ROSH HASHANAH: LET’S MAKE A DEAL
Suri Davis
Many years ago, a friend told me something that I keep in my back pocket: “Don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides, i.e., we put our best foot forward when we leave our homes, and we look at others and imagine that they have a happier, richer life than we, and in return, they look at us, and think the same. This is to tell us that we should not be jealous of others, everyone has their baggage/peckel in life and we hear from those around that no matter what our peckel is, it is ours, it is familiar to us, and you don’t know what is in someone else’s peckel that you do not want.
What about our peckels. We read in the Haftorah on Rosh Hashanah about Chana, who was barren, had no children. Her husband Elkanah asks her whether having him as a husband is greater than ten children, Chana clearly did not think so. She went to the holy temple and prayed for a child. She was the first person to pray quietly, and it is from her that until this very day, we say the shmoneh esreh, with only our lips moving. Eli the priest thought she was drunk, G-d was actually telling Eli that Chana would be rewarded, and she was, with a son who became Samuel the prophet, and whom she brought to the temple at age three to have him and his life dedicated to the service of G-d. Chana was so very bereft, and G-d changed her circumstances.
The shofar is a ram’s horn, which commemorates Abraham’s dedication to G-d, in that he waited 100 years to have a son who would carry forth Judaism, and then G-d tested him by asking him to bring Isaac as a sacrifice. And Abraham woke early to show his dedication to this commandment, although it was a difficult task and test. When G-d gave Isaac a reprieve, Abraham continued to want to show G-d his dedication and looked for an animal with which he substituted for Isaac. The Yerushalmi Talmud tells us that when Abraham looked up he saw a ram that was caught in thistles by his horn, and became free, and became entangled again, and was freed. Abraham watched this struggle and knew that it would be the struggle of his nation. He looked up to G-d and asked “hayihiyeh ken l’olam?/Will it be this way forever?” will my children and descendants be entangled in exile, in a struggle for freedom, throughout existence? G-d replied that Moshiach will come and they will be redeemed.
We see the theme of redemption in the Haftarah of the second day of Rosh Hashanah, which this year coincides with September 11th, the day America realized that they were as vulnerable to Muslims, as Israel is everyday. That even the might of the powerful United States cannot deter G-d’s plans.
Then the day after Rosh Hashanah we commemorate the day Gedalia, the governor of Israel, was murdered. It was a notorious moment in Jewish history, the day that the last remnant of Jews who remained in Israel after the destruction of the Temple, left Israel for Egypt, and Israel was bereft of all Jews. G-d had no children left at home. It is juxtaposed to the haftorah of the day before, which discussed redemption in the merit of Rachel, who cried for her children, as they past her grave when they went into exile.
So if we already know that we should not want other peoples lives and their peckels, does it mean that we should be happy with our own? We ask for so many things on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and year round. We want to make a deal with G-d…but remember Monty Hall on the old t.v. show Let’s Make a Deal. He puts $100 in your hand asks you whether you want to keep the money in your hand or take what’s behind the box, which could be a rubber chicken or a brand new car. Do you want to keep your peckel or do you want to risk asking for what’s behind the box for the coming year.
Chana had no child, she prayed, G-d gave her one, which she dedicated to G-d. Abraham had no heir to carry forward Judaism, he had Isaac, whom he was ready to dedicate to G-d. We are vulnerable to enemies within, i.e., the evil inclination which encourages us to sin, and from without e.g., during the time of Gedalia and as recently as 9/11.
Maybe we have to get back to basics. The torah tells us that as between life and death, we should choose life. The torah tells us that when we perform mitzvoth/commandments, we get to keep the land of Israel, that rain will come in its proper time and that there will produce for sustenance. This, the torah tells us, is good. Back to basic good.
So as we enter the season of prayer and supplication, let’s make a deal with ourselves and G-d. We will strive to do commandments, and ask G-d to see our merit, and bestow upon us good, as He defines it, and coming full circle, we will strive to see that everything that comes from G-d, is truly good.
Kesivah v’chasimah tovah, gut gezunt gebentsched year, happy, healthy, prosperous sweet new year filled with abundance and wisdom to see all the blessing that G-d bestows upon us daily.
Shabbat shalom.
-Suri