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This coming Shabbos is the last Shabbos of the year 5773. And with this special time comes unique opportunities. First, we are able to repair any damage we have caused on all the previous Shabboses (whether in the mitzvos or spirit of Shabbos) by now acting in a positive way, by having good intentions and by making resolutions not to make the same mistakes in the year to come.

Secondly, on a somewhat deeper level, this is the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanna (this coming Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday). The Zohar explains (in Parshas B'shalach) that each Shabbos is a vessel for all the blessings for the coming week. This Shabbos blesses Rosh Hashanna. Since Rosh Hashanna is not just the beginning of the year, but also the head of the year (Rosh means head), our behavior on Rosh Hashanna sets the pattern for and influences our behavior for the entire coming year, similar to the way the head controls the body. Therefore, this Shabbos will affect our behavior and the blessings we will receive for the entire coming year.

To maximize this opportunity requires more than just fixing actions and intentions that are broken. This Shabbos has to be planned in advance: how, where, and with whom we will spend our time, where we will pray, what we will study, and even what we will say. I personally try to take care of the physical and technical aspects of this Shabbos as early as possible, leaving me time to meditate and consider how I will invest in the more spiritual aspects.

A very important aspect of preparing for this Shabbos is to consider the teachings of the weekly Torah portion. This week there is a double portion, Netzavim and Vayelech. Netzavim begins with the words, "You are standing today, all of you, before G-d your Lord: your leaders, your tribes, your elders, your officers, every Jewish male, your children, your wives, your converts within your camp, from the wood cutters to the water carriers, to enter into a covenant of G-d, your Lord." Rashi explains that Moshe is bringing the Jewish people into a new covenant with G-d just before they enter the land, to replace the covenant that was spoiled by the sin of the golden calf 40 years earlier. The first lesson of these verses is that as we approach Rosha Hashanna, each and every Jewish person is about to enter into a new covenant with G-d.

The Kli Yakar points out something especially interesting. Many of the commentaries discuss the covenant as being rooted in both the unity of the Jewish people before G-d ("all of you today") as well as their individual strengths ("your heads, your tribes, your elders"). The Kli Yakar says that there is another element, that of leadership. It is not enough for the people to be united together in a covenant, they need to become responsible for one another. A leader understands that his actions affect others and that he will be held responsible for another person's actions. Even more, we find that the leaders are also held responsible even if they did reprimand (but it did not help), because they should have instilled proper behavior in the first place. When a leader truly shoulders the responsibility of guiding the people everyone would act properly, even in private, for fear of being discovered. From this perspective, punishments that befall the Jewish people are not sourced in evildoers but rather in the lack of responsibility of the righteous. The Talmud says (Rosh Hashanna 8b) that on the evening of Rosh Hashanna, the leaders are called in before the heavenly court first and judged first, because the judgment of the nation is dependent on the leaders and how they acted towards the people.

Expounding on the relationship that the Jewish people has with leaders, the Ohr Hachaim teaches that to truly maximize the covenant with Hashem you need to remember three things: 1) the Jewish people are only complete when the head (the leader) and the foot are unified. 2) Nevertheless, each member contributes his particular influence; the head and the foot need each other and complement each other. 3) From G-d's perspective, whether leader or follower, all are equal before G-d.

On a deeper lever, the Zohar (Chadash 104a) teaches that every Jewish person has a portion of the soul of Moshe, and the quality of leadership, within him. . The most important aspect of this quality of leadership is not the control or power it gives us, but rather our ability to care for another and help him grow. As the Rebbe writes (Hayom Yom), when a leader comes to reprimand, he has to first cut his fingernails so he will not claw. And when one cuts his nails one has to wash his hands afterwards, which means that one has to sanctify himself as a prelude to reprimanding. On a deeper level Chassidus explains that "cutting and washing" is a reference to drawing intellect into our emotions, clarifying our motives and purifying our actions and reactions in the light of our intellect. Shabbat Shalom & Shana tova, Shaul

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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

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This week's story from Yerachmiel Tilles, managing editor of ascentofsafed.com and kabbalaonline.org

Specifically, for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more,
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one sample:
Contemporary Kabbalists

Standing and Walking with G-d

From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; adapted by Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky

"...the heads of your tribes, your elders, your officers, every man of Israel, your children, your women, your proselyte who is in your camp, from your woodchoppers to your water carriers."

Even though the term "all of you" itself implies all types and categories of Jews, the Torah additionally and explicitly lists the various divisions of the Jewish people, Even as we experience ourselves as part of one collective body, we must still be aware of our differences, what others lack, and how we can help them.

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