From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

We study Torah, we teach Torah, we chant Torah, we live our lives by Torah, but, on Simchas Torah, we also dance with the Torah.  I am convinced that it is this love of Torah that has kept us alive throughout all the centuries.  Simchas Torah is my favorite Jewish holiday.  There is nothing which is more Jewish than dancing with the Torah.  I believe that there is nothing that can bring us closer to G-d.  Our devotion to the Torah is based on the belief that every word in it is precious and holy.  If there were one thing I could wish for, it would be that all of our members who come to services on Yom Kippur would come back and dance with us on Simchas Torah.  This year, Simchas Torah is on Saturday, October 10, at 6:05 PM.  Please plan to attend our service.

The joy and happiness that we feel on Simchas Torah will help us as we go through the year.  We need to understand that Judaism is a philosophy of life that sees the world as “good”.  Enjoying life, celebrating life, and recognizing that we are truly fortunate to be alive is fundamental in Judaism.  And it is important for us as a congregation to feel the happiness of living as Jews.  When we come to the synagogue, it should be with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to serve G-d.  What could be more important to us?

Moreover, we should all be proud to be members of Congregation Agudas Achim.  Our congregation remains a stronghold of Jewish tradition.  Under difficult circumstances, we have maintained our commitment to Jewish life and practice.  It truly makes me happy to see those in attendance on Shabbos mornings.  I want to express my appreciation to Leon Gordon and Harry Morgenstern for serving as the Gabbais.  Their efforts make the service run smoothly and their knowledge of Jewish tradition helps insure that our congregation’s service is in accordance with traditional Jewish practice.  I also want to express appreciation to Dr. Ed Pritzker who has become an increasingly proficient Torah reader.  Reading the Torah portion out of the scroll is extremely difficult.  Where this busy physician gets the time to prepare the Torah reading each week is truly amazing to me.  Our entire congregation owes him a tremendous “thank you”.  I also want to thank Susan Gordon and Betya Katz for making the effort so that we have a Kiddush every week after services.

Of course, with the decline in the number of our members, it is increasingly difficult to have a daily minyan. And yet, the daily minyan continues.  Among all the things we do as a congregation, I still believe that maintaining the daily minyan is absolutely essential.  The fact that our congregation has been able to have a regular minyan is a prime example of our commitment and our steadfastness. I again urge all men who are able to make your own commitment to attending at least once a week.

Agudas Achim is an extended family.  Like all families, we do not all see eye to eye on everything.  As Jews, that would be impossible.  If there are nine Jews, there are at least ten opinions.  But I believe that when you come to services at Agudas Achim, you find that this is where you belong.  And that we are indeed one family.  Warmth and friendliness are an integral part of everything we do as a congregation.

I hope that Congregation Agudas Achim will go from strength to strength.  We need every single member in order to make this a viable congregation.  Your participation is essential to the continuance of Jewish life in Peoria.

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From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

The shochet came into see the rabbi of the town. The Shochet was a very pious Jew. As a matter of a fact, he was so concerned about observing the laws that govern the Kosher slaughtering of animals that he came to see a rabbi. “I cannot continue being a Shocet.” “Why not,” asked the rabbi. “It’s too much responsibility,” replied the shocet. “Every Jew in town is depending on me for his meat to be Kosher. There are so many rules to follow, so much to know to be sure that the slaughtering is done properly. That is why I have decided to give up being the shocet. I am going into some other line of business.

As we approach the High Holidays, we need to be looking carefully at ourselves. We need to be taking stock of our lives.

All of us are aware of the importance of the dietary laws in Jewish life. We check every food item to make sure it has the proper certification. But we need to make sure that all of our actions have the proper certification. Today, in America, it is very easy to keep Kosher. Almost all food items are clearly identifiable as to whether they are Kosher or not. The availability of Kosher food in every supermarket is widespread. It is much more difficult to keep all the other laws that govern our actions. It is much more difficult to make sure that we are observing the Torah’s rules that govern our speech and our dress. Have you ever found a lost object? The Talmud contains page after page of rules governing the obligation. to return a lost object. Have you ever borrowed anything from someone? The Talmud deals at enormous length with the rules that govern our responsibility for the care of borrowed objects.

Keeping Kosher is important. That means not only eating in accordance with Torah but living our lives in their entirety in accordance with the Torah. That is what we need to be thinking about as we sit in services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

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From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

It used to be that a Jew would come to the High Holidays (which are called in Hebrew, “the Days of Awe”) with trepidation. One did not just show up for the services on the eve of Rosh Hashannah, but preparation began a month earlier. At the beginning of the month of Elul, it is customary to start sounding the Shofar at the end of morning services. This is to give us fair warning that the Day of Judgment is approaching. We need to start thinking about repentance. Beginning with the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashannah, we start saying penitential prayers late at night. So that by the time one arrives at the synagogue on Rosh Hashannah, a Jew should have had his or her thoughts directed to the matters of importance which should dominate our thinking during the Holidays. These matters are: changing our lives and making amends with those around us.

Changing our lives requires that we make a strict accounting of what we have done in the past and what we are supposed to do. Are the two the same? None of us can honestly answer “yes” to this question. The Days of Awe are the time for making the changes required to bring our lives closer to what they should be.

Making amends with others is a crucial part of this process of change. We need to recognize that we have not always acted towards others as we should. Doing repentance requires admitting this fact and asking forgiveness fo those we have offended.

Rosh Hashannah is the “Day of Judgement.” To properly understand this day and its importance, we should perhaps imagine ourselves in the situation of being called into court. If you received a summons to appear in court one month from now, would you file the letter away, not thinking about what it might be about? Of course not. All of us, faced with a court date, would be constantly thinking about the actions pertaining to the case. What were the exact facts? What were our exact actions? What did we say? How are we to explain our behavior? This is precisely what we should be doing right now in preparation for the Day of Judgement — Rosh Hashannah.

The difference is that int he case of the HIgh Holidays, the summons is a voluntary one. We can chose whether we will appear in court. But if we don’t, then the sentence is a harsh one. We will remain exactly the same. Our lives will not be improved. Our relations with other people will remain troubled. The truth is that the High Holidays are a special kind of court date — one that is designed to clear our record and allow us to go on in life after a new start. We can emerge from these days refreshed  and reinvigorated, ready to meet new challenges. That is the power of repentance. It is why the call to us to change our lives and mend our relationships that we hear during the Days of Awe is one that we should willingly answer.

Pnina, Oren, Talia and Leora join me in wishing all of you a healthy and happy New Year. And most importantly, a New Year filled with joy and blessing.

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President Obama, in his Cairo speech, spoke eloquently about the Holocaust.  He stated emphatically that those who deny the Holocaust are wrong.  But, I find the president’s remarks troubling.  His argument is that the Jews have a right to a state because six million Jews were exterminated in Europe.

What is the harm in the President’s claim? The problem is that it is the position of our enemies. When Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University, he was questioned about his denial of the Holocaust.  He responded that even if there were a Holocaust, why should the Palestinians pay the price for a European sin? We might ask ourselves, why is Ahmadinejad interested in the question of whether the Holocaust is a fact or not.  His concern for this question is premised precisely on his understanding that the Holocaust is the source of the legitimization of the State of Israel in the minds of some people.  There have been other anti-Semites over the years who have claimed that the Holocaust was a hoax perpetrated by the Jews in order to secure the sympathy of the world for the establishment of Israel.

But I do not believe that any Israeli or Jew would make the claim that the Holocaust is the reason for the existence of Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to the President’s remarks in a speech of his own.  He stated emphatically that the Jewish People have a historic right to the Land of Israel because it is the land of our forefathers.  It is where we were formed as a people and it is where the greatest events in our history took place.  Netanyahu brilliantly said, “It is not true that were it not for the Holocaust the State of Israel wouldn’t exist. But, if the State of Israel had existed, there would not have been a Holocaust.”  The president is also incorrect in his history.  The Zionist movement began in the 1880’s and 90’s well before World War II. The Jews had established many of the institutions of Israel in the 1920?s and 30?s.

The president has bought the argument that it is only Jewish suffering that gives us a right to a state of our own.  But the words of “Hatikvah?” the national anthem of Israel, put the case succinctly; “Then our hope – the two-thousand-year-old hope – will not be lost: To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

The holiday of Shavuot is approaching. Most Jews are aware when the holiday of Passover is close at hand. So are they aware when Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are on the calendar. Even Hanukkah is observed by most American Jews. But Shavuot could come and go without being noticed by the majority of Jews.

Is it an unimportant holiday? Not at all. It is one of the most important. Shavuot is the holiday that marks the giving of the Torah to the Jewish People on Mount Sinai. What could be more important than that?

Perhaps the reason that Shavuot seems to be less “popular” than some other Jewish holidays is that it has no rituals that are specifically identified with it. There is no Seder, no Lulav and Esrog, no Menorah. Of course, we make Kiddush and light candles, as we do every Friday evening. But Shavuot is a holiday without a ritual of its own. So what should we do on Shavuot?

The first thing is to go to Synagogue. The second thing we should do is studying the Torah. Since Shavuot is the holiday of the “giving of the Torah,” it is certainly appropriate to study the Torah during this holiday. Some have the custom of staying up all night on Shavuot to study. Not all of us are ready or able to go so far, but every one of us can spend some time learning Torah during Shavuot.

The study of the Torah is what has kept the Jewish People alive through all the centuries. Are you not sure if this is true? Then look at what our enemies have done in the past. The ancient Romans made the study of the Torah a capital offence.  They realized that if the Jewish People do not study the Torah, they will not survive. The former Soviet Union was almost successful in wiping out the identity of millions of Jews. How did they accomplish it? By prohibiting Jews from studying and teaching Judaism. The study of the Torah is the lifeblood of Judaism.

This Shavuot let each of us makes a new commitment to the study of the Torah and of Judaism. Shavuot is the best time to make this commitment. There may not be a specific ritual connected with the holiday, but it is the ideal time to commit ourselves to that most basic of Jewish acts – study.

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A simple Jew from Eastern Europe once decided to got o a distant island to seek his fortune. He heard rumors that in this far off place, one could find untold riches and so he said farewell to his wife and children and set off on a ship bound for the island.

After many months at sea, the Jew arrived on the island and alas, the rumors had been true. From the moment he landed, he saw that there were diamonds and precious stones strewn everywhere. It was as easy as bending down to become a wealthy man. He filled his pockets with a few of the jewels, but then quickly tired. The ship would not be back to pick him up for a whole year. He would have plenty of time to gather jewels. so he went and found a comfortable place to stay.

The man soon discovered that on this island, jewels were hardly valuable at all. What was considered of great worth on this desert island was schmaltz – chicken fat. The Jew, always enterprising, began to collect chicken fat. He raised chickens and stored the fat in large barrels. It wasn’t long until he had a tremendous supply of schmaltz. he was looked upon as a very prosperous person on the island and he was satisfied.

One day, he heard the sound of the ship in the harbor. A year had gone by and he had not gathered up any of the diamonds. Instead he had barrels and barrels of chicken fat. The ship was departing immediately and he had to get on board. He took the barrels of schmaltz down to the harbor and had them loaded onto the ship. Safely aboard just in the nick of time, the ship set sail.

After a few weeks at sea, the barrels of schmaltz began to product an unpleasant odor. In another couple of weeks, the ship’s crew insisted that he throw them overboard to get rid of the stench that the rotten schmaltz was causing. He hated to but he had no choice but to discard his tremendous store.

Finally, he arrived home. When his wife and children saw him they were overjoyed. “So, was it true Were there great riches on the island?” The man immediately realized how foolish he had been. There certainly were great riches to be easily obtained but instead he had spent all his time trying to increase his store of chicken fat. Except for a few stones, which he had gathered the first day, he had no diamonds or jewels.

We too are living in a world with riches all over the place. We have the opportunity to do G-d’s mitzvahs (commandants) and obtain the merit they posses. But instead, we waste our time and effort on that which has no real value. We need to realize what is truly valuable and what is not — before it is too late.

From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

A Wealthy Jew was on his deathbed. With his children around him, he made one last request, “I would like to be buried with my socks on.” With his final strange request, the wealthy man expired.

His children were perplexed by this final request of their father’s. He was an extremely pious Jew and knew that, according to Jewish law, one could only be buried in a shroud. However, the man’s children went to inquire from their rabbi whether their father’s request could be honored.

“No,  it is not permitted to be buried with any clothing other than a simple shroud.” When they heard this response from their own rabbi, they decided to seek other opinions. Perhaps they could find at least one orthodox rabbi  who would give them his permission to honor their father’s deathbed appeal. They called rabbinical authorities in other cities but from each, they heard the same answer, “no, he can not be buried in his socks.”

The children bowed to the authority of Jewish law and went ahead and had their father buried in teh customary fashion.

One month later, on the occasion of sheloshim – the end of the first 30 days of mourning – the wealthy Jew’s will was finally opened. The man’s children and other family members sat in a room waiting to hear how his large fortune would be distributed. With everyone listening intently, the lawyer began to read the will. “Now that you know you can’t take a pair of socks with you, don’t fight over the money.” The man’s children had been given a valuable lesson.

As we approach the high holidays, we once again are forced to consider what is really important. To put it another way, what do we take with us when our time on earth is finished. Certainly our money and our possessions do not accompany us. What really counts, what we do take with us is the mitzvoth we have observed, the Torah we have learned and the deeds of kindness we have performed. The questions we have to ask ourselves this Yom Kippur are: Have we lived our lives in an ethical way? How have we treated other people? Have we observed G-d’s commandants? Each of us must ponder the answers to those questions.

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From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

My favorite Jewish holiday is Simchas Torah. There is nothing which is more Jewish than dancing with the Torah. I believe that there is nothing that can bring us closer to G-d than dancing with the Torah. The Torah is the greatest gift any people have ever received. Our love for the Torah is based upon the belief that every word in it is precious and holy. We study Torah, we teach Torah, we chant Torah, we live our lives by Torah, but on Simchas Torah, we also dance with the Torah. It is this love for Torah that has kept us alive throughout all the centuries. If there were one thing I could wish for, it would be that all of our members who come to services on Yom Kippur would come back and dance with us on Simchas Torah. This year, Simchas Torah is on a Wednesday, Oct. 22. Please plan to attend our service.

The joy and happiness that we feel on Simchas Torah will help us as we go through the year. We need to understand that Judaism is a philosophy of life that sees the world as “good.” Enjoying life, celebrating life, and recognizing that we are truly fortunate to be Jew is so important. And it is important for us as a congregation to feel the happiness of living as Jews. We should get up every morning and thank G-d that we are alive and that we have the privilege of living our lives in accordance with the holy Torah. When we come to the synagogue, it should be with enthusiasm and a genuine sense of desire to serve G-d. What could be more important to us?

Moreover, we should all be proud to be members of Congregation Agudas Achim. Our congregation remains a stronghold of Jewish tradition. We have, under different circumstances, maintained our commitment to Jewish life and practice. It truly makes me happy to see those in attendance on Shabbos mornings. I want to express my appreciation to Leon Gordon and Harry Morgenstern for serving as Gabbais. Their efforts make the service run smoothly and their knowledge  of Jewish tradition helps insure that our congregation’s service is in accordance with traditional Jewish practice. I also want to express appreciation to Tom Halperin and Ed Pritzker who read the Torah on most weeks. It is very difficult to read Torah. Where these two busy physicians get the time to prepare the Torah reading each week is truly amazing to me. I also want to thank Susan Gordan and Betya Katz for making the effort so that we have a Kiddush every week after services.

Of course, with the decline in the number of our members, it is increasingly difficult to have a daily minyan. And yet, the daily minyan continues. Among all the things we do as a congregation, I still believe that maintaining a daily minyan is absolutely essential. The fact that our congregation has been able to have a regular minyan is a prime example of our commitment and steadfastness. I again urge all men who are able to make your own commitment to attending at least once a week.

Agudas Achim is an extended family. Like all families, we do not see eye to eye on everything. As Jews, that would be impossible. How could we possibly all agree? If there are nine Jews, there are at least 10 opinions. But I believe that when you come to services at Agudas Achim, you find that this is where you belong. And that we are indeed one family. Warmth and friendliness are an integral part of everything we do as a congregation.

I hope that Congregation Agudas Achim will go from strength to strength. We need every single member in order to make this a viable congregation. Your participation is essential to the continance of Jewish life in Peoria.

May this New  Year bring to all of us good health and happiness. Pnina and the rest of my family join me in wishing everyone a “Shanah tovah u’esuka – a sweet and good New Year.”

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From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

Why was the Torah given to the Jewish People in the middle of the desert? I think that if I had written the Torah, I would have set the revelation in a place like Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem is the holiest place on Earth, the site of the future Temple. You would think the giving of the Torah should have taken place in Israel, not in the wilderness. But, the Torah is giving us a very powerful message.

The wilderness is an empty place. It looks the same in all directions. There are no markets. Look to the north, the south, the east or west – it is all the same. Mt. Sinai is just a mountain. The Jewish tradition attaches no real importance to his particular spot. We really do not even know which mountain it is. So the Torah was given in the middle of nowhere. But that’s the point. The Torah is what gives meaning and direction to our lives. Without it, we would not know what is right or wrong. We would have no idea what we need to do. We would be like animals, simply living according to our instincts. We would be slaves to our impulses or to a tyrant who would tell us what to do.

The Torah is the guide to how to live. It gives meaning and significance to everything we do. By giving us the Torah in the middle of a desert, in an empty and nondescript place, we learn that the Torah is what gives shape and meaning to our lives and nothing else. It also tells us that the Torah is applicable everywhere and not just in Israel. The Jewish People knew at the very beginning of our history that no matter where we are and what is happening in our lives, the Torah is what makes our lives worthwhile. It allows us to live with purpose and holiness.

As we draw near to the beginning of the new Jewish year, let us reaffirm our commitment to make the Torah the center of our lives. Let us make a decision to study Torah on a regular basis. But most importantly, let us make the decision to live our lives in accordance with the precepts of the Torah. Keeping Mitzvot and studying Torah are the best ways to make our lives meaningful and significant.

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From Rabbi Michael Arsers:

With all the devices available today to make life more convenient, people are busier than ever. Fax machines, cell phones, laptop computers, have all made it possible for us to work constantly. No matter where you are, you can take the office with you. Indeed, the pressures of life today make the Shabbos even more precious. We need Shabbos more than our forefathers did to remind us of what is really important in our lives.

Shabbos is a time for family and friends. Shabbos is a time when we can sit back and appreciate what we have. Six days a week, we labor and strive to get ahead, to produce and to create something new. On Shabbos, we are forbidden to do any work, we are not supposed to create, but rather we are to see ourselves as a part of the creation. By resting on the seventh day, we acknowledge that G-d is the center of the universe. And we are a part of that creation.

Shabbos is more than merely a day off. If one were to sleep for 24 hours from Friday night through Saturday night, that would not constitute keeping Shabbos. Shabbos means resting in the sense that we cease to create, we halt our attempts to dominate nature. To observe Shabbos, we must also take an active role. Festive meals, prayer and Torah study are all activities, which are part of observing Shabbos.

According to our tradition, on Shabbos, every Jew has an extra soul. This extra soul gives even physical pleasures a spiritual dimension. The meals we enjoy on Shabbos are not like those on other days of the week. Try making a Shabbos meal on Tuesday. It will not taste the same. It is as if a spice is missing. The spice is Shabbos. Those Shabbos meals are special and even a meal in the finest restaurant is not the same.

Learning is also special on Shabbos. Shabbos should provide us with an opportunity to spend time engaging in studying Torah. We should make an extra effort to read the weekly Torah portion. It is particularly important to study the portion with the traditional Jewish commentaries. I recommend that those who are interested to get the Stone Chumash. This volume has the weekly portions with a commentary, which allows you to understand the Jewish perspective on the biblical reading. 

With all of the hustle and bustle of our lives, making Shabbos special is one of the best things we can do to slow down and gain a new perspective on things. If I could recommend one thing to help people, it would be to start keeping Shabbos. It has been said, “More than Israel has kept the Shabbos, the Shabbos has kept Israel.”

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