The spiritual sequence of Rosh HaShanah, the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and Yom Kippur

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Efforts to encourage Jewish soldiers; the significance of commemorating Rosh HaShanah on the anniversary of the creation of man

No. 103

The name of the person to whom this letter was addressed was not published together with the letter.

[5 Tishrei, 5704]

We thankfully acknowledge receipt of the Alef-Beis which you sent. There are several differences between the Alef-Beis printed by Kehot and the one you sent to us.

The fundamental difference is that in our Alef-Beis, the vowels are designated by name: kamatz, patach... This is not the case in the other Alef-Beis. First of all, [in this manner,] a child will never learn the true name for the vowels. Moreover, [on that chart,] the vowels are never read separately, only as they are associated with the letters.[1] The importance of this factor with regard to educating [children] with a holy approach you can understand yourself.

See the Tikkunei Zohar (the Introduction and Tikkun 70) [which offers] several extrapolations on the names of the letters. The Zohar Chadash (Tikkunim, p. 99c, in the Warsaw printing) states that they represent the names of the angels. See the maamar entitled Osarei LiGefen in Torah Or which comments on the phrase:[2] "To the vine branch, the donkey's foal," [and establishes a connection between the Hebrew term velasoraikah and] the vowel shuruk. See also the interpretation of the name cholem in sec. 7 of the explanation of the maamar entitled Lo Tashbis in Likkutei Torah and other sources.

We would be interested in knowing details regarding the circulation of Kuntres U'Mayon. Would you be so good as to notify us concerning that. The same applies with regard to the HaYom Yom.

With blessings for a chasimah and a g'mar chasimah tovah, and with the blessing "Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to Redemption,"

   

Notes:

1. (Back to text) [See Sefer HaSichos 5689, p. 44.]

2. (Back to text) [Bereishis 49:11. veraku, "to the vine branch," shares the same root as the term shuruk (era), which is the name of one of the vowels.]

The spiritual sequence of Rosh HaShanah, the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and Yom Kippur

Table of contents

Search this book:

Efforts to encourage Jewish soldiers; the significance of commemorating Rosh HaShanah on the anniversary of the creation of man