Rosh HaShanah
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
In the Kingdom of G-d
"The Holy One, Blessed is He, said… on Rosh Hashana recite before Me [versus from scripture that speak of G-d's] Kingship… so that you should make Me your Kind" (Talmud Rosh HaShanah 16a, 34b).
So to speak "crowning" G-d as our King, accepting His Kingship over us, is a major aspect of Rosh HaShanah. On this day, we make G-d, who truly loves us and cares for us, our King and we do it without worrying about the past or the future. We don't worry about previous sins and we don't concern ourselves with whether we return to those sins in the future. All that matters is now (Rav Wolbe, 44).
This acceptance of G-d's sovereignty ideally must he complete. When a king commands, subjects obey. When our ancestors stood at Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, they uttered the famous words "we will do [whatever G-d commands unconditionally] and [now] we will hear [G-d's commandments]" (Exodus 24:7) which classically are viewed as the quintessential acceptance of G-d's kingship. However, for all of this, even if intellectually we subscribe to this ideal, we fail to implement it within our lives.
Understanding this situation well, Rav Yisroel Salanter said something which seems counter-intuitive:
"The person who is sincerely working on himself should see to it that he at least observes the easier part of a mitzvah – each person according to his situation…" (R. Miller, 55, quoting Ohr Yisroel letter 6).
Should one not focus on the harder elements of commandments? Why the easier ones ? One reason is that since it is harder to perform a hard mitzvah, the punishment for failure is significantly smaller if it exists at all. (Lack of punishment however does not mean lack of obligation.) The fact of the matter is that change takes time and it requires tremendous strength to simply refrain completely from say speaking ill of others with the snap of the fingers. Based on this, we all should certainly this Rosh HaShanah, think of as many easy things as possible that we can do and through them, accept G-d's Kingship.
Another reason I believe is that "one mitzvah leads to [another mitzvah]" (Pirkei Avos 4:2). While again, on Rosh HaShanah, we certainly should not think of the future, performance leads to understanding and more performance. When one for example decides to keep Shabbas for say two hours in the afternoon, an entire world of peace and joy will open up. "The action is the key to understanding and growth" (Rav Wolbe 21).
Thus, we can rest assured that any and all actions will slowly reveal new worlds. This is at the same time that we do not, cannot let ourselves become bogged down in concerns of the future such has 'Who am I fooling ? How will these changes last?' and worries of the past such as guilt over past sins.
May this Rosh HaShanah herald forth a new year in which our King is accepted by all of His children.
Food for thought and discussion:
What simple things can I do to enhance my Rosh HaShanah?
Have a sweet new year and a good Shabbas
Mordechai
Sources:
Alei Shor 1, by Rav Shlomo Wolbe
30 Days to Teshuva, by Rabbi Zvi Miller
This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.
A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.
In the Kingdom of G-d
"The Holy One, Blessed is He, said… on Rosh Hashana recite before Me [versus from scripture that speak of G-d's] Kingship… so that you should make Me your Kind" (Talmud Rosh HaShanah 16a, 34b).
So to speak "crowning" G-d as our King, accepting His Kingship over us, is a major aspect of Rosh HaShanah. On this day, we make G-d, who truly loves us and cares for us, our King and we do it without worrying about the past or the future. We don't worry about previous sins and we don't concern ourselves with whether we return to those sins in the future. All that matters is now (Rav Wolbe, 44).
This acceptance of G-d's sovereignty ideally must he complete. When a king commands, subjects obey. When our ancestors stood at Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, they uttered the famous words "we will do [whatever G-d commands unconditionally] and [now] we will hear [G-d's commandments]" (Exodus 24:7) which classically are viewed as the quintessential acceptance of G-d's kingship. However, for all of this, even if intellectually we subscribe to this ideal, we fail to implement it within our lives.
Understanding this situation well, Rav Yisroel Salanter said something which seems counter-intuitive:
"The person who is sincerely working on himself should see to it that he at least observes the easier part of a mitzvah – each person according to his situation…" (R. Miller, 55, quoting Ohr Yisroel letter 6).
Should one not focus on the harder elements of commandments? Why the easier ones ? One reason is that since it is harder to perform a hard mitzvah, the punishment for failure is significantly smaller if it exists at all. (Lack of punishment however does not mean lack of obligation.) The fact of the matter is that change takes time and it requires tremendous strength to simply refrain completely from say speaking ill of others with the snap of the fingers. Based on this, we all should certainly this Rosh HaShanah, think of as many easy things as possible that we can do and through them, accept G-d's Kingship.
Another reason I believe is that "one mitzvah leads to [another mitzvah]" (Pirkei Avos 4:2). While again, on Rosh HaShanah, we certainly should not think of the future, performance leads to understanding and more performance. When one for example decides to keep Shabbas for say two hours in the afternoon, an entire world of peace and joy will open up. "The action is the key to understanding and growth" (Rav Wolbe 21).
Thus, we can rest assured that any and all actions will slowly reveal new worlds. This is at the same time that we do not, cannot let ourselves become bogged down in concerns of the future such has 'Who am I fooling ? How will these changes last?' and worries of the past such as guilt over past sins.
May this Rosh HaShanah herald forth a new year in which our King is accepted by all of His children.
Food for thought and discussion:
What simple things can I do to enhance my Rosh HaShanah?
Have a sweet new year and a good Shabbas
Mordechai
Sources:
Alei Shor 1, by Rav Shlomo Wolbe
30 Days to Teshuva, by Rabbi Zvi Miller
posted by Mordechai18 at 2:02 AM
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