CHIEF RABBI MERVIS
MESSAGE FROM CHIEF
RABBI EPHRAIM MIRVIS –
ROSH HASHANAH 5777
“כיפור יחתמון
תשובה- Repentance
Teshuvah comes from the Hebrew word meaning ‘to return’.
Over our High Holydays we are tasked with making a
uniquely honest and comprehensive assessment of ourselves
so that we can return to our natural state of piety and purity.
Our global challenge is to return to the values of human
dignity, tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
That process must begin with ourselves and those upon
whom we can make a positive impression.
‘ – ”בראש השנה יכתבון וביום צוםOn Rosh
Hashanah it is inscribed and on Yom Kippur it is sealed’
As we recited these moving words in the Unetaneh Tokef
prayer last year, we could hardly have anticipated the
devastation that would be wrought by the relentless terrorist
atrocities that would follow. The daily threat of terror is one
to which our brethren in Israel have long become
accustomed, but that awful reality has largely been greeted
by silence in the mainstream media. Global terrorism has
spread its tentacles far and wide, making no place on earth
immune to this scourge. As the French philosopher and
author Bernard-Henri Lévy has said, the world must now
learn from the experiences of the Jewish State.
Never before in the history of human conflict has every
innocent man, women and child found themselves on the
front line. As we endure an onslaught on our freedom,
our democracy and our very civilization, what should our
response be?
The Unetaneh Tokef prayer provides an answer: תפילה וצדקה
תשובה- Repentance, Prayer, and Charity.
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“Repentance,
Prayer, and
Charity.”
– תפילהPrayer
#PrayersForParis #PrayersForMunich #PrayersForBrussels.
If these popular sentiments from social media are anything
to go by, it seems that the world is rarely more united in
prayer than after devastating terrorist attacks. In July, after
a particularly brutal murder of a beloved Catholic Priest in
Normandy, one Twitter user responded to my own message
in despair: “The time for prayer is long gone,” he said. I
couldn’t disagree more.
The Talmud describes prayer as avodah shebalev – the
‘service of the heart’ – because, in essence, prayer is about
training oneself to love and serve G-d. The Hebrew word
CHIEF RABBI MERVIS
for prayer, tefillah, is linked to tofel, which means
connecting to a greater power. We pray with a deep sense
of humility and responsibility because we understand that
we can never simply be a ‘law unto ourselves’. The
power of prayer has always been and will always be a
force for good; a spiritual connection with something
greater than ourselves, elevating our souls and
directly affecting our future actions. We will never
fully comprehend the potency of our prayers or how
things would have turned out without them but we do
know that while terror thrives on a sense of narcissism
and superiority, through prayer, we act with modesty
and accountability.
– צדקהCharity/Righteousness
The first Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land, Rav Kook, taught
that the antidote to causeless hatred is causeless love.
Having embraced Teshuvah and Tefillah with all of the selfimprovement that they require, we will have an instinctive
and deeply rooted love for peace. But Tzedakah is the means
by which we look beyond ourselves and turn that goodness
into positive, meaningful action that will leave a lasting
impact on the world around us.
“Every one
of us can
increase
the degree
to which
we give of
ourselves to
others”
Every one of us can increase the degree to which we give of
ourselves to others, whether as part of an organised
charitable campaign or by investing our time and energy
into kindness and generosity. There is no degree of evil that
cannot be overcome and outshone by an equal and opposite
desire to do good for others.
Embracing more fully these three fundamental principles of
Jewish life as a response to global hatred and violence might
feel inadequate, even naïve. But, I believe that we are far
more likely to change the world through positive action and
leading by example, than simply by standing in judgement.
May this coming year be one filled with only peace and
reconciliation among the peoples of the world.
Valerie and I extend to you all our very best wishes for a
happy and fulfilling New Year.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
September 2016 • Tishrei 5777 ■
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