A Reading of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's Collected Writings: "The Ten Days of Repentance."

Get ready to embark on a journey of profound spiritual awakening as we uncover the essence of Teshuva Week through Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's enlightening insights.

Rabbi Hirsch was the first Orthodox leader to confront the challenges to Jewish life unleashed by the Enlightenment. His ceaseless and prolific exposition of the Torah serves as an inspiration for our time, as it did for European Jewry a century ago. These books are translated from the original German and include the bulk of Rabbi Hirsch's philosophical writings. This episode explores Volume 1: The Jewish Year, Part 1, and Rabbi Hirsch's brilliant essay on the Ten Days of Repentance.

Together, we delve into the profound impact of teshuva not just on individuals but on the vibrancy of our communities. True fulfillment in a Jewish organization extends beyond leadership roles, demanding sincere engagement with communal responsibilities from each member. Discover how the youth, inspired by the solemn introspection of Rosh Hashanah, can play a pivotal role in fostering a collective spirit of improvement and devotion. This episode underscores that a lifelong commitment to divine principles, cultivated through earnest participation and a united communal voice, is crucial in strengthening personal and collective spiritual life. Join us as we delve into how these timeless practices can invigorate our communal responsibilities and personal growth.

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Transcript

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The following extraordinary letter, authored by the great Samson Raphael Hirsch, can be found in his collected writings, the first volume, on page 76.

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The essay is titled the Teshuvah Week.

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The verse begins Teshuvah week.

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The verse begins Rosh Hashanah's purpose was to disclose the intense earnestness of the demands made of us by the God of Sinai and to show us the abundance of our bliss, which already blossoms as the result of complying with these demands.

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Rosh Hashanah wants to warn us of the misery which is the inevitable result of apostasy.

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Rosh Hashanah wants to show us the ever-ready mercy of our God, who beckons us to emerge from the deepest abyss to come toward him, who is always ready to restore us to a new and fresh purity and peace.

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The means of obtaining this purity and peace is called teshuva Return, and an entire week is dedicated to this.

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Teshuva week is dedicated to this Teshuvah.

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Who can truly portray the bliss of such a Teshuvah week in which the purposeful Jewish life finds full expression?

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Every altar of the El Nehar, the alien God in the home, is overturned.

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All bonds of the unholy, all un-Jewish bonds are torn asunder.

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With the vigor of a newly awakened, newly strengthened, free, divinely inspired energy, we cleanse our hearts, we purify and consecrate our lives so that God's splendor will once again reign within us.

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Do you notice the joyful laughter of the youths and maidens, the animated look of the young men and women?

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How about the elderly, with their tranquil gaze?

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They have tasted the bliss of return of Teshuva, and the light of Teshuva radiates about them with a warm glow.

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They have measured and weighed their innermost thoughts and feelings, their sentiments and inclinations.

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Whatever was unable to meet God's criteria was to be banned from the sanctuary of their heart.

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The act which accomplishes this transformation from lies to truthfulness, from envy to human kindness, from hatred to love, from grudge to forgiveness, from lewdness to self-control, from laziness to diligence, from obstinacy to compliance, from arrogance to modesty, from conceit to humility, from vanity to earnestness, is teshuva.

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After a thorough introspection, they asked and tested and searched and weighed before God whether they had properly observed the parameters of holiness and had they utilized the means granted to them by a merciful God.

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They rebuilt the altar of purity, restored the spirit of consecration, and the task which accomplished this was teshuva.

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They looked into their family circle and examined and evaluated before God their marriage, their functions as parents and the life of their children, their family life and their continued personal growth.

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The husband evaluated his relationship with his wife and the wife her relationship with her husband.

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Parents questioned their relationship with their siblings and with their children, and children scrutinized their relationship with their parents.

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Siblings examined their conduct towards each other, friends looked at their friendships and comrades evaluated their companionship.

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The husband asked himself whether he had lived up to the full implication of the tiny word li with which he entered into marriage.

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The wife asked herself whether she, with love and fidelity, with kindness and earnestness, had remained a true and loyal companion and friend.

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The spouses asked themselves whether they shared each other's hurt, rejoiced in each other's happiness and showed compassion for each other's pain.

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The children looked into their hearts and evaluated their filial love and respect, the obedience and reverence which is owed to parents.

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Brothers and sisters asked themselves whether their hearts were mindful of each other, whether they cared for each other with that same love.

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Friends and neighbors examined themselves whether harmony, love, respect and consideration were practiced among them Attributes attributes which are the most precious treasures of man.

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They looked about and within themselves and tested before God their relationships in the larger circle of human beings with whom their business, their vocation and their trade brought them in contact.

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They tested, weighed and evaluated before God their business and professional conduct in order to determine whether they had committed any injustice or wrongdoing.

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They examined their lives in light of the admonition Ki toyevas Hashem, eloikecha kol oise eyleh kol oise ovel.

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They scrutinized the philosophical concepts which are responsible for their ideology.

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Did they consider the honor, tranquility, welfare and justice of their fellow men as a precious trust?

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Did they use language to curse the deaf or to put a stumbling block in the path of the blind?

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They examined words and deeds which affected their human relations, asking themselves whether they conveyed a message of love and conciliation, of gentleness and mercy.

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All this and more, they asked themselves.

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And wherever they discovered a deviation from justice, they did not rest until the injustice was removed, until every unlawfully earned penny had been returned, surrendered what had been withheld, approached again those they had previously repudiated, gave support and help to the abandoned, fortified justice and restored friendships.

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The act which helped them achieve this is called Teshuvah.

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They also looked at their communal life before God and tested and weighed the status of public Jewish life within their circle.

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Was the Jewish communal entity flourishing and achieving its purposes?

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Were Torah Avodah and Gemilas Hasodim being practiced as befits a Jewish community.

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Did God recognize as Torah that which was presented to them as Torah?

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Did God find Avodah in their divine service?

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And was the ancient Gemilas Chesed still the charity they gave, or had all this been a miracle, been recklessly abandoned?

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They examined the Torah institutions of their community.

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They looked for those institutions which fostered Torah for the adults.

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Above all, they examined the institutions which are to mold the growing youth and the genuine nobleness of Torah blended with their Echeretz.

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They asked themselves whether both Torah and theirich Eretz were well cared for.

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This engendered the hope that they would strengthen the youth and help them to lead an upright, god-pleasing Jewish life rooted in the perfect foundation of the Torah.

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They looked for the institutions of avodah, which a community is responsible to establish and obliged to support for the implementation of their Torah obligations.

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They examined the Beis HaTzvila, the Beis HaTvila and the Beis HaShchita.

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Did they actually exist?

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Were they adequate?

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Did they fulfill their obligations and purposes?

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Did the community consider itself accountable if it would find that the practical fulfillment of the Jewish law fell far short of its goal?

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They tested the establishments of Gemilas HaSadim in their midst.

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Did they still consider it the obligation of the entire Jewish community not to let an individual flounder, to assist the poor, the needy, the weak, the suffering and the sick with united vigor, was the pearl of Abraham's life.

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The hospitable love of men, which welcomes into the home every stranger and passing traveler, still practiced by the community.

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Did they, with renewed earnestness, practice this Jewish love of men during a time when mounting needs and increasing anguish abound?

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If an unfortunate soul died in their midst, could they and their elders wash their hands before God in the conviction of yodaynu loyshavchu eshadom hazeh ve'aynenu loyro'u?

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The members of the community continued their self-examination to determine whether they were still animated by vigorous community concerns which recognize each individual's responsibility for cooperation.

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They concluded that a congregation has not met its responsibilities merely by appointing functionaries and communal leaders.

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The communal spirit is responsible for the continued thriving and care of a Jewish organization.

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To these tasks, each individual was expected to devote the same attention that he devotes to the running of his private affairs.

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The participation, the zeal, the earnestness, the united voice of the community members constitute the true foundation of a successful community, of a successful community.

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The community leaders, the rabbis, the teachers and all those with community responsibilities must ask themselves before God whether their activities were satisfactory and whether they dealt with communal affairs.

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The shame shemayim.

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For the sake of heaven, did they perform God's work, be'emunah, with belief and did they deserve the continued trust of the community which had appointed them?

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They asked, tested and weighed and wherever they discovered major flaws, they attempted to remedy them by a serious resolution to improve.

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The act which accomplished this is called teshuva.

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The spirit which animated the elders and the solemnity which inspired the leaders also kindled the zeal and the determination of the youth.

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They were inspired by the solemnity of the moment and, in their own childish way, found a way to juve.

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Transgressions for which they had reproached themselves during the year now became a heavy burden.

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They recognized, atoned for and overcame stubbornness, laziness, quarrelsomeness, frivolity, defiance and sundry other bad habits which are a blemish on the youthful character.

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Friends and schoolmates were appeased, parents and teachers were reconciled.

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The act of self-improvement is teshuva, and because they did teshuva, they understood the solemnity of Rosh Hashanah.

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It also became clear to them that a few hours spent in prayer did not constitute a fulfillment of their task.

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The spirit of acceptance of holy divine responsibilities matures during the span of a lifetime.

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Therefore, full of hope, they approach Yom Kippur, which completes the Teshuvah process and places it before God.

A Reading of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's Collected Writings: "The Ten Days of Repentance."

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