F2: Rosh HaShanah & Yom Kippur

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What is Rosh Hashanah?

The problem with Rosh Hashanah is that it doesn't commemorate anything. On Pesach we remember the Exodus from Egypt, on Chanukah we recall the Maccabees' victory against the Greeks, but on Rosh Hashanah nothing ever happened! Rosh Hashanah (literally: Head of the Year) is our New Year. But why is the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei chosen? Look in the Torah and you will not find a single memorable event that happened on that date.

The reason for Rosh Hashanah's absence from human history is because it predates human history. On Rosh Hashanah we don't recall any event in time because on Rosh Hashanah we recall the beginning of Time. On Rosh Hashanah we recall the culmination of Creation itself! The Six Days of Creation were completed with God breathing life into the first human being on the very first Rosh Hashanah. So Rosh Hashanah turns out to be Adam's birthday - the first moment of human existence.

This means that Rosh Hashanah is not simply a nice family festival, it is actually about the reasons for life itself. On Rosh Hashanah we really discover 'The Meaning of Life'. Why were we created? What is our purpose on this planet? What is good and what is bad? These are the questions Rosh Hashanah comes to address. And the answers are truly awesome...

The Meaning of Life

This topic is so fundamental, that no one takes it seriously anymore. There are so many jokes about the meaning of life - from Monty Python to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - that talking about it invariably leads to smirking. And yet if we don't face up to the biggest questions of all, we will never take our lives seriously.

The problem is that by directly asking "what is the meaning of life?" we invariably miss the point. The meaning of something is what lies beneath it. 'Meaning' implies a deeper level of significance. So, for example, in searching for the meaning of 'school' we might talk about education, discipline, sport and being sociable etc. All these issues underpin schooling, they are what it means. But Life is different. Life - being alive - is meaningful in itself. Indeed, it is Life that gives meaning to things because there is nothing more valuable to us than being alive. Everything flows from this. So in truth, life has no meaning. It is only meaning that can have life!

The Right to Life

Now it all gets hard. Please take your time when you read this. It really would be easier to miss this out, it's hard to grasp and accept but it's probably the key to understanding Rosh Hashanah, so here goes....

On Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of our Creation, we stand before God and He asks us one simple question: "Should I let you exist?" What are you going to say? The fact is that in front of God you can never justify your life. Think about it, any justification you try and give is based on meaning, but we have seen that life precedes meaning. For example, you might say: "I have a right to health and happiness therefore I should live." Wrong! You only want those things because you are alive.

Justifying your life to God is as crazy as some made-up character in a book demanding of the author not to kill him off at the end of the chapter. He can't possibly tell the author what to do because the author created him in the first place! Similarly, we can never justify our lives before our Creator. This is a humbling thought.

So what can we do if we can't justify ourselves? Well, there is one thing left - and it's what no fictional storybook character can - use our own free choice. With it we can choose to want to live. Let me explain...

Choosing Life

Imagine yourself in Synagogue on Rosh Hashanah. Just for a moment, you forget your everyday worries and start to think deeply about your life. After some hestitation, in words only you can hear, you say:

God. You know, I've got no right to be here. I'm not really sure why I am. But I realise that I owe my life and everything in to you. I don't have any right to ask anything of you, but I will anyway. You see, I really care about my life and I want to live. I want to make the most of my life. I want to appreciate and take up all the opportunities that life has given to me. I don't want to waste any more time. Please listen to me!

In that moment you have understood what Rosh Hashanah is all about. You have realised that God is the Giver of all life and that even though you have no claims to it, you truly want life. All the many laws and customs on Rosh Hashanah are about this issue. They all have the theme of "Life" in common:

PRAYERS: Over and over again we say:
Remember us for life, King who delights in Life, Inscribe us in the book of Life, for You, God of Life!
We express to God how much we value our lives and we also remind God how much He cares too.

LIFE IS SWEET: Apples dipped in honey are eaten during the festive meals on Rosh Hashanah. The apple takes us back to the Garden of Eden. Adam ate from the Tree of Good/Evil and became aware of who and what he was. He also realised that Life came from God. We dip apples in honey and say:
Let it be Your will to renew for us a year that will be good and sweet.

SHOFAR: A Ram's horn is blown 100 times each day of Rosh Hashanah. There are many reasons for this. Maimonides suggests that the shofar is like an alarm clock. The shofar is calling to us:
Wake up sleepers from your slumber, and the unconcerned - rise from your apathy. Examine your life behaviour and change for the better, remember your Creator!

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