A Few Rosh HaShanah Thoughts

1) An addendum to last week’s blog post on being present for each other’s suffering: This theme is also expressed in the blowing of the shofar, traditionally thought to resemble a cry. The Sefat Emet points out that the main mitzvah is actually to hear the shofar, not to blow it. This is a day to learn to hear those who are crying around us, to be present for their suffering, as God is.

2) Melekh: King. On Rosh HaShanah we pray for a time when the whole world will recognize God as king. Why is this important to us? Probably for many reasons, but this year, one strikes me – we say ki taa’avir memshelet zadon min ha’aretz – when You will remove the rule of evil from the land. Having God as king would mean the rule of justice and good and peace, and the end of cruelty, tyranny, torture and injustice. This is also the thrust of our daily prayer for justice: Hashiva Shofteinu¸ “Restore our judges . . . May You, alone, Lord, reign over us with loving kindness and compassion.” Every human justice system and every human system of rule is fundamentally flawed and has certain points of injustice. Yearning for the kingship of God over the world is a way of acknowledging this and yearning for complete justice.

3) Taher libeinu le’avdekha be’emet: Purify our hearts so that we may worship you “in truth,” sincerely, earnestly, honestly. I love this statement because it acknowledges that we need God’s help even in the endeavor of coming close to Him. Also, the end of the sentence clarifies the point: ki atah Elokim emet. For You are a God of Truth. We need to learn to worship God honestly, from that simple, pure place in our heart, because God Himself is made of truth. The Piasezcner Rebbe talks about acting with temimut, simplicity and honesty, as essential to seeking God because God’s seal is Truth. There is no point in trying to hide. And the only way to feel connected to God is to reconnect to the most honest, simple pure part inside of oneself. May we have the help to do this.

4) This one is for my brother-in-law, Eric: The Sefat Emet understands the name Rosh HaShanah as meaing “before the change.” Shanah, meaning year, comes from a root meaning either repeat or change – lihishtanot. The Sefat Emet explains that on Rosh HaShanah, as we celebrate the birthday of the world, we return to a time “before change,” before everything in the world broke up into separate pieces, before separateness, a time when everything was still unified and part of God. On Rosh HaShanah we get a chance to return to this simple and perfect sense of connection and unity with the divine.