We soon will enter the weeks known as "shovevim-tat"; in a Jewish leap year, the eight weeks spanning parshiyot shemot to tetzaveh are demarcated, according to the disciples of the AriZal (R. Isaac Luria), as days of introspection and repentance generally, and as days of atonement for sins of self-defilement in particular. The cycle of sin, repentance and acceptance for the future parallels the cycle of slavery, redemption and acceptance of the Torah in these parshiyot.. Sins committed bein adam le-atzmo, between man and himself, are seen as the root of all other sins, and the rites of shovavim-tat are designed to strike at that root. R. Yekutiel Yehudah Halberstam of Klausenburg identifies that root as ga’avah, arrogance; shovevim-tat therefore calls for bittul ha-yesh, negating the self, physically (through fasting and self-deprivation) as well as emotionally and spiritually.

Perhaps there has been no year in which this message has been more meaningful than ours. The public affairs of the Jewish community of late have been marred by an air of self-defiling arrogance; prominent leaders from across the religious spectrum attack leaders of other synagogues or denominations ad hominem, and rancor and acrimony dominate public and private discourse. Perhaps the age of chutzpah yasgei has arrived, the period in which brazenness dominates as the tool of choice for winning over hearts and resources. Even at home, we have at times allowed passion to dictate our actions. We fail to temper our tempers, defiling ourselves with the eish zarah that we allow to burn and flare against others in our haste.

Shovevim-tat urges us to tone down the rhetoric, to abandon old habits and rebuild ourselves from the inside out. We begin at the core, struggling to replace our proclivity toward pursuit of self-interest with greater hesed, to temper our expressions of anger and dismay – our "semol dokhah" – with expressions of love and openness – our "yemin mekarevet." We struggle, for our own sakes and theirs, to be at least civil toward those with whom we differ.

Civility is, indeed, a Torah value. Derakheha darkhei no’am: pleasantness is the hallmark of the path of Torah Judaism. Hevei mekabel et kol ha-adam be-sever panim yafot: greet each person with a pleasant demeanor. De-alakh sani le-chaverakh la ta’avid: do not do unto others that which you dislike. The malbin p’nei chaveiro be-rabbim, who ‘whitens his friend’s face publicly,’ is on par with a murderer and forfeits his portion in the world to come. Some of the most potent affirmations of menschlichkeit arise from the examples set by the Torah and Jewish tradition itself, which so often hides the names of sinners: In parashat shemot, the sh’nei anashim nitzim, the two fighting men, remain nameless, as do the mekoshesh, the megadef, and other Jewish sinners. The Torah refuses to report their identities, even when that omission might obscure thematic unity. Perhaps most blatant is the use of "peloni almoni" in Ruth to conceal the true name of the reluctant redeemer. Elisha Ben Avuyah, the prototypical learned apikores, is known simply as Acher, ‘the other.’ The Talmud and our liturgy omit or cloak the role of the mityavnim in the Chanukah story; traditional sources conceal the identities of our corrupt coreligionists.

But beyond a grudging civility lies a greater challenge: chakhamim hizaharu be-divreikhem. As representatives of Halakhic Judaism, we must be diplomats all, measuring our every word. Every public or private pronouncement must be the proverbial davar dabur al ofanav. Our words and deeds should draw outsiders in by showcasing our values and our ahavat Yisrael. Tolerance is insufficient; treating no one with disdain is only a good start. Shovevim-tat coincides this year with the beginning of winter vacation, when our change of pace and location generally allows for introspection and self-improvement. Let us take a permanent vacation from old ways of behaving and return to Yeshiva re-committed not only to shemirat Torah u-mitzvot, but also to a more powerful expression of love and invitation for all Jews; ve-nimtza shem shamayim mitkadesh al yadeinu.

Hakaras HaTov to my A-men – Aryeh Morris, Adam Scheier, Avi Oppenheimer and Amichai Erdfarb; to Amichai and Simcha Goldstein (Seforim), Ben Skydell and Azik Schwechter (Cholent), David Regev (Hamin), Moshe Farkash (Refreshments), Ezra Starr, Ephraim Shapiro and Jonathan Strauss (Publicity), Jonathan Gross and Donny Rose (Bagels), Chaim Strauchler (Mima’amakim Journal), Ben Breda (SOY Chesed Club) and Jeremy Frenkel (SOY-Yad Ozer Tzedakah Committee). Special thanks to Rabbi Eitan Mayer, Rabbi Daniel Reifman, Uri Goldstein, David Polsky, Jason Leib, Jeff Bander, Yehuda Balsam and Mark Rozenberg, and to my colleagues, Scott Nadel (BMP), Eric Schubert (IBC), Fred Kreizman (JSS) and Shlomit Zauderer (TAC) who collaborated to produce the beautiful Chanukah sheet, as well as to The Commentator, Andrew Leibowitz, the Offices of Student Services and Facilities Management, Deans Nulman and Himber, and Jeffreys Rosengarten and Socol. Our utmost thanks to Rav Lamm, Rav Bednarsh, Rav Berman, Rav Blau, Rav Bronstein, Rav Charlop, Rav Cohen, Rav Kahn, Rav Reichman, Rav Rosensweig, Rav Simon, Rav Taragin and Rav Willig, paragons of personal piety who prompt us to persevere in our pursuit of perfection.