(מג) בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִ _ _ _וּן
וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵ _ _ _ וּן...
(43) On Rosh Hashana their decree is _____, and on Yom Kippur it is _____...
2. What idea / ideas about the High Holidays is / are represented within these seven Hebrew words? (Or within their English translation?)
...כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן. וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן. מִי יִחְיֶה. וּמִי יָמוּת. מִי בְקִצּוֹ. וּמִי לֹא בְקִצּוֹ. מִי בַמַּֽיִם. וּמִי בָאֵשׁ. מִי בַחֶֽרֶב. וּמִי בַחַיָּה. מִי בָרָעָב. וּמִי בַצָּמָא. מִי בָרַֽעַשׁ. וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה. מִי בַחֲנִיקָה וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה. מִי יָנוּחַ. וּמִי יָנֽוּעַ. מִי יִשָּׁקֵט. וּמִי יִטָּרֵף. מִי יִשָּׁלֵו. וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר. מִי יֵעָנִי. וּמִי יֵעָשֵׁר. מִי יִשָּׁפֵל. וּמִי יָרוּם:
וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רֽוֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה:
...How many will pass away and how many will be created, who will live and who will die; who will come to his timely end, and who to an untimely end; who will perish by fire and who by water; who by the sword and who by beast; who by hunger and who by thirst; who by earthquake and who by the plague; who by strangling and who by stoning; who will be at rest and who will wander about; who will have serenity and who will be confused; who will be tranquil and who will be tormented; who will become poor and who will become wealthy; who will be brought to a low state and who will be uplifted.
But repentance, and prayer and charity annul the evil decree.
Chevruta study
(יג) הֵן אֶעֱצֹר הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה מָטָר וְהֵן־אֲצַוֶּה עַל־חָגָב לֶאֱכוֹל הָאָרֶץ וְאִם־אֲשַׁלַּח דֶּבֶר בְּעַמִּי׃
(יד)וְיִכָּנְעוּ עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְיִתְפַּלְלוּ וִיבַקְשׁוּ פָנַי וְיָשֻׁבוּ מִדַּרְכֵיהֶם הָרָעִים וַאֲנִי אֶשְׁמַע מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶסְלַח לְחַטָּאתָם וְאֶרְפָּא אֶת־אַרְצָם׃
(13) If I stop up the heavens and there is no rain; if I command the locusts to ravage the land; or if I let loose pestilence against My people,
(14) when My people, who bear My name, humble themselves, and pray, and seek My favor and turn from their evil ways, I will hear in My heavenly abode and forgive their sins and heal their land.
2. What is God's response to those actions? Why do you think God responds that way?
אָמַר רַבִּי לְעַזֶר שְׁלֹשָה דְּבָרִים מְבַטְּלִין אֶת הַגְּזִירָה קָשָׁה וְאֵלּוּ הֵן תְּפִלָה וּצְדָקָה וּתְשׁוּבָה וְשֶׁלּשְׁתַּן בְּפָּסוּק אֶחָד (דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים ב ז)
"וְיִכָּנְעוּ עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא־שְׁמִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְיִתְפַּלְלוּ" זוׂ תְּפִלָה
"וִיבַקְשׁוּ פָנַי" זוֹ צְדָקָה כְּמַה דְאַת אַמַר (תְהִילִים יז) "אֲנִי בְּצֶדֶק אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ"
(דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים ב יב) "וְיָשֻׁבוּ מִדַּרְכֵיהֶם הָרָעִים" זוׂ תְשׁוּבָה
אִם עַשוּ כֵן מַה כְּתִיב תַמַן (שם) "וַאֲנִי אֶשְׁמַע מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶסְלַח לְחַטָּאתָם וְאֶרְפָּא אֶת־אַרְצָם."
Rabbi Lazar said three things nullify a harsh decree and they are Tefillah, Tzedakah, and Teshuva, and all three of them are in one verse (II Chronicles 7:14):
"when My people, who bear My name, humble themselves, and pray..." this is Tefillah;
"and seek My favor" this is Tzedakah, as it is written (Psalm 17:15) "I shall behold thy face in righteousness";
"and they shall turn from their evil ways" this is Teshuva
If you do thusly, the following will apply, "I will hear in My heavenly abode and forgive their sins and heal their land."
(Hint: don't only rely on the translation to find the connections.)
| Words from II Chronicles 7:14 | Translate your quote from Verse 14 | Words from Unetaneh Tokef |
| " " | תְּפִלָה | |
| " " | צְדָקָה | |
| " " | תְשׁוּבָה |
3. Why do you think Rabbi Lazar views these three actions as the key to determining our own fate?
4. Do you think these actions have merit on their own? Or do they all need to happen together?
Personal Reflection
וּתְשׁוּבָה, וּתְפִלָּה, וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רֽוֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה" - מוּסַף רׂאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה"
"But repentance, prayer, and charity annul the evil decree." - Rosh Hashanah Musaf
Text 1:
“Judaism lives in cognitive dissonance, believing both sides of what superficially looks like a contradiction. This dissonance is the source of our creative energy, our restless desire to heal a fractured world, as well as our intellectual honesty in refusing to simplify a complex faith.
We have just said, “On Rosh HaShana it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed… who will live and who will die,” as if the future were determined on these days. Now we say the opposite: “But repentance, prayer, and charity avert the evil of the decree.” On this view, the future is not determined. No fate is final. There is always the possibility of an appeal, a pleas for clemency, a royal or presidential pardon."
Text 2:
"Repentance is our relationship to ourselves. Prayer is our relationship to God. Tzedaka, charity, is our relationship with others. We should be honest in our relationship with ourselves, humble in our relationship to God, and generous in our relationship to others.”
In thinking about text two, please take some time now to reflect on one of these three areas: repentance, prayer, and tzedaka. You can answer these questions in writing or through illustration. This exercise will only be graded for effort, not for content, and you will not be required to share this with anyone else.
1. When in this past year do you feel that you succeeded in being honest in your relationship with yourself, humble in your relationship with God, or generous in your relationships with others? Where do you feel like you could have done better?
2. What do you plan to do in the next year to improve in that area? What steps will you take to get there / what might success look like for you, one year from now?