Each week will
begin by quoting the week’s animal in Perek
Shirah, rabbi in Pirkei Avot, and
sefirah combination. The program
begins on the week of Rosh Hashanah,
coinciding with all or part of selichot,
the days of repentance leading up to the holiday. The exact day of the week in
which counting starts is the same as the day the Counting of the Omer starts, the second day of the
Passover holiday.
The rooster is saying, "When the Holy One,
blessed be He, comes to the righteous in the Garden of Eden, all the trees in
the Garden of Eden scatter their spices,
and they rejoice and praise, and then He, too, is aroused and praises."
(Zohar, Vayakhel 195b)
In its first call it says, "Lift up your heads, O
gates! And be lifted up, O everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come
in! Who is this King of glory? G-d strong and mighty, G-d mighty in
battle!" (Psalms 24:7-8)
In its second call it says, "Lift up your heads, O
gates! Lift them up, O everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in!
Who is this King of glory? G-d of hosts, He is the King of glory, Selah!"
(Psalms 24:9-10)
In its third call it says, "Stand, O righteous
ones, and busy yourselves with Torah, so that your reward will be double in the
World-to-Come."
In its fourth call it says, "I have hoped for Your
salvation, O G-d." (Genesis 49:18)
In its fifth call, it is
saying,
"How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise from your
sleep?" (Proverbs 6:9)
In its sixth call, it is
saying,
"Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you shall
be satisfied with bread." (Proverbs 20:13)
In its seventh call, it is saying: "It is time to act for G-d; for they have made
void Your Torah." (Psalms 119:126)
Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the
Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of
the Great Assembly.
They [the Men of the Great Assembly] would always say these three things: Be
cautious in judgment. Establish many pupils. And make a safety fence around the
Torah.
Shimon the Righteous was among the last surviving members of the Great
assembly. He would say: The world stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds
of kindness.
Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He
would say: Do
not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as
slaves who serve their master not for the sake of reward. And the fear of
Heaven should be upon you.
Yossi the son of Yoezer of
Tzreidah, and Yossi the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem, received the tradition
from them. Yossi the son of Yoezer of
Tzreidah would say: Let your home be a meeting place for the wise; dust
yourself in the soil of their feet, and drink thirstily of their words.
Yossi the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem would say: Let your home be wide open,
and let the poor be members of your household. And do not engage in excessive
conversation with a woman. This is said even regarding one's own wife--how much
more so regarding the wife of another. Hence, the sages said: One who
excessively converses with a woman causes evil to himself, neglects the study
of Torah, and, in the end, inherits purgatory.
Joshua the son of Perachia and
Nitai the Arbelite received from them. Joshua
the son of Perachia would say: Assume for yourself a master, acquire for
yourself a friend, and judge every man to the side of merit.
Nitai the Arbelite would say: Distance yourself from a bad neighbor, do not cleave
to a wicked person, and do not abandon belief in retribution.
Judah the son of Tabbai and
Shimon the son of Shotach received from them. Judah the son of Tabbai would say: When sitting in judgment, do not
act as a counselor-at-law. When the litigants stand before you, consider them
both guilty; and when they leave your courtroom, having accepted the judgment,
regard them as equally righteous.
Shimon the son of Shotach would say: Increasingly cross-examine the witnesses. Be
careful with your words, lest they learn from them how to lie.
Shmaayah and Avtalyon received
from them. Shmaayah would say: Love
work, loath mastery over others, and avoid intimacy with the government.
Avtalyon would say: Scholars, be careful with your words. For you may be exiled to a place
inhabited by evil elements [who will distort your words to suit their negative
purposes]. The disciples who come after you will then drink of these evil
waters and be destroyed, and the Name of Heaven will be desecrated.
Hillel and Shammai received
from them. Hillel would say: Be of
the disciples of Aaron--a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the
creatures and draws them close to Torah.
He would also say: One who
advances his name, destroys his name. One who does not increase, diminishes.
One who does not learn is deserving of death. And one who make personal use of
the crown of Torah shall perish.
He would also say: If I am not
for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not
now, when?
Shammai would say: Make your Torah study a permanent fixture of your life. Say little and
do much. And receive every man with a pleasant countenance.
Rabban Gamliel would say: Make for yourself a master; stay away from doubt;
and do not accustom yourself to tithe by estimation.
Chesed shebeChesed (kindness within the context of kindness)
The month of Tishrei
is represented by the tribe of Ephraim, and is almost entirely devoted to
spiritual pursuits. It is replete with Jewish holidays, full of joy from
beginning to end. Ephraim, the son of Joseph, studied Torah under his grandfather
Jacob and led a life that was almost completely devoted to spiritual concerns.
The first week of the Jewish calendar is the week of Rosh
Hashanah, which literally means “the head of the year.” The first animal in
Perek Shirah is the rooster, who awakens us by singing an introductory
verse followed by seven songs, one for each day of the week. Similarly, on Rosh
Hashanah, the Jewish people experience a spiritual awakening through the
blowing of the shofar. Each of the songs of the rooster parallel the meaning
behind the shofar blows that take
place on Rosh Hashanah. The shofar is blown 100 times, and the
rooster’s verses contain 100 words.
The first week also contains the days leading up to
Rosh Hashanah, which are called selichot.
On these days, like the rooster, we arise early in the morning in order to ask
forgiveness for our sins and begin the year with a clean slate.The rooster, the majestic animal that heads the list of animals in Perek Shirah, represents the concept of G-d's kingship. It is exactly on Rosh Hashanah that the Jewish people acknowledge G-d as King.
In Pirkei Avot,
the first set of sayings found in Chapter I repeat the idea of receiving
guidance from a single teacher/spiritual guide (rav). In order to grow as a person, it is important to have a life
coach; someone that knows us well and can therefore guide, answer questions, and
be objective about what aspects of our life need improvement.
These verses of Pirkei
Avot include an introduction followed by seven pairs of rabbis, which is
parallel to the introduction followed by the seven songs of the rooster. Upon
careful review, one will find that each of these lessons is intimately
connected to Rosh Hashanah, in which
we acquire G-d as our ultimate Master.
The first week is associated with the sefirah
combination of chesed shebechesed. Chesed means loving kindness,
and on Rosh Hashanah we feel that G-d
pours his kindness upon His children.[1]
The Ba’al Shem Tov explains that the blowing of the shofar is like the cry of a
prince who spent years away from home and forgot his mother tongue. Seeing his
father, the King, from a distance, the son screams to Him in order to be
recognized.
It was exactly on Rosh
Hashanah that G-d showed enormous kindness to Sarah, the first of the four
matriarchs of the Jewish people. During this festival, Sarah, an elderly woman
who had been unable to become pregnant her entire life, received the news that
she would give birth to a son, Isaac. It was also on Rosh Hashanah that Chanah was told of the extraordinary news that
she would give birth to a son, the prophet Samuel. Chanah was also barren and
advanced in years. It is worth noting that the rooster is mentioned in our
prayer book as an animal that recognizes the kindness of its Creator. Every
day, in our morning prayers, we thank G-d for giving the rooster the
understanding to distinguish between day and night.
We can also learn a very important lesson in
self-improvement from the rooster. It tells us to stop sleeping, to get up, and
to move forward. Getting out of bed is an important first step in fighting
sadness. The act of arising in the morning is a daily miracle, as well as an
essential action in facing the joys and the challenges of every new day. By
tapping into the song of the rooster and the call of the shofar, our physical and spiritual alarm clocks, we acknowledge
G-d’s oneness, and take an important first step towards a harmonious,
spiritually aware, and productive new year.
[1] It is worth noting that Rosh
Hashanah is also known as “Yom
HaDin,” the “Day of Judgment,” which is more associated with gevurah than with chesed. That is because Rosh
Hashanah is associated with the judgment of our actions during the previous year (See Week 52), although it is also the day in which all the
blessings of the coming year are determined. Perhaps that is another reason why
Rosh Hashanah is called “kesseh,” the hidden holiday, for G-d’s
tremendous chesed on this day is
somewhat hidden.
[Gematria Thought: The number one represents G-d’s unity as the Master
and Creator of the universe. This is the fundamental belief of the Jewish
faith.]
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