Rosh Hashanah 5787 "Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the covering..." - building the Kingship with renewal

00:00 This was forty years ago, in 5740, on Rosh Hashanah. We were with the Rebbe for Rosh Hashanah. There was a very large crowd. Everyone came to the Rebbe, and it was very crowded. Everyone wanted to be there; everyone wanted to see. The first day of Rosh Hashanah that year fell on Shabbos. On the second day, the shofar was blown, and later, toward the end of the day, there was a farbrengen. The Rebbe farbrenged. Usually there was no such farbrengen on Rosh Hashanah. At the end of the second day, before sunset, the Rebbe washed his hands for a meal. They would then sing the niggunim of all the Rebbeim. It was the custom of our Rebbeim, and particularly of the Rebbe, to sing on Rosh Hashanah the niggunim of all the Rebbeim: those of the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash, the Rebbe Rashab, the Frierdiker Rebbe, and the Rebbe. Afterward, the Rebbe delivered Chassidus—a maamar. The maamar, too, was based on the maamarim of all the Rebbeim. In the maamar, the Rebbe would repeat a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, a teaching of the Maggid of Mezritch, a teaching of the Alter Rebbe, and a point from the words of each of our Rebbeim. This was, of course, a Yom Tov farbrengen. There was a very large crowd, pressed close together. It was very difficult with so many people in the large hall, the main shul at 770. And while the Rebbe

01:44 was in the middle of delivering the maamar, one of the older chassidim fainted. People immediately gathered around him. Of course, the Rebbe was in the middle of the maamar, and everything had to be done quietly, without making noise. But it seemed that the Rebbe noticed that someone had fainted, and the Rebbe stopped in the middle of the maamar. As is well known, the delivery of a maamar of Chassidus is a very elevated time. And while delivering a maamar, the Rebbe was in an altogether higher world; you could plainly see that he was in a higher world. Nevertheless, the Rebbe immediately stopped in the middle of the maamar. The Rebbe waited until the Hatzalah responders arrived and attended to that chossid, or took him out, or did whatever was needed there. Then the Rebbe continued the maamar. When the Rebbe resumed, after a pause of several minutes, he said: “We are speaking here about building malchus.” That was what the Rebbe was discussing in the maamar, as the Rosh Hashanah maamarim discuss the building of malchus. He said that to bring about the building of malchus, for Hakadosh Boruch Hu to be King, all the concealed worlds are needed. And since malchus becomes concealed before Rosh Hashanah, and a new malchus must be built, it is necessary to reawaken within Hakadosh Boruch Hu the aspect of

03:15 kingship. For this, all the concealed worlds are needed. And the Rebbe said: “When we speak of concealed worlds, that also means the concealed worlds connected with bodily health—that someone who needs it should have a speedy and complete recovery.” And the Rebbe continued the maamar. It was remarkable to see: right in the middle of a maamar, when the Rebbe is delivering a maamar and speaking of the loftiest matters, words of the living G-d, speaking, speaking—after all, this is [unclear]. And nevertheless, he cared for that Jew who needed a special blessing, a healing for his condition. And this was connected to the entire matter of building malchus, which concerns all of the Jewish people, the whole world, and the entire new year. There is another point I heard from the Rebbe’s holy mouth that year, in the Rosh Hashanah 5740 maamar. The maamar began with the verse: “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the time of concealment, for our festival day.” One more point, which expresses the [unclear] of Rosh Hashanah, that the Rebbe spoke about particularly in that maamar, in connection with the fact that Rosh Hashanah fell on Shabbos that year. First, this verse in Tehillim, which brings out the [unclear] of Rosh Hashanah, and from which, the Gemara says, we learn the mitzvah of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

04:48 Hashanah. “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the time of concealment, for our festival day.” The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah asks: “Which festival is it on which the moon is concealed?” In other words, the verse does not explicitly say which Rosh Chodesh it means. It says, “Blow at the new moon,” but which month? That is the question asked in Chassidus: Why does it not say when this is? It just says “at the new moon.” The Gemara says that we learn it from the continuation of the verse. It says “at the time of concealment.” What does that mean? That the moon is concealed—the moon is hidden. The only festival the Torah says falls on Rosh Chodesh, when the moon is hidden, “a month when the moon is concealed”—when the moon is hidden and only beginning to renew itself—is Rosh Hashanah, which falls on Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, the seventh month. So we understand that this is when “blow at the new moon” applies. And here two questions arise. The first question is: Why is Rosh Hashanah called simply “the new moon”? What is the word “new moon” meant to emphasize? And there is an even greater difficulty: Why does it say, “Blow at the new moon the shofar”? Seemingly, the words are not in the right order. The verse should have said not “Blow at the new moon the shofar,” but “Blow the shofar at the new moon.” After all, one blows the shofar, so it should say “Blow the shofar”; and when? “At the new moon.” So there are two questions: first, why is it written in this order, “Blow at the new moon the shofar”; and second, why is Rosh Hashanah called simply “the new moon,” without any explanation? And here we also need

06:35 to understand what the word “at the time of concealment” means. What is contained in that word? It is an unusual expression. As mentioned, the Gemara says it means that the moon is then covered, and must first be revealed: this is Rosh Chodesh, the time when the moon renews itself after being hidden and begins a new month. The question is: What is the significance of the precise wording, “at the time of concealment, for our festival day”? The Rebbe explained this. First he brought a teaching from the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov interprets “Blow at the new moon the shofar.” The question here is: Why does it say “at the new moon,” and why does it say it in this order? The Baal Shem Tov says that “new moon” suggests renewal: “A person should strive to renew his good deeds, so that they do not become like a fixed routine.” A Jew must know that he needs to renew his good deeds. In other words, serving Hashem must be done with renewal, with freshness, and not, G-d forbid, as a fixed routine. A person must rouse himself and not fall into a state of fixed routine: the same thing every day, day after day, “mitzvos performed by rote.” He does do these things—he studies Torah and fulfills mitzvos—but for him they become a fixed routine. He loses his vitality, freshness, and enthusiasm. And about this, says the Baal Shem Tov, the verse says

08:19 regarding Rosh Hashanah: “Blow at the new moon”—it does not say “Blow the shofar,” but “Blow at the new moon.” A person needs to drive himself in, and the Rebbe explains that this means to put himself fully into it, along the lines of “I will drive him in like a peg in a secure place.” When a nail is driven in, it is firmly lodged in a secure place. Put yourself in; drive yourself in. “Fix his thought firmly,” as the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya. A person needs to drive himself in—to put his mind, his very being, his whole self, into “the new moon,” into renewal. His service of Hashem should be renewed, and not, G-d forbid, a fixed routine. And when we look at the continuation of the verse, that is the meaning of “For it is a statute for Israel, a judgment for the G-d of Yaakov.” The Baal Shem Tov explains that Hakadosh Boruch Hu judges Jews on Rosh Hashanah for this very thing, for the fact that “it is a statute for Israel”: Why is his service of Hashem carried out as a fixed routine? In other words, the main claim on Rosh Hashanah is that, yes, one fulfills mitzvos and studies Torah, but renewal, vitality, and freshness are lacking. The Rebbe once said how we can bring this about in our times—how our service of Hashem can be renewed, “Blow at the new moon.” The Rebbe said that this is accomplished by contemplating the well-known teaching of the Baal Shem Tov cited in Tanya, as the Alter Rebbe also says in Tanya: at every single moment, the entire creation is renewed anew. “Forever, Hashem, Your word stands firm in the heavens.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings the whole world into being, gives it life, and sustains it at every moment; everything is new, something from nothing, like

10:06 Creation from nothing at the beginning. As the Tanya discusses at length, and as the whole subject is explained in the opening chapters. So when “sound” means immersing oneself in the matter, a person must renew himself, fixing his thoughts on this subject: the renewal of creation at every moment. This will bring renewal, freshness and vitality to his service of Hashem at every moment and every day, so that everything feels new. This is the meaning of “Sound the shofar at the new month,” which we accomplish through the shofar. But the “sound” must be within the “new month,” within renewal. And what is the continuation of the verse, which says “at the time it is concealed”? As mentioned, the Gemara says that this refers to the moon being concealed. That is one explanation. According to Chassidus, what does the moon’s concealment mean? Chassidus explains that the moon alludes to the sefirah of malchus. As is known, malchus is called the moon. The sefirah of malchus is in a state in which “the moon is concealed.” In other words, on the eve of Rosh Chodesh the moon is completely concealed, and it must be renewed—a new renewal of the moon. The same is true of the sefirah of malchus: there is concealment and withdrawal, and a new light, a new flow, a new renewal must once again be drawn down. In fact, this

11:49 happens every Rosh Chodesh. That is what Rosh Chodesh is about: a new light appears, a new renewal for the new month of the year. But in the broader sense, this is Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is the head of all the months, the head of the entire year, and that is when the principal renewal of the moon, of malchus, takes place. Then, as the Gemara says, “Recite before Me verses of kingship so that you will make Me King over you.” Through his service, his prayer and his sounding of the shofar, a Jew makes Hakadosh Boruch Hu King anew. A new kingship is renewed for the entire year. This is, simply, the connection between these ideas: “Sound the shofar at the new month.” A Jew must have a Rosh Chodesh, a renewal in his service of Hashem. Sounding the shofar awakens new delight and new renewal, so that his service of Hashem is fresh and, G-d forbid, does not become a fixed routine. And we accomplish this through “at the time it is concealed, on our festival day,” removing the concealments. Before Rosh Chodesh, malchus is concealed. But when a Jew devotes himself to Hakadosh Boruch Hu with new renewal, fresh kabbolas ol, fresh energy and new delight, he awakens a new renewal Above, a new revelation, a new month, which then extends through the entire year. There is another explanation of “at the time it is concealed”: the commentators explain that the word also refers to a time, a fixed time, “for our festival day.” As brought in the commentary on Tanach, Metzudos Tziyon,

13:24 and elsewhere, “at the time it is concealed, on our festival day” means that this is a fixed time, the time set for our festival day, when the shofar is to be sounded. Why the emphasis on a fixed time? Here, too, the Rebbe cites a teaching of the Maggid of Mezritch. In a Rosh Hashanah maamar, the Rebbe brings teachings from all our Rebbeim, particularly the teaching of the Maggid of Mezritch, and explains it. He says that the very existence of time is part of creation’s renewal from nothing. There was a well-known disagreement about this among the early authorities. The Maggid of Mezritch rules that not only is creation brought into being at every moment, and not only is it renewed just as it was in the six days of creation, but time itself also came into being during those six days. The Rebbe explains: At the beginning of creation, not only space and the world came into being, but time as well. Time is something new. Before the creation of the world, time did not exist. It came into being at Bereishis. And every year, when Rosh Hashanah arrives, it is not only the light of the world that is renewed; time itself is renewed—a new coming into being, a new time. The existence of time is something newly created. This is the precise meaning of the word referring to a fixed time, “for our festival day.” What is the underlying point in light of what was said earlier? The Rebbe explains that on Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned, we renew the delight and desire for the building of malchus. We awaken, as the Rebbe explains, “Recite before Me”

15:00 verses of kingship. For, as the Rebbe says, He is King. And this is the work of renewal. A Jew must bring this renewal and this building of malchus into the details of daily life, into time and space. In other words, it must not remain something detached. It must enter every detail, so that the day, everyday life, each and every day and each and every moment, is permeated with the light of kabbolas ol malchus Shamayim—accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. We must take this renewal and bring it into the world, into time and space. “Hakadosh Boruch Hu desired to have a dwelling in the lower realms”: in this physical world, made up of time and space, every minute should be used for that purpose. This is what the Maggid of Mezritch added to the words of the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov revealed the essential point of renewal, the essential point of building malchus. The Maggid of Mezritch brought it into time and space, so that it must find expression in every detail, every minute, every time and every place—in every detail. And this was entrusted to a Jew. To every Jew.

16:15 The Rebbe once said: We speak of “Adam the first man.” Adam was there on the first day of the world’s creation. And from the moment Adam came into the world, he crowned Hakadosh Boruch Hu King of the world. “Hashem reigns, clothed in majesty”; “Come, let us sing joyfully to Hashem; let us raise our voices to the Rock of our salvation”; “Come, let us bow and prostrate ourselves; let us kneel before Hashem, our Maker.” Adam already sensed “I shall reign” in the world. He made Hakadosh Boruch Hu King of the world, as is known from the Midrash in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer. In the same way, at every hour, every Jew—every person—is an entire world; every person is like Adam the first man. The Rebbe once cited the Mishnah in Sanhedrin on this: “Why was man created alone?” The Mishnah asks: Why did the Master of the Universe create all other beings in multitudes? “Let the earth bring forth living creatures”; “a fruit tree bearing fruit.” All other beings were created in multitudes: many trees, many stones, many plants, many living creatures, many animals, many fish—many of everything. But when it came to man, He created one alone. He created Adam by himself. Only afterward does it say, “I will make him a helper corresponding to him,” and Chava was created. Only afterward were children born. But at the outset, Adam was created alone. The Mishnah in Sanhedrin asks: Why? Why did the Master of the Universe create Adam, the human being, alone? To teach you that each person must know, “The world was created for my sake.” Every Jew, every person, wherever he is, whoever he may be, learns from Adam the first man. This is the great importance of one single Jew,

18:00 that every Jew is like Adam the first man. And the Rebbe once said in this maamar: Look at what is happening here. What do we learn from the Mishnah? That the Master of the Universe created Adam the first man alone. Why? Why was Adam the first man created that way? So that thousands of years later, hundreds of thousands of years later, when a Jew comes along—whoever he may be, yes?—a Jew in the year 5787, he will know that Adam was created alone for his sake, so that he can grasp the tremendous significance of “The world was created for my sake.” He can grasp his own importance, how much depends on his bringing Hakadosh Boruch Hu into the world and making Hakadosh Boruch Hu King of the world. This is what we say on Rosh Hashanah: “Recite before Me verses of kingship so that you will make Me King over you.” The Master of the Universe, as it were, asks the Jews and says, “Recite.” A Jew must praise Him. The Rebbe interprets “recite” in the sense of “you have exalted”—“You have exalted Hashem”—yes, in the sense of praise and greatness. By praising Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King, a Jew reveals “I shall reign,” brings Hakadosh Boruch Hu into the world, and brings about a state in which every detail of time and space in the world is permeated with G-dliness and Divine revelation, becoming a dwelling for Him in the lower realms. To accomplish this, Jews need both of the things mentioned above. First, one must break through all the concealments that hide the moon, that hide malchus. And as the Rebbe once said, one general principle: a healthy body, a speedy and complete recovery, which a person needs so that he can

19:39 It could be that in order to break through the concealments and obstacles—this, too, is a concealment and an obstacle. When a Jew is unwell, G-d forbid, he cannot serve Hashem in good health. The concealment must be removed so that he can serve Hashem in good health and with joy. It must be removed, broken through. That is the idea of teruah, a word associated with breaking. But what needs to be broken is the sense of self, the concealments and obstacles that stand in the way. At the same time, there must be kingship—“They willingly accepted His kingship upon themselves”—with pleasure: a Jew needs to find satisfaction in this kabbolas ol. These are the two things: breaking through the concealments and obstacles, and, beyond that, having pleasure, [unclear] renewal, and “They willingly accepted His kingship upon themselves.” The Rebbe [unclear] the idea of kingship, the idea of willingness, the idea of kingship, which [unclear] new vitality. But what is the point? This explains why we do not blow the shofar when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos. After all, the shofar’s purpose is teruah. What does teruah mean? Breaking something: breaking through what stands in the way, breaking through the concealments and obstacles. Teruah is associated with breaking. Shabbos is not a time for breaking. On Shabbos, the world [unclear]; the world stands in a state of wholeness. So there is no need to break anything. That is why we do not blow the shofar when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, because [unclear]. On Shabbos, the world in itself [unclear]. So there is nothing to break, and there is no

21:11 need for teruah. In the Beis Hamikdash, where other things were involved, the shofar accomplished loftier things, and therefore they blew it there even then. But here, when the shofar’s whole purpose is breaking through the concealments and obstacles—on Shabbos, the world is pure and whole. There is no need to break anything, anything at all. There is no need for the shofar. Shabbos itself accomplishes all these things. The Rebbe once spoke about this in a maamar. And this is the avodah here. “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the appointed time.” When Rosh Hashanah arrives, we need once again, with a new [unclear], through the shofar and the avodah of Rosh Hashanah, to devote ourselves with pleasure and renewed vitality. And to resolve that our service of Hashem will not be “like a fixed obligation,” G-d forbid; that it will be carried out with renewal, “to renew good deeds.” And with that renewal come new vitality and new strength. We must make sure of this: that we make use of the time, that at every moment, every minute, and in every circumstance, we remain in a state of renewal and new vitality. Through this, we will bring about the time when, very soon indeed, we will merit “the great shofar for our freedom,” the true shofar blast that will sound in the Beis Hamikdash. Then the shofar will be blown even when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos. And may it be Your will, Master of the Universe,

22:35 that “He who hears the sound of the teruah of His people Israel with mercy” be fulfilled, and that the true and complete Geulah come. May everyone, and the entire Jewish people, be inscribed and sealed for good, for a good and sweet year and a year of true and complete Geulah.