One Small Moment – and Great Results
Who Understands All Their Deeds
On the day of Rosh Hashanah, all those who come to this world pass before Him like bnei maron. What does this mean? Some say that it means like sheep – when sheep are counted for maaser, they are allowed to leave their pen through a narrow opening, one by one.
Reish Lakish said: This is like the steep cliffs of Beis Maron, which has a very narrow path with a deep abyss on either side, so that people must walk along the path in single file.
Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: This refers to the armies of the Davidic dynasty – just as the soldiers are counted one by one before going to battle, everyone in the world is inspected by his Creator on Rosh Hashanah, one by one.
Rabba bar bar Chana said in the name of Rabi Yochanan: Even though they pass before Him like bnei maron, Hashem surveys all of them in a single glance.
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: We can even learn this from the words of the Mishnah, since it says that everyone passes before Him like bnei maron, and it brings proof from the passuk in Tehillim (33:15): “Who creates together their hearts, Who understands all their deeds.”
What is the meaning of “together”? If you what to say that it means that He created everyone with identical feelings and thoughts, we see that this is not the case. So it must mean as follows: The Creator examines the hearts of everyone in the world at the same time, and He understands all their deeds.
(Rosh Hashanah 18a)
