Category Archives: Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashana – It Is Time To Take The Outstretched Hand!

Rosh Hashana

It Is Time To Take The Outstretched Hand!

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“If one is found righteous, his verdict is sealed for life. If one is found wicked, his verdict is sealed for death. A beinoni’s verdict remains tentative until Yom Kippur. If he repents, his verdict is sealed for life. If not, his verdict is sealed for death.” (Hilchos Teshuva 3:3)

The Rambam says (Hilchos Teshuva 3:3) that just as a person’s merits and sins are weighed at the time of his death, so, too, they are weighed on Rosh HaShanah. If one is found to be righteous, then his judgement is sealed for life. If one is found wicked, then his judgement is sealed for death. One who is a beinoni, one whose good and bad deeds are equal, has his verdict paused until Yom Kippur. If he repents then his verdict is sealed for life. If not, then his verdict is sealed for death.

Rav Mattisyahu Solomon zt”l, the mashgiach ruchani, the spiritual supervisor, of Beth Medrash Govoha says that the Rambam’s source is the Talmud. The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 16B) brings the opinion of Rabbi Yochanan.  Rabbi Kruspedai said in the name of Rabbi Yocḥanan that three books are opened on Rosh HaShanah in front of Hashem. One book contains the names of wholly wicked people, one of wholly righteous people, and one of those people whose good and bad deeds are equally balanced. Totally righteous people are immediately written and sealed for life and totally wicked people are immediately written and sealed for death. Those people whose good and bad deeds are equally balanced have their judgment suspended from Rosh HaShana until Yom Kippur. If they merit, they are written for life. If they do not merit, then they are written for death.

Some commentaries explain that the words of the Talmud “If they merit, they are written for life” means that if a beinoni does more mitzvos between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur then he can cause his merits to outway his sins and be judged for life.

That is a logical explanation. But that is not how the Rambam explains it. The Rambam says that a beinoni only merits life if he does teshuva.

Rav Mattisyahu Solomon zt”l (sefer Matnas Chaim) asks why the Rambam feels that the only solution for a beinoni is to do teshuva while it is not enough if the beinoni would increase his merits by doing more mitzvos.

Rav Itzela Peterberger zt”l (Kochvei Ohr) says that if the beinoni doesn’t do teshuva it is a very serious sin. So much so, that it outweighs all the possible mitzvos and merits that the beinoni may do. Therefore, the Rambam says that the only hope for the beinoni is if he does teshuva!

Why is the sin of not doing teshuva so serious? Why does it outweigh all extra merits that are done?

The Torah says that when the Jews went to war, only the tzadikim went. Only those who were confident that they had no sins would go to battle. Yet, the Torah warns them that they should be very careful, “you should guard against any evil thing” (Devarim 23:10). The psukim continue to list some of the things about which they must be careful. Why do such righteous people have to be especially careful? Rashi says that the Satan specifically looks for accusations against people during times of danger.

Hashem strongly wants us to do teshuva. Hashem wants us to become closer to Him. On Yom Kippur we have an obligation to do teshuva! If one does not repent at that time, then there is a serious accusation against him. Hashem comes especially close to us starting on Rosh Chodesh Ellul. Hashem is more attuned to listening to our tefillos and efforts to improve. As Rabbeinu Yona writes, Hashem opens the door for us to return to Him. Hashem is beckoning to us. How would it look if we would ignore Hashem and ignore that opportunity? It would seem as if we are telling Hashem that we don’t want to come close to Him.  Imagine if your father opens the door for you and says come, and you ignore him and turn away! The Satan accuses during time of danger. What time can be more dangerous then when we are waiting to see what our judgement will be? If we don’t do teshuva then the Satan will say that we DON’T CARE to increase our fear of Heaven and come close to Hashem, even at this time!

If we don’t do teshuva on Yom Kippur, then the sin is so severe that it outweighs any possible good deeds that we may do. That is why the Rambam says that the only hope for the beinoni is to repent.

The Rambam writes (Hilchos Teshuva 7:6), “How exalted is Repentance. Yesterday, he was separated from Hashem, the G-d of Israel… he cries out and is not answered…and today he clings to the Divine Presence… he cries out and is immediately answered.” When a person repents, he becomes a different person! Just yesterday, he was distant from Hashem, and today he is close to Him!  Imagine a person waiting to be executed. When the guards come to fetch him, although he is there, they don’t see him. All they see is a different person in his place. How happy he will be! Similarly, one who repents is a different person! He is not the same person who was destined to be punished!

We must take advantage of this opportunity to come closer to Hashem while “His arms are outstretched to bring us close”!

So, what do we do if we have done so many sins? How do we come closer to Hashem? Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l says that we should pick 1 or 2 things to improve. They can even be small things. Once we do that, we are already considered as one who is doing teshuva!

We can each choose improvements that are very doable for us. Perhaps we can decide to stand still and concentrate when we say the asher yatzar prayer after we use the bathroom. Even if we only commit to concentrate one time during the day, it shows our determination to improve. We can commit to saying one other bracha with concentration. We can learn an extra 2 minutes a day. And, so on. We can each choose something very doable for us. That action shows Hashem that we are “taking His outstretched hand” to coe closer to Him!

May we all merit to be inscribed for a good year! For a shana tova umesukah!

Parshas Ha’azinu – Rosh Hashana – For Success, Look The Other Way!

Parshas Ha’azinu – Rosh Hashana

For Success, Look The Other Way!

 

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“He bears sin and forgives transgression” (Micah 7:18)

Rosh Hashana is Yom HaDin, the day that we are all judged to determine what kind of year that we will have. We should be terrified and should look for ways to escape harsh judgement.

Hashem loves us so much that he gives us “an escape hatch”, a way to escape from harsh judgement for our sins. That “escape hatch” is called teshuva, repentance. Through proper repentance, we can erase our misdeeds, Sometimes, we can even change those misdeeds to mitzvos.

Rabbeinu Yona (Sha’ar Teshuvah) quotes a parable from Midrash Koheles (7:15). A group of thieves were imprisoned by the king. While in jail, they dug a tunnel and escaped. One thief stayed behind. He did not take advantage of the opportunity to save himself. Teshuva is a golden opportunity that we should “grab” and take advantage of. The three basic parts of teshuva are admitting our sin to Hashem, truly feeling bad that we sinned, accepting upon ourselves not to repeat this sin in the future.

In his Sichos Mussar, Rabbi Michal Birnbaum z”l, mashgiach in Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim, encourages us to look for strategies and well-known remedies to help us emerge successfully on Yom HaDin. One strategy which is known to be successful is quoted in three different places in the Talmud. The Talmud (Rosh Hashana 17A) relates that when Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, became sick, Rav Pappa went to visit him. Rav Pappa saw that Rav Huna was dying, so he told his attendants to prepare burial shrouds. Amazingly, Rav Huna recovered. Rav Huna’s friends asked him what he had seen when he had been suspended between life and death. He told them that he was very close to dying, but Hashem interceded with the heavenly court. Hashem said that since Rav Huna was not exacting with injustices committed against him, then the heavenly court should not be exacting with him in his judgment. As it says in the pasuk (Micah 7:18), “He bears sin and forgives transgression”.

In another story quoted in The Talmud (Ta’anis 25B), Rabbi Eliezer was the chazan davening for much-needed rain, reciting twenty-four blessings, but he was not answered. Rabbi Akiva descended before the ark after him and said, “Our Father, our King, we have no king other than You. Our Father, our King, for Your sake, have mercy on us”. It started raining immediately! The Sages were surprised that Rabbi Akiva’s prayers were answered while those of his teacher, Rabbi Eliezer, were not. A Divine Voice emerged and said, “It is not because Rabbi Akiva is greater than Rabbi Eliezer, but that Rabbi Akiva is forgiving, and Rabbi Eliezer is not”.

Rabbi Birnbaum z”l explained that Rabbi Eliezer acted, according to the letter of the law, which was totally fine. Hashem responded to him in kind, according to the letter of the law. However, Rabbi Akiva was less exacting and more forgiving.

The Talmud (Bava Metzia 30B) quotes Rabbi Yocḥanan who says that Jerusalem was destroyed because they adjudicated cases strictly on the basis of Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law. Rav Zalman of Volozhin, student of the GRA, quotes Tosefos who asks how that can be. The Talmud in Yuma says that Jerusalem was destroyed because of sinas chinam, unwarranted hatred and not because of judging based on strict justice. The answer is that when the Jews went beyond the letter of the law in their relationships with others, Hashem treated them likewise. Once the Jews followed strict justice, the letter of the law, that is how Hashem judged them. Thus, Jerusalem was destroyed because of sinas chinam. The Jews didn’t merit that Hashem treat them beyond the letter of the law because that was not how they treated others. 

Hashem loves us and is waiting with “open arms” for our teshuva. 
Let us also forgive others who have caused us pain or anguish. When we are less exacting and more forgiving with others, that will be how Hashem will treat us. 
May we all be zoche to a ksiva vachasima tova, a year filled with health, happiness, and blessing for us and for all Klal Yisroel.