This Is What It's All About!

All Jewish holidays occur on the anniversary of some major historical event. What event does Rosh Hashanah immortalize? The answer is: “This is the day that is the beginning of Your work.” This day is not just an historical event, it is the day that the very concept of history, along with all else that exists, came into being.

Which Historical Evet does Rosh Hashanah Commemorate?

“This is the day that is the beginning of Your work…“

With these words, recited in the Musaf prayer of Rosh Hashanah, we address a question that many have asked: Why do we observe the Jewish New Year on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei? All Jewish holidays occur on the anniversary of some major historical event. What event does Rosh Hashanah immortalize?

The answer is: “This is the day that is the beginning of Your work.“ This day is not just an historical event, it is the day that the very concept of history, along with all else that exists, came into being. If Passover is significant because it marks the season of freedom, then Rosh Hashanah is the day that gave us the very notion of freedom. There can be no Passover, or any other holiday for that matter, without creation.

Creation of Universe or Humanity?

But here is where the most obvious question arises. When one examines the Talmudic source for the identification of Rosh Hashanah as the anniversary of creation, one discovers that it is actually the anniversary of the creation of humanity and not of the entire universe. Why then do we attribute the “beginning of Your works” to this day and not the real anniversary of creation that is the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul - six days before Rosh Hashanah?

One of the answers to this question lies in the very first word of the sentence with which we opened. “Zeh hayom- This is the day]” It could have just stated “Today is…” Why the need for the opening word “Zeh-This?”

Creation of Openness and Certainty

When we use the term “this” we are referring to something that is revealed and open for us to see. So open and vivid is it that we can even “point our finger” and declare “This is it!”

Rosh Hashanah is more than the beginning of creation. It is the day that introduced the dimension of openness, certainty and a revealed state of G-dliness within the world.

Instead of translating the phrase “Zeh hayom” as “This is the day,” Chassidic thought translates it in an inverse way as: “Today is the day of “this.” Today - Rosh Hashanah - is the day that introduced the notion of revealing G-d to the world. Precisely because this is the day that man was created it can be characterized as the day of revelation. For only man has the capacity to see G-d and reveal His presence to the world.

The True Uniqueness of the Human Being

Only man - who is endowed with the ability to choose between right and wrong - can take an object and instill it with G-dly meaning by choosing to utilize it for a good purpose.

To illustrate: A dollar bill has no overt spiritual and G-dly nature. True, it is part of G-d’s creation, but the way it came into being involved a process that screened the G-dly energy that made it be. The Kabbalists referred to this screening process as Tzimtzum.

Only the human-being - whose G-dly soul has eluded the screening process, when performing a mitzvah, a Divine command that transcends the screening process - can transform the dollar bill that is given to tzedakah, into a palpably G-dly piece of material. The dollar bill, when given to tzedakah no longer obscures its G-dly nature. The potential for this process was inaugurated on Rosh Hashanah.

Moshiach: The Power of “This” Fully Activated

The Shofar that alerts us to realize our unique role as humans on the anniversary of our creation, will also be sounded to herald the coming of Moshiach. For it is Moshiach who will bring to fruition the process that was begun by the first human on Rosh Hashanah - Adam.

Indeed, our sages tell us that the word Adam is an acronym for: Adam, David and Moshiach. Adam began the process, David developed it by laying the foundations for the Temple in Jerusalem that would disseminate holiness to the entire world and Moshiach will complete the process.

May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year!

From the book Light from the Future: Rosh Hashanah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.