Machzor Card Rosh Hashanah 1 Life is for Ourselves he prophet Amos exclaims, “If a shofar is blown in the city, will not the inhabitants tremble?”1 A day of Tjudgement coupled with the awe-inspiring blasts of the shofar graphically describes the nature of Rosh Hashanah. Yet, the prophet Nechemiah exhorts the people to celebrate Rosh Hashanah properly by directing them to, “Go, eat rich foods…and do not be melancholy for (this day which is) a joy for the Eternal is your security.”2 How do we balance these two divergent visions of what Rosh Hashanah is supposed to represent? There is a tendency in human nature to seek out and serve a cause even unto death. Being attached to something greater than oneself produces an easy sense of self-importance. However, the end result is that the person becomes swallowed up by the ideal and ceases to have his own separate identity. This is obviously unhealthy and self-destructive. The Torah, one the other hand, teaches otherwise. We toil and show commitment, but we realize that ultimately it is all for our benefit. We grow wiser by studying the Torah. We gain introspection from our prayers. We refine our character through the discipline of fulfilling themitzvos (commandments). We are therefore obligated to make responsible decisions by seeking to maximize our growth, rather than mindlessly following a charismatic leader or working blindly for a cause. The judgement of the Almighty exists not in order to punish, but to allow us to justify our existence. On Rosh Hashanah, we feel awe and trepidation. We know that we are human and have fallen short of reaching our potential. Nevertheless, we feel extremely happy because we realize that G-d, in His overwhelming goodness, has given us life for our own sake. עמוס ג, ו 1 נחמיה ח, י 2 4000 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 305-534-7050 www.talmudicu.edu Machzor Card Rosh Hashanah 2 Din osh Hashanah is also called Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgement. This title evokes a formidable image: Rman standing before the Almighty, trembling in fear, not knowing the outcome of the Divine sentence. Will he be inscribed in the Book of Life or not? On the other hand, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the ultimate act of chesed, kindness, the creation of man. How can we understand this paradox? The universe cannot be based solely upon a system of kindness wherein man is only a taker. If one subsists solely on the largesse of others he exists in a severely diminished capacity. When one gives without enabling the other to earn his keep, this constitutes a lack of kindness. G-d, in His infinite compassion, created a system where man is able to justify his existence. The system ofdin allows man to earn the right to G-d’s benevolence. Consequently, din, where G-d determines if one has earned his keep, as it were, is the ultimate act of chesed because it affirms man’s ultimate achievement, the right to exist. A project of Yeshiva v’Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim 4000 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 For more information, please contact us at: 305-534-7050 or visit www.talmudicu.edu Machzor Card Rosh Hashanah 3 Mazal n the very moving prayer of U’Nesane Tokef we read, “On Rosh Hashanah it is written…who will live, who will die…” IEvery year, G-d examines our deeds and decides our fate. We seem to find otherwise in the Talmud: “Rava stated, ‘Life, children, and livelihood are not due to one’s merits but rather to predetermined fate (mazal).’” 1 However, in another tractate the Amoraim argue over whether the Jewish people are bound by mazal.2 Can a Jew change his fate or not? The public Torah reading for every festival usually discusses the laws of that particular festival. However, on Rosh Hashanah, the main reading is the portion containing, “And Hashem remembered Sarah…and she gave birth to a son.”3 The Talmud lists this as one of the events that occurred on Rosh Hashanah.4 Thus this reading must be relevant to the nature of the day. How does the story of Sarah giving birth relate to the essence of Rosh Hashanah? The different times of the year contain specific propensities that reflect past events (e.g. the month of Nissan, because of the occurrence of the Exodus therein, contains the proclivity for redemption). Since Rosh Hashanah is the day that man was created,5 it follows that every Rosh Hashanah contains the potential for renewal. Although certain aspects of one’s life are predetermined, on Rosh Hashanah the world returns to its origins. One, therefore, becomes capable of removing any limitations caused by his original mazal. Sarah was born physically incapable of bearing children.6 On Rosh Hashanah, her mazal changed and she gave birth. Thus, this Torah reading encapsulates the essence of Rosh Hashanah – that at this time of year Hashem gives us the opportunity to overcome our very mazal and renew ourselves on every level. ראש השנה יא 4 מועד קטן כח 1 ראש השנה י 5 שבת קנו 2 יבמות סד 6 בראשית כא, א-ב 3 A project of Yeshiva v’Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim 4000 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 For more information, please contact us at: 305-534-7050 or visit www.talmudicu.edu Machzor Card Rosh Hashanah 4 Shofar he Torah refers to Rosh Hashanah as “Yo m Te r u a h ,” 1 a day of sounding the shofar. The Talmud discusses what sound the teruah of Rosh Hashanah represents: T 2 a grown, a sigh, or a combination of both. Clearly, the teruah symbolizes the nature of the day, that of fear and trepidation. In his second blessing, Bilaam declares, “(G-d) didn’t perceive iniquity in Israel… – ‘U’Seruas Melech Bo’ – and the ‘teruah’ of the King is within him.”3 Rashi explains teruah as meaning dearness and friendship; “and the friendship of the King is within him.” How can teruah create a sense of awe yet also convey a sense of friendship? One may compare this to a doctor-patient relationship. A patient in need of a health examination enters the doctor’s office in trepidation of the possible negative results. Nevertheless, he is comforted by his trust in the physician whom he recognizes as having his best interest in mind. Similarly, at this time of year, we are subjected to a spiritual examination by our Heavenly Father – one that may in fact bear fearsome results. But we find solace in the knowledge that Hashem loves us, that He seeks to help us ascertain and arrest the spread of any spiritual maladies. The sound of theshofar does in fact instill fear, but nevertheless represents a call of friendship as well. במדבר כט, א 1 ראש השנה לג 2 במדבר כג, כא 3 A project of Yeshiva v’Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim 4000 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 For more information, please contact us at: 305-534-7050 or visit www.talmudicu.edu Machzor Card Yom Kippur 1 Commitment n Yom Kippur we fast, pray, and ask for forgiveness for our past sins. At the same time, we commit ourselves Oto sin no more. Yet we all know that it is inevitable that we sin again. How can we possibly justify committing to sin no more, while knowing that next Yom Kippur we will be back asking for forgiveness again? The Mishna informs us that there are two types of love relationships. One is dependent on something and the other is not. In the case of the former, if that something disappears, so goes the relationship. The latter, however, remains forever.1 One may ask, does not all love begin with a specific foundation? The answer is that eternal love is one that transcends the initial reason; the two parties share and grow together to the point that they become one. The original reason for their love becomes superfluous. This is the relationship we achieved with G-d at Sinai when the Jewish people and G-d became indivisible. The climax of this relationship was reached after the sin of the Aigel (the Golden Calf ) upon receiving the second Luchos (Tablets) on Yom Kippur. There it was revealed that our relationship cannot be broken, that despite our sins it will survive. Thus, the essence of achieving forgiveness on Yom Kippur is truly sensing the core of one’s relationship with the Almighty – to feel that we are inseparable from Him, unable to exist without Him. Then G-d too assists us in achieving atonement, as He is reminded, as it were, that our relationship must endure. That is how we can say that we will sin no more. It is not untrue. For at that level we have become our true selves, one with the Almighty. It is only during the rest of the year, when we aren’t in touch with our true essence, that do we deviate. We act in ways that we sense deep down are not reflective of who we really are. Only on Yom Kippur can we be entirely in touch with our relationship with G-d and fully realize who we are. Once we are in touch with our true selves we can then ask for forgiveness for acts that do not represent the person we want to be. אבות ה, יט 1 A project of Yeshiva v’Kollel Beis Moshe Chaim 4000 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33140 For more information, please contact us at: 305-534-7050 or visit www.talmudicu.edu Machzor Card Yom Kippur 2 Speech he Kol Nidrei prayer is essentially an annulment of oaths and vows (Nedarim u’Shvuos etc.), a shortened Tversion of the Hatoras Nedarim performed after morning prayers on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.