Shabbat Parashat Haazinu 5786

Parashat Hashavua: The Symbolism of Mashiv Haruach U’morid Hageshem

The Swords of Iron War began on the day we began saying “Mashiv Haruach U'morid Hageshem,” praising Hashem for bringing rain, which was a day after the special minhagim with aravot. Let us look at the special days that fall in Tishrei, with an optimistic outlook that can guide us into the future.

Chazal call Rosh Hashana the “Day of Judgment,” as we say in our prayers, "Today He will place in judgment all of the creations of the worlds." Nevertheless, it is a happy, optimistic day, especially because of our strong belief in the covenant between Hashem and the Jewish People. During the millennia in exile as a persecuted, vulnerable minority, Am Yisrael did not lose hope and re-coronated the Creator and King of the World year after year.

On the tenth day of Hashem sitting on His throne of judgment, on a day of fasting and separation from worldly matters, Am Yisrael commemorates the day on which Hashem said "I forgave." Five days later, we hold four species and leave the protection of a permanent house to live in a sukka. On the eighth day, we proclaim that Hashem causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall. Sukkot is strongly connected to agricultural life, as the Torah calls it "The festival of the harvest" (Shemot 34:22).

Let us explore an additional look at the holidays. On Rosh Hashana we confirm the Kingdom of the Creator of existence from nothing; this ‘coronation’ expresses strong optimism. Since Hashem created the world ex nihilo, He is the "Place of the World," and the world does not contain Him. Hashem is external to the world, although it exists only through Him. Therefore, the rules of nature, including that only the strong survive, do not hold sway on “His flock, who coronate Him.” The eternal nation’s survival is ensured, even if it is the symbol of weakness among nations, especially during the long exile, in which it lost any semblance of nationhood. By rejoicing on Rosh Hashana while in exile, the nation demonstrated that spirit is more important than material.

On Yom Kippur, we go further – we posit that the material world is the fake world, as the real world is the spiritual one. We manage fine without eating and physical pleasures. The decisions made based on this belief last until the next Yom Kippur. The next step, Sukkot, is to show that security is not dependent on a sturdy structure. The condition is that our four species must be held together, including the arava, which is brought to the Mikdash on the seventh day, and proclaims the significance of arvut – standing up for each other.

Finally, we are ready for mashiv haruach (which in Hebrew means not only wind, but also spirit). Spirituality, the valuing of charity and justice, are what give our nation its might, not its material acquisitions. This provides a partial look at a full Jewish life.

In our still relatively new State of Israel in Eretz Yisrael, even the mundane becomes sacred. It is not enough for the individual to embrace spirituality. Rather, the nation must, while involved in agriculture and production, also be concerned about the weak in society. The court system must protect all, and everyone must look out for the needs of the other. In short, along with mashiv haruach, we have morid hageshem (geshem meaning not only rain but also the material world) – spirituality turns the material world into a tool to implement Hashem’s value system.

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