Reconnecting to Our Inner Core Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are, respectively, the beginning and the culmination of the days of Judgement, as we read in the liturgy, "On Rosh Hashanah, they are inscribed; and on Yom Kippur, they are sealed," nevertheless, the prayers of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are very different. On Yom Kippur we ask G-d numerous times to forgive our sins. We recite the confession no less than ten times, tapping our chest with our fist as we mention every type of transgression imaginable. Whereas on Rosh Hashanah, while we ask for a good life in the new year, we make no reference to sin at all. The simple reason for not mentioning sin on Rosh Hashanah is because we don't want to draw attention to our shortcomings on the day of Judgement. Just as a trial lawyer will do all he can to divert attention from the defendant's negative action, we seek to place the emphasis on anything other than our shortcomings. Yet, that cannot be the entire reason because, if so, then on Yom Kippur, when the Judgement is sealed, we should also avoid mentioning sin. Rosh Hashanah is the day when we connect to the essence of our soul. Chassidic Philosophy explains that Rosh Hashanah is the day we coronate G-d as king of the universe. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah G-d's desire to invest himself in the creation returns to its source in the essence of G-d, and it is up to us to reawaken G-d's desire and pleasure in engaging with creation for another year. We do so by calling to G-d from the essence of our soul, which elicits from within the essence of G-d the pleasure and desire to relate to creation, infusing the world with a more profound flow of energy and blessing for the upcoming year. And therefore, there is no mention of sin on Rosh Hashanah because the essence of our soul is always connected to G-d, not susceptible to the separation caused by sin. As we seek to reconnect to our core, we reach a place within ourselves where there is no sin, no negativity, no shortcoming, only an unbroken connection to G-d. On Yom Kippur, however, we focus on our flaws and mistakes because the unique quality of Yom Kippur is that the essence of the soul, which is usually removed and not present in the conscious mind, is revealed and present within the totality of our persona. Yom Kippur is when the inspiration of the essence of our soul is felt within the part of ourselves that is subject to failure, disappointment and negativity. On Rosh Hashanah we move away from our conscious desires and thoughts in order to connect to our essence. On Yom Kippur we seek to apply our essence, our true self, to the parts of self that require rehabilitation and correction. The themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are reflected in our portion, describing the last day of the life of Moses. In this week's portion, Moses begins: You are all standing this day before the Lord your God, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, that you may enter the covenant of the Lord, your God, and His oath, which the Lord, your God, is making with you this day. (Deuteronomy 29:9-11) When we stand before G-d, as the Jewish people stood on that day, and as we do every year on Rosh Hashanah, we are united because at the level of our soul there is no distinction between us since all souls are rooted within G-d himself. Yet, this unity is only when the people would leave their own "tent", their mundane life, and gather before G-d. Yet, the next portion describes a more profound form of unity: "And Moses went, and he spoke the following words to all Israel." Moses "went" to the people, to their tents, and there he "spoke… to all Israel", Moses imparted the sense of unity, inspired by the essence of the soul, to the people, not only when they stood before G-d, but also when they were at home, in their tents, in their everyday life.. Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe, Lekutei Sichos 19 Vayelch 1.
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