May this year’s inscription be better than the one of a year ago

It is not until today, the last day of the year, that we know exactly what God inscribed for us one year ago on the first day of 5784. The Sages teach that God determines on Rosh Hashanah what will befall each of us throughout the year ahead. He signs our name either in the Book of Life or the Book of Death; He writes whether we will prosper or suffer; He determines precisely how much we will earn and how how much we will endure. He gives us 10 days to alter the inscription through teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah, before the books are sealed on Yom Kippur. He then waits an additional 12 days until Hoshanna Rabbah to finally deliver the decree so that it can be put into action.

The day after Hoshanna Rabbah this past year was Simchat Torah, which fell on October 7th. It did not take long for us to see that the decree inscribed last Rosh Hashanah was harsh. Throughout the ensuing nearly 12 months, we have found that this was to be a year of intense challenge and conflict. Miracles and victories have been interspersed, but our blessings have been more concealed and our struggles have been more pronounced.

Now we are on the verge of a new inscription. Tomorrow, our fate for 5785 will be written, and then 10 days later, on Yom Kippur, it will be sealed. In three weeks, on Hoshanna Rabbah, the decree will be delivered, and throughout the coming year, we will discover what Hashem has in store for us next.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and there have been many who have looked back at the dissension among the people of Israel prior to October 7th and drawn a direct correlation to the tragic events that followed. Last year’s inscription may indeed have been at least partially a result of our in-fighting and our inability to cooperate with one another. The Sages teach that our greatest national calamity — the destruction of our Temple and the resulting millennia of exile — was a result of sinat chinam/unwarranted hatred. They furthermore teach that the annihilation of the human race in Noah’s flood was a response to internecine conflict, whereas the generation of the Tower of Babel was spared the death penalty in spite of their rebellion against God precisely because they cooperated with one another. Like any parent, God is pleased and appeased when His children get along. We have hopefully internalized this lesson as we prepare for the inscription of 5785. If we can manage to work together — in spite of our differences of perspective and opinion — then the coming year will, b’ezrat Hashem (please God), be far more positive than the last.

The Hasidic masters reveal a powerful secret about the judgment and inscription that each of us receives on Rosh Hashanah. The Baal HaTanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, teaches that the primary judgment of the Days of Awe is the extent to which we will perceive Godliness within us and within every aspect of the creation in the coming year. He derives this insight from the verse “tiku b’chodesh shofar ba’keseh l’yom chagenu. Ki chok l’Yisroel hu, mishpat l’E-lohei Yaacov/ Sound the shofar on the New Moon, on the appointed time for the day of our festival. For it is a statute for Israel, the judgment of the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:4-5).

The phrase “mishpat l’E-lohai Yaacov” is simply translated as “the judgment of the God of Jacob,” yet according to its kabbalistic interpretation, the Alter Rebbe renders it “the judgment of Godliness for Jacob.” The question facing each of us is whether our essence will continue to be concealed from us, or will we finally be granted the vision to see the Godliness at the root and core of everything.

Our ultimate prayer on Rosh Hashanah is not merely for life, health, wealth, peace, or happiness, but for the ability to see God within us and within every single thing we encounter. With this vision, we will be aware at every moment that this too is part of Hashem’s infinite oneness, and we will therefore enjoy true life, health, wealth, peace and joy. We pray not only that we ourselves should be granted this vision, but that every one of God’s children should perceive Him in everything as well. When we are all cognizant of the essence that unifies each and every one of us, all conflict will evaporate, and there will be peace and amity throughout the creation.

It is the genuine desire to see Hashem that will earn us the positive judgment of His vision. If we have neglected seeking Him diligently in the past year, we resolve to seek Him more aggressively and proactively in the year ahead. It is the study of His Torah and the practice of His mitzvot that help us to hone this vision, and we therefore commit to deeper study and more disciplined practice. In response to such earnest commitment, Hashem will surely open our eyes and allow Himself to be revealed to us in the year ahead.

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Excerpted in part from Pnei Hashem, an introduction to the deepest depths of the human experience based on the esoteric teachings of Torah.  www.pneihashem.com