Any significant occasion requires tremendous practice and preparation. We need to know what we are trying to achieve in order to focus our energies accordingly. What’s at stake? What does a successful Rosh Hashana look like?
On Rosh Hashana, we aim for a moment of genuine heart felt humility.
The humility to receive from those greater than us and not look down at those that are “below” us.
Ultimately, God is greater than us and we need to acknowledge that greatness. That is the fundamental theme of Rosh Hashana, which repeats itself over and over: God’s kindship.
God is king and has ultimate authority; humility leads us to yearn to be close to Him and reach beyond ourselves, not being intimidated by our our finite nature. This is what allows us to connect to something greater than ourselves. In this spirit, we assess how aware are we of our limitations and smallness? Can we see greatness in God and others? Do we see ourselves as part of something that transcends our individual sense of self?
Yet, “where you find God’s greatness is where you find his humility” (Pesikta Zutrata, Ekev) which manifests in God’s great belief in us to bring this world to a more perfected state. Yes, the onus of addressing the worlds problems is on you, me and all of us together. That’s God’s faith in us. Are we living up to this responsibility? That’s the question we ask ourselves on Rosh Hashana.
The consequence of a successful Rosh Hashana is a refreshing honest look at ourselvs where we don’t need to take ourselves so seriously (after all, we’re inherently limited) yet are aware of how infinitely important and needed (God’s faith in us) we are.
So let’s do something NOW that can have real life consequences in our lives. Something small (perhaps the size of a seed) yet powerful enough to bring blessings, fruitand shade into our lives.
as we approach the final stretch before Rosh Hashana, we
With blessings to you all for a year of revealed blessings and success in all matters, physical and spiritual. Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tov U’Metukah