Shalom Aleichem to my esteemed Bnei Chavura,

With heartfelt hakaras hatov to R’ Jay and R’ David, I share with you the following dvar torah:

“For my father and mother have forsaken me, and Hashem has gathered me in” (Tehillim 27:10).

We say this verse twice a day during the Yamim Noraim. In Alei Shor, written by R’ Wolbe and compiled by his students, it is explained that after the death of a parent, there often arises a drive to come closer to Hashem, in the memory of the departed. Even Jews distant from observance may be seen saying Kaddish, putting on tallis and tefillin, or returning to mitzvot.

The Gemara (Kiddushin 30b) teaches that there are three partners in the creation of a human being: mother, father, and Hashem. When one loses a parent, the soul instinctively shifts that weight to the third partner, Hashem, who gathers us in with warmth.

This may explain why this verse is so central to the Yamim Noraim. On Rosh Hashana, we stand vulnerably before the King of Kings, without the support of parents or others — yet with Hashem as our ultimate partner. May He see our steps to draw closer, and gather us in for a year of yeshuos, brachos, and hatzlacha for all.

Tzedakah has been given in the zchus of this Chavura.

K’siva V’chasima Tova,
Moshe Selengut

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