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Rosh Hashanah is upon us. And what an enigmatic holiday it is. We call it the “Birthday of the World,” yet we also call it the “Day of Judgement.” Imagine if when you were a child your birthday would have been “celebrated” as a Grand Day of Judgement, on which your parents would decide whether to keep you or give you up for adoption. Your birthday parties would have traumatic - not an event that you would anticipate with excitement. Imagine the psychological damage such an experience would cause to a vulnerable young child!
Yet when it comes Rosh Hashanah we’re somehow supposed to be inspired by the notion of it being a Day of Judgement. Am I missing something?
The truth is that the common understanding of the whole judgement concept is misunderstood. It’s not about judgement in the usual sense, whether we deserve to be granted a year of blessing or otherwise. It’s about us judging ourselves and choosing to re-engage in G-d’s master plan for the universe.
Allow me to explain: On Rosh Hashanah we sound the shofar. And when we do we are reminded of a significant time in history when the shofar was sounded. On Mount Sinai, when G-d revealed Himself to the Jewish people, the G-dly revelation was manifest through sound. Specifically, the sound of the Shofar.
At Mount Sinai G-d was calling each of the assembled - and all of us - to take part in His master plan for the universe. G-d gave us then the ability to contribute, in a meaningful and integral way, to fulfilling the great purpose of creation - making this world into a G-dly world.
This then is the judgement of Rosh Hashanah: It is our own judgement - do we want to play a role in G-d’s master plan or do we want to merely take up space in His world?
It’s a highly significant question and it has major ramifications. But it’s not a harsh judgement at all, in fact it’s the most amazing career advancing opportunity that we could ever hope would come our way.
And it’s being presented to each of us on Rosh Hashanah. My advice? Grab the opportunity!