Rosh Hashana: A Classroom Mashul

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Rosh Hashanah In 18 Seconds by Rabbi Mendel Bluming

Did you ever wonder why we don’t say the ‘viduy’ penitential prayers on Rosh Hashanah as we do on Yom Kippur? On Rosh Hashanah G-d determines "who will live and who will ….." shouldn’t we ask forgiveness as we do on Yom Kippur?

The answer to this question touches the heart of what Rosh Hashanah is: namely, the time of accepting the sovereignty of G-d for the new year.

Let me explain this idea with an analogy. There can be two reasons for why a child misbehaves in the classroom. One is a problem of the moment: the child is bored, tired or fidgety. The other is a deeper rooted problem where the child has difficulty in recognizing and accepting the teacher’s position of authority. Of the two problems, the former is easily overcome while the latter is much more serious.

On Rosh Hashanah we get to the core: personally accepting the legitimacy of G-d’s complete authority (accepting the King), everything else follows.