Weekly Halacha Yomit: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

Learn the complete
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in one year! 

Enter Your E-mail Address:
Privacy Policy

Download the Learning Calendar

Back to New Items

Daily Kitzur Limud (Week 37)

This week's learning:

18th of Elul

7 Sept 09

128:12 -end

19th of Elul

8 Sept 09

129:1 -7

20th of Elul

9 Sept 09

129:8 -13

21st of Elul

10 Sept 09

129:14 -19

22nd of Elul

11 Sept 09

129:20 -end

23rd of Elul

12 Sept 09

130:1 -end

24th of Elul

13 Sept 09

131:1 -4

"Baruch Hashem Yom Yomi"
Insight on this week's learning
By Daniel Cohen, Programs Director, World Mizrachi

This week, our learning continues on the timely topics of Elul, Rosh Hashanah and the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, the 10 days of repentance. This is how the Kitzur introduces the concept of the special days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (130:1):

As implied by their name, the "Ten Days of Repentance" are set aside for repentance. During these days, every person is obligated to repent and turn to G-d before the advent of the great and awesome day, Yom Kippur [as implied by Leviticus 16:30]: "Purify yourselves before G-d," and [by Isaiah 55:6:] "Seek G-d when he is to be found." The Sages say that [the latter verse is referring] to the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur." Therefore, during these days, a person must examine his conduct and turn away from his bad activities… [During these ten days,] one should increase his Torah study, observance of mitzvos, and gifts to charity, and should reduce one's business involvement... In particular, one should pay attention to relationships with one's fellow man, correcting any wrongs that one might have performed, because one cannot receive atonement for such sins until one returns the stolen property or unjust gain and appeases one's colleague, so that he forgives the wrong.

While we should repent, or return, to G-d all the year through – we say the bracha of Hashiveinu every day in the Amida ("bring us back… to Your Torah… lead us back to You in perfect repentance") – these days are especially designated as ideal for teshuva. The Ari z"l said that there are exactly 7 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – one day of each day of the week. This can be seen as a tikkun for the corresponding day of the week of the entire year. In other words, the way we utilise the Sunday of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva is able to 'repent' for all the Sundays of the previous year.

Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explains the unique nature of this time of year:

‘Seek God where He is to be found, call Him when He is close.’ The sages were puzzled by this verse. When is God not close? Surely God is everywhere. Their answer was profound. God is always close to us, but we are not always close to God. When are we close? ‘During the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.’

Why is God close on these days? Because it is then, asking to be written in the book of life, we reflect most deeply on our own life. What have I achieved? What have I failed to achieve? What did I do wrong? How can I put it right? What am I here to do?

Whether we believe, or don’t believe, these are religious questions. Science can tell us how life began, but it can never tell us what life is for. Anthropology can tell us the many ways in which people have lived, but it can never tell us how we should live. Economics and business studies can tell us how to generate wealth, but they cannot tell us what to do with the wealth we have made.

The various sciences, natural, social or human, can tell us how, but not why. The ‘why’ questions ask us to lift up our eyes beyond the immediate, in search of the ultimate. The name we give to the ultimate ultimate is God. The search for meaning is the religious quest, and on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it reaches its greatest intensity.

God is always close to us, but we are not always close to God. How then do we come close to Him? By living Jewishly. ‘We will do, then we will understand’, said our ancestors at Mount Sinai. So it is in all matters of the soul. We learn to love music by listening to music. We learn to be generous by performing acts of generosity. ‘The heart follows the deed’. Don’t expect to have faith or find God by waiting for Him to find us. We have to begin the journey. Then God meets us halfway...

However long we live, life is short, too short. Every day matters. Every day in which we do not do some good deed, take some step toward God, make some difference to the world, is a day wasted – and our days on earth are too few to waste even one.
[Ten Days, Ten Ways, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks]

May we all merit that our teshuva should be sincere and accepted by Hashem at this important time of the year.

If you have any comments or feedback, please email daniel@worldmizrachi.org .

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch links