Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

And the L-rd spoke to Moses on that very day (b’etzem hayom hazeh), saying: “Go up this Mount Avarim [to] Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is facing Jericho, and see the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel as a possession, And die on the mountain upon which you are climbing and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.” (Sefer Devarim, Parashat Haazinu, 32:48-50, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

The phrase, “b’etzem hayom hazeh,” introduces the tragic narrative that depicts Moshe’s impending death. It is found 10 other times in Chamisha Chumshei Torah (the Five Books of the Torah), namely, in Bereishit, Shemot, and Vayikra. Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself on the Sifrei, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Devarim, notes that our expression is used in a parallel manner in two of these instances:

And the L-rd spoke to Moses on that very day: In three places Scripture employs the phrase: בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה [which has the meaning, “at the strongest light of the day”]. First, regarding Noah, Scripture states, “On that very day (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה ) Noah entered [… the ark]” (Sefer Bereishit. 7:13), which means in the glare of full daylight. Noah’s contemporaries said: “We swear by such and such, that if we notice him about to enter the ark, we will not let him proceed! Moreover, we will take axes and hatchets and split open the ark!” So the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “I will have Noah enter at midday, and let anyone who has the power to prevent it, come and prevent it!” 

Second, regarding Egypt, Scripture states, “On that very day (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה), the L-rd brought [the children of Israel] out [of the land of Egypt]” (Sefer Shemot 12:51). The Egyptians said: “We swear by such and such, that if we notice them about to leave, we will stop them! And not only that, but we will take swords and other weapons, and kill them!” So, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “I will bring them out in the middle of the day, and let anyone who has power to prevent it, come and prevent it!” 

Likewise here (Sefer Devarim 32:48), regarding Moses’ death, Scripture states, “on that very day (בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה).” The children of Israel said, “We swear by such and such, that if we notice Moses [ascending the mountain to die], we will not let him do so! The man who brought us out of Egypt, divided the Red Sea for us, brought the manna down for us, made flocks of quails fly over to us, brought up the well for us, and gave us the Torah -we will not let him!” Thereupon, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: “I will have Moses ascend the mountain [to his resting place] in the middle of the day!”

According to the Sifrei and Rashi, “on that very day,” is deployed in our three verses whenever there is a manifest challenge, albeit hidden from the explicit text, to Hashem’s authority. Therefore, when the people of Noach’s time, the Egyptians and even our own forebears refused to accept the Master of the Universe’s Divine decree, He acted in a completely public manner that demonstrated the abject futility of man’s rebellion against His will. In sum, no force, regardless of the degree of it’s power, can stand before the Creator of the Universe.

Unfortunately, as the Sifrei and Rashi make manifestly clear, the Jewish people of Moshe’s time acted no differently than the people during Noach’s time or the Egyptians during Yetziat Mitzraim (the Departure from Egypt). What should our ancestors have done on Moshe’s behalf instead of rebelliously confronting Hashem? In other words, how could they have effectively altered G-d’s decree so that Moshe would not have had to die and would have been allowed to lead the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)? My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his followers and disciples, answered these questions in the following manner:

It was not the fault of the Jewish people that Moses made a mistake [by striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Sefer Bamidbar 20:8-13)]. But had the people possessed a sensitivity and love for Moses similar to the love that Moses felt for them, they would have torn the decree into shreds. It was their fault… When he was told that he would not enter the Land of Israel, Moses pleaded for forgiveness. Had the people joined him in prayer, the Holy One would have been forced to respond. But they did not join. Thus we read in Parashat Va-etchanan that with tears in his eyes Moses tells them, “Va-etchanan” (Deut 3:23): I prayed alone. It was not va-nitchanan, we prayed. I was a lonely solitary prayerful person; I prayed, no one else joined in with me. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Vision and Leadership: Reflections on Joseph and Moses, editors, David Shatz, Joel B. Wolowelsky, and Reuven Ziegler, page 212, underlining and brackets my own)

The Rav’s answer is so poignant that it brings one to tears. The depth of Moshe’s love for Am Yisrael (the Jewish people) was all but unrequited. Moshe had sacrificed every aspect of his personal happiness to serve his people. He divorced his wife, hardly knew his own children and lived alone. All of this was in order to be ready to communicate and commune with the Holy One Blessed be He at a moment’s notice – all on the people’s behalf. Yet, where was their recognition for Moshe’s total self-sacrifice? Why did they abandon him? Why did they not join him in tefilah (prayer)? 

Rav Soloveitchik offered the following analysis for the disconnect between Moshe and his beloved people, and why he existentially remained “a lonely solitary prayerful person”:

Moses was too great for his generation. He rose high above them. His vision was too penetrating, his depth superhuman, his sweep too high. They could not follow him; they failed to understand him. Had they understood and appreciated him … Moses would have been admitted to the Promised Land. The people’s guilt consisted in their not opening up to Moses’ influence, in resisting his redemptive and cathartic power, in not being willing to become his disciples. Of course Moses suffered the consequences. (Page, 214)

In truth, we should not be overly surprised that “Moses was too great for his generation,” and that the people “could not follow him; they failed to understand him.” Indeed, the Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) notes that Moshe’s entire being and prophecy were different in kind and degree from those of anyone else who had ever lived:

1) [Divine insight is bestowed upon] all the [other] prophets in a dream or vision. Moses, our teacher, would prophesy while standing awake.

2) [Divine insight is bestowed upon] all the [other] prophets through the medium of an angel. Therefore, they perceive only metaphoric imagery and allegories. Moses, our teacher, [would prophesy] without the medium of an angel. 

3) Moses’ appreciation of prophecy would not be through metaphor, but through open revelation, appreciating the matter in its fullness. 

4) All the [other] prophets are overawed, terrified, and confounded [by the revelations they experience], but Moses, our teacher, would not [respond in this manner] … Moses’ mental power was sufficient to comprehend the words of prophecy while he was standing in a composed state.

5) All the [other] prophets cannot prophesy whenever they desire. Moses, our teacher, was different. Whenever he desired, the holy spirit would envelop him, and prophecy would rest upon him. 

6) When prophecy departs from all the [other] prophets, they return to their “tents” - i.e., the needs of the body like other people. Therefore, they do not separate themselves from their wives. Moses, our teacher, never returned to his original “tent.” Therefore, he separated himself from women and everything of that nature forever. He bound his mind to the Eternal Rock. [Accordingly,] the glory never left him forever. The flesh of his countenance shone, [for] he became holy like the angels. (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 7:6, translation, Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, selections my own)

Even though every word of Maimonides rings true and is echoed time and again by Torah luminaries throughout the generations, it is nonetheless tragic that our forebears were unable to truly encounter Moshe and thereby be his advocates through prayer before the Almighty:

[For] if Benei Yisrael had proven themselves worthy of communing with Moses, of being his disciples, if they had displayed the intellectual and emotional capacity to receive and absorb Torat Moshe, then Moses would have entered and conquered the Promised Land, and he would have been anointed as the King Messiah. Jewish history would have found its realization and fulfillment immediately upon entering the land. (Rav Soloveitchik, page 214)

Sadly, our nation continues to wait for biat haMashiach (the coming of the Messiah) and the “realization and fulfillment” of Jewish history. With Hashem’s ultimate chesed (kindness), let us hope and pray that the Mashiach will not tarry long, and that Zechariah the prophet’s vision will be fulfilled soon and in our days: “And the L-rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one.” (Sefer Zechariah 14:9, translation, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom,


Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: 

http://reparashathashavuah.org
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn. 

**Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

                                       Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

The great Sephardic luminary, Rav Yosef Karo zatzal (1488-1575), is best known as the author of the Shulchan Aruch. Towards the end of Hilchot Yom HaKippurim (623:6) in that work, wherein the laws pertaining to the Ne’ilah service are discussed, he stated that as part of the conclusion of this section of tefilah (prayer), we are obligated to sound four shofar blasts – tekiah, shevarim, teruah followed by a final tekiah. In contrast, Rav Moshe Isserles zatzal (the Rema, 1530-1572), in his glosses on the Shulchan Aruch, noted that the widely accepted Ashkenazi minhag (custom) is to sound only one shofar note, namely, the tekiah. Neither of these Torah giants, however, discussed the reason as to why we sound the shofar at this time. As a result, it is to this task we now turn.

One of the earliest sources to address the underlying rationale for sounding the shofar at the conclusion of the Ne’ilah service is a gloss of Tosafot in the name of Rashi’s  great-grandson, Rabbi Yitzhak ben Shmuel zatzal (known as the “RI” or the “RI-HaZaken,” 1115-1184):

The sole reason why we sound the shofar at the conclusion of Yom HaKippurim is to publicize that it is now fully nighttime so that people may proceed to feed their children who have fasted [until now]. In addition [i.e. a corollary], [this is to inform the Jewish community that it proper] to prepare the meal for the night that has followed the Yom HaKippurim day, for it is similar in kind to a Yom Tov… This is in contradistinction to the incorrect opinion of the Machzorim (Prayer books for the Days of Awe) where it is written therein that the tekiah is a reminder of the Jubilee year (yovel). [If this were to be the case,] why would we sound the shofar year after year [at this time?] – is it possible for the yovel to be each and every year?  (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 114b, s.v. V’amai, translation and brackets my own)

In sum, in a world without accurate clocks and rapid communication, it was crucial to somehow publicize that Yom HaKippurim had, indeed, ended and that it was proper to return to the normal behaviors of eating, drinking and cooking. Moreover, the RI-HaZaken summarily rejected any notion of a nexus between the conclusion of this day and the sounding of the shofar in order to be reminded of the Jubilee year, and essentially declared such a notion to be patently absurd.

Approximately 400 years later, Rabbi Mordechai Yoffe zatzal (1530-1612) presented three additional reasons as to why we sound the shofar at the end of Yom Hakippurim:

We sound the shofar with one tekiah blast as a sign of the Schechinah’s (Hashem’s immanent presence) departure – i.e. that the Schechinah has left [this world] and has gone up to the firmament, just as it had done at the time of the giving of the Torah. As it is written: “No hand shall touch it [i.e. Mount Sinai], for he shall be stoned or cast down; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the ram's horn sounds a long, drawn out blast, they may ascend the mountain.” (Sefer Shemot 19:13) It is also written: “G-d shall rise with the trumpet blast; the L-rd, with the sound of the shofar.” (Sefer Tehillim 47:6, with my emendation)

The tekiah is a symbol of joy and victory – this means we have been victorious over the Satan (Evil Inclination).

The sound of the tekiah is the symbolic representation of freedom – for on this day we have made our souls free from sins and our bodies have become free from enslavement and punishments. (Sefer Levush Malchut, Levush HaHod 623:5, translation, brackets, underlining and parentheses my own)

Closer to our own time, Rabbi Yechiel Michal ben Aharon Halevi Epstein zatzal (1829-1908), popularly known as the “Aruch HaShulchan” after the title of his halachic magnum opus, suggested a new interpretation for sounding the shofar at the conclusion of Ne’ilah “We sound one tekiah as a sign of good fortune to proclaim the news that Hashem has received our prayers.” (Sefer Aruch HaShulchan, Orech Chaim 623:8, translation) In Rav Epstein’s view, the tekiah is a declaration of success – a sound that signifies that we have encountered the Almighty through the medium of prayer and He, in His great beneficence, has accepted our heartfelt tefilot.

In stark contrast to the opinion of the Aruch HaShulchan, my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as the “Rav” by his students and disciples, suggested that the sounding of the shofar at the end of Yom HaKippurim is symbolic of our abject failure to communicate our depth-level spiritual longings to the Master of the Universe through words:

… the Rav said that on Yom Kippur, at the conclusion of the Ne’ilah service, he often felt that despite having spent the entire day in prayer, he had not articulated even a tiny fraction  of what he had wanted to express… [He was convinced that on the existential level, every] Jew has similar feelings at the conclusion of Ne’ilah, the final prayer on Yom Kippur: [they have] spoken, yet said nothing.

What can one do in such a moment of black despair when the feeling of defeat captures him? Does the Jew give up or does he pursue a radically different approach in order to reach out to the Creator? Rav Soloveitchik provides us with his groundbreaking answer:

In order to adequately express his deep longing when words have cruelly failed him, he feels the compulsion to release an instinctive, inarticulate cry. In the seconds before the Holy One Blessed Be He once again retreats into obscuring clouds, man must urgently express what he could not verbalize in an entire day of prayer. He thus sounds the shofar as a response to the ultimate futility of verbal prayer to express his needs. (Before Hashem You Shall Be Purified: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik on the Days of Awe, summarized and annotated by Dr. Arnold Lustiger, page 24, underlining and brackets my own)

In conclusion, as we find in almost all substantive areas of Jewish thought, there are a plethora of opinions as to how to interpret the sounding of the shofar at the final moments of Yom HaKippurim. They run the gamut from the sublime to the practical, and from the assertion of man’s greatness and success, to the recognition of his lowly status and ineffectual efforts to verbally communicate with the Holy One Blessed be He. No matter which approach we may choose to follow, however, we can rest assured that, “For on this day He [G-d] shall effect atonement for you to [spiritually] cleanse you. Before the L-rd, you shall be purified from all your sins.” (Sefer Vayikra 16:30, emendation and brackets my own) V’chane yihi ratzon.

G'mar chatimah tova v'tizku l'shanim rabot

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words with yourselves and return to the L-rd. Say, “You shall forgive all iniquity and teach us [the] good [way]…” (Sefer Hosheah 14:2-3, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

The opening phrase of this week’s haftarah, “Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d,” contains some of the most famous words of the Nevi’im (Prophets). Little wonder, then, that this Shabbat is named, “Shuvah” (Return), after the first word of the haftarah. Moreover, on a conceptual level, it is a very appropriate appellation for this Shabbat, since Shabbat Shuvah serves as the nexus between the judgment of Rosh Hashanah and the atonement of Yom Kippur.

In order to obtain a deeper level of understanding of Hosheah’s expression, “Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity,” let us turn to two luminaries of the Chasidic tradition, Rabbis Yisrael of Koznitz zatzal (1740-1814) and Menachem Mendel of Kotzk zatzal (1787-1859). Rav Yisrael of Koznitz was given two popular names, “the Maggid (Preacher) of Koznitz,” and the “Avodat Yisrael,” after the title of his most beloved work. In this sefer (book), Rav Yisrael interprets Hosheah’s words in the following manner: “‘Return O Israel’ - until [you acknowledge] that Hashem exists and that He is the Creator of the Universe. ‘To the L-rd your G-d,’ – [in order that He will be] your G-d.” (Translation and brackets my own) This analysis focuses upon two fundamental ideas of Judaism, emunah (belief) and bitachon (trust). According to this understanding, returning to Hashem is first and foremost a cognitive act and experience, wherein we acknowledge that Hashem exists and that He created the world. Once we accept these two theological principles, we are ready to forge a truly personal relationship with the Almighty. In so doing, each of us can emulate our forebears at the Sea of Reeds and wholeheartedly declare: “The Eternal’s strength and His vengeance were my salvation; this is my G-d, and I will make Him a habitation, the G-d of my father, and I will ascribe to Him exaltation.” (Sefer Shemot 15:2, underlining my own)

Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk is known as “the Kotzker Rebbe.” He is famous for his deeply incisive Torah exegesis that often revealed deep psychological and spiritual insights into the human condition. He begins his exploration of Hosheah’s prophetic proclamation with a fascinating Midrash that focuses upon Reuven’s behavior when he disheveled his father Yaakov’s bed that had been placed in Bilhah the concubine’s tent:

The Holy One blessed be He said: There has never been an instance when an individual has sinned before me and has done teshuvah; [yet,] you [Reuven,] are the first to have enacted the repentance process. As a result, I [Hashem] hereby take an oath that one of your future offspring will arise and will be the first [in his time] to undertake the teshuvah process. Who was this? This was Hosheah, as the text states: “Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d.” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah, chapter 84, translation and brackets my own)

The Kotzker Rebbe notes that this Midrash, by stating that no one else had done teshuvah until Reuven, seemingly contradicts the widely held opinion that both Adam, and his son, Cain, had repented for their respective sins. If so, how could the Midrash state that Reuven was the first to have undertaken the teshuvah process? Rav Menachem Mendel answers this question by identifying the nature of the sins that Adam, Cain and Reuven had done. In this process, he illustrates the key difference that obtained between Adam and Cain’s sins, and that of Reuven:

In reality, [there is a significant dissimilarity between Adam and Cain’s sins and that of Reuven’s sin]. Adam and Cain knew at the time of their sins that they were violating the commandments of the Omnipresent One, therefore, there is nothing new (ain rebuta) in their having done teshuvah. Reuven, however, created the brand new concept that even a prohibition that was violated in an effort to serve Hashem (l’shame shamayim) needed teshuvah [to rebuild one’s relationship with Hashem]. This is the case, since Reuven’s intention for forcefully disarranging his father’s bed [See Rashi’s commentary to Sefer Bereishit 35:22] was purely l’shame shamayim. As the Midrash and Talmud state: “The embarrassment of his mother required a proper response.” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 98:4, Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 54b) Nonetheless, Reuven did teshuvah.  

At this juncture, the Kotzker Rebbe directly links Reuven’s repenting for a sin that was l’shame shamayim to Hosheah’s future pronouncement:

So, too, did Hosheah, Reuven’s future [spiritual] heir, say: “Return, O Israel, to the L-rd your G-d, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.” This hints at the notion that even though the Jewish people’s sin was on account of a mikshol (a stumbling block) [and, therefore, close to unintentional in nature,] nonetheless, [Hosheah] urges them to repent. [This, then, is the meaning of] “ to the L-rd your G-d” – even if you have stumbled in a sin that you did l’shame shamayim – do teshuvah. (All translations and brackets my own)

The Kotzker Rebbe has taught us all a crucial lesson, namely, every chet (sin), even ones associated with mikshol, require heartfelt teshuvah in order to repair our relationship with the Almighty. As such, may it be Hashem’s will and our fervent desire that each one of us will return to Him in sincere teshuvah so that we may achieve complete reconciliation with Him. Then, once again, we will be, “… children of the L-rd, your G-d” (Sefer Devarim 14:1) V’chane yihi ratzon.  

Shabbat Shalom, kativah v’chatimah tovah and tizku l’shanim rabot.

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

**Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

(Artwork: Shoshannah Brombacher)




Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, HaRav Yosef Shemuel ben HaRav Reuven Aharon, the refuah shlaimah of Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

 

Today is the birth[day] of the world. Today all creatures of the world stand in judgment – whether as children of [G-d] or as servants. If as children, be merciful with us as the mercy of a father for children. If as servants, our eyes [look toward and] depend upon You, until You will be gracious to us and release our verdict [clear and pure] as light, O Awesome and Holy One. (Rosh Hashanah Machzor: With Commentary Adapted from the Teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, K’hal Publishing, page 541)

This piyut (liturgical poem) from the Machzor (prayer book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) is as least as ancient as the Ninth Century, and is first found in the Gaonic period work, Seder Rav Amram Gaon. All congregations recite it in unison at the conclusion of the chazzan’s repetition of the Mussaf for Rosh Hashanah’s three main sections, namely, Malchiyut (Kingship), Zichronot (Remembrances) and Shofrot. While it is one conceptual unit, it is nonetheless comprised of several major themes:

·      Today is the birth[day] of the world.

·      Today all creatures of the world stand in judgment.

·      Today we are viewed as either children of the Almighty, or as servants.

·      Children of the Creator and servants of G-d are judged quite differently.


Given the prominent placement and singular import of this piyut, let us examine its major ideas.

Today is Simultaneously the Birthday of the World and the Day of Judgment

HaRav Yaakov ben Yaakov Moshe Lorberbaum of Lissa (1760-1832) was the author of a number of major works on Halacha and Torah exegesis. In Sefer Nachalat Ya’akov al HaTorah, he analyzed the fundamental reason as to why Rosh Hashanah is called the “birthday of the world,” and the “day of judgment”: 

The reason [why Rosh Hashanah is simultaneously the “birthday of the world,” and the “day of judgment”] is because their [i.e. each and every creature in the world] judgment is preordained for adjudication [on Rosh Hashanah]. As we find in Tosafot’s comments in the name of Rabbeinu Tam, on Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashanah 27a (s.v. k’man matzlinan), “Tishrei was the month when [the Holy One Blessed be He] first thought of creating the world, [even though] it was not created until Nissan.” Moreover, Rashi, may his memory be remembered for a blessing, in his commentary on Parashat Bereishit (1:1), wrote that “initially, [the Master of the Universe] planned to create the world via the quality of strict judgment (middat hadin). He refrained from this, however, when He recognized that the world could not possibly exist [based solely upon this principle]; therefore, He began with middat harachamim (the quality of mercy), and combined it with middat hadin. As the Torah states (Sefer Bereishit 2:4): ‘On the day that Hashem [middat harachamim] Elokim [middat hadin] made earth and heaven.’” In sum, since the initial thought of Creation was in Tishrei, and it was originally conceived as an act of middat hadin, therefore, this day [Rosh Hashanah] was established as the Day of Judgment [for evermore]. (Commentary on Sefer Shemot, Parashat Ki Tisa, 32:32, translation, parentheses and brackets my own)

Children or Servants of the Almighty?

Armed with the Nachalat Ya’akov’s explanation of the terms, “birthday of the world” and “day of judgment,” we are now prepared to understand what it means to be viewed as either children of the Almighty, or as servants. In doing so, we will also be able to apprehend the reason as to why children of Hashem have such seemingly different potential outcomes on Rosh Hashanah than do servants. Our guide will be HaRav David ben Yosef Abudarham who lived in Seville, Spain. In his classic work on Jewish liturgy entitled, “Abudarham” (published 1340), our author notes that the phrase, “whether as children of [G-d] or as servants,” reflects the existential ambiguity and angst that we have at the onset of Yom Hadin (the Day of Judgment). In a word, we really have no idea how the Master of the World will view us on Rosh Hashanah - will we be treated as His children or His servants? The difference is highly significant, since “it is not the normal manner to be merciful to one’s servant in the same fashion as to one’s son.” Therefore, “if like [Your] children” connotes “if we merit that You will judge us like children, then have mercy upon us in the same fashion that a father has upon his children.” (Sefer Abudarham translations and brackets my own) In sum, we are beseeching Hashem to treat us with the entire catalogue of the 13 Middot Harachamim (Attributes of Mercy): “And the L-rd passed before him [Moshe] and proclaimed: L-rd, L-rd, benevolent G-d, Who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, preserving loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin.” (Sefer Shemot 34:6-7, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)


At this juncture, one might well have imagined that being mere servants would result in overly harsh judgments on Rosh Hashanah. In HaRav David ben Yosef’s view, however, this is, nonetheless, not the case:

And if we do not merit to be judged like [Your] children, but rather as servants, it remains the case that many masters treat their servants with mercy, and that the eyes of the servants [look] dependently upon them. As the text states: “Behold, as the eyes of servants to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a handmaid to the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes to the L-rd our G-d, until He favors us.” (Sefer Tehillim 123:2)

The Abudarham’s message is clear. Whether we are judged as Hashem’s children or His servants, there is always hope for the Jewish people. This premise strongly parallels Rabbi Akiva’s famous words that conclude Mishnah Yoma: 

Rabbi Akiva said: “Be joyous O’ Jewish people! Before Whom are you ritually [and spiritually] purified? Who purifies you? [None other than] your Father in Heaven! As the verses state: ‘And I [G-d] will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean; from all your impurities and from all your abominations will I cleanse you,’ (Sefer Yechezkel 36:25) and ‘The L-rd who is the source of the hopes (mikveh) of Israel…’ (Sefer Yirmiyahu 17:13). Just as a mikvah has the ability to ritually purify the ritually impure, so, too, does the Holy One blessed be He ritually [and spiritually] purify the Jewish people.” (Translation, brackets and underlining my own)


Let us pray that on this Rosh Hashanah we will be treated like Hashem’s children, and thereby merit the extra degree of mercy that a father bestows upon his child. If, however, we do not achieve this status, and we are viewed as His servants, let us not despair. May we always remember and turn toward Rabbi Akiva’s words of ultimate hope, “Be joyous O’ Jewish people! Before Whom are you ritually [and spiritually] purified? Who purifies you? [None other than] your Father in Heaven!” V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom, kativah v’chatimah tovah and tizku l’shanim rabot.

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