Rosh Hashana

וּבַחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כָּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ י֥וֹם תְּרוּעָ֖ה יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶֽם..

When we read the psukim about Rosh Hashana we can immediately notice that the information given to us is very minimalistic. Unlike other holidays, the Torah doesn’t really tell us what are we supposed to do. While speaking of Sukkot, for example, the Torah tells us, in detail, all that we need to know about the Arba’at Ha’minim, but here the Torah doesn’t say much. Hardly anything, in fact. The fact is that the only evidence the gemara ( ראש השנה) finds that we are supposed to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashana is from מצוות היובל. The immediate question is: Why is the Torah so short on words when it gets to Rosh Hashana.

It seems that the answer lies in the first words of the pasuk. In an essay named היברו נושאי כלי ה', Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook explains that the Torah spared words, but did tell us everything we need to know by mentioning the date of Rosh Hashana as ‘the first day of the seventh month’. Meaning, that counting from the first month- Nissan, to the seventh- Tishrei, points that Tishrei is the seventh step from יציאת מצרים.

יציאת מצרים, as the birthday of Am Israel means that the journey has begun. We are starting, like a child, to find our way in the world. Starting from the basics of becoming a nation, to the step of realizing our goals by receiving the Torah on Har Sinai. Then, on the seventh month, a new dimension is revealed- the hidden ideal that underlies the whole story.

As the great Maharal of Prague taught, everything in the world has six sides: up and down, back and forth, left and right. The existence of these sides is the minimum in order to be considered as even something in our materialistic world. But, there is another side. A side not seen at all, the idea behind the existence of anything. This dimension is the seventh side of everything in our world. We only see six but the main reason or purpose isn’t actually there, it is underlying.

Rosh Hashana is the deepest and most sacred idea under the whole story of the world. In Rosh

Hashana the secret of the world is revealed. We get a short glimpse into the main theme of the world- this world isn’t separate from Hashem as we tend to think. We live our lives with the wrong assumption that our world is can handle itself, with no direction, but the truth is we are wrong.

Rosh Hashana teaches us that we do have a King who directs everything. The whole world has a leader who constantly pushes the world forward to be better and better. That is the seventh point of the world, and that is the main concept of Rosh Hashana- saying loud and clear that Hashem is the King of the world. Blowing the Shofar is a simple act of crowning Hashem telling everybody this deep and holy secret.