Rosh Hashanah 5785

Rosh Hashanah is of course a very solemn day, as the Mishnah tells us. Each individual human being passes before Hashem like sheep in a single file, to be judged for their deeds (Rosh Hashanah 1:2). If this is so, why do we dress up on Rosh Hashanah in our best clothes and eat two festive meals like on Shabbos, with our best dishes and choicest foods? Shouldn’t we act more contritely and modestly, like someone being judged with their life at stake?

We see the same in the book of Nehemiah. On Rosh Hashanah, Ezra assembled the entire people and read to them from the Torah. On this very solemn day, Ezra said to the people (Nehemiah 8:10): “Go eat fat foods and drink sweet beverages and send gifts to anyone for whom nothing was prepared, for today is holy to our Master. Do not be sad, for the joy of Hashem is your strength”. It seems strange that Ezra tells the people to “eat fat foods and drink sweet beverages.” Why didn’t Ezra tell the people to prepare for judgment, and emphasize the solemnity of the day?

Rav Moshe Feinstein, ZT”L clarifies that one’s perspective depends on the nature of the process of being judged. If one is a litigant in a human court, one is not in control of the outcome. One never knows how the judgement will ultimately be rendered. Maybe the judge will be lenient and give one the benefit of the doubt. But perhaps the judge had a bad day, had a fight with his wife, and is in a bad mood. He might render a severe judgment. However, in the Heavenly court, we do not need to be concerned because Hashem always judges fairly and consistently. Indeed, Hashem does not want to judge us harshly (See Yechezkel 18:32). Most importantly, for Rosh Hashanah, we are totally in control. We know for sure that if we do repent and do teshuvah, we will be judged for a good year. Seforno explains that the mitzvah of teshuvah is “not in heaven” (Devarim 30:12): You do not need a prophet to be able to do teshuvah. The Torah continues: ”It is not across the sea” (30:13): You do not even need a rabbi to do teshuvah. Each of us has the opportunity and obligation to repent and come close to Hashem on our own. Since we are in control of our fate, then of course we should be happy and celebrate.

It is therefore incumbent on each of us, as this difficult year comes to an end and the new year begins, to take advantage of Hashem’s loving-kindness and the opportunity He provides us. We should make every effort to involve ourselves in the mitzvah of teshuvah and focus on improving our relationship with others, with Hashem, and even with ourselves. In that merit, we can be confident that Hashem will grant us and the entire Jewish people a K’siva V’chasima Tova, to be written and inscribed for a good year.