Entering Hashem’s World  

When we ushered in the year 5784, none of us dreamed that our hopes for a sweet new year would be shattered only three weeks later. Since the horrors of Shemini Atzeres, this year has been fraught with tzaros that stand out in their intensity and frequency. As we approach Rosh Hashanah once again, we can all see that there’s something we need to improve.

Not all suffering is due to a subpar “performance” on Rosh Hashanah. Hashem has myriad considerations when He decides what punishments a person will receive in the coming year; our spiritual state on Rosh Hashanah is only one of them. However, our avodah on Rosh Hashanah does determine how those decrees are meted out — whether they will take a gentle form or a harsh one.

What we do on Rosh Hashanah determines the tzurah, the form Hashem’s decrees will take. For example, if a teacher needs to discipline his student, he has various ways to do that. He could send him to the principal’s office or make him miss recess. He could temper discipline with affirmation by giving the child an important job, but make him do it without any help. Or if truly necessary, he could bellow at the child in a way he will never forget.

The events of this past year were executed in an exceptionally strict way; the tzurah was very harsh. This tells us that the tzurah of our last Rosh Hashanah — the way we approached our avodah — was problematic. The tzurah of Rosh Hashanah doesn’t pertain to any particular action, but rather to the underlying essence of our whole avodah. Hopefully, we performed the right actions last Rosh Hashanah. We davened, heard the shofar, and were meticulous in our middos and halachic observance.