Jews Called to Act Quickly to Do Right
Tishrei, the Jewish month in which the High Holidays fall, truly is packed with holiday action. Of course, most prominent are those holidays that bring the biggest crowds to synagogues: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
However, there are plenty of others during this same month: (in order) T’zom Gedalia, Sukkot, Sh’mini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. The second of these, Sukkot, falls only a few days after the close of Yom Kippur (the 10th of Tishrei), beginning on the 15th. With such a jam-packed month of holidays, our natural tendency might be to delay in the process of wrapping up one of these occasions and preparing for the next. After all, who really wants to get finished with Yom Kippur only to run outside and construct a sukkah?
However, always full of surprises, the Jewish tradition contains many teachings which try to convince us that such swift transitions are, in fact, not only not problematic, but instead are ideal. In the case of the transition between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, for instance, a common teaching suggests that we should actually begin to build our sukkah the very evening that Yom Kippur ends. Talk about no rest for the wicked! I know that I, personally, would rather wait at least until the next day before beginning this arduous task.
Nevertheless, Judaism contains a pair of teachings about why we are commanded to build our sukkot so promptly. The first and most commonly cited reason comes from a value called la-tzeit mi-mitzvah l’mitzvah: “to go out from one commandment [and on] to another.” In this vein, we are encouraged to avoid a lapse into a non-sacral period between Yom Kippur and Sukkot and instead to prolong our experience of holy time by moving straight from one holiday to the next.
The second reason—one that is fitting because each year on Rosh Hashanah we read the story of the Binding of Isaac—is that Judaism encourages us to emulate the model of Abraham who, having been commanded to sacrifice his son on Mt. Moriah, does not tarry in attempting to obey his command (and this remains true even though we may have qualms with the overall wisdom of Abraham’s judgment in this story). Instead, we read of Abraham in Genesis 22:3 that he rose up early in the morning to do what was expected of him. The Jewish value which comes from this is known as z’rizin makdimin l’mitzvot, a suggestion that “those who are truly committed arise early to perform mitzvoth.”
Put another way, it is clear that, as Jews, we are obligated to act to make the world right (to perform tikkun olam) as soon as we can identify ways that we are capable of doing so. There is no waiting or procrastination permitted in the doing of what is right. This echoes famous, well-known words which have resonated throughout many centuries of human history, specifically that “justice delayed is justice denied.” In view of the teaching above, this dictum clearly harmonizes with Jewish values, as demonstrated by this line from Pirkei Avot (5:8): Destruction enters the world through the delay of justice and the perversion of justice.
As we celebrate Sukkot this year—whether we build our sukkah the evening after Yom Kippur or not—I think it important for us to consider what it means for us personally not to delay in the performance of mitzvoth. Given that this holiday is meant to encourage Jews to remember the experience of quasi-homelessness, to be aware of what life is like for those who lack permanent shelter, it would be especially fitting to consider our Jewish duty to those who are in need of a place to call home. Whether this means for you that you call a Congressman to ask him or her to prevent the dislocation of so-called Dreamers, that you give tzedakah to support those who have lost homes in recent natural disasters, or any other such act of compassion, the Jewish value of Sukkot really mustn’t stop within a physical sukkah in a synagogue courtyard or our backyard.
If we want to be truly committed, z’rizin, to the ideals that underlie this important Jewish holiday, it is our imperative to live up to our mitzvoth. Among other things, this means acting rightly and acting swiftly to help make the world a better place.
Rabbi Ari Ballaban
Jews Are Accustomed to Giving Thanks
November 1, 2017 by tbo5275 • Rabbi Ballaban's Column • Tags: Gratitiude, Rabbi Ari Ballaban, Thanksgiving •
Jews Accustomed to Giving Thanks By Rabbi Ari Ballaban
Our American Thanksgiving holiday expresses an idea quite at home in Judaism. Jewish tradition, especially our liturgy, is filled to the brim with the idea that one ought to be thankful for the blessings which he or she receives:
“I offer thanks to You, living and fulfilling Sovereign, who has [once again] returned my soul to me in mercy. How great is Your trust!”
“We gratefully acknowledge with thanks that You are Adonai, our God and the God of our ancestors forever. You are the Rock of our lives, and the Shield of our salvation in every generation. Let us thank You and praise You—for our lives which are in Your hand, for our souls which are in Your care, for Your miracles that we experience every day, and for Your wondrous deeds and favors at every time: morning, noon, and night…”
“Praise to You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who formed the human body with wisdom, creating the body’s many pathways and openings. It is manifest and known before Your throne of glory that if one of them were to be wrongly opened or closed, it would be impossible to endure and stand before You for even one hour. Blessed are You, Adonai, who heals all flesh, working wondrously.”
People often joke that Judaism has a blessing for everything. Unfortunately, this adage, while admittedly mostly true, has often characterized our faith as rigid and formulaic. In truth, our proliferation of blessings motivates Jews to be conscious of how profound our day-to-day lives really are. The blessings Judaism invites us to say do not just over-saturate our lives with ritual, rather they shake us to recognize how special and sacred our world is, even the things which may seem mundane.
While there certainly are a great many things we should strive to improve about the world, Judaism makes it incumbent upon us to see the small blessings in our lives and to recognize them for what they are: true, miraculous blessings. Our American Thanksgiving holiday gives us an opportunity to do something similar to this. Here truly is an American celebration which fits perfectly together with an idea taught by Judaism!
This Thanksgiving, let us all try to find the small miracles which together form our world and enable us to live lives worthy of blessings. I know that as we sit down at our Thanksgiving tables, our minds may gravitate toward the big things which obviously merit a feeling of thankfulness; however, let’s try to follow the example of our tradition to recognize all the small things that go into making such large blessings. There is wisdom in this Jewish tradition, and I think following this Jewish example can lead to much good.