Thoughts on Rosh Hashanah 5784.
In times of widespread divisiveness and tribalism – Rosh Hashanah reminds us to celebrate community so we celebrate being together and we celebrate our connections with other human beings. What do we celebrate on Rosh Hashanah? A pretty common answer is: we celebrate the creation of the world. This answer is generally correct but there is more to it. Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 29:1) tells us that the world was actually created on the 25th of Elul. On Rosh Hashanah – 1st of Tishrei – human beings were created. The midrash gives us a precise chronology, hour by hour, we know what happened and a lot happened:
God created humans,
then – on the same day – they ate the forbidden fruit, so they sinned,
then they were judged,
expelled from Paradise
and then they were pardoned.
Yes, while they didn’t get to come back to Gan Eden, they were forgiven.
Therefore, on Rosh Hashanah, we commemorate the creation of humanity and the unfolding of all these significant events.
The creation of human beings can be understood in two ways: literally (pshat) – exactly the way the story is told in the Book of Genesis – or figuratively, for example: that human being or species, at some point of their natural history, became ‘human’ – became conscious, responsible and moral living beings, whose lives are not guided only by their instincts and desires but also and profoundly by their free will, intellect and spirit.
When we celebrate humanity, we celebrate being human. We celebrate the human soul, the spirit that God has breathed into us. That’s part of the essence of being human – having a soul.
But there is another equally important part: on that day God created two human beings, on that day God created a companion. The Torah says “And when they were created, [God] blessed them and called them Humankind.” (Gen 5:2) Being human means not only having a soul but having a companion – living in the community.
In times of widespread divisiveness and tribalism – Rosh Hashanah reminds us to celebrate community so we celebrate being together and we celebrate our connections with other human beings. On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate the essence of humanity. What is more human than looking into the eyes of the person beside you and truly seeing them, truly understanding them? What is more human than being heard, than being understood? I encourage you to connect, to reach out to anyone you can think of. Don’t just reach out to apologize or ask for forgiveness, as we are obligated to do during High Holidays, but to connect, no matter the reason: to say how are you, to say I miss you, to say I love you, to tell a story or a joke. Even if it’s just a text message – reach out, be human, send your soul. Be human, connect.
Shanah tovah v’Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Menachem Mirski
