Weekly Dvar Torah: Crowning the King on Shabbos Rosh Hashana.
In the Musaf on Rosh Hashana we say: זֶה הַיּוֹם תְּחִילַּת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ זִכָּרוֹן לְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן. “This is the day which is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.”
The Yerushalmi teaches: This implies that the world was created on Rosh Hashana.
The classic question is: How can you say that the world was created on Rosh Hashanah, when we know that Adam and Chava were created on that day which was the sixth day of creation?
Chassidus explains extensively and in depth, that since the purpose of creation was for mankind, the choicest of creation, therefore, everything that was created on the first five days, is only a preparation to the sixth day. Once mankind was created into a perfect world, only then is the world considered created. Effectively, this is the day of creation.
Hashem created the world when He decided to be King. And in order to be King He must have subjects. So, G-d contracted Himself to allow for a world to come into existence, in which there will be mankind who will accept Him as King.
Therefore, Malchus, kingship, becomes the process of creation. In order to be a King, G-d uses Malchus, which is an external extension of Himself, to allow for other beings to exist.
Hashem doesn’t need to be King, and He doesn’t need to depend on anything or anybody. G-d is the supernal and eternal Supreme being. But He chose to ‘want’ to create a world, in which there will be people who will crown Him, and will accept Him as King.
That’s why the first thing Adam did as soon as he was created, was to declare G-d as King, and he called upon the rest of creation to subjugate themselves to be G-d’s subjects. And this process repeats itself every Rosh Hashanah. Hashem asks us; say for me verses of Kingship so that you will crown me as King. Blow the Shofar to proclaim My Kingship.
Does G-d really need us to make Him King? Of course not. But in His benevolence, He chose to allow us to be the ones who will crown Him as King. In this way G-d is telling us; “you are very important to Me, because without you I will not be King.”
Why is it so important that we crown Hashem as King? Because, being that the process of creation came about through the ‘desire’ for Kingship, this became the tool with which G-d creates the world. Every year on this day of creation, we need to arouse, so to speak, a willingness by G-d to ‘want’ to engage in Kingship, otherwise the world will cease to exist.
And this all depends on our service on Rosh Hashanah, by blowing Shofar and saying verses that awaken the desire by Hashem to ‘want’ to be King. This way the world gets a new lease on life for another year.
This year we get a special bonus. Because Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbos, we don’t blow the Shofar on the first day of Rosh Hashanah.
So how will G-d be crowned King?
Chassidus explains that since the Shofar is about arousing Malchus, and on Shabbos the arousal happens on its own, therefore, we don’t need to make an effort to arouse Malchus.
Why is that? Because when G-d created the world in six days, and by Adam proclaiming Him King on Friday, the sixth day, only then the world came to perfection. And G-d rested on the seventh day, which is Shabbos.
What is the meaning of the Shabbos rest? That Malchus, which for six days was the tool with which G-d created the world, was elevated to actual Kingship on Friday night. Malchus finished all the work and reached the ultimate goal, and Malchus now reigns supreme. Every year when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, this process repeats itself, and G-d reveals Himself as King automatically, because of Shabbos. Therefore, we don’t need to blow the Shofar to proclaim G-d King.
This year we get a double message from G-d. Just as every year G-d says I need ‘you’ to make Me King, without ‘you’ it can’t happen, and My desire will not come to fruition. This year G-d says, I am doing it on your behalf by elevating Malchus to the Shabbos level. As a result, it becomes a superior crowning, because this time it is done by Me, the Supreme Being, and not just by finite mortals. This will be a Shabbos’dik crowning.
And once the year starts with a Shabbos, the entire year is Shabbos’dik, which means that all that needs to be done has already been done, and the world is perfected to the point that Hashem and us can rest, which is the ultimate purpose of Shabbos. As Rashi says in the name of the Midrash, that when G-d completed creating the world, all that was missing was rest, and this rest came with Shabbos.
As we say in Kiddush every week: וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹק֖ים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכׇּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ “And G-d completed on the seventh day His work that He did, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He did.” This year is the year of rest, all that needs to be done, has been done by G-d, for us.
This leads us to the ultimate rest, which will happen when Moshiach comes, as we say in Bentching: הרַחֲמָן הוּא יַנְחִילֵנוּ יום שֶׁכֻּלּו שַׁבָּת וּמְנוּחָה לְחַיֵּי הָעולָמִים. “May the Merciful One let us inherit that day which will be all Shabbos and rest, for life, forever.”
From a year of rest to an everlasting G-dly rest.
May we all be blessed with a year of rest from all worries, a year abundant with good health, lots of wealth, Nachas from children, and all the time in the world to study Torah and the knowledge of G-d. That will happen with the ultimate redemption through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily. Amen.
Have a sweet Shabbos’dik year,
Gut Shabbos, Gut Yomtov
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
