from the teachings of the Rebbe on the Torah portion
Our holy Torah designates the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei as the date on which we celebrate Rosh Hashana, the New Year. However, this is not the anniversary of the beginning of creation, for the Talmud teaches that the first day of creation was actually five days earlier on the 25th of Elul.
Nevertheless, we celebrate the new year on the sixth day of creation which is actually the day on which Adam, the first person, was created.
The reason for this is that it wasn't until Adam was created that the Creator Himself was recognized. In fact, it was man who instilled an awareness of G-d into all of creation.
One of the primary characteristics by which man is distinguished from all other creatures is the free will with which he has been endowed by G-d. This "gift" must be properly utilized, for it allows him to rise above all of creation and achieve the very highest of spiritual levels.
G-d revealed His holy Torah to help man achieve perfection and find the right way in life. G-d's Torah is eternal, and its directives apply in every time and in every place.
On Rosh Hashana man is not only judged by G-d but must render judgment upon himself. As soon as Adam was created, he declared, "O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the L-rd our Maker."
Thus, each year on Rosh Hashana, we follow his example and accept G-d's sovereignty upon ourselves anew.
On Rosh Hashana we resolve to live our daily lives in accordance with the Torah's laws, and to do so in the very finest manner of which we are capable.
Of course, a lot of inner strength is necessary in order to live up to our resolution. But is it really possible to experience the same sense of G-d's Kingship as our ancestor Adam?
The answer is a resounding "yes!"
G-d grants each and every one of us immense powers - a tremendous capacity for choosing the right path. Indeed, when we uncover these inner strengths, nothing is beyond our reach, and on Rosh Hashana we can surely attain the same perception and recognition of G-d in our daily lives as did Adam, and extend that recognition to those around us.
Thus, on Rosh Hashana we declare: "And every creature shall know that You have created it...and every soul shall say, 'The L-rd G-d of Israel is King, and His sovereignty reigns over all."
"Avinu Malkeinu — Our Father, Our King."
These words capture something essential about Rosh Hashanah. We stand before G-d as our King but also as His children.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that G-d's love for every Jew surpasses even the love of a parent for an only child. It is a love that doesn't disappear when we make mistakes, drift away, or lose touch with who we really are.
Rosh Hashanah marks the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve — the birthday of humanity. Each year, we are invited to begin again, rediscover who we are, and renew our relationship with G-d.
At the center of that experience is the shofar.
There are no lyrics. No speech. No carefully chosen words.
Just a cry.
The Baal Shem Tov explained this with a story.
A prince, the king's only son, left the palace and traveled far from home. Years passed, and he became so distant that he even forgot the language of his father's kingdom.
Eventually, he longed to return. After a difficult journey, he finally stood outside the palace — but he could no longer find the words to identify himself.
So he cried out.
It was the raw cry of a child calling for his father. The cry said what words could not: Father, it's me. I'm still your child. Please bring me home.
The king recognized his son and embraced him.
That, said the Baal Shem Tov, is the sound of the shofar.
We may arrive at Rosh Hashanah feeling deeply connected to our Judaism — or distant, distracted and uninspired. Perhaps there are things we wish we had done differently. Maybe we want to reconnect but don't know where to begin.
The shofar tells us we don't need the perfect words.
Beneath the noise, distractions and mistakes of life is a part of us that never loses its connection to G-d. The shofar gives that part of us a voice.
Its simplicity is its power. It says: This is who I am. This is where I come from. I want to be close again.
And G-d hears that cry.
No matter how far we think we have traveled, the relationship itself was never lost. A child does not stop being a child because they have been away from home.
Rosh Hashanah is our invitation to come home.
Jewish tradition speaks of a future "Great Shofar" that will announce the coming of Moshiach. At that moment, the barriers that have hidden our connection to G-d will finally fall away, and we will recognize what was true all along: we were always children coming home to our Father.
May we hear that Great Shofar very soon, with the coming of Moshiach and our return to Jerusalem.
May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year.