Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 21 Tishri, 5785
Sukkot Day 7 – Hoshanah Rabbah

Good morning! We are here! We have arrived at Hoshanah Rabbah! The great salvation.

I wrote this a year ago – about moments – living or dying in a moment:

When we arrive in each moment, the only question for us is; whether “to be” in the moment or “not to be” in the moment.  THAT is the question.  Because Life is to be in a moment. Death is to not be present in a moment.  I think this is a better understanding of what it means “To Be; or not To Be?”  This is the only question worth asking.  Will we live in this moment? Or will we avoid the moment and die to it?

One of the key indicators of this judgment is about how much rain we will get in the upcoming year.  Rain represents “flow” from Heaven.  The rain comes at exactly the right time, in the right season.  The idea of flow is interesting – are we “flowing” with the natural order of things? Or are we resisting the flow

Which flow are we allowing in our lives? Is it the flow of our children? Doing what they want us to do? Instead of standing strong in the “flow” of Hashem to teach them instead of just coddling them?  Are we in the “flow” of our significant others? Allowing their desires and wants to reign supreme? Or are we flowing with our own ideas of Hashem and what He wants for us?

So may today be all about “flow” for us.  “To Be” in the flow of a moment.  Or “Not to be” in the flow of a moment. Because that flow (if we trust Hashem) will lead to abundance and bounty of the Harvest.

Here’s what I am reflecting on this morning – how do we live in a moment, see the flow of the universe (Hashem) and then respond to the flow of those around us who have influence?

How do we navigate the various flows we find ourselves in? I think that is where life is found. Do we get caught up in the current of others? Or do we stay in our own flow. We’d LOVE for our flow to be harmony with the flow of those we care about. What if it is not?

Then we have significant choices to make about which river we get on. Which flow we will live in. And? Which flow we protect.

So on today – the last day of Sukkot, may we be in our Sukkah (whether that is an internal Sukkah living outwardly, or going into an outdoor Sukkah in order to be drawn inwardly) and may we bask in the energy one final time. Because when the sunsets today? Sukkot and the Harvest is over. We will enter into a NEW day. Shmeni Atzeret – which is a special “bonus day” for us to connect and dwell, before we end the Torah cycle and “begin again” on Friday. Then? We receive the rest of Shabbat, when we will spend the day focused on starting over. Beginning again.

It’s a beautiful flow ahead of us – if we choose to see it. It’s also disruptive as energies around us  may be working to create chaos for us. Remaining in the eye of the storm, and following the safety where it leads? That is the joy of Sukkot.

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 21 Tishri, 5784

Today is Hoshanah Rabah!  Lots to cover.  First let’s jump back into the Torah portion:

26And on the fifth day nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in the first year, [all] unblemished.

27And their meal offerings and their libations, for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.

28And one young male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its libation.

29And on the sixth day, eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in the first year, [all] unblemished.

30And their meal offerings and their libations, for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed.

31And one young male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its libations.

For today, though – Hoshanah Rabah – we are back to the natural order of things.

32And on the seventh day, seven bulls, two rams and fourteen lambs in the first year, [all] unblemished.

33And their meal offerings and their libations, for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number, as prescribed for them.

34One young male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its meal offering, and its libation

7 bulls.  Today is seven.  And. What is cool is; we get 7 today, and then tonight? We start ANOTHER 7.  It is Shabbat.  And Shmeni Atzeret.

But what is Hoshanah Rabah?  You can read more details here from Chabad.

I love this concept from Chabad:

“The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabbah, and is considered the final day of the divine “judgment” in which the fate of the new year is determined. It is the day when the verdict that was issued on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is finalized.”

So – today? Each moment today determines the verdict on how our year will go.

And what is a moment?

This thought occurred to me this morning:

When we arrive in each moment, the only question for us is  whether “to be” in the moment or “not to be” in the moment.  THAT is the question.  Because Life is to be in a moment. Death is to not be present in a moment.  I think this is a better understanding of what it means “To Be; or not To Be?”  This is the only question worth asking.  Will we live in this moment? Or will we avoid the moment and die to it?

One of the key indicators of this judgment is about how much rain we will get in the upcoming year.  Rain represents “flow” from Heaven.  The rain comes at exactly the right time, in the right season.  The idea of flow is interesting – are we “flowing” with the natural order of things? Or are we resisting the flow?

Which flow are we allowing in our lives? Is it the flow of our children? Doing what they want us to do? Instead of standing strong in the “flow” of Hashem to teach them instead of just coddling them?  Are we in the “flow” of our significant others? Allowing their desires and wants to reign supreme? Or are we flowing with our own ideas of Hashem and what He wants for us?

So may today be all about “flow” for us.  “To Be” in the flow of a moment.  Or “Not to be” in the flow of a moment.   Because that flow (if we trust Hashem) will lead to abundance and bounty of the Harvest.

What are YOUR thoughts?