The tefillos of Rosh Hashanah are mainly focused on malchus Hashem. What exactly does this mean, and how can I relate to this?
The definition of malchus is “recognition of greatness.” When a country inaugurates a king, it means that the nation recognizes the special qualities of this person and chooses him to rule over them. The same is true in every area. When one looks up to someone, whether a politician or even a sports player, it is because of a quality that person has. I recognize that quality, and therefore I look up to him.
This is the deeper meaning of kol Yisroel bnei melachim, every Yid is a child of the King. Every single Yid has to know our special quality. Every single Yid has something unique. He has a neshama, a chelek Eloka mimaal. The greatest person in the world cannot compare to the simplest Yid. We have a different DNA.
You may ask, why do I have to be mamlich Hashem (crown Hashem as King) every year? If I am already a Torah Jew and believe in malchus Hashem, why do I have to renew this Kingship again every year?
Based on the above, we can begin to understand this. Being mamlich Hashem means recognizing Hashem’s greatness. In this recognition there is always room for renewal and growth. We can always recognize Hashem’s greatness with more passion and in a deeper way.
When one really tries to connect to Hashem’s infinite greatness through thought and contemplation, his heart is ignited with a fiery passion for the malchus. He truly cares about the honor of Hashem’s kingship. He is bothered when he sees people disgracing Hashem Kingship, and is pained over the fact that not everyone in the world lives with Hashem and recognizes Him. His deepest desire is for one thing – והיה השם למלך על כל הארץ, that the entire universe acknowledge Hashem as King!
So the avodah begins with thinking about Hashem’s greatness and begging Him to help us live with this recognition throughout the year. Then we can grow in this area and become fired up with only one thing – that every single person should live with Hashem!
How does the avodah of teshuva connect with the avodah of malchus?
These avodos are very connected. Malchus means recognition of Hashem’s greatness. But if a person sins, he creates klipos (evil entities) that cover over and block him from fully absorbing these thoughts. They block his ability to let the recognition of Hashem take him over and light him up!
That is why one must do teshuva. Teshuva means returning to Hashem, asking Him to help you recognize His greatness and live with it.
It is the same avodah as malchus. Malchus is recognition from the positive side, while teshuva is noticing the places where you missed this recognition and bringing yourself back.
I am confused about my attitude on Rosh Hashanah. Am I supposed to feel fear and trembling, or happiness?
I don’t know the source for having fear. It is true that we are being judged, but the judge is our Father who loves us!
The main attitude should be simcha and happiness because of malchus Shamayim, as we see in the tefillos which are full of this and hardly mention fear. At the same time, it is of course a serious day. It is not Purim. A person should be fully focused on malchus Hashem. That focus itself brings simcha and bitachon in Hashem.
The reason people speak about fear is only so that one should not fall into lightheadedness, which is the opposite of malchus Shamayim.
There is a fundamental question here: If Rosh Hashanah is the day of Hashem’s coronation, why is it also a yom hadin? When a human king is crowned it is not a day of judgement, if anything it is a day he may pardon prisoners. Why is it a day of judgement for the King of Kings?
The answer is that Rosh Hashanah is not mainly about Hashem judging the past to catch us in our aveiros. It is the day Hashem begins to reveal Himself and decides how much of His presence He will reveal to us in the coming year. He considers what we did last year, and that also means He judges what will happen this year. But the main judgement is how much He will reveal Himself to us.
Once we understand this, it is clear that the main avodah is wanting to live with Hashem and asking Him to reveal Himself more and more. Even if we are not perfect, we can say to Hashem: I am choosing to live with You even though I am not perfect. This brings simcha and peace of mind.
At the same time, we cannot forget that there is din. Lightheadedness is the opposite of malchus Shamayim. Our job is to focus mainly on the malchus, on the higher part of ourselves, without ignoring the din.
There is a story of two chassidim who were learning Reishis Chochma, which describes frightening punishments in the next world. Their Rebbe, the Yesod HaAvodah, spoke to them. One chossid was very anxious by this, and the other was not bothered at all. To the earnest young man who was very shaken by what he learned, he said: It is true there is din, but there is also rachamim b’din. To the other one, who did not take it seriously at all, he said: Everything written there is totally true.
Another point I heard from my Rebbe, Rav Itche Meir Morgenstern Shlita: Every person’s din depends on his attitude toward avodas Hashem. One who is full of ahavas Hashem and makes that his focus will merit rachamim—as long as he keeps the Shulchan Oruch properly. But if one’s main focus is on din…
How does the avodah of shofar connect to the theme of malchus Shamayim?
The Gemara says that malchus is renewed through the shofar. After we explained that malchus means full recognition of Hashem’s oneness, we can see how this fits. With the shofar we cry out from the depths of our heart: “Abba, I recognize Your greatness and I want to live with You!” This should be the focus when hearing the shofar.
The first tekiah is to cry this out. The shevarim teruah is to feel regret for the times we forgot this during the year. Then the final tekiah is when the new influence of malchus comes down. (See the sefer B’yam Darkecha for more details.)
The Zohar writes negatively about one who asks for his own needs on Rosh Hashana. Does this mean we should not make personal tefillos?
The Zohar is speaking about someone who thinks only about himself and not about the King. But if one asks Hashem for abundance so that he can serve Him better, then of course he may ask. This is part of malchus Shamayim. But one must really think this way.
A sign that you mean it is if you also daven for other people. If you add to every prayer for yourself a prayer for your fellow yid as well, that is a sign that your request comes from a pure place.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 53 Rosh Hashana.
