16 Sep MESSAGES

On both Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, we
recite Unesaneh Tokef, one of the most stirring
and heartrending tefillos. We live in a time
where every line feels not like prophecy —
but like the daily news. “Who will live and
who will die; who by water and who by fire;
who by sword and who by beast; who by
famine and who by thirst; who by storm and
who by plague; who by strangulation and who
by stoning; who will enjoy tranquility and
who will suffer; who will be impoverished
and who will be enriched…”
Who doesn’t tremble as these words are
recited. Today, we are living through not one,
but all of these happenings. Storms,
hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, flash
flooding, wildfires, hunger, drought, murders,
assassinations and financial upheaval. And,
sorrowfully, the ongoing war in Gaza where
so many have perished or suffered serious
injury.
I’m often asked, “What would your mother
say about today’s challenging times?” I, too,
ask myself: What would my mother have
said?
I believe my mother would tell us to follow

the “Three T’s” formula found immediately
after Unesaneh Tokef : Teshuva, Tefilla,
Tzedaka.
TESHUVA – TO RETURN.
HaShem created each and every one of us
with a pure soul. As we say in Shacharis,
“Elokai, neshama sheh’no’sato be, tehora he,
HaShem, the soul that You have given me is
pure.” That pure soul never leaves us. It’s our
path back to our Creator. The ability to return
– no matter how far one may be, is a gift from
HaShem.
My eleven year-old grandson had a pre-Rosh
HaShana writing assignment. The topic was
“What three things in your life need
improvement, and what will you do about
them?” Wow! That’s some assignment. It
requires soul-searching, honesty and
transparency. A hard task for an adult, let
alone an eleven year-old.
An essential part of teshuva is “hakaras
hacheit – an acknowledgement of
wrongdoing”. A time for introspection, and
accepting responsibility for our actions. A
time to stop playing the blame game, and own
up to our mistakes. To stop blaming our
spouse, the kids, the teacher, the boss, the
neighbor. Time to say “It’s my life, and I am
accountable for my actions.”

Rosh HaShana is our opportunity to follow in
the ways of Dovid HaMelech, who accepted
responsibility for his actions. It was Dovid
HaMelech who said “Chotosi l’HaShem, I
have sinned to HaShem”. (Shmuel II, 12:13)
His moment of introspection.
Sometimes our messages come from
unexpected places – like an eleven year-old’s
homework project.
TEFILLA – PRAYER
The Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, China, is one
the largest import-export trade shows in the
world. It attracts over 250,000 buyers from
over 200 countries. One of my husband’s
friends who would attend the fair shared the
following story.
As there are many observant Jewish attendees
at the fair, come Mincha time, they would
gather together to make a minyan. Finding a
quiet spot to daven was a challenge. They
would inevitably end up having the minyan in
a far-off corner or stairwell.
One day, while searching for a spot to daven,
some of the group opened a door to what they
hoped would be an empty room. To their
surprise, the room was far from empty.
Instead, they found it overflowing with
Muslims prostrating themselves on prayer
rugs.
The scene got them thinking – why don’t we
ask for a room for Mincha? A delegation
went the office of the fair management with
their request. They were informed that
available space was hard to come by, but that
they should fill out an application with all of
the details.
It was all so official. They had to plead their
case before a tribunal, as if in a courtroom.
Not wanting to ask for too much, they
requested a room for just fifteen minutes per
day.
The tribunal members consulted amongst
themselves in rapid Chinese, in what seemed
to take forever. The religious group didn’t
understand a word. And then came the
verdict.
“China is a big country. A lot of land. A lot of
people. If you want to pray, you must pray
for us too – and how can you pray for us and
yourselves in just fifteen minutes. We will
grant you a room but you must pray for 30
minutes – for you and for us.”
The group was stunned by the tribunal’s
response, coming from a body of the Chinese
government that is officially atheist and
restricts religious freedom. But a deal was
made, and the room was theirs.
Sometimes, our messages come from outside
places… As distant as a tribunal in China.
Don’t rush your davening and have others in
mind.
There is a beautiful story about Rabbi
Nosson Zvi Finkel zt”l, the Rosh Yeshiva of
Mir in Eretz Yisroel. Shortly before the last
Rosh HaShana of his life, he was asked what

one’s thoughts should be while davening. The
rabbi’s answer was two simple words,
“Someone else.” Think of someone else.
Daven for someone else, and HaShem will
answer your personal tefillos.
TZEDAKA – CHARITY
My oven was on the blink, and then one day, it
just wouldn’t turn on. Time for a new oven.
Together with my husband, we set off to
Drimmer’s, a well-known local appliance
dealership. While there, my husband noticed
one of the salesmen inserting a neatly folded
dollar bill into a pushka on the far corner of
his desk.
When my husband commented how nice it
was to give tzedaka, the salesman told us that
his boss – the owner of Drimmer’s – adds on a
dollar to every paycheck, for every employee.
Week after week, month after month, year
after year. A dollar for tzedaka.
To give a little tzedaka. It doesn’t matter how
much – just be a giver. Give consistently. With
every paycheck. It can be a dollar, ten dollars
or a hundred dollars. What a beautiful lesson.
What a special boss.
Sometimes, it takes a trip to an appliance store
to teach us a valuable lesson.
Very often, I meet people who tell me “all the
stories happen to you, but nothing happens to
me – I have no stories in my life”. The truth is,
we all have stories. We just have to keep our
eyes open for the messages around us.
This Rosh HaShana, let’s remember that we
have the power to change a decree – for
ourselves, for our family, for the world. Let’s
act on the “Three T’s” formula. Let us open
our hearts — to return, to pray, and to give —
and may we be inscribed for a year of life,
good health, nachas, prosperity and only
simchos.
Wishing all my readers a K’siva V’Chasima
Tova.