It’s a New Year—Have a Blast!
Rosh Hashanah 5784
Rabbi Paul L. Saal, Congregation Shuvah Yisrael, West Hartford, CT
Rosh Hashanah is Judaism’s Day of Judgment. Sound scary? Actually, it should be the most enjoyable day of your life. After all, it is your birthday. It’s everyone’s birthday! According to our tradition it is the world’s birthday! So here are some ideas to help you have a blast (pun intended) this Rosh Hashanah.
God judges us because he loves us.
When my children were young, I would often use my “Daddy voice.” This was my stern voice accompanied by an equally stern look. It implied “cut it out or consider the consequences.” As my children got older, though, I incrementally allowed them more decision-making discretion knowing that the time would come when, as adults, they would have to make all of their own decisions.
For instance, we always ate Shabbat dinner together. But in High School I began to allow them to decide if they were going to exempt themselves from dinner to attend a special event. Generally, they made what I considered good and thoughtful decisions even if they were different than I would have made. At other times, and rarely, they used what I considered to be bad judgment though not dangerous choices. So, I would not retract the freedom I gave them. But that did not mean they did not get the Daddy voice and look when I asked if they really thought they had made a good choice. I know they found me “judgey” and would complain that I told them they had freedom but made them feel guilty for the decision they made.
Although my tone was somewhat strong, I believe my intent was loving. I wanted to give them guidance to help them live a good life then and into the future. I believe it was an act of love and I think they eventually experienced it as such.
Doesn’t every parent have a critical eye on their children? Isn’t every parent in some way or another constantly “judging” their children? We parents do this because we care so much about helping our children live meaningful and happy lives.
So too, the Creator of the universe; he “judges” us, not because he wants to punish us, but because he loves us and wants to make sure we live a great life. So, this year, starting today and as you continue on through Rosh Hashanah, feel the loving embrace of a Father who cares about you and only wants the very best for you, as it says in the Machzor, “For you are the King who desires life!”
Hear the shofar singing, “I love you—wake up and live!”
God is trying to get our attention. He’s calling out to each of us with the blast of the shofar. One sound of the shofar, the tekiah, and especially the tekiah gadolah is like a loud call—“Just want to make sure you’re listening.” Another tone, the teruah, is much softer. It touches a deeper, more vulnerable part of us. Hearing the shofar can be an awesome opportunity to feel God’s love. He’s calling out to us with urgent pleading tones, “Please wake up. Stop and think seriously about where you’re going in life. Please, think about what you really want out of life. Do it now while you still have life in you. All I want is that you have everything good.”
When you hear the shofar this year, listen closely and hear God’s love song being sung just to you.
Choose life.
Last week’s Torah portion, Nitsavim, concluded with the encouragement to “choose life!” (Deut 30:19). God can put the good life right in front of us and say, “Choose this,” but if we don’t have the clarity to want it, we’ll never take ownership of it.
The power of will is the only real power we have in this world; all else is an illusion. Rosh Hashanah is the time to learn how to use it.
In his seminal book True Virtue, Alasdair Macintyre tells a story from Polynesian folk lore, a kind of tropical midrash, if you will.
There once was a king who went out to the villages to visit the poor once every year. Approaching one very sad peasant, he said, “I will give you anything you want.” The peasant smiled and said, “I would like some grass to fix the hole in the roof of my hut.”
The king offered him anything, and all he asked for was some grass. How tragic! He could have asked for a mansion! But isn’t that our common cultural experience? The great King is offering us mansions and some settle for a little grass, or a drink, or a shopping spree. We choose to anesthetize ourselves rather than choosing to take the path of greater resistance but happier destiny.
On Rosh Hashanah when the King of the universe asks us, “What do you really want?” What will be our response? Will we be like the peasant in this story and ask for grass?
Everyone wants to have a great life. But if we don’t take responsibility to clarify for ourselves what the meaning of greatness is, we will likely conform to the values and standards of our society which seem to be more about seeking comfort than seeking greatness. What does a great life look like? Who are your models of success? Do you have a picture that you are completely satisfied with?
Ask yourself: What am I living for?
To live greatly, there is one question that we absolutely must ask: What am I living for? After all, how can I live if I don’t know what I’m living for? We get busy with being busy in order not to think about where our lives are ultimately headed. It’s a profound question and one that requires courage and great personal integrity.
On Rosh Hashanah God asks us to look in the mirror and judge ourselves. We engage the imposing specter of death so that we can ask ourselves, “What am I willing to live for?” This is a tremendous and awesome challenge. The Almighty is giving us life and we don’t know what to do with it. Life is too precious to waste. Rosh Hashanah is the time to clarify what we’re living for
Furthermore, how can I live the good life, if I don’t have my own definition of what “good’ means? There are many things that people call good such as love, creativity, power, kindness, knowledge, thinking, health, peace, relationship with God, wealth, and so on. This Rosh Hashanah explore this question: Of all the possibilities of what people deem good, what do I consider the greatest good? When we know what the greatest good is then we can truly live the “good life.” Why settle for second best?
Monitor your inner world.
One word for prayer in Hebrew is “l’hitpallel,” which most often is understood to mean judging. We pray to judge ourselves with divine guidance! Prayer can be an opportunity for self-discovery.
In 2007 a friend gave my wife two tickets to a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus “Best of both Worlds Concert” so she could take my then-7-year-old daughter. The interesting part of the story is that a famous recording artist was sitting in front of my wife and daughter since he was taking his pre-teen daughter and friends, and he was wearing ear plugs for the entire concert! Clear message!
I mention this because to read the Rosh Hashanah prayers without reflecting upon how they make us feel is like going to a concert wearing ear plugs. Use prayer as a tool for self-discovery and growth by listening to your feelings.
For example, there may be a moment in the prayer service that deeply moves you. It is crucial to hold on to the experience and try to understand what made that experience meaningful for you. If you can understand the meaning of that experience, you have discovered a precious insight that you can use for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, you may feel bored and disconnected. Again, it is crucial to ask, “What am I feeling and why am I feeling this way?” Understanding our emotional discomfort rather than counting the minutes until the service is over can open new pathways of self-understanding.
Prayer teaches us how to live consciously and intentionally. During the High Holidays don’t suffer through the prayers, rather let them be the diagnostic tools that they are meant to be and not mere volume knobs that control your emotions. Be honest. Be curious. This is not a day to tune out, but rather a day to tune in by listening to our feelings and learning from them.
In Judaism, every holiday is an opportunity for personal transformation. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the High Holidays because they offer extra special opportunities for self-discovery and growth. They are not days of doom and gloom. This year, seize the opportunity, and yes, I am going to say this, have a blast!