Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein taught for many years in a yeshiva high school in Crown Heights. Most of the boys were from non-religious homes. One of the boys, Howie, was very rowdy, and the yeshiva threw him out. Years later, Rabbi Wallerstein was attending a wedding of one of the graduates. There, he noticed Howie, who clearly stood out with a shaved head, two large tattoos of Buddha on his arms and other “tats” on his neck. He didn’t look happy when he saw the rabbi. During the dancing, Rabbi Wallerstein pulled Howie into the center of the circle and told him, “I love you and feel so bad you were thrown out of yeshiva.” After the dancing, Rabbi Wallerstein approached Howie and invited him to speak at his Tuesday night class. “Rabbi, I’m not into Torah; I am into Buddha,” objected Howie. “Talk about whatever you want,” replied Rabbi Wallerstein. Howie agreed and became a regular at the Tuesday night learning class.
Indeed, Howie became very close with Rabbi Wallerstein and began embracing Torah, eventually going back to learn in yeshiva. But his tattoos embarrassed him, so he always wore a long sleeve shirt and his collar up. When it came time for shidduchim, he was very worried.Who would marry a frum guy with “tats”? …and Buddha ones at that!
Eventually, Howie was set up with a nice girl and the dating went very well. He called Rabbi Wallerstein, very anxious she would dump him once he told her about the tattoos. Rabbi Wallerstein told Howie, “Don’t worry. If she really likes you, she will accept you.”
On their next date, Howie came clean: “I took a different path when I was a teenager and got into Buddha. At that time, I shaved my head and did stupid things to my body.” said Howie. “Like what?” she asked. Howie rolled up his sleeve and showed her the large tattoos of Buddha. She was not fazed. He proceeded to show her the tattoos on his neck and back. No reaction. “Don’t you see the tattoos? Don’t they bother you?” asked Howie. She responded, “The only tattoo I see on you, is the name of Hashem tattooed on your neshama (soul)!”
One of the sages in the Gemara explains the reason is so not to remind Hashem of the sin of the golden calf. Just as the Kohen Gadol may not wear gold garments upon entering the Kodesh Hakodashim, the Mishna (Rosh Hashana 26a) says that one may not use the shofar from a cow on Rosh Hashanah. One of the sages in the Gemara explains the reason is so as not to remind Hashem of the sin of the golden calf. Similarly, just as the Kohen Gadol may not wear his gold garments upon entering the Kodesh HaKodashim, Holy of Holies. This true idea applies exclusively to when the Kohen Gadol enters the Holy of Holies, when he is in private communion with Hashem. Rav Yisrael Salanter explains that when the shofar is sounded, each and every Jew is like the Kohen Gadol entering the innermost sanctum… alone with Hashem, with everything on the line.
And when we’re alone with Hashem, how exactly do we merit salvation? Rabbi Nosson Wachtfogel gives an incredible insight. There’s a pasuk in Tehillim which says, “Hashem Malkeinu, Hu yoshi’einu. Hashem is our King, He will save us.” Seforno explains that the pasuk is teaching us the formula to merit salvation. It’s simple. As the above pasuk says: Just sincerely accept and proclaim Hashem as our King.
There is a similar pasuk that we say multiple times a day: “Hashem hoshia, HaMemlech ya’anneainu v’byom koreinu—Hashem save us, the King will answer us on the day we call out to you.”—This is the same concept: If we call out to Hashem our King, then He will save us.
On Rosh Hashanah, we’re privileged to have a private meeting with Hashem. Our role is to call out and proclaim Hashem as our king. Part of how we do that is with the shofar blasts. With the sound of the shofar, we enter the inner sanctum. It’s the moment we expose the tattoo of Hashem that is seared into our neshamos (souls). With the recognition of what the shofar and our prayers are accomplishing, we are able to truly proclaim Hashem as our King. And by doing it sincerely, we know that Hashem will answer and help us.
May we all merit a Kesivah Va’chasimah Tova.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com
