Rabbi Chaim Dovid Green
Judge Me Tender, Judge Me Sweet
We are living in the last few days of the Jewish year 5760. The
year 5761 will begin, and with it we'll begin a new cycle in the
progression toward fulfilling G-d's purpose of creating the
universe. G-d will judge us all on Rosh Hashanah regarding past
performance, and accordingly, He will make promotions and
demotions, "revise and renew contracts" in terms of "period of
employment," what His expectations are, and the circumstances under
which we will play our unique role in the year to come.
It is noteworthy that Rosh Hashanah is fearful day, but at the same
time it is considered a Yom Tov, a day of celebration. Another
dichotomy exists as well. In the work Yaaros D'vash it is written
that at the time the shofar is blown on Rosh HaShanah, the judgment
takes place. In the Midrash (VaYikrah Rabbah 29:3) it states that
when the shofar is blown, G-d gets up from His throne of judgement,
as it were, and sits on the throne of mercy. On the one hand, the
shofar blowing brings about judgement, and on the other hand it
evokes mercy.
Rabbi Chaim Friedlander, ZT"L points out the aforementioned
paradox, and explains that it can be understood in the following
way. There is mercy in judgement. The concept of mercy in judgement
applies itself when a judge knows that the person being judged is
truly remorseful for his actions, and ready to change. If a judge
would be able to know that with certainty, then the means necessary
to effect change in the wrongdoer can be much more lenient.
Punishment reflects a need to force someone to change, and instill
fear in those who would otherwise act inappropriately. Stringent
punishment is unnecessary when the "criminal" truly recognizes the
evil of his "crime," and wishes to change. Punishment is not
revenge, but a purposeful way of bringing about change. If change
will come by itself, there is no need for punishment.
If we acknowledge that we are here in this world to grow and
improve ourselves, and that growing is an ongoing process, we look
forward to seeing results. We welcome evaluation which facilitates
our personal and communal improvement. When G-d takes notice of our
sincere eagerness to become better agents of His will, He views our
shortcomings as the judge would who sees "the defendant" is
committed to change. It goes without saying that growing is still a
painful process, and the evaluation and decision-making that G-d
does strikes in us a fear of the unknown even in the best of
circumstances. We can't help but wonder what is it that G-d may be
sending our way this coming year to effect our growth and to bring
out our unique potential. Knowing these decisions are made on Rosh
Hashanah makes it a truly fearful day, with a lot hanging in the
balance.
At the same time we are aware of the greatness of the day, and we
take advantage of that knowledge. We dedicate the day to crowning
G-d as our king and accepting the "yoke" of performing His
commandments. We are confident because we are in G-d's hands, and
we can hope for judgement which is mitigated by mercy. We will
ultimately be better people for undergoing this process. This gives
us reason to celebrate.
Improvement necessitates introspection, and when we introspect we
need to consider what might be stopping us from seeing ourselves in
an objective light. We also need to examine what might get in the
way of being motivated to make changes. There is an insightful
thought which throws some light on this subject. When Moses
recounts the events which took place at the time the Torah was
given, he states, "I am standing between Hashem and you." Moses was
the go-between. Rabbi Sholom Noach Brezovsky, the Slonimer Rebbe
ZT"L, explains in a different vein that it can be read figuratively
as follows. "I," meaning the ego, is standing between each person
and G-d. One's ego and desires cloud objectivity, and bribe us to
prioritize in a way which leaves G-d out of the picture. Worse,
they cause us to follow an all-exclusive path of self-indulgence on
principle. The cure for this is a shift in priorities, which is
what Rosh Hashanah is all about. When we sincerely decide to
subjugate our will to G-d's will, the Torah, and we make our own
will secondary, it frees us from subjectivity. We can stand back
and observe ourselves from a higher vantage point. Once "I" is used
as a means to serve G-d, and get closer to Him, then it no longer
separates us from our spiritual potential, but just the opposite,
the "I" factor enhances our spirituality.
Lastly, it must be stated, that the fact that there is a judgement
conveys very clearly to us that we have incredible potential. G-d
judges people because people have choice, and the ability to use
their choice for good. The greatness which we are capable of is
definitively beyond our wildest dreams. Our souls derive from a
spiritual realm much higher than the highest ministering angels,
and we are capable of elevating ourselves to that level. With the
knowledge of what we can accomplish, and the willingness to grow
qualitatively, may we all merit a new year in which our
relationship with G-d becomes our first priority and our foremost
pleasure.
Good Shabbos, Good Yom Tov! May we all be written and sealed for a
good and sweet year!