Rosh Hashanah Davening: Malchus, Tzibbur, and Teshuvah

Topics

• What to Think About on Rosh Hashanah
• Melech and Moshel
• Tekias Shofar and the Mood of Rosh Hashanah
• Crying on Rosh Hashanah
• Asking for Klal Yisroel
• The Tzibbur and the Individual
• Praying for Oneself and for Klal Yisrael
• Humility and Hitorerut
• Rosh Hashanah and Teshuvah
• Davening Alone and the Layout of the Shul

Transcript

# What to Think About on Rosh Hashanah

We are addressing two questions posed by the group, by the Chashevim crowd that we have here, the hundreds of guys sitting here and listening to the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur shmuessen. All right, your question is: what should I think about when I pray, when I daven on Rosh Hashanah? And how do I arouse myself to be at peak performance in my mindset? What should I bring myself to?

The answer is: what should I daven for on Rosh Hashanah? There is a Zohar. The Zohar says that you cannot daven for personal things. Whoever davens for personal gain—give me, give me, I need money, I need a car, I need a house, I need parnassah—is like a kelev, like a dog: have, have. A dog barks, have, have; it sounds like give me, give me. A dog is about give me; a dog is not about I give you.

Let me explain. Rosh Hashanah is about the Melech. It is about subordination to a king. The subjects of a melech are all about the melech. Avadim, slaves, their whole thing is bringing up the king. Their personal existence almost does not exist. That is what Am Hashem is, as the Melech HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

# Melech and Moshel

There is an interesting Gra. The Gra says, "Ki Lashem HaMeluchah, u’moshel ba-goyim." What is the difference between melech and moshel? What is the difference between a melech and a moshel? The Gra says that a melech is accepted by the people. A moshel rules with force, even if he is not accepted—a dictator. "Lashem HaMeluchah" means that Klal Yisrael accepts Hashem. "U’moshel" means that they do not accept; Hashem rules by force.

# Tekias Shofar and the Mood of Rosh Hashanah

The Gra says, by tekias shofar, there is no crying. You have to be upbeat and happy. Why? "U’teru’as Melech"—what does that mean? Announcing the king, the proclamation of the melech. When you make an inauguration of the king, are you crying? Yes, when it is, you know, Democrat, Republican, yes, they are crying. But otherwise, you are upbeat and happy. You need to be happy.

As a matter of fact, in halachah it is brought down that you are not allowed to cry on Rosh Hashanah. The halachah is brought down in the Be’er Heitev. I will tell you soon, in a second. It is brought down that you are supposed to eat and drink. You know what? Rosh Hashanah—do not be. "Ki chevas Hashem uzchem." The Chumash tells the people, it is a happy day for you.

But it is a day of fear and judgment, and the answer is both. Fear, and if you fear, you can be happy because Hashem will give you a good, blessed year. But it is a day of happiness. In many, what do you call it, in hashkafah, the crying and sadness of Rosh Hashanah is an unacceptable thing. The Arizal, as the Be’er Heitev brings down, says that if somebody does cry on Rosh Hashanah, he should not want to cry. He should not make himself cry. But if it comes out, it is fine. Why? There are different types of crying. There is crying of sadness, and then there is crying of closeness.

You ever notice people who come to greet relatives at an airport? They see their relatives and they are crying. So I can tell the difference: are they crying because they are happy to see them, or are they crying because they are stuck with them for the next two weeks? But there is a different type of crying. You see, when these guys walk in, I cry. I tell them it is because I am so happy to see them. That is right. Maybe I was not so happy to see you. No, I was going to go with the ladder. You want to climb up the ladder, you said? Okay, so listen carefully. Do not jump. Yeah, so listen carefully. The point is, this is not for you. This does not interest you about Rosh Hashanah.

Okay, so the question is, you hear? Crying. So the Arizal says that if you do cry, it should be not so much that you are unhappy. It is hitorerut. And he does say that if someone does break out...

# Crying on Rosh Hashanah

Crying on Rosh Hashanah is a sign that, at that specific moment, he is being judged. If someone, in the middle of prayer, suddenly reaches a point where he begins to cry, that is because at that moment he is being judged.

So the answer to your question, what should one think on Rosh Hashanah? A lot less about oneself and a lot more about the King. Now, is that picture helping you with the shiur? I just wanted to know, maybe, okay.

# Asking for Klal Yisroel

Many discuss the phrase, "Betoch ami anochi yoshevet," which means that on Rosh Hashanah we do ask. So there is a question: the Zohar says not to ask. The answer is that you are not asking for yourself; you are asking for Klal Yisroel.

The story of the Shunamis, who asked Elisha, is an example. Elisha says, "Is there anything I could do for you? You made me a room, right? I want to repay you. Is there anything I could do for you? I am close to the king; I could speak to the king on your behalf." And she answers, "I need nothing. Betoch ami anochi yoshevet"—I sit among the people, which means there is no personal request. Klal Yisroel, I do not need much. That story happened on Rosh Hashanah. Many mefarshim say it is a lesson for the theme of Rosh Hashanah: "Betoch ami anochi yoshevet"—I do not ask for myself; I ask for Klal Yisroel.

When you ask for Klal Yisroel, you are going to get yourself as well. As a matter of fact, exactly. Tell me, how could you not mean it when every day you see the most horrific tzaros in Klal Yisroel? I do not understand. When you see a man who was sitting here yesterday sitting shiva in shul because his brother was run over by a car, does that not wake you up and say that Klal Yisroel needs yeshuah? When you talk about people who drowned in the summer, young people, fathers of families—so why, how could you not ask for Klal Yisroel?

I am saying that when people have an ulterior motive, that if I ask for others, then... I did not tell you to do that. It sounded like it. It sounded to you like it. That is not what I said. That is not what I said. You should also have that motive. That is half of it. But that is not what I meant. I meant that you should ask for Klal Yisroel as a nation.

# The Tzibbur and the Individual

You know, in Kelim, the giants, the rabbanim, the tzaddikim, the alter... He never took an aliyah, Rosh Hashanah people. Why? Into the crowd. What do you call it? You disperse into the crowd. Blended. Blended, because if you make yourself singular, you single yourself out. Easy target. Yes, you are a target. Wait a minute. Let us see. Let me see your mitzvos here. What do you mean?

As a matter of fact, there is a very famous question. On one hand, we tell you to be afraid. On the other hand, the Shulchan Aruch says to take haircuts and be happy. I do not understand. Secure—so what is the whole point? On one hand, you tell me to be scared. Imagine if I tell a guy, "Oh, you are going to get a ticket or that. Do not worry about the ticket because you do not have to pay it anyway. It will be good." So what is the point?

Says the Alter from Kelim: it depends on how you go to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you go on your merit as an individual, you have a lot to be scared about. All right? If you are doing it on your good looks, you have a lot... I am just kidding. If you go on your own merit, you have a lot to be scared of. But if you go as a tzibbur, then you have the haftachah for the tzibbur.

You know, in Kelim they used to put up a sign. You know what the sign was? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That was the sign they put up: "Ein melech b'lo am." That was the message of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: "Ein melech b'lo am." What does that mean? If you want Hashem to be a king, you need to be His nation.

You know, a lot of people walk around as if they are the king—the king of fantasy that does not exist. Right? "I am king of my palace." What is his palace? His house, and his dog. But what is he the king of? Right? If you want Hashem to be a king, you need to be His am. You need to be His nation. So the avodah of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur was to be am, to be the nation. You hear? That was one of the big themes of Mussar and hashkafah in the yeshivos of Mussar: "Ein melech b'lo am." And the avodah is to be am. So the question is, should...

# Praying for Oneself and for Klal Yisrael

If a person prays for himself, you think, yes, give me a good life. No, you are going down the wrong path with that. I would get a lawyer if you were going to think about that. If you want to win with that case, you had better get yourself a good defense lawyer, all right?

So when do you ask now? I don’t give up. You don’t ask. What you are doing is saying, “I want the good of Klal Yisrael. I want Klal Yisrael,” and you are blending in with the tzibbur. You are part of the big crowd, and you are good to go. You see? Time for your kids. Time for your kids to take care of themselves. So again, it’s not kids. It’s Klal Yisrael. I’m davening for kids? Klal Yisrael’s kids. Time for Klal Yisrael. For Klal Yisrael. I’m giving them to Your Shem. Take care of Your people. They’re Your people. Take care of them. And of course, I’m one of them. I’m part of them.

# Humility and Hitorerut

That is how you reach the level of hitorerut. It comes by itself. If your mind is not selfish and you are not focused on yourself, but you focus on the king and his nation, it will come by itself. Humility brings emotion.

When you are wrapped up with yourself, people don’t realize it, but for some reason your life becomes unrewarding. Everything becomes a burden. You are humble, and you look at life, and you look around, and you become moved from humility. It is a certain reality. I know I’m not explaining it fully, but it is a reality. When a person is humble, his heart becomes moved. That is what happens.

# Rosh Hashanah and Teshuvah

So what should you think on Rosh Hashanah? As ba’alei mussar say, take away all the negative, and the positive will come by itself. We have within ourselves that feeling of love, Rosh Hashanah, the King, and teshuvah. We have all that, if you let it be. You have to let it surface. You have to let it surface. You let it surface, then you have it. Yes, then you have it.

One of the things that are ma’akev ha-teshuvah—there are 24, and the Rambam says what holds back teshuvah—one of them is ha-poresh min ha-tzibbur, one who stays away and separates himself from the tzibbur. Why? Why should it be that way? Why is that a problem? He is making himself a target. It is more than that. Klal Yisrael has a power. Calm down. Klal Yisrael has a power of teshuvah, an siyata diShmaya for teshuvah. It should help Klal Yisrael come back. If you stand there as an individual, so you...

Imagine a guy comes and he says, “What happened? Hello? It’s not for you? It’s not?” “Oh, okay. Tell me where you have to go. Maybe I have to go there also. Maybe, I don’t know.” He has to go. “Is there a war or something? Is there a fire? Maybe you have to go there to what?” “Okay, okay. Yes, there’s a war. Maybe I have to go also. I have to run. There’s a draft. My parnassah is not here.” Believe me, I don’t make any... Trust me. If you think I’m making parnassah out of this, you haven’t learned your community yet. You know very little about your community. You didn’t look in the mirror.

# Davening Alone and the Layout of the Shul

What if I enjoy praying? What if I enjoy praying? During the year, what if I enjoy praying? Not good. So let me explain to you. Let me explain to you. Tzaddikim were able to get away with that. Big rebbes were able to get away with this concept that they pray better alone. Not alone, like the shul is here and I pray in the ladies’ section upstairs. Again, sometimes that is not a big problem if the ladies’ section is meant to be part of the shul. It is not terrible. You have to know the layout of the room.

All right, we can stop here for this year. We can stop it, and you’ll send it out. Go ahead. Thank you. All right?