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Shareיִתְחֲזֵק וְיָשׂוּב לִבְנוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ
Music: Benjie Ellen Schiller
Text: N’tivot Shalom
English Translation: Jonathan Slater
Yitchazeik v’yashuv livnot et atzmo
Be strengthened and return by rebuilding yourself.
by Rabbi Jack Riemer
To everything there is a season,
And a time to every purpose under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3.1)
Now is the time for turning. The leaves are beginning to turn from green to red and orange. The birds are beginning to turn and are heading once more toward the South. The animals are beginning to turn to storing their food for winter. For leaves, birds, and animals turning comes instinctively. But for us turning does not come so easily. It takes an act of will for us to make a turn. It means breaking with old habits. It means admitting that we have been wrong; and this is never easy. It means losing face; it means starting all over again; and this is always painful. It means saying: I am sorry. It means recognizing that we have the ability to change. These things are terribly hard to do. But unless we turn, we will be trapped forever in yesterday’s ways. God, help us to turn – from callousness to sensitivity, from hostility to love, from pettiness to purpose, from envy to contentment, from carelessness to discipline, from fear to faith. Turn us around and bring us back toward You. Revive our lives as at the beginning. And turn us toward each other – for in isolation there is no life.
Rosh HaShanah is a day we celebrate the world. We appreciate the beauty, the wonder, and the miraculousness of life. That appreciation is critical; for only when we understand how splendid yet fragile is God’s world can we begin to repent for having damaged or neglected it. All tikkun, all reparation, begins in appreciation. We heal relationships because we understand their value. We seek to restore the imbalances in the natural world because its native pageantry dazzles our eyes. Yom Kippur is the outcome of our Rosh HaShanah vision: surrounded by possibility, we need to heal what we have hurt, or nurture the untended patches of God’s garden. Seeing the cracks in creation, we acknowledge our obligation to fill them. First comes gratitude, then regret, then restoration.
(Rabbi David Wolpe)
...ובשבת שלפני ט"ב חזון ישעיהו והטעם לפי שאנו נוהגין על פי הפסיקתא לומר ג' דפורענותא קודם תשעה באב ואלו הן דברי ירמיה שמעו דבר ה' חזון ישעיהו ובתר תשעה באב שב דנחמתא ותרתי דתיובתא ואלו הן נחמו נחמו ותאמר ציון עניה סוערה לבדה אנכי אנכי רני עקרה קומי אורי שוש אשיש דרשו שובה ... ושובה בשבת שלפני יום הכפורים ...
...on the Shabbat before Tish'ah b'Av, Chazon Yeshayah. This is because we say the three Haftarot of punishments... After Tish'ah b'Av we say seven haftarot of consolation and two of Teshuvah. They are Nachamu Nachamu, va'Tomer Tziyon, Aniyah So'arah, Anochi Anochi, Rani Akarah, Kumi Ori, Sos Asis, Dirshu and Shuvah...
(ב) שׁ֚וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֥י כָשַׁ֖לְתָּ בַּעֲוֺנֶֽךָ׃
(2) Return, Israel, to the Eternal your God, for you have fallen because of your sin.
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ. מְחַל לַעֲוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים הַזֶּה. מְחֵה וְהַעֲבֵר פְּשָׁעֵֽינוּ וְחַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ מִנֶּֽגֶד עֵינֶֽיךָ. כָּאָמוּר אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי הוּא מוֹחֶה פְשָׁעֶֽיךָ לְמַעֲנִי וְחַטֹּאתֶֽיךָ לֹא אֶזְכֹּר: וְנֶאֱמַר מָחִֽיתִי כָעָב פְּשָׁעֶֽיךָ וְכֶעָנָן חַטֹּאתֶֽיךָ שׁוּבָה אֵלַי כִּי גְאַלְתִּֽיךָ:
Our God and God of our ancestors, forgive our iniquities on this Day of Atonement. Blot out and remove our transgressions and sins from before Your eyes, as it is said: “I, I [alone] am the One Who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and your sins, I will not recall.” And it is said, “I have swept away like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a mist your sins; return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
אָנֹכִ֨י אָנֹכִ֥י ה֛וּא מֹחֶ֥ה פְשָׁעֶ֖יךָ לְמַעֲנִ֑י וְחַטֹּאתֶ֖יךָ לֹ֥א אֶזְכֹּֽר׃
It is I, I who—for My own sake— Wipe your transgressions away and remember your sins no more.
מָחִ֤יתִי כָעָב֙ פְּשָׁעֶ֔יךָ וְכֶעָנָ֖ן חַטֹּאותֶ֑יךָ שׁוּבָ֥ה אֵלַ֖י כִּ֥י גְאַלְתִּֽיךָ׃
I wipe away your sins like a cloud, Your transgressions like mist— Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
שׁ֤וּבִי שׁ֙וּבִי֙ הַשּׁ֣וּלַמִּ֔ית שׁ֥וּבִי שׁ֖וּבִי וְנֶחֱזֶה־בָּ֑ךְ
Turn back, turn back, O maid of Shulem! Turn back, turn back, That we may gaze upon you.
(א) שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת בְּשׁ֣וּב יְ֭הוָה אֶת־שִׁיבַ֣ת צִיּ֑וֹן הָ֝יִ֗ינוּ כְּחֹלְמִֽים׃ (ב) אָ֤ז יִמָּלֵ֪א שְׂח֡וֹק פִּינוּ֮ וּלְשׁוֹנֵ֪נוּ רִ֫נָּ֥ה אָ֭ז יֹאמְר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֑ם הִגְדִּ֥יל יְ֝הוָ֗ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִם־אֵֽלֶּה׃ (ג) הִגְדִּ֣יל יְ֭הוָה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִמָּ֗נוּ הָיִ֥ינוּ שְׂמֵחִֽים׃ (ד) שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־שְׁבִיתֵ֑נוּ כַּאֲפִיקִ֥ים בַּנֶּֽגֶב׃ (ה) הַזֹּרְעִ֥ים בְּדִמְעָ֗ה בְּרִנָּ֥ה יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃
(1) A song of ascents. When the Eternal returns the fortunes of Zion —we see it as in a dream— (2) our mouths shall be filled with laughter, our tongues, with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations, “The Eternal has done great things for them!” (3) The Eternal will do great things for us and we shall rejoice. (4) Return our fortunes, O Eternal, like watercourses in the Negev. (5) They who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy.
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם
Return us, O Eternal, to Yourself, And we will return; Renew our days as of old!