Here's another piece by Rabbi Wein zt'l, drawn from the Destiny Foundation archives, on the importance of self-assessment on Rosh Hashanah.
On Rosh Hashanah we stand in judgment before our Creator.
But we are not mere passive defendants standing in the dock awaiting a verdict
in our trial. Instead, we take the liberty of submitting requests, suggestions
and sometimes even demands to our Heavenly Judge. We pray for life and health,
prosperity and wisdom, family and national stability, as well as for
redemption, peace, serenity and meaningful success.
That is quite a long and impressive list of requests that we submit to the
Almighty. It is part of the ethos of Judaism that such requests are allowed, if
not even encouraged, by the Lord. These requests illustrate our dependence upon
God and our inability to have hope, direction and planning in our lives without
Heavenly aid and grace.
The doors of Heaven, the gates of prayer, are thrust wide open for us on the
High Holy days and the Ten Days of Repentance—and we are bidden to take
advantage of that situation with our prayers, requests and demonstrations of
our improved social and religious behavior. It would be foolish in the extreme
to ignore and not take advantage of such an opportunity to ask for what we need
in our personal and national life.
Though the results of the judgments of Rosh Hashanah are not immediately clear,
we are nevertheless in an optimistic mood and we celebrate the day in a holiday
mode with feasting, family and friends. It is the connection with eternity and
Heaven that Rosh Hashanah affords that transforms an otherwise day of tension
and awe into one of holy serenity and satisfaction.
But Rosh Hashanah is a two-way street. It is not only our turn to ask God for
what we want, but it is also a day when God, so to speak, also informs us what
He requires from us. Judaism is a faith of mutually binding covenants between
God and the Jewish people, collectively and individually. The rabbis taught us
that, first and foremost, God wants our hearts. He wants sincerity and faith,
belief and discipline, strength of character and good will. He abhors falsehood
and hypocrisy, mendacity and venality.
The prophet taught us that the Lord desires that we act justly, love kindness,
show mercy to others and to walk humbly in God’s ways. He demands that we live
up to our side of the covenant, that we observe His commandments and sanctify
His Holy Days and Shabbat by our behavior and demeanor. He wishes us to have an
appreciation and knowledge of our past and a vision for our future. He would
like us to share His view, so to speak, of the Jewish people as being a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation—a unique treasure amongst all of the peoples of
the world.
He also wishes that each and every one of us realizes that he or she is a
special unique individual, not just a faceless number in a world of billions.
People who feel special are special. Our self-judgment in our hearts influences
our Heavenly judgment on Rosh Hashanah too: God invites us, so to speak, to
judge ourselves in conjunction with the Heavenly court. Therefore we state in
our prayers that every person’s signature appears on the verdict of the
Heavenly court. We are equal partners in our judgment and in the outcome.
The national hopes of the Jewish people also find expression on Rosh Hashanah.
No Jew is exempt from the destiny of the Jewish people as a whole. Our past
century of sad and tragic experiences clearly indicates the futility of daring
to imagine that the Jewish covenant allows individuals to opt out of it at
will. Solidarity with the Jewish faith and people, with the state of Israel and
with the eternal Torah is the guarantee of individual Jewish survival and
meaning.
Joshua, upon encountering the angel in his tent, asked only
question: "Are you with us or are you against us and with our
enemies?" Unfortunately many Jews, deluded by "humanitarian"
sloganeering, wittingly or unwittingly cannot answer Joshua’s question
correctly. Rosh Hashanah allows us to look within ourselves and to declare to
the God of Israel that we are truly with Him and with our people.
We wish to be inscribed in the book of eternal life and Jewish glory and not,
God forbid, on the pages of Jewish perfidy and shame. Rosh Hashanah provides us
with a wide range of important choices that have eternal consequences. May we
always choose wisely and correctly.
