I went to Costco a few days ago. The lot was SO full, I had to park in a remote area of the parking lot! As I walked in, it looked like people were buying out the store—their carts were overflowing. It reminded me of those popular store contests, where the winner gets half an hour inside the store to fill up his cart. Really smart winners plan ahead, knowing the items they want and where to get them in the store.
On Rosh Hashanah, we proclaim Hashem as our King. Rav Nosson Wachtfogel says it’s the time Hashem invites us into His palace, where we can see and feel His majesty. As guests of the King, we can ask for whatever we wish. It’s a shopping spree—we can try to fill our cart! We ask for health and wealth and a huge list of items. But we need to make sure we focus on the most important things, as our time in the palace is limited!
So, what should be our focus while we’re in the palace? Rav Shimshon Pincus compares the days of Rosh Hashanah to being invited to a really fancy wedding. The hall is gorgeous and everyone is dressed in their fineries. At the shmorg, the guests fill up their plates with sushi, salads and fancy cuts of meat. The chuppah is decorated with the most exquisite flowers. The singer at the chuppah has a stunning voice. There’s a 12-piece orchestra. The sumptuous dinner meal is served on fine china. At the end, there’s a huge Viennese table. No one leaves early—it’s so amazing!
As you drive home, you ask your wife, “Did you wish mazel tov to the kallah?” She replies, “I tried, but there was a huge crowd around her, and I couldn’t get near her when I thought of it. How about you? Did you wish mazel tov to the chasan?” I answered, “I got so distracted with the food and the music … I couldn’t find him right before I was ready to leave.”
These people came to the wedding. They were there the whole time, indulging and enjoying, but never made sufficient effort to wish mazel tov to the chasan and kallah! Those people missed the whole point of going to the wedding. The entire wedding centers around the chasan and kallah.
Back to Rosh Hashanah: Hashem is both Chasan and Kallah at that time. The entire two days, we are in the palace of the King. We wear finery. We have delicious and lavish Yom Tov meals. We daven in shul for many hours, listening to the chazan with his stunning voice. The davening is accompanied by many melodious tunes. We’re in shul for many hours from beginning to end. We ask Hashem for all our personal needs, but (think long and hard now) do we stop to truly feel and acknowledge Hashem’s sovereignty? Let’s make sure our focus is on target—not only on making requests, but more importantly, on acknowledging that Hashem is our King!
The Zohar says that one should not make personal requests on Rosh Hashanah, as it’s not respectful of the King, at His coronation, to focus on one’s personal needs. The entire text of the Shemoneh Esrei of the Yomim Noraim focuses on our sincere yearning and request that Hashem reign supreme over the entire world, and that every person recognize and bow down to Hashem. However, Rav Yisrael Salanter says that in our times, we don’t have a true concept of the power and awe of a king, and what it means to serve a king. The only way we are able to relate to Hashem as King is by submitting our personal requests to Him, thereby acknowledging that Hashem is all-powerful and capable of fulfilling our requests. Nevertheless, our focus on Rosh Hashanah should be on approaching Hashem with great joy and awe, fully mindful that He is the King of kings! It’s easy to proclaim Hashem as King of the world, but we must not lose sight of the fact that we also must proclaim Hashem as King of us personally—that we subject ourselves enthusiastically to the will and laws of Hashem.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch, where he leads a multi-level Gemara-learning program. PTI has attracted adult Jews of all ages from all over northern New Jersey for its learning programs. Fees are not charged but any contributions are always welcome. Beyond PTI, Rabbi Bodenheim conducts a weekly beis midrash program with chavrusa learning in Livingston plus a monthly group in West Caldwell. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com.
