B"H

The first day of the Hebrew month Tishrei, beginning the year 5766, is October 4, 2005. The two day celebration of Rosh Hashanah, Tishrei first and second, is October 4-5.
Ten days later, Tishrei 10 (Oct. 13), is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is 15 to 22 Tishrei (Oct. 18-25).
Simchat Torah, the Joy of the Torah, is 23 Tishrei (Oct. 26); on this day the Torah reading cycle is renewed with reading of the last parsha, V’Zot HaBrachah, and the first, Breishit, amidst much jubilant singing and dancing.

He made the letter Lamed king over coition
And He bound a crown to it
And He combined one with another
And with them He formed
Libra in the Universe
Tishrei in the Year
And the gall bladder in the Soul male and female.
--Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation)

Ephraim was the second of Yosef’s sons:
And the name of the second he called Ephraim, “For Gd has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
—Genesis 41:52

Yaakov adopted Yosef’s sons as his own:
“And now your two sons, Ephraim and Menasheh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; as Reuven and Shimon they shall be mine.”
—Genesis 48:5

And Yisrael stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Menasheh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly, for Menasheh was the firstborn.
—Genesis 48:14

And he blessed them that day, saying, “By you shall Yisrael bless, saying, “Gd make you as Ephraim and as Menasheh,” setting Ephraim before Menasheh.
—Genesis 48:20

When Moshe blessed the tribes, of Ephraim he said:
“The firstling of his herd, grandeur is his
And his horns are like the horns of a wild ox
With them he shall push the peoples
Altogether to the ends of the earth
And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim
And they are the thousands of Menasheh.”
—Deuteronomy 33:17

The month of Tishrei is about renewal—renewal found in teshuvah. We repent of the things we may have done against Hashem, and those we may have done against another person. We enter judgment in this month, and our deeds are weighed on the scales of justice—seen in the symbol of the month’s zodiac sign, Libra. In this we seek balance, as we strive for Truth within ourselves, before the Heavenly Court, and before our fellow man.

In the month of Tishrei the parshaot are a review of the expectations of the Torah. Moshe blesses the people, admonishing them to adhere to the Law, warning them of the consequences if they do not. At the end of the month, the cycle of reading is renewed—reading the last parsha and the first. In this we see that there is never really an end, but rather a new beginning. This is further reflected in the symbolism of the Hebrew letter of the month, Lamed. The numerical value of Lamed is thirty, connected to the cycle of the moon, which also renews itself each month. A person’s reading through the Book of Tehillim (Psalms) each month, with its five books, is a type of reading through the Torah.

The story of Yosef is one of repentance and forgiveness, renewal and love. Yosef could have been vengeful after what his brothers did to him. Instead, he saw the hand of Hashem in shaping his life through affliction, as well as, in saving his family. Rather than turning inward to revenge, he turned his heart toward Hashem. He forgave his brothers and drew them to himself anew. Many times we have a problem replaying old tapes in a relationship and do not see, or allow, renewal. This fearful clinging to the past keeps us stuck in a damaging cycle that can only be broken through true forgiveness. Indeed, letting go of the anger and pain of the past to the only way to the liberation necessary to achieve the fullness of our own soul’s purpose.

Had Yosef sought revenge, it would have blocked the brothers’ ability to fully come to teshuvah, and could have ruined their chances of becoming the tribes of Israel. We have to be careful when someone in our lives sins that we do not inadvertently ruin his chances to be reinstated in his rightful place in the world. The true process of forgiveness releases the other of his debt to us; he is then only indebted to Hashem.

Ephraim represented Yosef among the tribes. Yosef was confronted with great sexual temptation. The man and woman dynamic is the most powerful relationship in life—one in which we can draw life or death into the world through our actions. Ideally, it teaches us to take the love of that relationship and shine it into the world, as we learn to see the soul of the other and Hashem in him. This touching of two souls can thus bring us closer to Gd and to other people in the world.

Drawing Gd into our human relationships helps build the foundation of our lives. We learn to interact with others in Truth that we can only get through the Torah. Tishrei is the opportunity to review those relationships. As we come into a new cycle of Torah reading, praying that we come to deeper Truth, we also pray that our relationships are enriched on whole new levels.

Tishrei is like a seed, holding the formula for the plant that will spring forth from it. In Tishrei we see hints of what the year may bring. This is why teshuvah and renewal are so important during this month. On Rosh Hashanah of 5765, Hurricane Ivan hit Florida. Little did we realize that the United States would be so devastated by hurricanes at the end of the year. As Tishrei of 5766 unfolds, we pray for the coming year, that we will be more attune to the messages of Torah and that we will merit to see the hand of Hashem bringing Redemption in our day.

Shabbat shalom,
Miriam

Contact:
Miriam Ben-Yaacov