. Since at some deep level all the souls of the Jews have the same source, this will effect an automatic unity.
This is the message behind the finely ground incense of Yom Kippur. Let us take it to heart and work on ourselves to eliminate any traces of pride or self-interest. Then we will be able to present a truly unified Yisrael to Hashem on this Holy day.
And so, The Shem Mishmuel shows us, in his vort for Yom Kippur 5673, the critical relevance of unity vs disunity and discord to his grinding of the incense on Yom Kippur and how it relates to our current day matzav.
May it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of their high command, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, their terrorist buddies and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds, that the Chayalim return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages. And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fourth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5784, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
May You, All of My Brothers and Sisters, be Inscribed and Sealed for another Year of Life… Now and always! And may our hopes and prayers, are realized. L’Shana Tova!
As a Rav back in the Old Country would say, “Tefillah Kasher V’Tzom Kal — Daven Hard, Fast Easy!”
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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