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Nearing The End
Here we are getting ready to usher in the last month of the year.
There is a vast amount of discussion and literature on how to start off the year and very little about how to end it. Even Elul has been marketed as the preparation for the beginning of the fresh start and not the end of what we have been living with for 12 months.
Chazal attach great importance to the end. How we present at the end of the year represents the culmination of our year. The last Shabbos indicates all my shabbosim, the last Sunday or Monday, the last minchah, the last birchas hamazon and so on all give forth the sum total of what I have accomplished and more important – what I am as the year comes to a close. We all have our ups and downs but what we become at the end is how we are judged.
The Gemorah at the end of Meggila discusses at length how the Parshios and Haftaros are place on the calendar. In all cases, says the Psikta, Ki Setze followed by Ki Savo must be read before Rosh Hashana because Ki Savo contains the Klalos SheBemishna Torah. One might think that the purpose of this reading before Rosh Hashana is to whip us in shape for the new year but the Gemara explains it differently – Tichleh Shana V’Killiloseho! Somehow by reading the klalos it is as if we experienced them. If any of this curse is G/F coming to us, we are yotzei with the reading.
There is also a seder for the Haftoras. Tosfos explains our minhag is according to the Psikta and a seder begins on he 17th of Tamuz. We read shalosh d’puransa, sheva d’nechamah, vtartei l’tiyuvta. This order is extremely important and is not interrupted for hardly any reason including machar Chodesh.
In this regard the calendar is a bit counter intuitive. What would seem to make more sense is that after puranios we should do Teshuva. If we do Teshuva it makes sense that Hashem will comfort us more than double are pain. Without Teshuvah! Why the comforting when we are still omeid b’cheit?
From Chazal we see an insight, not only into the darchei Hashem but perhaps even more importantly into the depth of human nature and in fact what our responses in all of our different relationships should be.
The derech to Teshuvah is not just pain and puraniyos. Pain alone does not bring about a response of Teshuvah. Teshuvah is not only about creating behavioral changes; to do teshuvah is to stand before Hashem, to make Hashem central in our lives and in our thoughts and to return to a relationship with Him. Even more than we need to know the consequences of our actions we need to have validation of our relationship with Hashem. The intention is not to be frightened into Teshuvah but to be inspired into a healthy, positive and mature relationship with HaKadosh Boruch Hu.
This Dvar Torah was generously dedicated by my friend and mechutan Fred Schor in honor of the birth of our granddaughter Rivky, born to Rabbi Tzvi and Raizy Haber; with blessings to the Habers on their relocation to Los Angeles to teach Torah and in honor of their fifth anniversary. Mazal Tov!
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