30 Sep IS THAT HONK NECESSARY?

It’s 2 AM. “Ani ye’sheinah, v’leebe eir, I
am sleeping, but my heart is awake.” (Shir
HaShirim 5:2)
I came home from Selichos a little while
ago, physically tired, but spiritually awake.
This year, the words of Selichos take on
extra meaning. Each tefilla penetrates our
neshama. Each tefilla is heartfelt.
“Shema koleinu”, Hear our voices, and
accept with compassion our prayers. We
repeatedly cry out to HaShem, reciting the
“Yud Gimmel Middos”, HaShem’s Thirteen
Attributes of Mercy and Compassion.
“Aneinu HaShem, Aneinu”, Answer us
HaShem, answer us. “Shomer Yisroel”,
Guardian of Am Yisroel, Protect the
remnants of Yisroel, Don’t let Yisroel be
destroyed. “V’havee’osim el har kodshee”,
And I will bring them to My house, and I
will gladden them in My house of prayer.
I came home feeling proud and fortunate to
be part of Am Yisroel. A nation that even in
times of darkness and difficulty, does not

lose hope, but turns to HaShem with tefilla.
We don’t know what lies ahead of us, but
we have faith in Avinu sheh’bashomayim,
our Father in Heaven.
We are approaching the one-year mark of
October 7. (which last year fell on Shemini
Atzeres) The images of thousands of Hamas
terrorists invading the Nova music festival
and the many kibbutzim and communities
in the south are still seared into our hearts
and minds. The bullet-riddled homes with
bloodied floors and mattresses, the burned
out abandoned cars piled up on the roads,
the savagely mutilated bodies scattered
about, and the look of pure fear on the faces
of those being taken hostage are impossible
to forget. It was a day that changed Israel,
and left its mark on all civilized people
throughout the world. A day that changed
the course of history forever.
Over the course of the past year, I have
been asked many times, what would your
mother, the Rebbetzin a”h, say about
October 7.
What would my mother say? I remember
her receiving similar questions following
9-11. The nation was in pain. People

needed chizuk, strength, they were
looking for clarity. All wanted to
know the Rebbetzin’s answer to
9/11.
My mother began a coast-to-coast
speaking tour, addressing that very
question. She visited scores of
cities, delivering a message that was
direct and passionate. A three-fold
formula taken from the Musaf
prayer of Rosh HaShana and Yom
Kippur. Teshuva, repentance; tefilla,
prayer; and tzedaka, giving of
ourselves to others, and personal
sacrifice for the sake of the Torah.
I am sure that the Rebbetzin would give us
the same message after all that we have
experienced over the past year.
TESHUVA – TO RETURN.
HaShem created each and every one of us
with a pure soul. As we say in the morning
prayers, “HaShem, the soul that You have
given me is pure.” That pure soul is always
with us, and enables us to return to our
Creator. The ability to return is a gift from
HaShem.
As I write these words, I received a phone
call from a friend’s daughter. Knowing
that I am always looking for stories that
are life lessons, she wanted to share a
personal experience.
The young mother had carpool for her
daughter’s Sunday program. It was
raining. There was a lineup of cars in front
and behind her. She was trying to get into
the entranceway to pick up the girls, but
this one car was blocking the entrance.
She tried to be patient, but after a while, it
was wearing thin. After all, the girls were
waiting, and she had errands to do. She
gave it a few more minutes, and then,
enough was enough. She started honking.
Loud. Again and again. And then she saw
a child wrapped in blankets as a protection
from the rain, being taken out in a
wheelchair. She felt sick to her stomach.
What was she thinking? Did she really
have to honk, and honk some more?
Ouch! She then found out that the building
housing the Sunday program recently
leased a portion of the space to a program
for special needs children.
The woman called to tell me that she
learned a life lesson. A lesson to have
patience, to give the benefit of the doubt,
to realize that one ever fully knows what
is happening. Don’t be quick to judge.
Don’t be hasty in reaching conclusions.
She asked if I could please print her story.
She called it her pre-Rosh HaShana

lesson. For this young mother, it was her
personal lesson of teshuva. She hoped that
perhaps someone else will learn from it too.
What can we do for October 7? We ask
HaShem to be kind, compassionate and
patient with us. Let’s work on showing
kindness, compassion and understanding to
others.
TEFILLA – PRAYER.
Towards the conclusion of the Selichos,
there is a beautiful tefilla, Mi Sheh’anah,
He Who answered.
We turn to HaShem, saying, You answered
so many in times of distress and personal
need. You answered Avraham, Yitzchak
and Yaakov. Yosef, Moshe, and Aaron. You
answered our prophets and our kings, and
so many more.
As I was davening and concentrating on
each line in this tefilla, I was thinking,
HaShem, You answered so many, we need
You to answer us today. And then, second
thoughts came to mind. Who am I to come
near these greats?
The answer is at the end of the tefilla. While
we recognize that HaShem answered all
these tzaddikim, we are not comparing
ourselves to them at all. We beseech
HaShem, that just as you answer the poor,
the brokenhearted and the humble in spirit,
please answer my prayers as well.
TZEDAKA – CHARITY.
But, it means so much more than donating
money. Give charitably, but also give of
yourself. There are so many people to
whom we can give. We can give of our
time, give of our talents. Give of our
expertise and knowledge. Say a kind word.
Cheer someone up. By helping others, we
are helping ourselves.
TESHUVA, TEFILLA, TZEDAKA.
Take the time to look inward, connect to
HaShem through prayer, and be there for
others. We have the power to change a
decree. The power to change the world.