Yomim Noraim
Upgrading our dictionary for the new year
By: Paula Levin
“To change our actions from negative to positive, we only have to come back to who we really are!”
Many people believe that the judgement of Rosh Hashanah, sealed on Yom Kippur, is based on our deeds from the previous year. A sort of “naughty or nice” consequence for deeds already done. Does this sound Jewish? Well it’s not!
Think you know what prayer, judgement, sin and many more terms from the High Holy Days mean? Think again.
Many of us approach the High Holy Days with dread. We think of all the people no longer in this world, realising who had not been written and sealed in the Book of Life the previous year, wondering what the year ahead might have in store …or is that just me? I know I’m not alone in the sense of fear I have at this awesome time, when the Heavenly Court decides the year we have in store. Like sheep passing under the shepherd’s staff, so the soul of every person passes before G-d for judgement. Life, finances, health and day to day events are decided in advance. But let’s look at some fundamental Jewish concepts associated with this time with fresh eyes, and challenge some of the misconceptions we may have about G-d, judgement, sin, reward, punishment and many more terms we may not fully understand. In the Yom Kippur Vidui, we confess that we have judged unfavourably. This admission goes beyond ascribing harsh motives to our fellow humans. Sometimes, it’s G-d Himself we have most misunderstood!
The problem begins with language and context. Growing up in a Western culture, heavily influenced by Christianity, much of Judaism is lost in translation! Rabbi Manis Friedman makes the point that our perception of G-d, reward and punishment are usually not Jewish![1] He says it’s time for much of the Jewish world to move away from the fear of punishment or even negative consequences that animates so much of our lives, asserting that this worldview is Christian. He cites the Rambam, Maimonides, who says that using the promise of reward or the threat of punishment is an approach reserved for small children, the completely ignorant and unlearned. Rabbi Friedman even argues that not one person in our generation is deserving of punishment at all – since we have the halachic status of “tinok shenishba”, a child captured and raised among gentiles who is ignorant of Torah law. So while the concept of punishment may have its place very early on in life’s journey, at some point, we need to elevate our actions, we need to enter into a loving relationship with G-d, to seek His closeness and to do His will because we love Him, not because of “what’s in it for me”.
Take the word mitzvah for example. It is already degraded when translated as commandment. It comes from the root tzavta – meaning connection! Each mitzvah is an invitation from G-d to connect to His Essence via a physical action by a finite human. A mitzvah therefore has the capacity to bridge an infinite gap! How much of that meaning do we lose in the word commandment? Rabbi Ari Shishler teaches that when we see Judaism as a religion and mitzvot as commandments, we think in terms of “do I have to do this or not?” When we think of it as an opportunity to connect to our Beloved, we want to do it!
Think of the term, the 10 commandments. Also not an accurate translation! They are the 10 Dibrot – words or utterances spoken by G-d at Mount Sinai. Rabbi Akiva Tatz[2] and many others lament how much is lost when we use English terms as a replacement for the very precise, nuanced, rich and layered Hebrew words. The word for word in Hebrew, as used in the above term means a thing, alluding to the power of words to create reality. How much meaning and depth do we lose when settling for translation?
Rosh Hashanah is known as Yom Hadin, Judgement Day, but do we even know what the word Din means? I hope by now, you might at least reserve your own judgement. In the Rosh Hashanah davening we thank G-d for giving us this day to recall our deeds with love. Already we are expanding what Din might mean, after all, what defendant sitting in the dock, facing sentencing, would thank the judge for the experience? Rosh Hashanah actually has many names which should add to our understanding. Yom Hazikaron, the Day of Remembrance, alludes to the fact that Hashem remembers our deeds and those of all who came before us. Only a fool would imagine that these details had slipped His mind or that He had forgotten something until this awesome day! Zikaron therefore cannot simply mean Remembrance, at least not in the way we understand memory.
The words Rosh Hashanah, Head of the Year, can also be translated as the head or beginning of change – the word for year is the same as the word to change, signifying the opportunity that the passage of time presents! And now we are getting closer to understanding. The Sefer Hachinuch (311) explains that Hashem’s judgment of us is an act of love. An opportunity to reset. Were He to leave us unjudged, over the course of a lifetime, we could accumulate so much sin that we could never do sufficient teshuva. His love for us is expressed by judging us every year, keeping us from sinking so deep into sin that we could not gain atonement.
This sentence alone is packed with terms so easily misunderstood. Teshuva is translated as repentance, but comes from the Hebrew word “shuv” to return. What a beautiful, affirming concept – that to change our actions from negative to positive, we only have to come back to who we really are!
Ahuva Grey is an African American convert who spent many years as a Christian pastor. She shared that her first time opening a siddur was on a tour to the Holy Land, leading a faith group. Having bought the Jewish daily prayer book out of sheer curiosity in an old book shop in Tzfat, she opened it up on the long bus ride back to Jerusalem. She revealed how shocked she was to read in the morning prayers, “My G-d, the soul you placed within me is pure.” She realised in that instant how far Judaism was from the Christian notion of original sin and the idea that our very nature is corrupted. That powerful moment on the bus was the impetus for her search for truth and journey to Judaism.
The word sin has many Hebrew equivalents, all far more nuanced than their English. Chabad.org has a fantastic series called Hebrew word of the week[3] by Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham where they unpack the true meaning of common Hebrew words usually hopelessly mistranslated. They explain that the English word sin comes from the Latin word sons, which means guilty or criminal. Whereas the Hebrew word for sin – chet – means something akin to a missed opportunity, like an arrow missing its mark. “In Talmudic thought, to sin is to be overcome by a moment of temporary insanity, as the Sage Reish Lakish teaches: “A person doesn’t commit a transgression unless a spirit of madness enters them.”
Like an archer whose arrow does not meet the bullseye, a “chet” is to not fulfill our unique potential. Rabbi Shishler explains that one person’s “chet” might be another person’s “mitzvah” – depending on their individual circumstances and abilities. “If we had made the same mistake in Gan Eden, we might still be there! Adam and Chava, however, were the most elevated of souls and what they did was far beneath their lofty capacity.” Life is about achieving our personal potential, which cannot be compared to anyone else. At the end of lives, may that be after 120 years, we are faced with who we might have become and what we might have contributed to the world, had we utilised our potential. This experience can be painful, so once a year we are reminded to press pause and readjust our coordinates. We do teshuva, coming back to our essence – a part of G-d above – to realign our deeds with our true goals and abilities.
Most of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are spent in prayer – but what does this word mean? Rabbis Kalmenson and Abraham write that prayer is one of the least understood spiritual practices! “To many, it can feel mechanical, scripted, inauthentic, or unfocused. The English word prayer comes from the Old French preiere – obtained by entreaty. Prayer is thus most commonly associated with asking for the fulfillment of our needs.” But on Rosh Hashanah (and Shabbat) we don’t ask for our needs to be met! So prayer is clearly not what we should be engaged in! The Hebrew word for prayer, tefillah, sheds much light on what we are actually supposed to be doing. “On the most essential level, tefillah means bonding and connection. For instance, in the Mishnah we find that the etymological root t-f-l means to attach or bind together. Tefillah is therefore not a transactional exchange but an expression of intimacy. Whereas asking for what we need is a humbling experience that highlights the great divide between petitioner and provider, tefillah is a declaration of love and an expression of spiritual longing.”
Just as we saw with the word mitzvah, we need a radical rethink of many of the terms that make up the furniture of our minds. Rabbi David Aaron writes: “L’hitpallel [lit. to pray] has nothing to do with begging G‑d to change His mind. L’hitpallel is a reflexive verb that means to do something to yourself. When praying, your question shouldn’t be: ‘Is G‑d listening to my prayers?’ Rather: ‘Am I listening to my prayers?’ ‘Does what I say impact me? Have I changed?’”
Rabbi Elimelech Gartner explains the main work of Rosh Hashanah is to crown G-d as our King. “On Rosh Hashanah there is no asking for forgiveness or even doing teshuva. There are no personal requests,” he explains. Our job is to recognise and submit to His authority. (Remember the idea of a king in Judaism is that of a chosen, beloved leader as opposed to a ruler, who governs with an iron fist.)
Many people believe that the judgement of Rosh Hashanah, sealed on Yom Kippur, is based on our deeds from the previous year. A sort of “naughty or nice” consequence for deeds already done. Does this sound Jewish? Well it’s not! Man is judged only according to his present actions. On Rosh Hashanah, we have the opportunity to set our intention for the coming year, and it is based on this moment in time that we are evaluated.
So contrary to popular belief, Rosh Hashanah is not about reward and punishment. The Talmud informs us in fact that mitzvot cannot be rewarded in this world in the first place! Reward and punishment – again these words are terrible translations – take place after 120 years. The Hebrew word for punishment is far closer to the word answer – an answer to our actions, taking the punitive, vindictive undertones of punishment away and revealing something far closer to the idea of consequence. So, if Rosh Hashanah is not about reward and punishment, what is the judgement about?
Rabbi Gartner teaches that the model we should explore to understand the deliberations of the Heavenly Court on Rosh Hashanah is an economic investment model.[4] The judgments of Rosh Hashanah are the heavenly equivalents of earthly investment policy decisions. “Once a year, the director of a company looks the company’s expenses and profits. Imagine the head of marketing had been given a budget of a million rand but had only reached half his target. He is not necessarily judged by his past performance. If he could argue that his department was under-resourced and that with two million he could reach a sales target of five million, he could increase the director’s investment in him. But he needs to demonstrate that he has a strategy going forward.” Rosh Hashanah is therefore very much a future focused event! And this is empowering, uplifting, and incredibly hopeful.
Why then the fear and dread? And no it’s not just me. Rabbi Moshe Krieger of Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah writes that Rosh Hashanah is a frightening day. In fact this is halacha, we are supposed to be afraid on Rosh Hashanah, because the Books of Life and Death are open before us. And yet, Rosh Hashanah is called a Yom Tov, a day of rejoicing. “On Rosh Hashanah we must celebrate, wearing festive garments and eating a festive meal, trusting that Hashem will do a miracle for us. But if we trust in His helping us, why must we fear His judgment? And since Hashem wants us to fear Him, how can we really be happy and celebrate?” asks Rabbi Krieger.
“The Brisker Rav would answer that indeed, we have to feel fear that we are being judged by Hashem. If a Jew simply goes through the Yom Tov without a sense of fear, it shows that he does not believe in Hashem’s judgment. Only, whenever a Jew feels fear, he should rely on Hashem and feel secure that He will help… He should say, “Hashem I rely on you!” These are days of mercy and forgiveness, and certainly Hashem will help him. The Brisker Rav brings the Rambam as a source for this answer, which states that even as we fear Hashem, we flee only to Him. As the famous liturgical poem “Keser Malchus” states: “I shall run away from You – to You.” In short, the fear we must feel of Hashem’s judgment should be so real that we want to run, but where do we run? To Hashem.
With some of our Jewish vocabulary upgraded, and having just scratched the surface of Hebrew’s wondrous depth, we invite you to keep challenging your assumptions, keep learning and keep growing closer to Hashem. Wishing us all a good and sweet New Year.
