Ever Ask What G‑d Needs? - Rosh Hashanah 5763/2002

The Jewish New Year -Rosh Hashanah arrives Friday night September 6,2002. Jews world over will gather in houses of prayer. They will pray and ask for a new happy New Year.

The familiar scenario is to repent for our misdeeds and God grants us a good year. We assume that if we promise to act better and become accountable for our actions, God will grant us a new year blessed with family, life, health and sustenance.

Why do we always think of our needs on Rosh Hashanah? Why do we keep asking for things from God? Maybe there is another side to Rosh Hashanah. Maybe we should ask God what He needs. How can we make God interested in keeping this great world alive? Come to think of it, does God have needs?

In the writings of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, we find many philosophical lessons addressing the needs of God. If God is to be considered the King of all kings, he needs the world to be his royal subjects. If people do not accept God's kingship, then there is no purpose for the world to exist.

This forms a paradox. God created people. Does he need people for his own satisfaction? If yes, then we have a God who has ''personal" needs which "change" by the actions of mankind. This is a direct contradiction to the basic tenets of Judaism where God is described as above everything and not needing anything. God cannot let himself be influenced by man's actions. If God were influenced He would be finite but God is infinite and does not change by the actions of man.

So how do we reconcile the idea of Rosh Hashanah as the time we give God a reason to bless and sustain the world?

The first Rosh Hashanah occurred on Friday, the sixth day of creation. On that day, God first created the beasts of the field, of the woods, and all the creeping things and insects, and, lastly - man.

Adam, the first man, was created in his full stature. The moment he opened his eyes, he recognized his Creator and proclaimed Him "King of the Universe." He called upon all creation, "Come, let us worship, bow down and kneel before God, our Maker!" He did this because he knew that God needed to be recognized as the king. Thus, Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Coronation of the King of the Universe, and as the coronation of kings is heralded by the sounding of trumpets, so the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah symbolically reminds us also of the Divine Coronation. This day is a day of "amnesty" and forgiveness. It's traditional at the coronation of the king to forgive all.

I have been brought up to believe that God is master of the world, Whose omnipotent power is not limited in time and place, and Who, moreover, is the source of goodness. God desires His human creatures to live a life based on justice and morality.

Starting from the same basic premise that God is the essence of goodness, and that, "It is in the nature of the good to do good," it follows that God not only desires the true good, but also that this good be enjoyed in the fullest measure. If such good were given to man by divine grace, if it were to be achieved without effort, it would have an intrinsic flaw, for it would be, what our sages call, "bread of shame." Man would be on the receiving side only, not feeling any self-worth.

To be sure, God could have established a world order, wherein morality and ethics would reign supreme, with little or no effort on the part of man. But there is no comparison between something received as a gift and the same thing attained through hard work. By persevering and doing good we acquire a great sense of satisfaction.
God wants us to feel that we are helpers and partners in his world, carrying out the mission of making this world a place of holiness.

So the twin ideas for the holiday are that we need God and, in a way, God needs us to accept Him, making Him "feel" that we need Him. By doing so, God, once again, finds a cause to rule, thus granting us life.

If I have a self-replenishing cup of water and you need water, you need to ask me for it. Although you drink from it, it does not change my allotment of water. However, your state has changed. Similarly, God's allotment is infinite and never changes.

Adam taught us how to ask God for our needs in a respectful and humble fashion. This was only after recognizing that even though God cannot be changed or affected by His giving, he wants the recognition.

One of the many names given to Rosh Hashanah is "The Days of Awe." It is with a feeling of awe that we approach the day of holiness. We participate in a coronation of the supreme King of all kings. The very act of coronation renews the personal union between God and his creation.

Besides repenting and making promises to be better for the coming year we should remember that the Jewish New Year really marks the birthday of mankind. It would be correct for all mankind to celebrate this event by letting God enter their homes and hearts.

As a child, the great Polish Chassidic Rabbi of Kotzk, Menachem Mendel, was asked, "Where can you find God?" He answered, "Anywhere you let him in."

Remember, the Jewish people do not have a monopoly on celebrating the birthday of mankind.  I suggest that all of us celebrate this event, the birth of man, by allowing G‑d to enter the hearts and homes of all of us.  So on Friday night, September 6, the New Year, dip some apple in honey and renew your partnership with G‑d.