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DIRECTING OURSELVES FOR THE COMING YEAR

The holiday of Rosh HaShanah is a microcosmic template possessing the inherent power to define the year ahead.  Our thoughts, speech, and actions on these two momentous days deeply impact how the coming year unfolds for each one of us, much like the drawing up of an architectural blueprint.

Here are four practical spiritual points to keep in mind during Rosh HaShanah, which will keep you focused and elevated on this important holiday:

1) THINK ONLY GOOD THOUGHTS.  Rosh HaShanah is called the "head" of the year, since it directs the course of events for the entire year to come  For this reason, it is important to take great care to think only good thoughts, since positive thinking will influence our year for the good.  According to Rabbi Nachman, we need to be wise enough to frame our thoughts positively and envision that G-d will be good to us.

2) SPEAK AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.  What we talk about on Rosh HaShanah also deeply affects the upcoming year.  On the first day of Rosh HaShanah in particular, we should greatly minimize our speech.  In contrast to the second day of Rosh HaShanah, judgment on the first day is more severe, and our every word on this day can be used against us by the prosecution in the heavenly court.  There are those who even have the custom of "fasting" from speech completely.  The greater the person, the more meticulous they must be about speaking unnecessarily.

3) MINIMIZE YOUR SLEEP DURING THE DAY.  It is customary to refrain from napping during the day of Rosh HaShanah, and instead to recite Tehillim (Psalms), learn Torah or some other spiritually productive activity.  If you must nap or need some down time, strengthen yourself with joy.  According to the Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud), "If one sleeps at the year's beginning, his good fortune likewise sleeps."

4) DON'T GET ANGRY.  Be very careful to avoid anger on Rosh HaShanah, since G-d judges us in the same manner that we judge others.

VaYikra 23:24 "a remembrance with the blast of the Teruah"

On that day we are to recite verses which mention the blowing of the shofar and verses in which G-d is mentioned as remembering Yisrael.  We are to remind HaShem of Yitzchak who was prepared to give his life for Him and in whose place the ram which had got entangled by his horns was offered up instead (Bereishit 22:13)

Moshe revealed to our Sages that the Teruah's sound which the Torah speaks of is to be emitted by a shofar.  The linkage to the written Torah is established via the Teruah sound blown by a shofar which is mentioned in connection with the Yovel year (Rosh HaShanah 34).  The fact that this is the date of the Day of Judgment is alluded to by the word zichron, i.e. the day when G-d remembers all of man's deeds of the previous year.  On that day it is appropriate for us to listen to the sound of the teruah blown on the shofar.

A Midrashic approach (VaYikra Rabbah 29:7) understands the verse in terms of the patriarchs, suggesting that G-d is telling us that if we want to be found deserving when examined by G-d, our relationship to our Patriarchs is the key.  The Midrash explains that the shofar blasts of Rosh HaShanah, i.e. the blasts of the teruah, are an allusion to certain attributes.  Just as the attribute of fear pervading the celestial regions is surrounded by the attribute of Mercy, so our teruah sounds which are fear-inspiring are preceded and followed by the sounds known as tekiah, to parallel what occurs in heaven.  Were this not so the earth would collapse completely as soon as G-d would commence sitting in judgment of mankind.  If we would only blow the teruah sounds this would be heresy of the first order, i.e. as if we denied the presence of the attribute of Mercy.  Keeping this in mind we can understand that what is written here means that the Day of Judgment is the Day of the Teruah which is surrounded by the attribute of Mercy, called  here zichron.  Having understood this it follows that the meaning of the words zichron teruah is equivalent to shofar teruah and yom teruah (compare 25:9 and BaMidbar 29:1 respectively).

Rosh HaShanah is the great Day of Judgment.  On this day a person is balanced between life and death, depending on his deeds.  Therefore a person must offer prayers and repent with tears.  He must regret all his sins.

The sound of the shofar comes to awaken a person from his sleep.  It makes him realize that it is not an ordinary day.

We sound the shofar on this day, just as it is sounded when people go out to war.  It is sounded so that hte warriors will fight with all their strength to overcome their enemies.  Thus, when the Torah speaks of sounding the shofar, it does not use the word tekiah.  Rather, the Torah uses the word teruah.  The Targum translates this as yevavah, which indicates a cry or a weeping sound.  This teaches that a person must weep and cry out on this day because of the sins he committed all year.  He must repent so that G-d will have mercy on him and judge him on the scale of merit, and write him in the Book of Life.  On the basis of this one can understand the Talmud's discussion as to why the shofar is sounded twice.

There are the "sitting" soundings before Mussaf and the "standing" soundings which are said during Mussaf service.  The Talmud says that this is to confuse ha-satan.  The first time the shofar is sounded, ha-satan may think that it is the shofar of the Mashiach.  When the Mashiach comes the shofar will be sounded as it is written, 

"On that day the great shofar will be sounded" (Yeshayahu 27:13).  

When the Mashiach comes, ha-satan will lose all his power and death will no longer exist, as it is written,

"Death will be swallowed up forever... (Yeshayahu 25:8).

When the shofar is sounded the first time, ha-satan is not very confounded, since there is a question as to whether or not this is the shofar sounded for the Mashiach.  However, when he hears the shofar sound the second time he says, "This is certainly the shofar sounding for the Mashiach."  He becomes very confused and he can no longer denounce Israel.

The sounds of the shofar are the tekiah (a single, long note), the shevarim (three shorter notes) and the teruah (a staccato sound).

The tekiah comes to arouse the merit of Avraham, the shevarim comes to arouse the merit of Yitzchak, and the teruah comes to arouse the merit of Yaakov and David.  Then the final tekiah that closes the sounds comes to arouse the merit of Yaakov again.  He suffered great troubles and grief but never gave up serving G-d with a perfect heart.

From this we can understand the verse,

"Happy is the people who know to sound the teruah" (Tehillim 89:16)

On Rosh HaShanah G-d sits on a Throne of Judgment, but through our sounding of the shofar we cause Him to move to His Throne of Mercy.

This is eluded to in the verse, 

"G-d (Elokim) goes up in a staccato, G-d (YKVK) in the sound of the shofar" (Tehillim 47:6).  

The Name Elokim denotes the Attribute of Justice; this indicates that G-d is going up to sit on His Throne of Judgment.  But then the verse says, "G-d (YKVK) in the sound of the shofar."  The Tetragrammaton (YKVK) denotes the Attribute of Mercy.  This indicates that when G-d hears the sound of the shofar He sits on His Throne of Mercy.

"Happy is the people who know the teruah"...Am Yisrael are happy because they know how to sound the teruah.

Thank HaShem who chose His people Yisrael.

"Happy are the people who have this.  Happy are the people who have HaShem as their G-d" (Tehillim 144:15)

-Tzaddik Magazine; MeAm Lo'ez