Introduction
Shabbos Bereishis, the final Shabbos of the festive month of Tishrei (itself the ‘head’ of the coming year) constitutes the ‘climax’ that encapsulates Tishrei. On the other hand, the festive period is now over and we begin the new cycle of reading the Torah (starting with Parshas Bereishis); we now face the challenge of ‘unpacking’ the inspiration and spiritual powers that we have collected through our divine service from Rosh Hashanah through Simchas Torah, and utilizing them throughout the coming year in our daily divine service.
Influence Your Year
Our manner in which we approach and perform our divine service on Shabbos Bereishis has a continuous effect on the entire coming year.
Plan to Fill Your Year with Spirituality
Every man, woman and child can therefore appreciate that Shabbos Bereishis is the most fitting time to formulate a program for activating the spiritual powers that we gathered during the Tishrei festivals in our daily affairs – at home, work, school and so on.
Reinforce Your Torah and Mitzvos
For a start, each of us should resolve to strengthen all activities concerning Torah and Mitzvah throughout the entire coming year.
Study More Torah
We should add and bolster our regular schedules for Torah study; both our personal pursuit of individual subjects as well as our maintaining the universal study cycles (such as the daily study of Chitas).
Improve Your Mitzvos
We should further enhance our performance of Mitzvos, and particularly of the Mitzvah that equals all others – giving Tzedakah; this includes donating to the Keren Hashanah Fund (which distributes Tzedakah on behalf all donors each day of the year).
Daily Conduct
We should also advance our service of ‘Let all your activities be for the sake of Heaven’ and ‘Know Him in all your ways.’ This means utilizing everything in the universe in a manner that furthers Hashem’s honor; a goal which we realize by using everything to advance the observance of Torah and Mitzvos or even as actual Mitzvos.
Hafatzah
The main thing is that we fulfill the obligation carried by every Jew in our present generation: To disseminate Torah, Judaism and Chassidus; to bolster fellow Jews in their divine service; and particularly to draw close those Jews who did not merit an adequate Jewish education (not through any fault of their own, but rather due to Divinely-orchestrated circumstances).
Reach the Last Jew and Bring Moshiach
The dissemination of Judaism should be given vital emphasis in our present times – for it is apparent that the sole purpose of our generation is to bring Moshiach through reaching every Jew.
