Rosh Hashanah 5763
The Book of Deuteronomy
September 6th-8th, 2002
1 & 2 Tishrei, 5763

"All mankind will pass before You like members of the flock. Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living…." (Rosh Hashanah Prayer Book)

Rosh Hashanah is a holiday that wears many hats. It is, of course, the first day of the Jewish New Year, and it is also the occasion for dipping apples in honey--a practice nearly as universal among our people as the eating of matzah on Passover. (Though it’s good to remember that matzah is a biblical mitzvah, while apples-and-honey is merely an ancient--if quite holy and quite tasty--custom.)

Rosh Hashanah also begins the 10 Days of Teshuva (Repentance) that culminate with Yom Kippur, a period of the year uniquely suited to achieving closeness to G-d. The prophet, Isaiah, urges our nation to "Seek Hashem when He can be found; call upon Him when He is near." Our Sages tell us that this is an allusion to the 10 Days of Teshuva, for that is when Hashem can be found most readily, and when He makes Himself (as it were) most accessible to our sincere efforts to renew ourselves spiritually.

And, of course, Rosh Hashanah is the time of the Shofar blasts--that soul-stirring sound that alludes to the awesome Revelation at Mt. Sinai, Avraham’s sacrifice of a ram in place of his son, Yitzhak, and the (future) ingathering of the exiles at the time of the coming of Moshiach. (Read the English translation of the Musaf service--the climax of the prayer service on Rosh Hashanah--to see more on these themes.)

But if we look at the discussion of the holiday in the Talmud, it seems that the theme of G-d’s Judgment is central. Whatever else it is, then, Rosh Hashanah is also (and perhaps primarily) a festival on which G-d judges all human beings-- Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, as the quotation above states.

It would be useful to understand a bit about the precise nature of this "judgment," and to consider as well how such an intimidating (if not terrifying) ordeal as (spiritually) standing before the Great Judge can share the same bill with a "festive" custom like dipping apples in honey. Exactly what kind of New Year’s celebration is this supposed to be, anyway?

There is not the time to deal with these matters as comprehensively as I would like. I can’t hope to "connect all the dots" right now and unify all the various themes of the holiday. (Indeed, one annual "Rosh Hashanah resolution" of this writer is to try to start parsha sheets a bit earlier in the week, so there’s a bit more leisure to flesh things out. Oh well, there’s always next year!) But I do wish to at least give you a couple of ideas to chew over…along with those bites of luscious honey-apples.

Rabbi Chaim Friedlander, zt’l, explains (in Sifsei Chayim) that we should think of G-d’s "judgment" on Rosh Hashanah chiefly as His determination of what "mission" we are worthy (and prepared) to accept in His Kingdom in the coming year. (Or in His Army, if you prefer the military metaphor in these times.)

Yes, that’s right. Each one of us has a mission in life, a sacred task in this world that only he or she (and nobody else) can fulfill. I am meant to serve G-d with MY talents and in MY set of circumstances, purifying and elevating MY (recalcitrant) character through the Torah and mitzvos and thereby rectifying a part (my little corner) of G-d’s Creation. You are meant to serve G-d with YOUR unique talents and in YOUR set of circumstances, and elevate YOUR nature and rectify YOUR little corner…and so on. Each one of us has a mission. And unlike other famous missions in the past, ours is by no means impossible. G-d only gives us tests (whether small obstacles, or life tasks) that He knows we can pass.

It’s true that observance of the Torah and its specific mitzvos is essential to our mission, and part of the Judgment on Rosh Hashanah. But we shouldn’t think of it in terms of some checklist that the Boss (that’s Hashem, not Springsteen) is just zipping down mechanically: "Hmm, Edelstein, let’s see--kept this one, broke this one, gazed at this, cursed at that" etc. We do need to keep the individual mitzvos because it is only through them that each of us can fully realize his or her spiritual potential—i.e., sanctify that unique human being (composed of body and soul) that is each one of us, in all our various aspects. The Torah is the comprehensive and detailed instruction manual (the only one) for properly using our lives, actualizing our potential and sanctifying this world.

The Judgment of Rosh Hashanahreally comes down to the question: "What kind of mission do I truly want for the coming year?" For it is what we truly want that will most determine our spiritual fate--i.e., the task and challenges that G-d will give us-- in the coming year.

But wait, what about the sins of our past year? Rabbi Friedlander explains that the true purpose of this judgment is for the future year, not for the past! Otherwise, why should G-d’s judgment be on the first day of the new one, as opposed to the last day of the old one? It is primarily for the sake of the New Year and its potential that G-d judges us at its entrance, not to deliver a verdict on the past one.

On the first day of the New Year, when G-d is spiritually creating a new "cycle" in His scheme of Creation, we human beings are being assessed on our present spiritual level, for the sake of determining how we will fit in to that new cycle of the coming year. Now, the past does play a role in that divine assessment. The deeds of the past year are important, both because they have helped mold us into the people we are right now AND because they reflect how well or poorly we carried out our G-d-given mission last year. (Indeed, we are supposed to reflect deeply on our specific deeds and misdeeds of the past year during the 10 Days of Repentance.) Past performance is surely one factor in forecasting (or planning) the future. But the main thing G-d looks at on Rosh Hashanah is our present resolve, our present level of inspiration, our present determination to serve G-d…and our present joy in accepting Him as our King.

This is why Rosh Hashanah, although it is an awesome day, is also a time of great joy! We should be inspired at the prospect of accepting (re-accepting) G-d as our King, of seizing the new opportunity to acknowledge His greatness (and His mercy as well). The shofar blast marks the coronation of our Monarch! I think it’s safe to say that the greater the joy we feel at the prospect of a new year of life serving G-d with renewed commitment, the more favorable our judgment will be. For that reflects our inner desire to receive the mission He will give us. "Remember us for life, O King Who desires life, and inscribe us in the Book of Life—for Your sake, O Living G-d." You want us to live, G-d, and we want to live our lives for You.

Of course, we want a good and a sweet life as well, meaning physical health and blessings, and we should surely pray for them on Rosh Hashanah. But our essential longing should be for a life of meaning and spiritual connection. That’s the true meaning of the phrase, "book of life," according to many commentaries--to be connected to our spiritual source.

As I like to say, the purpose of life is surely not just to eat more hamburgers…though I do pray we will all eat many (kosher) hamburgers in joy and good health, with friends and family, in the coming year! But the ultimate purpose of our lives, and of the life we plead for on Rosh Hashanah, is to gain greater closeness to G-d. To serve the King, with joy and pride and dedication, to sanctify His name in all aspects of our life--whatever our professions, whatever our circumstances, whatever tasty food (bon appetit!) we are lucky enough to be eating for dinner.

Which brings us back to the apples and honey (and other special foods people customarily eat on Rosh Hashanah). They are meant primarily to inspire us to open our hearts in prayer to our King! Just look at your Rosh Hashanah machzor [prayer book] if you don’t believe me. You’ll see that after eating the apple, there is a prayer we are supposed to say:" May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that You renew for us a good and a sweet year." The apple is turned into a prayer for the year ahead! Everything we do on Rosh Hashanah should open our hearts to acknowledge G-d as King, and cause us to turn our full attention to the One Who alone determines what will be for us (and for this whole troubled world) in the year ahead.

We haven’t even scratched the surface, but it’s time to go and attend to mundane things. (Haircuts, apples, and the like.) In truth, however, a foundation of serving G-d (says the great ethical master, Rav Yerucham Levovitz, zt’l, in a lecture on preparing for Rosh Hashanah) is that there are no "small" matters whatsoever in our lives, or in our service of G-d. Everything we say and do on this earth is a tremendous opportunity to sanctify G-d’s Name, to deepen (and reflect) our awareness of His constant presence. Every person we meet is a reflection of the image of G-d, and we are meant to honor that sacred image in the way we treat him or her. (Oh boy, do I have a long way to go…)

True, such awareness of G-d in all we do is not an easy level to reach. It requires much effort. But hey, this is the season of lofty ideals, inspiration and new beginnings. It’s the time of the shofar, of the Book of Life or Death, of Judgment, of the New Year…and of apples and honey!

May we all reach a new awareness of our own potential on this Rosh Hashanah. May we pray with all our hearts for our friends and families and neighbors, for the Jewish people, and indeed, for the world as a whole. (We all need our prayers.) And may we soon see that day when (as the Rosh Hashanah liturgy says) mankind will become "a single society, to do Your will wholeheartedly…Iniquity will close its mouth, and all wickedness will evaporate like smoke, when You will remove evil’s domination from the world."

GOOD SHABBOS, AND GOOD YOM TOV!

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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