Hashem As King and I

The Yomim Noraim seem to be a time when we’re more focused on our own needs in Shul. We want the right seats, the right Baalei Tefillah, the right length of davening. This makes sense since these are the most critical prayers of the years and we want to create the conditions that enable our best possible tefillos.

On the other hand, when we’re more particular, there’s a greater chance that we’ll be disappointed by our seat or by the davening. This disappointment might move us further from our ideal davening state.

In addition, the high holy days are a time when we make extra efforts to recognize Hashem as King. According to some commentators this focus on His Kingship precludes us from personal requests on Rosh Hoshana, so it seems a bit incongruent to be more particular about our own needs.

We might not be at the level where we can totally ignore our needs, but perhaps we can catch ourselves when things don’t meet our higher holiday standards. These down moments can be transformed into up moments if we refocus on Hashem as King and move a little bit away from our “I”.

Changing Our Perspective

A year or two ago, a Shul member expressed his concern about a long term Rosh Hoshana issue. We talked for about 10 minutes and I explained why things were that way, what was attempted, and why there was no easy fix. After our short conversation he said that he didn’t realize these types of issues were so complicated.

I am working on the Yomin Noraim seating for our Shul. People will sometimes make seemingly unreasonable requests. When the implications of those requests are explained, they will usually come to a workable compromise.

These problems begin because Hashem designed us to see things from our unique perspective. Each of us lives inside our own head and that is the lens with which we see the world. When more information is revealed, most people can see the picture from a wider angle and come to a reasonable conclusion.

Seeing the bigger picture is an extremely important skill on Rosh Hashana. Our task is to focus on the King’s perspective and to clarify our role in His Master Plan. May we all reach some clarity on Rosh Hashana so we can reach the win-win situation of His Will becoming our will, so that our will becomes His Will.