B"H

Wednesday, Elul 25, 5778 / September 5, 2018

Q.Rosh Hashana is the only Biblical holiday which occurs on Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the new month. Yet, there is no mention in the Rosh Hashana prayers about Rosh Chodesh. Why?

A. Among the various reasons give is this one. When a king visits a city together with his ministers and officers, attention and excitement is centered on the king not on the officers.

Similarly Rosh Hashana is when we proclaim G-d as King of the universe. Rosh Hashana is the coronation of The King. Thus, the entire focus of our prayers on Rosh Hashana is proclaiming G-d as king. Rosh Chodesh, which signals the arrival of the new month, has significance during the rest of the year, not on Rosh Hashana when our complete focus is on G-d.

On Rosh Hashana we eat certain foods which allude to blessing. For example, we dip the Challah and an apple into honey and pray for a good and sweet New Year.  It is also customary to eat from the head of a fish or sheep the first night of Rosh Hashana and recite, "May it be Your will that we shall be a head and not as the tail."

Q.  Why is it significant to add "and not as the tail" after asking to be a “head"?

A.  In the city of Chelm, a person passed by a long line on the street.  He asked the last one in line what are you standing in line? The person replied that he had no idea, but when he walked by and saw the long line he figured it must be worthwhile so he got into line. Curious, the man went from one person to another, asking why were they all in line? Each one had the same reply, "We have no idea but we figured it must be worthwhile."

Finally he asked the man at the head why he was in line. The man replied that he also had no idea.  "I was walking and stopped to tie my shoe, when I saw a line formed behind me!"

The man was shocked.  "I can understand the people behind you, they think that you are waiting for something important, but you know that there is no purpose for this line! So why don't you leave?"

"What! I should leave the line? This is the first time in my whole life that I'm at the head of the line... are you suggesting that I just leave?!"

"May it be Your will that we shall be a head and not as the tail." As we try so hard to go "forward" and "advance" in life, we must judge whether the things we work so hard for to be at the head of the line, do they really put us "ahead" or are we in a "tail-spin" going nowhere?

Before Rosh Hashana we take stock of the past year. How was our commitment to our family; to G-d, and to our community, and set the proper goals to be truly “a-head” in the New Year.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & SHANA TOVA