Rosh Hashana is just around the corner! Soon we will all get together in Shule and bring our families together for the Yom tov meals.

Amongst all the beautiful experiences of Rosh Hashana, Jewish unity is one of them. It is the most important prerequisite to have, in order for our prayers to be answered.

The Rayatz, a great sage and Chassidic Rebbe, shared the experiences he had when escaping Europe in World War II. At one point he was stuck in Poland when bombs were falling in Septmeber of 1941.

“As the bombardment grew more intense from one minute to the next, more and more houses on many different streets went up in flames. Clusters of smoking black clouds burst out of the windows and obstructed the light of what happened to be a fine sunny day. For a few hours we, several other people, ran, afraid and exhausted, from one shelter to another.

In one of those havens, a few hundred people of various types had assembled. Jews from the very religious to those who were not religious at all.

Suddenly there was a fearsome blast: a bomb exploded near our group. A river of fire immediately gushed forth. Every one of us saw death before his eyes.

And at that very moment, everyone cried out in one voice:  Shema Yisrael, HaShem Elokeinu, HaShem echad! Everyone was certain that this was the last minute of his life. Thank G-d we all survived.

Such a Shema Yisrael, cried out from the depths of the hearts of such varied people with such a wide range of philosophies, I have never heard, and I ask Gd that this recollection should be preserved in my memory forever.”

The Parsha that we read this week opens up with the words אתם נצבים היום כלכם.
You are all standing today before God, your God—the leaders of your tribes, your elders, your sheriffs, and every Israelite.”

The name of the Parsha נצבים is not the typical word used for standing. This unique expression denotes standing with strength. We only stand strong when we are united. As we go into to the new Jewish year while we naturally unite in challenging times, we should also do so in good times as well. We shouldn’t wait for the moments of challenge in order to unite.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Shule!
Wishing you and your families a Shana Tova U’ Metukah, a Happy sweet new year!