The Living Rav Avigdor

Living Rav Avigdor

formerly Simchas Hachaim Publishing

Chapter 10 of Crowning Hashem · Rav Miller on Rosh Hashanah

 

Aspects of Rosh Hashanah

Rav Avigdor Miller · Lecture 892

And on Rosh Hashanah, that is the great taynah of Hakadosh Baruch Hu: אִי מַלְכָּא אַנָא... — “If I am a Melech… Why is it that now, when you want a good year from Me, you want Me to inscribe you for a year of life — you come and call out ‘Melech’ all day long? Where were you before the summertime? Where were you the entire year?”

When there’s noise, it has to be for one purpose only: to advertise some emes.

The real emes is: Hashem Melech. That’s what you have to make the most noise about.

And therefore, it states, זִכְרוֹן תְּרוּעָה. On Rosh Hashanah, we blow in order to be reminded of the greatest truth of all truths.

Now, since the din depends on zechuyos — on merits and non-merits — it would seem that our biggest job, our main function on Rosh Hashanah, should be to stand all day long and say, “Al cheit...”

And the answer is: There’s nothing as important as saying: “Hashem Melech.”

On Rosh Hashanah we say ten pesukim in the berachos of Mussaf.

So the Gemara tells us three parallels where the number ten is important.

One reason is: בַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם — The world was created with ten declarations by Hashem (Avos 5:1).

Another reason the Gemara gives is because of the Aseres Hadibros that Hashem said at Har Sinai.

And the third reason the Gemara gives is because, at the end of Tehillim, in the very last kapitel, it says, “halleluhu” ten times.

There are lessons that we find in these three instances that we must use.

Rosh Hashanah must therefore be a time when we are reminded that the world was made yeish mei’ayin.

But with the world, Hakadosh Baruch Hu made the world out of nothing, and is גּוֹזֵר every minute that the world should continue to exist.

On Rosh Hashanah we remind ourselves of the great necessity of thinking about this principle all year round. And that’s our biggest teshuvah.

Everything in the world was created by the dvar Hashem, through the ten maamaros.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu created everything, and everything in the world testifies that He is a Melech.

At least one part of the day, when the shofar is blown, or when you say the tefillos on Rosh Hashanah, think that the world testifies to the greatness of the Melech Who made it.

Every person is full of endless wisdom and endless greatness.

And the ten hillulim of the musical instruments are supposed to remind us: You have to utilize all your emotions.

And of all the purposes from all of the emotions, the most important is to bring us to the perfection of emulating Hashem.

You have to remember that we’re a nation of thought, of machshavah.

The most important form of service of Hashem is the mind, not the body.

There’s a very great danger of learning Torah and forgetting the purpose.

So we should not forget that when we learn, it’s to remind us always of the One Whose words we are saying.

If a man is so aware of Hashem that he feels he’s standing in the Presence of Hashem, he becomes full of a great dread.

The fun in life is the thrill of coming before the King.

We are meant to experience that thrill when we come before Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

And that is the great mitzvah of וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ (Devarim 6:5), to fall in love with Hashem.

It’s possible even for us, on our level, to achieve a certain amount of love of Hashem. And one of the opportunities is Rosh Hashanah.

In order to love Him, you have to know Him. So the first step is to become aware of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

We should realize that when we are afraid of the Yom Hadin, that fear is the hakdamah, the preface, to ahavah. Like the Chovos Halevavos said: Without yirah, there’s no ahavah.

Why did Hashem choose Rosh Hashanah?

One reason is because this is the day the world was created.

And the answer is, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: “You’re making a new start. When you make a new beginning, it’s an opportunity to break off with your past.”

So according to this, Rosh Hashanah can accomplish the very greatest achievement in your life. When Yom Kippur comes, it’s only to complete the details of that great achievement.

And Ezra told them that they should eat and be joyous: כִּי חֶדְוַת ה’ הִיא מָעֻזְּכֶם — “The joy of Hashem should be your strength” (Ezra 8:10).

When you think of Hakadosh Baruch Hu as the Melech Ha’olam, you should never lose sight of the most important fact: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה — “The world was made for chesed” (Tehillim 89:3).

More than saying that Hashem is the Borei Olam, is to say that He made the world just because of chesed.

And therefore, when we think about the malchus Hashem, it’s a malchus of chesed.

Now, it’s true that it states (Rosh Hashanah 26b): בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָׁנָה כַּמָה דְכַּיִיף אִינִישׁ דַעְתֵּיהּ טְפֵי מַעֲלִי — “The more a person bends over and is afraid on Rosh Hashanah, the better off he’s going to be.”

But there’s no contradiction to sitting down at the seudah and eating a hearty meal, and thinking that this is chesed Hashem.

And therefore, when you talk about the berias ha’olam on Rosh Hashanah, it’s for the purpose of making mankind happy.