Page 8 - Mizrachi-RZC Sefer Berachot 5781

What Should We Do?
Rabbi Avraham Friedman
Rosh HaYeshiva, Hebrew Theological College

During Aseres Y’mei Teshuva we often mention Malkeinu - “Our
King”, a scary concept. A king expects things from his servants and
does not always tolerate their infractions. That which will happen to
us over the course of the next year will be determined over the
course of the 10 days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.
The Satmar Rebbe, zt”l, providing insight on the pasuk: “Blow the
shofar on the moon’s renewal, at the time (the moon is) hidden
(ba’keseh), appointed for our festive holiday” [Tehillim 81:4],
comments that Rosh HaShana is the only Yom Tov on which the
moon is not yet visible - on the first of Tishrei, the moon is hidden.
The Rebbe explains the “hidden” aspect of Rosh HaShana: we will
not learn what type of Rosh HaShana it was until the end of the
year.

My father was a Ba’al Tefilla for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur
for many decades. When people would ask him how the tefillos
went this year, he would invariably say, “I’ll tell you next year on
Erev Rosh HaShana”.
Thinking about what has happened this year throughout the entire
world, who would have dreamt of this last Rosh HaShana?
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz once commented on the tragic death at the
end of Shvat of one who had become ill at the start of the month.
People attributed the cause of death to an event which started on
“Rosh Chodesh Shvat” and progressively worsened until by the end
of the month he was gone. Such calculations are incorrect, he
explained. The illness can be traced to Rosh HaShana when it was
determined what was going to happen later that winter. This is the
awesomeness of the day of Rosh HaShana. This is the “Malkeinu”
[Our King] – the justice the Almighty metes out as King, although
we often cannot understand it.
Yet, I had learned from my Rosh HaYeshiva, Harav Aron
Soloveichik in the name of the Vilna Gaon that one isn’t allowed to
cry on Rosh HaShana. That it’s a chiyuv to have simcha on this day
and assur to fast.

So what should I do? Focus solely on how much HaShem loves us
and wants us to live. This is the Avodas HaYom.
תכרובמו הבוט הנש םכלוכל םילחאמ
םכידי השעמ לכב החלצה לשו תואירב לש הנש