The “Menorah Community” youth project of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, which has been actively developing thanks to the efforts of the Zislina family, recently held another men’s Torah class. This time, the gathering was dedicated to the conclusion of the Jewish year, the spiritual meaning of the upcoming holidays of the month of Tishrei, and their significance for the life of a modern Jew.
The speaker for the gathering was the Deputy Secretary of the Dnipro Rabbinical Court, Avraham Yosef Yitzchak Karshenbaum, who invited the participants to view the end of the year as a special time of spiritual accounting and preparation for a new stage. The participants examined in detail the sequence of the holidays of the month of Tishrei, their interconnection, and how each one reveals the next stage of a person’s spiritual journey.
The practical discussion was devoted to how the Jewish calendar helps one properly navigate this special period of the year. They discussed how preparation for the holidays, their inner meaning, and their sequence help a person reflect on the past year, prepare for the new one, and feel a deeper connection to Torah and Jewish tradition.
Special attention during the lesson was given to Chai Elul – the eighteenth of Elul, the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. The participants spoke about the significance of this date for Chassidus and the Chabad movement, as well as why Chai Elul is traditionally considered the beginning of spiritual preparation for the holidays of the month of Tishrei.
“The end of the year and the approaching holidays of Tishrei remind each of us of the importance of spiritual preparation, an honest look at the year we have lived, and the aspiration to enter the new stage of life with renewed strength and closer to Torah,” said Levi Zislina, director of the “Menorah Community” project. “It is through the study of Torah, the striving to live according to its teachings, and constant work on oneself that our spiritual connection is strengthened—helping each of us to participate even more actively in the life of our beloved united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
