Soul Nutrition – Tishrei 5776

A king sent his son far away to challenge and better himself. The trip was arduous and the challenges formidable. Sadly, the son forgot who he was and even where he came from; he no longer acted or looked like the king’s son.

Suddenly, something happened that makes the prince remember. He returned to the palace and nobody recognized him. The prince cried, “Father! Father!” The father was stunned and shocked for a split second when he saw his son, but then they embraced and reunited. The king was so happy to have his son back.

The king is Hashem, the son represents the Yidden. Hashem sent us all to a faraway place, from Heaven down to earth. Some us of us lose our way on earth and can forget why we were sent here. We might not act like Hashem’s children and some of us change the way we look.

Suddenly, in the month of Elul we remember. On Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar and cry out to our Father. On Yom Kippur the King judges us, but only for a moment. Sukkos is the embrace, when Hashem hugs us and welcomes us back, as we sit in the sukkah (which is at least 2 walls, plus one small wall – the two full walls represent the shoulder to the elbow and the elbow to the wrist, while the third, small wall is the hand). The hug makes the hugged one smaller, not equal, so on Simchas Torah we hug the Torah and return Hashem’s embrace.

Rabbi Chaim Fogelman is a member of the OK Kosher Vaad HaKashrus.