As is true by Shabbos and all Festivals, on the two days of Rosh Hashana we read sections from the Torah and a supplemental reading from Tanach, the Haftorah. At first blush, the four readings of Rosh Hashana have no direct connection to the Festival. One day one, the Torah portion that we read is Genesis chapter 21 which relates the story of the birth of Isaac and the banishment and subsequent salvation of Ishmael. The Haftorah of day one is the story of the birth and youth of Samuel from Samuel I. These are certainly quite lovely stories, but they don’t immediately evoke the Day of Judgment and the New Year.

Same thing for day two. The Torah reading is the Binding of Isaac episode of Genesis chapter 22 and the Haftorah is from Jeremiah chapter 31 which talks of the destruction of the First Temple. What that has to do with Rosh Hashana is, at least initially, a great mystery.

In this very special pre-Rosh Hashana edition of the podcast, we bring on a guest to help us disentangle this intriguing question. My brother in law, Rabbi Shmuly Botnick, is a rabbi, a lawyer, and one of my favorite people to discuss Torah matters with. He has an incisive, creative, and agile mind and bears a vast repository of Torah knowledge. He will be our guide in trying to understand the deeper meaning threading through these four readings. What we learn will not only transform our appreciation of the Rosh Hashana readings, it will transform our understanding of what we are here to accomplish.

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