Community Corner

The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur is a time that is set aside for t’shuvah – a time when we are told to “seek Hashem when He can be found.” Many have asked: Why do these days not come before Rosh HaShanah when we stand in judgment before G-d? Wouldn’t it make sense to do t’shuvah first and then be judged? Additionally, Rosh HaShanah itself actually marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance. Yet, there is no specific mention of t’shuvah in any of its unique t’filos or rituals.

The answer is that Rosh HaShanah is a time for t’shuvah – but it’s of a different sort.

Hashem said: Recite before Me on Rosh HaShanah [the verses of] Malchiyus (Kingship)… so that you will make Me King over you.

On Rosh HaShanah, Hashem implores us to Make Him King. But He asks that we do this exactly as we are at the moment, with all of our flaws, confusions, anxieties, anger, dependencies, and desires.

Our goal is to be in this very place of imperfection, and from here declare that there is a Ribbono Shel Olam Who is directing the whole world and every minute detail of our lives, and there is a purpose to every experience that we have – positive and negative, internal and external.

With the blowing of the shofar, we connect to a wordless cry, a deep inner yearning to break free from that which holds us down and distracts us from that which we know to be true. We are instantly reunited with a surging desire to return to our Source and to reveal the intense, pure Light that shines within us.

At that very moment, we personally restore the King of Kings to His Throne at a time when so many do not know Him.

After an action-packed few weeks in camp, Nageela boys returned tired and happy to the Lawrence pickup. The on-the-scene cameraperson captured a few quotes from the boys who were lingering around, reluctant to say their last goodbyes.

A group of Yeshiva University students saw firsthand the impact Jewish values of compassion and working to redeem the world can have on others after spending four weeks leading a summer program for youth in Lod, a mixed Jewish-Arab city that experienced the most violent civil unrest in Israel during the Gaza conflict just a few weeks earlier.

There was a remarkable energy in Forest Hills this past Thursday evening as Shalom and Victoria Zirkiev welcomed Eric Adams into their home. Against the backdrop of a stunning night sky, guests chatted, posed, and sipped cocktails with the New York City Democratic Mayoral Nominee. The ambiance was perfect, the music of Ariel Katz of Ahava Productions was exceptional, and the themed combinations brought the mood together. Thoughtfully concocted drinks entitled Nomination, Ballot, Election, and City Hall boasted bursting summer flavors, fitting for the atmosphere.

A desperate search was mounted this past Wednesday afternoon for a seven-year-old boy who vanished during a day camp outing at Canarsie Park, Brooklyn. Volunteers descended from as far away as Lakewood, New Jersey, to participate in the hunt for young Yosef Shapiro after the boy went missing just after 2:30 p.m. The warm weather and bright sky gave rescue workers time to search, but the hours quickly waned; search teams had sadly come up emptyhanded.