Parshas Vayeilech: Shabbos Shuva: Rosh Hashanah on Wall Street

“But I will surely have concealed My face on that day because of all the evil that it did, for it had turned to the gods of others. So now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the Children of Israel, place it in their mouth.” –Deuteronomy 31:19

“It is a positive commandment incumbent upon every single Israelite man to write a Torah scroll, as it states, ‘So now, write this song for yourselves.’” –Maimonides Laws of STA”M 7:1

Why is the commandment to write a Torah scroll juxtaposed with the verse referring to the concealment of G-d’s presence in this world? Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (1838 - 1933) popularly known as the Chofetz Chaim, explains that the Torah is sending us a very important message. We live today in an age of hester panim, of concealment of G-d’s presence. How can we survive life’s vicissitudes without the tangible touch of G-d’s presence? The Torah therefore commands us to write a Torah scroll. The Torah contained in the scroll will serve as our beacon of light. In the face of the axis of evils, we can stand strong with an alliance of Torah.

This message rings true today, perhaps more so than in any previous generation. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, The New York Times published an article titled: “Rabbi Has Message. So Does Cellphone.” The article goes on to relate the difficulties people faced this year on Rosh Hashanah. In the writer’s words, “But this week, perhaps more than most, it was hard to check one’s worries at the door, hard to concentrate on what it means to mark a religious holiday during a financial crisis. Some worshipers arrived at Rosh Hashanah services carrying The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. Others slipped out from time to time to check their voice mail and e-mail messages.”

The irony of the article is most apparent. The religious holiday referred to is Rosh Hashanah. This is a holiday like none other. Our fate for the entire year is decided upon this day. Those people interviewed for the article had no clue that the financial crisis affecting the United States, and the world at large, was decided upon on last year’s Rosh Hashanah. They would have been hedging their bets by remaining inside the synagogue and praying that this year should bring better tidings!

What can we do to change the course of evil in the world, and misfortune for ourselves? We are all commanded to write this Torah scroll. Although the actual command may be fulfilled by writing a single letter in a Torah scroll, the importance of living with the Torah is as applicable as ever. This week’s haftorah begins with the plea from the prophet Hosea: “Return, O Israel, to G-d, for you have stumbled through your iniquity. Take words with you and return to G-d.” The commentaries explain that the words that we shall take are those words of Torah. We should study and live the Torah in order to return to G-d.

As we stand in the twilight zone between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, let us heed the call of The New York Times. The cell phone has a message, but it’s a phishing scam. It may seem that being involved with the financial markets on Rosh Hashanah is the smart thing to do, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. If we would be more involved in returning to G-d through the study and fulfillment of Torah, then G-d’s presence would return to us in a very real sense. Let us use this week leading up to Yom Kippur as a focus on getting our spiritual portfolio in order.