Transcript [00:00] We start this whole period with [00:02] Rashashana Yomkipper with the dynamic of [00:06] God as a parent [00:09] and when we get to Sukkot the [00:11] relationship shifts and God is really [00:14] more like a partner or spouse and so [00:17] what's happening on the eighth day is [00:21] that God is sort of detaining us, [00:24] stopping us, not wanting the date to [00:28] end. I think of it as, you know, like [00:30] when back in the days when you would go [00:33] on a date and you didn't want the date [00:34] to end, you'd kind of drag your feet at [00:37] the end and you're walking slower and [00:39] slower to where you know the date is [00:42] going to end and then someone will say [00:43] you want to come up for coffee and I [00:46] think of as God saying you want to come [00:49] up for coffee [00:52] is you're at the top stop enjoy the you. [01:11] I'd like to tell you about Hadas, a lone [01:13] soldier who grew up outside Washington [01:15] DC, but served in an IDF infantry unit. [01:18] On October 7th, as a 22-year-old [01:21] reservist, she was called up to the Gaza [01:23] envelope. For days, she cleared houses [01:26] of terrorists and witnessed the [01:28] atrocities of Hamas's attack. Hadas was [01:31] supposed to begin university in [01:33] mid-occtober of that year. Instead, she [01:35] found herself in a reserve duty until [01:37] sleeplessness and anxiety made it [01:39] impossible to continue. A friend [01:42] connected her with Buddyine, a program [01:44] of American friends of Israel Navy [01:46] Seals. Buddy Line pairs Israeli Navy [01:49] Seals with IDF combat veterans [01:52] struggling with PTSD. Over the course of [01:54] a year, they rebuild trust, confidence, [01:57] and connection through warriortorier [02:00] care. For 750 veterans to date, it's [02:03] working. Had just completed her first [02:06] year of university, and Buddy Line, she [02:08] says, quote, gave me a reason to get up [02:10] in the morning, no matter how the night [02:13] was. During this period of holidays, [02:15] please consider supporting this work [02:17] through the link in our show notes. A [02:19] gift of any size can help someone find [02:21] their way back. [02:25] Rachel, good to see you. [02:28] >> Daniel, [02:29] thank you for having me. [02:31] >> Daniel, [02:32] >> does anyone call you Daniel? [02:34] >> My mother calls me that when she's she's [02:36] she's annoyed with me. Yes, it's Daniel. [02:39] >> Everything's good when it's Dan. [02:41] Maybe this is a fun fact that you don't [02:43] know, but if I was a boy, I was going to [02:44] be Daniel. [02:46] >> Wow. [02:47] >> Yeah. [02:48] >> That's interesting. That's interesting [02:49] that your parents shared that with you. [02:51] >> Yeah. [02:52] >> Um but I'm not Daniel or Dan to you. I'm [02:54] I'm grandpa. [02:56] >> That's true. [02:59] Rachel, just for our listeners to [03:00] understand the context, has been calling [03:01] me grandpa recently because I do [03:03] something I have a habit of doing [03:04] something that she claims only um [03:07] grandparents do, which is I don't [03:10] message her via text or WhatsApp. I just [03:13] call her. And that is apparently in [03:15] Israel considered like a a massive [03:18] imposition when you just call someone [03:20] when when people just hear the phone [03:21] ring and they have to answer it as [03:23] opposed to being warned with a message [03:25] saying, "Hey, I'd like to talk. Are you [03:27] free?" or leaving a voice memo, but just [03:29] the the cold call with no warning is [03:32] considered some kind of like, you know, [03:34] real inconvenience. [03:36] >> Not real inconvenience, just very [03:38] grandparental. [03:41] >> But why? Why is that? [03:43] >> No. [03:43] >> I, by the way, I told my sister Wendy [03:45] this. I said, you know, Rachel gets [03:46] annoyed when I just call. She goes, "Oh, [03:48] you do that?" She goes, "You only do [03:50] that like for like immediate family [03:52] >> egencies or if you're a grandpa. You [03:55] don't just spring a phone call on [03:57] someone. But I'm I'm still going to do [03:59] it with you as I did this morning. I'm [04:00] just going to call you and that'll be [04:01] And when the phone rings, you know it's [04:03] me. [04:04] >> Okay. I do always know it's you. When [04:06] the phone rings, John says, "It's Dan." [04:09] >> Without even seeing my hand. [04:11] >> All right. So, let's let's jump into [04:13] this. And Rachel, before we start, as we [04:16] always do, we um we study in the merit [04:19] of [04:21] some person or persons or something [04:24] happening. I I leave it to you to to set [04:28] us up here. So, who or what are we [04:30] studying in the merit of today? [04:32] Well, today since especially we are [04:35] going to be learning about simh to Torah [04:37] Simhas Torah, I think that it is [04:40] critical that we study in the merit of [04:43] the thousands of people that we lost on [04:48] Torah of 2023 and in the time since then [04:52] from when um that darkest day in [04:58] Israel's modern history occurred and [05:00] since that time. So many thousands of [05:03] families have been affected by loss. Um [05:06] and so we'll study in the merit first of [05:08] all of those holy souls that they should [05:10] have an elevation in the world to come [05:13] and in the the hope and aspiration that [05:17] that the people who are suffering in [05:20] their absence can find comfort and [05:23] adaptability. As I mentioned to you, I [05:25] wanted to focus this conversation on the [05:27] ark of um tre, which is the the the [05:32] month in the Hebrew calendar that we are [05:34] in right now. As I mentioned in the uh [05:37] introduction, is the most holiday dense [05:39] month uh in the Hebrew calendar. Last [05:42] year around this time, we spent a lot of [05:45] time talking about Roshashana and Yum [05:47] Kipur. And this year, I want to zoom out [05:50] a little bit. But before we zoom out, I [05:53] just want to provide a little bit of a [05:55] refresher for our listeners. [05:58] What are the basics on Roshashana? What [06:00] is its significance? Why is it so [06:02] significant? That this may be remedial [06:05] for some, but but it will set us up for [06:07] this conversation. [06:09] >> Okay. Well, so first of all, it's [06:10] important to point out that right now [06:12] we're actually not yet in tish. We're [06:15] not yet in the month where all these uh [06:18] holidays that you're referring to [06:20] happen. We're in the month preceding [06:22] tish, which is Elol. [06:24] And it's in the month of El that people [06:27] get ready um emotionally, [06:30] psychologically spiritually [06:32] religiously for [06:33] >> it's like the pregame. [06:35] >> Yeah. Well, it's very much uh we talked [06:38] about this before that one of the [06:40] nicknames of Rashashana and we asked [06:43] this question, you know, what actually [06:44] is Russashana? And the short incorrect [06:47] answer is it's the Jewish New Year. We [06:50] say that, but we we know from from [06:53] studying together about Passover that [06:55] the very first mitzvah that was given [06:57] when Moses and and Aaron are spoken to [07:01] by God in the book of Exodus, in the [07:04] book of Schmot, um before the children [07:07] of Israel leave Egypt, the very first [07:11] mitzvah they're given is God says, [07:13] "Okay, this is going to be the head of [07:15] the months for you." meaning for the [07:17] Jewish people from now on we're going to [07:19] count as a as a people [07:22] this time of year when when Passover [07:26] starts which is in the month of Nissan [07:28] and then we are told in the Torah about [07:32] different holidays [07:34] with that as the starting point and [07:36] therefore we are told that in the [07:38] seventh month of the year on the first [07:40] of that month you're going to have this [07:43] holiday which happens to be Rashashana [07:46] But obviously it's not New Year's [07:48] because the the formula for it is it's [07:51] the seventh month. It and we've said [07:54] before it's like saying okay new year [07:57] we're going to celebrate it on July 1st [08:00] >> right? So this seventh month is very as [08:04] you mentioned in your introduction [08:05] saturated with with a lot of holidays [08:09] and the first one happens on the first [08:12] and second day of the month of Tish [08:16] which is falling out this year on the [08:18] evening of September 11th and the [08:22] evening of September 12th. It's a [08:24] two-day holiday and um one of the things [08:29] that that according to our tradition [08:31] happened on the 1st of Tish is that that [08:34] is when Adam and Eve were created. [08:37] >> It's the launch of humanity. [08:39] >> Correct? Which means a couple of things. [08:41] First of all, it makes sense that [08:43] therefore it would be once a year when [08:45] we do a check-in and say how am I doing [08:47] in this enterprise of being part of [08:50] humanity? Like when you join a company [08:53] and you have your annual review, you [08:56] usually have it on the date on which you [08:59] joined the company. And the other thing [09:03] that is I I think appealing about that [09:07] idea is that then that the holiday is [09:11] not exclusively a Jewish holiday. It's a [09:14] human holiday because Adam and Eve were [09:16] created on the first of Tish on the [09:20] first of the seventh month. that we are [09:22] acknowledging. And Adam and Eve were the [09:24] first people. They were not the first [09:26] Jews. And so there's something more [09:29] broad about the the day that I think is [09:32] is meaningful. It's also called the day [09:34] of judgment because it is a day that not [09:38] only are we ourselves ideally we're [09:41] doing some inner judgment and inner [09:43] reflection, [09:44] but we also have this [09:47] in our tradition this this [09:51] approach of this is when we are being [09:54] looked at by this idea of God and and [09:58] having [09:59] sort of an assessment of what we have [10:03] done with our time here in this past [10:06] year and and I think people get sort of [10:09] reminiscent anytime there's you know [10:12] you'll say like oh on my last birthday [10:14] where was I who was I with what did I do [10:16] and you know when we have holidays we [10:19] often and say, you know, where was I [10:21] last Passover? Who was I with? What did [10:23] I do? And certainly, I think at this [10:27] time of year, there are many people who [10:28] are saying, where was I last year? Where [10:31] was I 2 years ago? Where was I 3 years [10:33] ago? Because in many ways, the world [10:35] seems to have really a before and after [10:38] change since October 7th, 2023. [10:42] >> But it is odd though that we say happy [10:44] new year, that we say shinata. I [10:46] remember years ago there was a rabbi who [10:49] said you know there's that song don't [10:51] worry be happy and he said worry but be [10:56] happy which I thought was a nice take on [10:59] Russashana [11:00] um look there's also a lot of potential [11:03] I think that as we prepare for this [11:06] review whether it's for the review in [11:08] our company that we're pretending that [11:10] we uh you know plow away at or if it's [11:15] in this lifetime that we are working um [11:19] and trying to [11:22] you know do what we're meant to do in [11:24] this lifetime. We we do have to sort of [11:30] stop and acknowledge that there are a [11:32] lot of things happening at the same [11:33] time. And so we can also [11:37] have apples and honey and we can also [11:40] have festive dinners and be together and [11:44] be happy and say we are still here. [11:48] People have heard me talk about every [11:50] morning. Uh there are millions of Jewish [11:53] people around the world who wake up and [11:54] say this famous line which is saying wow [11:57] I'm back [11:59] >> and yeah you have tremendous faith in me [12:02] universe cuz here I am and there are [12:05] millions of people today who did not [12:06] wake up because they were done with [12:08] whatever it was that they were supposed [12:10] to do in this lifetime and [12:14] we woke up this morning. everyone who's [12:16] listening to this woke up this morning. [12:17] And so I think there's also this idea at [12:20] this time of year of, you know, not just [12:23] reflection of looking back, but there's [12:26] preflexction of looking ahead. What am I [12:29] going to do with my time? [12:30] >> You said that to me um when we spoke [12:33] this morning, this at this term [12:34] preflexction, which is interesting [12:36] because after we talked about it, I [12:38] thought to myself, there there probably [12:39] is nothing like it in Judaism. And I [12:41] thought there's probably nothing nothing [12:43] like it anywhere in any this idea of [12:45] just this dedicated time of anticipating [12:48] reflection almost [12:50] >> right you know it's coming [12:52] >> right [12:52] >> it's also called yom trua the day of [12:55] chauffear blasts the chauffear is um the [12:59] horn of usually either a ram or a sheep [13:04] or a goat it has to be from a kosher [13:06] animal and hollow but we don't use a [13:08] bull or a cow I'll leave you in suspense [13:10] of fly. And the chauffeur has three [13:14] specific sounds, four if we're being [13:16] sticklers, cuz one of the sounds is [13:18] elongated at the end. And so it becomes, [13:20] you could technically say there are four [13:22] sounds. And um each one helps create the [13:26] theme of what we're supposed to be [13:28] feeling. Uh the first one is the tea [13:31] sound which is that one long chauffar [13:34] blast which is reminiscent of the [13:37] trumpet blast that used to be used when [13:39] a king was coronated. And on the most [13:42] basic level this is sort of jarring us [13:47] with the awareness that there's [13:50] something larger at the core here that [13:52] there's something larger that's in [13:54] charge. It makes us moderns very [13:57] uncomfortable to think that. But that is [13:59] at the essence is when we're doing this [14:02] tea coronation sound that we're really [14:06] crying out [14:08] there's something bigger than us. Even [14:10] us important people that we think we we [14:12] are so in control. There's something [14:14] bigger. Um the second sound is the trua [14:18] sound which is nine short blasts. the [14:23] tutu [14:24] which uh Rabbi um Moses Mymones the [14:29] Rambam says is really like this primal [14:32] alarm clock for the soul that uh you [14:36] know he says that um at this particular [14:38] time of year we have disproportionate [14:41] personal growth potential and we should [14:44] be seizing that opportunity [14:46] but most of the time what our soul is [14:49] desiring and what we're doing on the [14:51] surface dayto-day today are not in [14:53] alignment. Those things aren't in [14:54] alignment. And the chauffear can [14:56] actually elicit emotions we didn't know [14:59] were dormant or asleep. And so the true [15:02] ah is wake up, wake up. Um and uh the [15:08] shvareim are the three broken sobbing [15:11] sounds of [15:13] and it it sounds like someone like [15:15] sobbing and heaving. And it's [15:18] reminiscent of the idea that the soul is [15:20] crying out to be more deeply connected [15:22] and in line with our purpose. I'll tell [15:25] you that somebody actually wrote to me [15:27] just last week, someone I don't know, [15:30] and she said, this is really, [15:34] it's really intense. She said she [15:37] listens to me shouting to her on day [15:40] 328. [15:42] She said it reminds her of the [15:44] chauffeart of me screaming to him and I [15:49] thought it was it was really [15:51] profound. [15:52] >> That was when you were right there at [15:54] the border of of Gaza. Right. [15:56] >> Yeah. And so um that was really [16:00] interesting. But I thought like the it's [16:01] not about me. It's that she understands [16:04] that there's a sobbing quality and a [16:06] wakeup quality that that sounds very [16:10] primal. And what I think is nice about [16:12] the chauffear is that it's really this [16:15] link to our roots unlike so many [16:17] elements in our lives, you know, that it [16:21] that are different, right? Like the [16:22] clothes we're wearing now are different [16:24] than the clothes they were wearing [16:25] thousands of years ago. The shoes, the [16:27] dishes, our houses are are so different. [16:30] But here we have this exact same tool, [16:33] this very [16:35] genuine authentic [16:38] primal tool in our ever evolving and [16:41] changing modernity that is thrusting us [16:44] back and binding us with our roots. [16:48] >> So the from the first day of Roshashana, [16:50] from that first night through the end of [16:52] Yum Kipur is about a 10-day period. [16:54] Should we think about that 10-day period [16:57] from Roshashana through Yum Kipur as [16:58] like a package deal? [17:00] >> Definitely. I think that there's I mean [17:02] that's based on you know what our sages [17:05] tell us is that the period from the [17:08] first of tre until the 10th of tre is [17:11] called aer y chuva the 10 days of chuva [17:16] translated as repentance which I think [17:19] for some people that's a loaded word but [17:21] the the actual chesh the root of chuva [17:25] means to turn it's the time of turning [17:28] of really turning inward, turning back, [17:32] maybe turning forward, but it's it's [17:35] it's movement, it's action. And so it is [17:39] supposed to be that here we're having [17:42] judgment day, right? So meaning judgment [17:44] day is one of those nicknames of [17:47] Russashana [17:48] and then we have this opportunity period [17:52] to prove it and then we end up on the [17:55] 10th day with this day of atonement. [17:59] Yong Kipur. And so in theory, if we're [18:03] if we're really serious about trying to [18:06] use this construct [18:09] as it has been prescribed, we're showing [18:12] up having done some introspection [18:14] beforehand right now during the month of [18:16] El. In theory, we should be doing this [18:18] every day, right? If it's February, we [18:21] should be every single day waking up and [18:23] saying, "What happened yesterday that [18:25] I'm not so proud of? Should I make [18:27] amends with that person who I said [18:30] something not nice to yesterday? I mean, [18:31] we should be doing these mini [18:33] introspections every day, but [18:38] it's not always attainable. [18:41] >> It's not natural. That's not a natural [18:43] way to live to wake up every day. Maybe [18:44] it should be, but it's not. [18:46] >> It could be something we aspire to. I'm [18:48] sure that there are people who do, but [18:50] this time of year, we're given this [18:52] opportunity of okay, try and and we are [18:56] immediately [18:58] trying in those 10 days to prove that [19:02] we're serious in what we're saying in [19:04] these prayers on Rashashana. And so, we [19:08] are going and making amends. If we have [19:10] a relationship that's that's rocky, we [19:13] have to go try to deal with it. And [19:16] that's hard. It's really hard and it's [19:19] painful and it's uncomfortable and it's [19:21] embarrassing and also we have to do [19:23] things like give sedaka like show prove [19:26] prove but what about this everyone does [19:29] this and my family does this we say this [19:31] to each other and I always wonder is it [19:34] is it a box checking exercises I mean [19:36] it's not box checking it's heartfelt but [19:38] there there is a box checking [19:41] >> feel to it [19:42] >> yes [19:42] >> and this is going to be annoying maybe [19:44] to my family who are listening to this [19:45] thinking that I'm I'm not suggesting ing [19:47] that they're that they're that they're [19:49] superficial in in the way we do this [19:50] with one another. [19:51] >> Everybody forgives each other. Yes. Yes. [19:53] >> It's a whole thing. You call someone, [19:54] hey, if there's anything I did to hurt [19:56] you or offend you over the last year or [19:58] I just want to ask you for for your [19:59] forgiveness and you kind of jam it in [20:02] like you're like rushing like running [20:04] before you hit the tape of Cole Dre of [20:07] when Yumiore starts to get in those [20:09] those um requests for forgiveness. Is [20:12] that a is that like a diasporic thing? [20:14] Is that a western thing? like it it it [20:16] does feel very um again and I do it if [20:19] I'm shaming anyone here I'm shaming [20:21] myself like I do this too and and for [20:22] our listeners who aren't as familiar [20:24] with this with this quote unquote [20:25] tradition [20:27] as as we lead approach yum kapur we we [20:31] we ask loved ones we ask people close to [20:33] us for forgiveness for anything we may [20:35] have done to them over the previous year [20:37] because the idea is yum kupor is is this [20:40] you get like after yum kipur you get [20:41] like a clean slate to start again [20:43] >> right I think that a lot of us do it [20:46] that way. I absolutely agree with you [20:48] and I think that I was actually just [20:51] talking to someone about this and I said [20:53] the way you know if you have done real [20:56] chuva, real repentance, real amends, [21:01] real [21:03] the true work that that we are supposed [21:06] to be doing [21:08] is you go by yourself and look into a [21:12] mirror and say, "Did I really do it?" [21:16] and you know if you really did it and [21:18] did you really make amends like there [21:20] are people we have really truly hurt [21:22] with our words with our actions and it [21:25] usually not always [21:28] >> um but there are often times that it's [21:30] people that we really love people who [21:32] we're in contact with all the time [21:34] >> it's the people closest to you [21:36] >> and so we ha we almost are preying on [21:40] their love the pre-existent love there [21:43] to be able to say you know I'm really [21:46] sorry if I hurt you. And we might really [21:48] mean it, but we haven't had the real [21:50] talk. And and they usually, I think, [21:54] say, "Of course, I forgive you and I [21:56] hope you forgive me." And there's this [21:58] like sweet moment and then you go, you [22:01] know, progressing into your into your [22:05] holiday. But I do think that there are [22:08] times when there's real work to be done [22:12] and it takes a lot of courage and a lot [22:15] of honesty [22:17] and [22:19] determination to say not just to say [22:21] that but to say can we talk about what [22:24] happened in March [22:27] because I I really do feel bad about it [22:31] and you know hashing it out. I mean [22:34] that's that's rough. It's and it's much [22:38] harder also if that love doesn't exist. [22:41] What if it's something that happened in [22:44] a different framework and it was really [22:47] awful? [22:48] >> My uh Rabbi David Ingber who's who [22:51] you've met uh who who's our who's our [22:54] family rabbi and is a close friend and [22:56] teacher. He a couple years ago I [22:59] remember on Yum Kipur he gave this [23:02] sermon where he he confronted this line [23:04] that you hear so much these days which [23:06] is I refuse to live with regrets or I [23:08] don't live with regrets you know to live [23:11] with regrets is to constantly look back [23:12] and you just always got to look forward [23:14] and he was like he made this argument in [23:16] his sermon [23:18] that's preposterous what do you mean you [23:20] you don't live with reg everybody lives [23:22] with regrets it's what you do with those [23:24] regrets it it it struck me as a very [23:26] obviously in the spirit of Yumkipur, but [23:28] also a very Jewish a very Jewish [23:31] approach to life, which is you're [23:33] constantly looking back. You're [23:35] constantly evaluating and re-evaluating [23:37] and dealing with [23:40] bad decisions or bad circumstances, but [23:42] not to the idea of trying to be blind to [23:45] them as as and that being a source of [23:47] strength or somehow empowering to deny [23:50] your regrets is is is [23:55] not honest and it's not healthy. Well, [23:57] it's really a way of not being [23:59] accountable for your actions. If you are [24:02] allowed to just do things and say, "Oh, [24:04] well, yolo and I, you know, [24:07] >> that was yesterday. Now I'm in today." [24:10] That that's fine. It's just not part of [24:13] the tradition that that I'm familiar [24:16] with, [24:17] >> right? and and that and it's a tough [24:18] tradition. You know, that's something [24:21] that I'm constantly thinking about is [24:25] this is not easy, [24:27] but it's not supposed to be. So, it's [24:30] fine. I can do not easy. I've believe [24:33] me, I can do not easy. Why do we fast? [24:37] Speaking of not easy. [24:38] >> Oh, so we are told when um in the Torah [24:43] when it talks about uh what we're going [24:46] to be doing on the 10th of the seventh [24:48] month, it actually uses the word enui. [24:52] Enui is translated as afflict. The [24:57] Mishna, the oral law, explains that what [25:00] we're really doing on Yamipur is we're [25:03] trying to disregard our physical needs [25:06] because we're trying to elevate [25:08] ourselves. So it's not that we're trying [25:11] to deprive ourselves, but Rambam [25:13] suggests uh Rabbi Moses Mymones suggests [25:17] that once a year we try to aspire to [25:19] transcend normal human limitations and [25:23] we try to be almost like celestial [25:25] beings closer to this idea of God and we [25:29] elevate ourselves but it is hard and so [25:31] we don't do these things that sort of [25:33] like you know human beings need to eat [25:36] and drink and oh we want to shower and [25:39] we want to, you know, put on oils or [25:42] face cream or what what have you. No, [25:45] celestial sort of like high elevated [25:48] spiritual beings don't worry about that [25:50] stuff. But something that I think is [25:52] interesting, by the way, is that in the [25:54] Torah, when we have the story of Moses [25:58] going back up onto [26:00] um Mount Si after the Jewish people have [26:03] been caught praying to an idol that [26:07] they've constructed of a golden calf. [26:10] And that's a huge betrayal of God at the [26:13] time and any time, but specifically at [26:16] that time when Moses is up on Mount Si [26:21] for 40 days begging forgiveness and [26:23] trying to, you know, renegotiate things [26:25] with God and the people in his absence, [26:28] in Moses's absence, take it upon [26:30] themselves to really do severe [26:33] introspection and say, "What is it that [26:36] made us do this thing that was so [26:39] egregious? this and they really worked [26:42] and repented and they fasted and they [26:44] cried and they did all of this this [26:48] genuine sincere authentic remorse. And [26:51] Moses comes back down and says God has [26:54] said [26:56] the slate will be wiped clean and we can [26:59] start over. and forever because of the [27:03] the profound sincerity in your [27:06] repentance. This date will forever be [27:09] for your descendants a date upon which [27:12] we wiped the slate clean. And it was the [27:15] 10th of Tish. So what I like about this [27:18] is that it's also a gift from our [27:22] predecessors [27:24] according to our tradition thousands of [27:26] years ago who taught us the power of [27:30] being sorry, how transformative [27:34] being [27:36] apologetic can be. [27:39] >> We'll be right back. [27:41] Right now, tens of thousands of Israeli [27:44] veterans are battling PTSD. But only [27:47] some of these men and women are able to [27:48] recover through conventional treatment. [27:51] That's where Buddy Line comes in. A [27:53] program of American friends of Israel [27:55] Navy Seals. Buddy Line pairs Israeli [27:58] Navy Seals with IDF combat veterans [28:01] struggling with severe PTSD. Over the [28:04] course of a year, they rebuild trust, [28:06] confidence, and connection through [28:08] warriorto- warrior care. For 750 [28:11] veterans to date, Buddyline has been a [28:13] lifeline back to society. To watch a [28:16] brief video and support the program, [28:18] visit aphins. us/warriorcare [28:22] or use the link in our show notes. Your [28:25] gift, big or small, can help someone [28:28] find their way back. Aphens wishes its [28:31] supporters and all of Call Meback's [28:33] listeners a happy and healthy new year. [28:38] And we're back with Rachel Goldberg [28:40] Poland. I want to now we've got a little [28:43] bit of a primer on Russia and Yum Kipur. [28:46] Uh obviously we could we could double [28:48] triple quadruple click on each of those [28:49] and go deeper and deeper and deeper but [28:51] I really want to be get to the holidays [28:54] we've never really covered in [28:55] conversation on the podcast and those [28:58] are Sukkot and Simkatra. And before I [29:00] do Roshashana Yamipur Sukkot [29:03] Simkatra, are they meant to be [29:06] understood as one journey? And and I [29:10] guess if so, what journey is that? What [29:12] journey are we on? [29:13] >> I think very much. [29:16] Yes, it is one journey. Everything is [29:19] absolutely connected. I like to think of [29:22] the second that Yum Kipper is ending is [29:25] that the judge, right? We've called it [29:28] judgment day. the whole 10day period [29:31] that suddenly the judge looks down like [29:33] I'm picturing judge Judy looking over [29:35] her podium and saying, "Honey, don't you [29:38] recognize me? It's me, mom. You're free [29:41] to go." And that feeling of elation, you [29:44] know, thinking back to LA law or the [29:48] practice that, you know, when someone [29:50] was told, "Okay, you're free." [29:51] >> I love your I Rachel, I'm sorry. I love [29:54] your your pop culture television [29:58] references. Keep going. [30:00] >> And you know, they would you would see [30:02] the the camera would shift from being in [30:05] the uh in the courtroom to the stairs, [30:09] the white stairs, steps outside with the [30:12] pillars in the background. And you know, [30:15] cameras would be there with microphones [30:17] and saying like, "How are you? How are [30:19] you feeling? What are you going to do?" [30:20] And they'd say, "Gh, I'm just so [30:22] relieved." and so happy and I'm going [30:24] home to be with my family. I'm just [30:26] filled with happiness. And that's how we [30:28] should feel leaving synagogue after Yom [30:31] Kipur, going home to now build our suka. [30:34] And our suka, remember, we have three [30:36] agricultural holidays that kind of [30:38] tether our year. But each of those three [30:42] holidays also has nicknames. And so [30:45] Passover is called Zmanu, [30:48] our time of freedom, because we were [30:50] freed from Egypt. And we have Shàuot. [30:53] That's Zan Matan toenu. That's the [30:56] holiday, the time of the of the gift of [30:59] the giving of the Torah. And now we have [31:02] Sukkot. And Sukkot's nickname is very [31:05] simple. It's called Simenu, the time of [31:09] our happiness. [31:10] and re and that's when I have that [31:13] feeling of the elation of the person [31:16] walking out of very a very intense [31:20] judgment time and the verdict was out [31:23] for 10 days. The judge was deliberating [31:25] and the judge comes back and says you're [31:27] free to go and that [31:31] that deep breath of joy is how we go in [31:35] to this zmanu holiday this time of our [31:38] happiness holiday. And so the [31:41] interesting thing is what exactly are we [31:44] celebrating that's making us so happy at [31:47] this Sukkot holiday? [31:49] >> Okay. So I want to get to that in a [31:51] moment, but before I do, I just this is [31:53] more just an observational point. As [31:56] someone you you have lived obviously in [31:58] the US in the in the diaspora and and [32:00] now you live in Israel. Why do you think [32:02] Sukkot and Simkatra get such short [32:05] shrift over here? because they don't get [32:07] short shrift in Israel. I mean, my gosh, [32:10] one of the most beautiful experiences [32:13] for anyone visiting Israel, especially [32:15] Jerusalem, but not only Jerusalem, you [32:17] see these you see the sukkot, you see [32:19] the sukas all over the place. It's this [32:21] beautiful expression of of um of Jewish [32:25] life and Jewish living in Israel that [32:27] it's just I mean some parts of the [32:28] United States in very, you know, [32:30] observant communities, you'll see this, [32:31] but it it's not just something you see. [32:33] So, so both Sukkot and SK Torah are are [32:37] are let's just say, you know, big [32:39] features uh of Jewish life. And here [32:43] it's like after Yum Kipper, there's kind [32:45] of like a drop off for many for many [32:48] Jews. H how did how did these two [32:51] holidays Sukkot and Simur get neglected? [32:53] >> Well, I think it's a it's a mambo combo [32:56] of several things. I think first of all [32:59] if people were not being Jewishly [33:02] involved in a in a religious or [33:05] spiritual way and they wanted to ret [33:08] retain just those days that again rash [33:13] and yum kipper are called yamim noim [33:16] like the days filled with awe and if you [33:20] were someone who a hundred years ago [33:23] came to Pittsburgh or Chicago or Los [33:27] Angeles or New York or Boston, you had [33:31] to work all the time. You know, there [33:34] weren't the there was not the [33:36] permissiveness there is now or [33:38] understanding that there are different [33:40] people who believe in different faiths [33:44] and may need certain days off from work. [33:48] Everybody was working all the time. But [33:50] there were people who said those days [33:54] I am going to make sure I'll work you [33:56] know 362 days a year. I'm not working [33:59] those three days. [34:01] >> And the second that Yom Kipper is over I [34:04] think it was very difficult in North [34:07] American history to then go back to your [34:10] non-Jewish boss and say, "I'm sorry. I [34:13] have to go build a hut and I have to go [34:15] sleep in it and I have to gather these [34:18] interesting uh plant species and wave [34:21] them around and go do special prayers [34:23] and oh and then 8 days after that I have [34:26] to also take off another day because I [34:28] have to go dance around with the Torah. [34:30] I think it is um you know sociological [34:34] and anthropo anthropological of what [34:37] happened just the reality of of living [34:41] in the diaspora [34:43] as a faith that was not as understood [34:48] and not just Judaism I mean all [34:52] different faiths struggled with how do [34:54] you observe your faith in a in a new [34:56] land where everyone's trying to fit in [35:00] And it it was very different than it is [35:02] now where there or and I don't even know [35:05] what it's like now, but you know 20 [35:07] years ago there was multiculturalism and [35:10] everybody was so excited to celebrate [35:12] everybody else's uh interesting [35:15] holidays. I don't know that that's still [35:17] the case. [35:17] >> No, that's that's true for for many just [35:20] not the Jews don't get included in that [35:22] deal. [35:23] >> So I think that that has a lot to do [35:25] with it. And also I do think that if [35:27] somebody is not really very Jewishly [35:30] connected and they decide to carve out [35:32] the time and I can only use my family [35:34] you know as a child as my sort of [35:37] example but you know my parents were not [35:40] religiously observant but my father [35:42] would take off those days of rashashana [35:46] and yum kipper and we would go to shul [35:49] and if the first day of of rashashana [35:51] was too long and too intense we didn't [35:54] go the second day but we did go to [35:55] Yumkipper 10 days later, but then we [35:58] were done for the year because it really [36:01] was like someone who has never worked [36:05] out and then once a year running the [36:07] Boston Marathon. [36:09] >> The second you're done, I can guarantee [36:12] you that 5 days later, you are not [36:13] running the Chicago Marathon. [36:15] >> Right. [36:16] >> Right. You're done. [36:17] >> You're also very sore and in pain and [36:20] thinking, why did I do that? [36:22] >> And you're behind. You're behind at [36:24] work. you're behind, you got to get [36:26] caught up, right? [36:27] >> Also, what happens on Yum Kipper that I [36:30] think is very important is that we are [36:33] saying we're going to change and do [36:36] more. And there's an immediate chance to [36:40] implement this infusion of meaning into [36:44] when we're saying we're going to do [36:45] more. when you go home and start [36:47] building your suka that night, you know, [36:49] it's sort of like on January 1 when [36:51] people say, "I'm taking on that I'm [36:53] gonna lose weight and I'm gonna live [36:55] more healthy." Well, that means that on [36:57] January 2nd, you better be eating better [36:59] and joining a gym because otherwise it's [37:02] just talk. And so here we have these [37:06] opportunities. Sukkot has enumerous [37:08] opportunities to do Jewish. And the [37:11] first is that we build this little [37:13] dwelling outside. Okay, let's talk about [37:16] that. I I want to talk about that [37:17] dwelling. 5 days after Yum Kipur ending, [37:20] we we we are we are told to leave our [37:23] permanent homes and eat and even [37:25] sometimes sleep in an intentionally [37:27] flimsy structure. [37:30] Why? What is this thing we have to [37:32] build? And what is this what is that [37:35] process? What is that experience of the [37:36] suka trying to teach us? [37:38] >> Well, the why is very easy. You know, in [37:41] the book of Leviticus, in the book of [37:43] Vayikra, in chapter 23, we have a list [37:46] of of different holidays that we are [37:49] told about. And at the end of chapter [37:51] 23, we start to learn about this holiday [37:54] that's called Sukkot. It's tied somehow [37:57] to the Egypt experience, the leaving [38:00] Egypt experience. And we're going to [38:03] make these booths, these little, you [38:05] know, club houses, and we're going to [38:08] dwell in them for for seven days. And [38:11] the question does come up of first of [38:15] all is this metaphorical or were these [38:18] is this reminiscent of the the [38:21] structures that when the children of [38:23] Israel left Egypt did they actually [38:25] dwell in Sukkot? And there is this [38:28] question and Rabbi Eleazar says this is [38:31] metaphorical and Rabbi Aka Aka says [38:34] absolutely not. These this is what it [38:36] looked like. This is what they were [38:37] building out in the desert when when the [38:40] children of Israel were living out [38:42] there. And it's a little weird because [38:46] as we were saying before, we already [38:49] have an Egypt holiday. We already have a [38:52] leaving Egypt holiday and that is [38:54] Passover, which we studied together um [38:57] back in April. But what we what we grow [39:01] to see is that we're mentioning Egypt [39:03] again because they're two very different [39:05] angles of events related to Egypt. [39:08] There's Passover is celebrating this [39:12] one-time event of God taking us out of [39:16] the slavery of Egypt. And what Sukkot is [39:20] really celebrating is the taking care of [39:24] us for 40 years in the desert after we [39:27] left Egypt. the rearing and the [39:30] nurturing and the providing not the [39:32] birthing that you know we became a [39:34] nation and we were freed that's the one [39:37] time but it's I think of it in terms of [39:41] you know sometimes there's someone who [39:43] births a baby and then there's someone [39:45] who raises and nurtures and provides and [39:47] sustains for that baby it's not always [39:49] the same person and maybe it is the same [39:52] person or family but it's different [39:55] those are different experiences those [39:57] are different things. Um, and I think [40:00] about how, you know, when we left Egypt, [40:02] we left with sandals and matzah, [40:06] okay? And for anyone who's ever traveled [40:09] with just even a baby overnight, I mean, [40:12] you have to take, you know, diapers and [40:14] wipes and pacifiers and blankets and [40:16] pajamas and a change of clothes and [40:18] everything. And that's for one night for [40:19] one kid. Or if you've ever I don't know [40:21] if your kids have gone to sleepa away [40:23] camp but you know when my kids would go [40:25] to sleepa away camp it looked like I was [40:26] packing them up for a transatlantic [40:28] voyage or you know and we think about [40:32] >> we're told that at least 600,000 [40:36] males above the age of 20 left Egypt. So [40:39] they kind of like play with those [40:41] numbers and say that there were [40:42] somewhere between 2 and a half and 3 [40:46] million people who left Egypt. And you [40:49] know we left without dental floss or bug [40:52] spray or sunscreen or you know [40:57] >> bup kiss like we left with nothing and [41:00] yet we were provided for for 40 years [41:04] and that is what we were celebrating on [41:06] Sukkot. So Pesak is really the exodus [41:11] and sort of being set free, but Sukkot [41:15] is this long journey to freedom. It's a [41:19] deeper exodus in in many ways. [41:22] >> And what is a suka? Just describe it [41:24] very quick briefly before like because I [41:26] want people to understand. I mean, you [41:29] can Google it, but a a suka is a um a a [41:34] small temporary structure that we make [41:38] that has um that has to have at least [41:42] two and a half sides to it. I mean [41:44] there's a lot of uh you know hahic [41:46] specifics about you know how high it can [41:49] be how short it can be how big how small [41:52] how many walls what you know the the top [41:55] should not be like a solid ceiling you [41:58] should be able to see through the top [41:59] because it's very much supposed to be [42:01] that we're leaving our stuff behind [42:04] because as much as we all love our stuff [42:06] and our stuff is great our stuff is not [42:08] the core of who we are like that's sort [42:11] of like the underlying message of Sukkot [42:14] is that [42:16] life is fragile. [42:18] >> Yeah. It's like we spend we spend so [42:20] much uh we spend so much of our lives [42:22] trying to create security, right? Our [42:24] homes, our careers, our savings, our our [42:26] countries and then and then we're told [42:30] with this holiday to go sit under a roof [42:32] through which we can see the sky [42:34] for a number of days and eat your meals [42:37] there and as you said dwell there. [42:40] I mean, I think what you're saying is is [42:42] Sukkot is asking us to confront and the [42:44] Suka itself is asking us to confront the [42:46] limits of how much security and control [42:49] we can really have. [42:51] >> I think ultimately it's saying we we do [42:54] know that we live in the illusion that [42:55] we have any control. It is all an [42:58] illusion. And but something that I [43:02] remember thinking was super cool was [43:03] when I was in 8th grade and that was the [43:05] first time that I went to someone's [43:07] house and my friend Sharon they had a [43:11] suka and they turned the TV around in [43:15] the window that that there of their den [43:20] that was facing the suka and it was [43:22] during the World Series and we watched [43:25] the World Series in the Suka and Mr. [43:29] Schwarz said to us, "See, it's a mitzvah [43:32] to watch the World Series." And it was, [43:35] you know, infusing Yiddish kite and [43:38] mitzvot into places where we don't [43:40] normally have that opportunity. And as [43:42] you mentioned, a lot of people love to [43:44] sleep in the suka. Here's an opportunity [43:47] where you're having a mitzvah while [43:49] you're not even conscious. [43:52] You're sleeping in the suka. It's a [43:53] mitzvah because you're dwelling in the [43:55] suka. And there's there are a lot of [43:57] opportunities for children. You decorate [44:00] the suka. You make it a really a you [44:02] know you're you're beautifying the [44:04] mitzvah. And that's what you see that [44:06] the scene I was trying to conjure like [44:08] the this in in Jerusalem is you see you [44:10] pass by homes and every home it's almost [44:12] like every home you see a suka there in [44:14] front of it. And each one has its own [44:16] kind of family tradition or imprint or [44:19] creativity that is that is obvious you [44:23] know in the in how the suk is built or [44:25] decorated [44:26] >> right [44:27] >> a very practical question [44:30] for those who don't live in [44:32] you know in Israel or places in um you [44:36] know I guess in suburbs or or parts of [44:38] of you know in in geographic areas where [44:41] they they're actually in homes but are [44:43] in cities a big a big part of our [44:45] audience here is in New York City. But [44:46] not just New York City. They're in New [44:48] York City. They're in Chicago. They're [44:50] in Washington DC. They're in San [44:52] Francisco. They're in London. Um [44:56] Australia. I can't ever forget to to uh [44:59] mention Australia where we have we have [45:01] a big audience there in those who are in [45:03] cities are in many of them are in, you [45:05] know, apartment buildings. What do they [45:07] do about a suka in that situation? [45:10] >> You probably dealt with this growing up [45:11] in Chicago. [45:12] >> Yeah. I mean, I we didn't have one in [45:14] our in our building and I didn't live in [45:18] a particularly specific Jewish [45:21] neighborhood. I used to go and stay with [45:24] friends, you know, in Skoi and in West [45:27] Rogers Park, these very and Peterson [45:29] Park, these communities that that you [45:32] would see, you know, on every block you [45:34] would see Sukkot. It was really amazing. [45:37] >> But many synagogues build Sukkot, so you [45:39] can go have a meal there. You can There [45:42] there's um Jewish community centers hold [45:44] Sukkot. I'm just thinking practically [45:46] for people who want to the experience of [45:48] having a meal or or experiencing a suka [45:50] in some way. You can there are community [45:52] events that are held in Sukkot and [45:55] especially for folks who are like in [45:56] apartment buildings and don't don't have [45:58] access to them. [45:59] >> This is where the internet is so [46:01] wonderful because you just do you know [46:05] Dr. Google is a rabbi [46:07] >> a rabbi rabbi Google. But do you think [46:10] there's something [46:12] um because Sukkot is not a a holiday of [46:15] anxiety, right? It's it's it's [46:17] literally, you know, [46:21] the season of of our rejoicing. And yet [46:24] you're you're in this very fragile [46:26] physical, you know, this this thing [46:28] you're constructing is where you're [46:29] dwelling. [46:30] And and yet there's all this rejoicing. [46:32] Is there is there a connection between [46:36] this idea that we're not in control and [46:38] then yet being able to be like be [46:42] capable of joy even when we have we're [46:45] recognizing that we have very little [46:47] control and we we all live in a very [46:49] fragile state. [46:51] >> Look, I think what you're t what you're [46:53] talking about is this poant poignant [46:55] message of Sukkot that we demonstrate [46:58] what is truly important to us. We all [47:00] seem to have a lot of stuff and somehow [47:04] when we leave all that stuff it ends up [47:07] making us see our stuff in a different [47:10] perspective and even though we [47:12] intellectually know that one time a year [47:14] we act it out. It's a live demonstration [47:17] for our children, for ourselves, for our [47:20] neighbors, for the people around us, [47:22] saying what is tethell and what is pre? [47:26] What is the peel and what is the fruit [47:31] in my existence? And there is no more [47:34] powerful way of saying my things do not [47:37] define me than by leaving our things [47:40] behind and heading out into this flimsy [47:44] self- constructed hut for the week. So [47:47] through that lens we experience actually [47:51] a joy and a happiness that is more [47:53] organic and genuine and authentic [47:57] because we are almost forced to focus on [48:01] our most precious commodities and that [48:04] is our rich heritage, our priceless [48:07] traditions [48:09] and our most precious families. [48:13] And so I think that it is rel there's [48:17] something about the stripping down of [48:20] the stuff that gets in the way, the [48:23] stuff that distracts us by going out and [48:27] saying, "Wow, we're in these four [48:29] walls." And you know what? We can [48:30] actually play [48:33] whatever game together or just listen to [48:37] music or just have a conversation and [48:39] have a cup of tea. And we are spending [48:43] time together and doing something very [48:46] plain and in the plainness is the real [48:51] stuff. [48:52] >> Okay. So then we go from Sukkot to we [48:55] arrive at Schmina at Serret in Simka [48:57] Torah. Uh what exactly are we [49:01] celebrating on this holiday? So the [49:05] final day of Sukkot ends and flows [49:08] immediately into what is called Shmini [49:11] at [49:12] means stoppage. [49:16] Um and with the exception of a very [49:20] short prayer for rain that is added to [49:23] the prayer service. There are no rituals [49:25] on Shmini. And I think of this as [49:29] everything that's been experienced now [49:31] in the 50 plus days since El the first [49:34] of El [49:36] sort of like when you there are these [49:38] families that get together for these [49:40] huge family reunions and there's so much [49:42] going on and there's big meals and a [49:44] petting zoo and a moon bounce and a [49:46] disco and everybody's hanging out and [49:48] then finally you know it gets to be [49:52] Sunday night people are already heading [49:54] out thumb [49:56] and people change into sweatpants [50:00] and it's just quiet quality time and we [50:05] have you know Rashi Rabbi Schlommo [50:09] Yitzkaki who was the famous French [50:12] medieval commentator scholar who says we [50:16] start this whole period with Rashan Yom [50:19] Kipper with the dynamic of God as a [50:23] parent [50:24] and When we get to Sukkot, the [50:27] relationship shifts and God is really [50:30] more like a partner or spouse. And so [50:33] what's happening on the eighth day is [50:36] that God is sort of detaining us ising [50:40] us, stopping us, not wanting the date to [50:44] end. I think of it as, you know, like [50:47] when back in the days many, many moons [50:50] ago in January, I'll be married 30 [50:52] years. um about when you would go on a [50:56] date and you didn't want the date to [50:58] end. You'd kind of drag your feet at the [51:00] end and you're walking slower and slower [51:03] to where you know the date is going to [51:05] end and then someone will say you want [51:07] to come up for coffee and I think of [51:09] Shminyater as God saying you want to [51:12] come up for coffee and it is usually our [51:17] holidays have these unique rituals as we [51:20] were mentioning before that you know we [51:22] have matzah on Passover we have migillan [51:24] poram or the manova or kanukian kanuka [51:28] but after much fanfare and celebration. [51:30] We now have an absence of ritual with [51:32] the exception of the rain prayer. And if [51:35] we've started this whole long process [51:37] and journey, now we are at the peak of [51:39] the experience and we're pausing just to [51:42] enjoy the view. When I was using that um [51:45] analogy before and saying, you know, [51:47] we're now at the top of Mount Everest. [51:48] It would be such a shame if you get to [51:51] the top and you say, "We made it. Bye," [51:53] and you turn and start heading down. No. [51:56] Shiniat is you're at the top. Stop. [52:00] Enjoy the view. Enjoy all the hard work [52:03] of building this relationship and being [52:06] sincere in this dynamic that you've been [52:08] working on. And what's what's really [52:14] interesting by the way is that at the [52:16] end of the harvest, and we have to [52:18] remember that Sukkot is a harvest [52:20] holiday. And if we think about it, [52:25] that's very distant from who we are [52:27] today, right? We don't think of [52:28] ourselves as farmers. But we were [52:30] farmers. But [52:33] what sometimes happens, whether we're [52:36] farmers or doctors or bankers or lawyers [52:39] or podcast makers or teachers is [52:42] sometimes we get lost in the harvest [52:44] that we've reaped and we think, "Wow, [52:47] look what we did. Look how cool we are." [52:50] any hardworking farmer, lawyer, doctor, [52:52] business person can can study and commit [52:56] themselves and hopefully succeed and [52:59] they forget that there's something [53:00] larger that contributed to the their [53:04] success. It's easy to get lost in our [53:07] own success. And [53:10] there is this fusion [53:13] at this time of year with the historical [53:16] remembrance holiday of Sukkot and God [53:20] providing us with what we needed. [53:22] There's this idea that there's always [53:24] someone bigger behind us. There is a [53:26] warning that Moses gives the children of [53:29] Israel at the end of the Torah, at the [53:31] end of Deuteronomy. And I love this [53:33] sentence, this verse. It says, "Do not [53:36] imagine in your heart. [53:39] Through my own strength and power, I [53:42] have brought all this wealth to me." [53:45] That we have to remember that there's [53:48] something else that actually did that. [53:49] Like I think of the validictorian or the [53:52] first in their class in medical school [53:54] who thinks like, "Wow, I really worked [53:56] hard." Well, remember your parents [53:57] actually really helped you and enabled [54:00] you to be able to work hard. And I think [54:04] that that's a theme that we go into [54:07] with. And what happens is [54:11] also coincides with when we finish the [54:14] cycle of reading the Torah. We have a [54:16] tradition that we read a portion of [54:18] Torah of the five books of Moses every [54:22] Shabbat. And different Torah readings [54:25] are also on all of the different [54:26] holidays. And when we get to the day of [54:29] Shminyater in Israel in in the diaspora, [54:32] it's over two days. Shinyater is one day [54:35] and Torah, the finishing of the Torah [54:39] holiday, is the following day. And we [54:42] immediately roll the entire Torah back [54:46] to the very beginning. And it's [54:47] considered a very festive day because [54:50] >> so you're right. You finish and then [54:51] you're like right back at it with [54:52] Genesis. [54:53] >> The second that it happens, we we roll [54:56] it back. Everyone watches it be rolled [54:58] all the way from the end of Deuteronomy, [55:00] the end of Devarium to the very [55:01] beginning of brace sheet of of Genesis [55:04] and we read the first reading of in the [55:08] beginning. We start over immediately. [55:11] And there's something about that um that [55:16] is so powerful. Alexander Strasfeld, [55:19] Rabbi Alexander Strafeld called that the [55:22] deathlessness of the Jewish people. That [55:26] this this [55:30] wovenness that we have to this blueprint [55:33] for life is the deathlessness of the [55:36] Jewish people. And so there's something [55:38] very [55:39] uh [55:41] layered and complicated and crushing and [55:45] tragic that since October 7th, 2023, [55:50] which occurred on that very same day, on [55:53] the day of Simat Torah, [55:57] that makes it very confusing and painful [55:59] because now forever, in addition to this [56:02] being the symbol of the deathlessness of [56:05] the Jewish people, It is also now [56:08] forever the yort site, the anniversary [56:11] of the date of death for thousands [56:16] of families to commemorate their [56:19] children, their partners, their parents, [56:22] their siblings, their loved ones. And [56:26] that is a challenge that I will [56:29] certainly have for the rest of my life [56:32] because even though Hirs was not killed [56:34] on October 7th, but the that part of my [56:38] life ended on that day and and there was [56:42] very much a before and after. And of [56:44] course I'm very close with at this point [56:47] thousands of people for whom [56:51] the day the date of simatra which jumps [56:55] around. It's not always going to be on [56:56] October 7th. It's on different days [56:58] depending on you know the Gregorian [57:01] calendar and the Jewish calendar don't [57:03] always align. And so that will always be [57:05] a challenge for so many thousands of us [57:08] and I think millions of us because I [57:11] think the Jewish people around the world [57:14] feel connected even if it wasn't someone [57:18] they knew or a blood relative I think [57:20] just as a people feel very connected to [57:23] the complete utter massacre and tragedy [57:29] that befell our people in the land of [57:31] Israel on simatra on this day that is in [57:35] theory supposed to be joyful at the end [57:38] of our holiday ofmanu [57:42] of our holiday of happiness. [57:44] >> The holiday as you say that the exact [57:47] translation of Torah is the joy of Torah [57:51] and and as you're saying it's a date [57:53] that has become synonymous with one of [57:56] the darkest days in um in modern Jewish [58:00] history. [58:02] There will be Rachel in in Jerusalem, in [58:05] Israel, and and throughout the diaspora, [58:07] Jews dancing [58:10] on Sim Torah as they do as they were [58:13] doing obviously long before October 7th, [58:16] 2023. [58:19] What is your reaction to that? Should we [58:21] think about it as an act of I mean [58:23] calling it just purely an act of joy [58:25] feels [58:26] I don't know there's something cruel [58:27] about that but maybe it's also an act of [58:30] of memory or an act of defiance or all [58:33] three. How how do you think about that? [58:36] >> Yeah, I think it is all three. I think [58:39] how do you braid together reality which [58:42] is that at the same time we're often [58:45] challenged with feeling joy and sadness [58:50] at the exact same moment. Um, you know, [58:53] we read Ecclesiastes on [58:56] Sukkot. Um, and that is when we're we [59:01] are beseeched by King Solomon of this is [59:05] a time [59:06] there are times of mourning and times of [59:09] birth. There are times of happiness and [59:11] times of sadness, times of planting and [59:13] times of harvesting. And and as we've [59:17] talked about and as um the poet uh [59:21] Yehuda Amihai has pointed out, sometimes [59:25] it's it's simultaneous. And I talked [59:28] about that last year that sometimes we h [59:31] we are commanded to do many things at [59:34] the exact same time. And I do think that [59:37] that we have to still be sensitive. I do [59:40] think that there should be dancing about [59:42] the deathlessness [59:44] of the Jewish people [59:47] and I do think that there should be [59:49] sensitivity that there will be people in [59:51] shul who are saying yisker which is the [59:54] memorial prayer for one of our seventh [59:56] closest relatives which is mother, [60:00] father brother sister spouse [60:02] daughter or son and that those are very [60:07] challenging prayers to have to say um in [60:12] light of [60:13] how those deaths occurred and when those [60:16] deaths occurred. And so what I'm really [60:18] blessing all of us with for this whole [60:22] period of this new year is an infusion [60:25] of introspection and growth, honesty and [60:30] healing, curiosity and comfort. And I'm [60:34] praying my heart out. I am really [60:38] praying my heart out in these trying [60:40] times that we keep trying. [60:43] >> All right. What what what do we say? A [60:45] meaningful I wish you a meaningful new [60:48] year. [60:48] >> Definitely. What I was thinking about [60:50] recently is [60:53] that miracles are not always good, but [60:57] they're miraculous. [60:59] Meaning miracles, I think, are defined [61:01] as things that seem to defy [61:04] nature. [61:06] And so we often think, well, so the [61:08] miracles are great. Oh my gosh, this [61:11] terrible thing could have happened and [61:12] we averted disaster. It was a miracle. [61:15] But sometimes miracles are challenging. [61:17] And I think that we have experienced [61:19] these last three years, the Jewish [61:21] people have experienced many challenging [61:23] miracles. And what I'm really praying [61:26] for are miracles that we can universally [61:29] agree on are good. [61:32] And um [61:34] that that so much of the hurt and pain [61:38] can somehow be carried in a in a less [61:41] clunky and more graceful and less less [61:47] painful way somehow someway. [61:50] >> All right, we will leave it there. Thank [61:51] you, Rachel. Oh, I want to make sure [61:53] that everyone remembers that everyone's [61:55] invited to Elon Benitar's Suka. And if [61:58] you're a inside Call Me Back subscriber, [62:01] then you also get a special piece of [62:03] rhubarb pie that Elon's very famous for [62:07] making. So, we'll see you there. [62:10] >> We'll see you there. [62:11] >> Thanks, Dan. [62:21] If Call Me Back is where you come for [62:23] honest conversations about Israel and [62:25] the Jewish world, please hit subscribe [62:27] and also share it with a friend. And if [62:30] you missed our last episode, it's worth [62:32] going back for. See you next time.
