First Father, then Judge

Days of Awe, Days of Judgment.  That is how Rosh Hashana and the subsequent days, culminating in Yom Kippur, are commonly referred to.  There is good reason for this.  As we say in the liturgy, on this day Hashem judges every creature on earth, every country and nation.  Who would not be concerned and take seriously the prospect of standing in judgment before the Creator of the world who knows every secret.  This thought produces a range of feelings.  There are those who feel terror approaching Rosh hashana, and on the other hand there are those who just give up.  How can we face such a judgment and how can we ever stand up to scrutiny?

 

But there is another important aspect to Rosh Hashana.  Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad, writes that this is the day that Hashem “sits” on a throne of mercy.  Hashem is referred to as “Rachum badin” – merciful in judgment.  On Rosh Hashana we say a beautiful prayer referring to Hashem as “Avinu Malkeinu” – our Father our King.  Each line is a request of blessing and mercy, and each line begins with these words.  There are some beautiful melodies that we sing to these words.  When we think of a judge, we think of a stranger who sits in judgment of us and follows the book, punishing us for what we have done wrong.  When we think of a parent, a healthy parent wants only what is best for his or her child.  Any judgment by a loving parent will be permeated with love, understanding and care for the child.  Hashem is our loving father.  He created us, and who does not love their own creation?  Do you remember you or your children coming home from pre-school with an art project that was not exactly perfect?  Who cared how imperfect it was? You loved it and showed it off to everyone - it was your creation.  A healthy parent loves his or her child regardless of their imperfections.  How much more so our Father and Creator, Hashem.  Many, many times in the Torah and throughout our prayers, Hashem is referred to as a loving parent, Who loves us and is merciful toward us.

 

If a child does something to anger their parent and apologizes and promises to change their ways, the parent will forgive.  The same if it happens a few times, perhaps, but after a while the parent will lose their patience.  How many times can a person forgive and have mercy?  But Hashem’s mercy is infinite.  Hashem knows we are human beings with an ego and an evil inclination.  He created us that way, and He knows our shortcomings.  He loves us unconditionally, and if we turn to Him with the plea: Our Father our King, He is ready to accept us, to forgive our iniquities and to give us His blessings.  The “awe” of the Days of Awe is not terror.  It is the awe one feels when in the presence of greatness.  This is the day when we are standing before Hashem, the Creator and ruler of the world, but also our merciful and loving Father.  Our awe is mixed with love and joy in the knowledge that on this New Year, we are reconnecting with Hashem and receiving blessings for life, health, happiness, prosperity and peace.  Sounds a little unrealistic?  It doesn’t have to be.  Hashem can indeed make good things happen for us and the world, and in fact He does all the time.  If you are reading this, we have a lot to celebrate, and next year can be much better. 

 

The Parsha this week begins with Moshe’s words to the entire Jewish nation: “You are standing [upright] today, all of you.”  There are always many layers of meaning in every word of the Torah.  Our Sages taught that “today” refers to the great day of Rosh Hashana.  On the Shabbat before the Day of Judgment, we read Moshe’s eternal words to all of us: You are standing upright in judgment today on Rosh Hashana.  This is Hashem’s blessing to us that we will stand upright and confident as we are meritorious in the judgment.

 

Rosh Hashana is a day of awe, but also a day of hope and optimism.  A day when we celebrate with great faith the fact that our Judge is also our loving Father.  There are a few days left to prepare to stand before Hashem on Rosh Hashana.  I encourage you to use this time well.  First of all, we should strengthen our faith and hope that next year will be a great one for all of us.  It is appropriate to do all we can to improve our connection to Hashem and increase our merits by increasing our Mitzvah observance.  Missing a Mezuzah? Not sure if yours are kosher?  This is a good time to fix that (we can help).  Another Mitzvah or two that we can improve on?  This is a great time to make that resolution.  We give an abundance of Tzedakah, and Hashem responds to our kindness and compassion with blessings of the same for us.  Some extra Torah learning is also appropriate, perhaps to review the laws and customs of the upcoming holidays and their mystical meanings.

 

May you be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year.  Please feel free to join us for the Shofar blowing and services, and let me know if there is any way we at Chabad can help enhance your holiday experience.