The Context:
The following are some themes from the Rebbe’s farbrengen on the second day of Rosh Hashanah 5741:
Standing on our Own
The verse “you are standing today, all of you, before G-d” refers to Rosh Hashanah, when G-d vindicates the Jewish people in judgment. The noun “standing” is in the passive form, alluding to the fact that G-d stands us up, without our effort. Yet, in order to maximize the Divine kindness, we have to initiate with our own limited efforts. G-d responds to our “single kav (a talmudic measurement) of one’s own” with “nine kav of another’s.” Our sanctification of time, the very structure of the Jewish new year which begins with Rosh Hashanah, is an expression of this human effort. This human element is magnified when we gather together, in a Hakhel year, to draw inspiration and celebrate with food and drink which “draws people together.”
Everybody’s Birthday
The Tzemach Tzedek’s birthday is on erev Rosh Hashanah. When he was born, the Alter Rebbe recited a maamer on the talmudic statement that before a soul descends to the world, he or she is made to take an oath, “to be a righteous person and not wicked.” This maamer became the foundation for the first three chapters of Tanya. Rosh Hashanah, which is the birth of Adam, is really the birth of every soul, because every Jew “is called Adam.” Therefore, the mandate to make an oath to be righteous applies to every Jew prior to Rosh Hashanah, when he or she is “born” again.
This is intensified in a year when Rosh Hashanah falls on a Thursday and Friday. The first Rosh Hashanah was on a Friday, yet in the current calendar structure, Rosh Hashanah can never begin on a Friday. When the second day is Friday, this is the closest to the original Rosh Hashanah, and this magnifies the fact that Rosh Hashanah is a Jew’s birthday, just as it was on the very first Rosh Hashanah.
Looking Ahead
In the book of Nechemia, he and Ezra re-introduced the people to Rosh Hashanah, and encouraged them to celebrate with food and drink. On the second day, the people gathered to read the Torah with Ezra and they discovered the mitzvah of Sukkos. They committed to observing the holiday in the coming days. From this we can learn that already now, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, it is time to think about how we can ensure that every Jew has all their needs met, material and spiritual, for the upcoming Sukkos holiday.
