Authors know that the right title can propel their books to the top of the bestseller lists or render them unreadable. Seasoned journalists will tell you that constructing the perfect headline can spell the difference between winning a Pulitzer or having another collection of 2000 words floating around on the internet.
This is true about all languages, but the power of words in the Torah context is a world unto its own. Lashon Hakodesh - the Holy Tongue - better known as Biblical Hebrew, is a divine language containing endless layers of meaning. Each word can be dissected in myriads of ways to reveal tremendously profound messages pertinent to our daily lives. The month playing host to the many holidays on the horizon is called “Tishrei.” Just by analyzing the construct of the word, knowing just the Hebrew Alphabet nursery song, reveals the essential message of all four holidays celebrated within this month. “Tishrei” is spelled with four letters. “Tav” - the last letter of the alphabet; “Shin” - the second to last; “Reish” - the third to last; and finally “Yud” - which is closer to the beginning of the order. Now, imagine the Hebrew Alphabet in a vertical line. Spelling the word “Tishrei” would mean starting from the very bottom and consistently moving upwards. (A simple comparison in English would be spelling a word like this: ZYXJ.) This is the theme of all the holidays we are about to celebrate: the obligation to move consistently upwards. Our relationship with G-d is a two way street. On Pesach we celebrate G-d’s boundless love for us regardless of our spiritual status; we were redeemed from slavery despite our lack of merit. The direction is from above to below. But Tishrei is from the bottom up. The holidays therein represent the human effort to reach for the divine. The shrill cry of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah expresses our preparedness to submit to G-d’s kingship and behave accordingly. The atonement we achieve on Yom Kippur happens through our efforts to reach the core truth of our souls. During Sukkot we actively pursue an all encompassing unity with every Jew and Simchat Torah marks the completion of a yearly cycle of Torah study. “Tishrei” is about orientation. True renewal can only happen when we reach for the very bottom and elevate it to the greatest heights.