To foretell the end from the beginning on Rosh Hashanah
Parsha and its implementation - Rosh Hashanah 5784
Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald
New Year's Eve is a time for observation, examination and introspection, in personal and public behavior patterns, with a look ahead.
This year we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, that terrible failure that allowed the Syrians and the Egyptians to 'surprise' us, occupy a large area in the Golan and Sinai within 24 hours, and cause great loss of life and unit exhaustion. That blindness that took the military and political leadership captive, and the complacency and arrogance that did not allow one to notice the dangerous scenario that was emerging. The only one of all the generals of the General Staff, Major General Yitzhak Hofi, chief of the Northern Command at the time, recognized the reinforcement of ground forces and surface-to-air missile array in the sector. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah of that year, he led the Armored and artillery forces strengthening them in the Golan Heights. Were it not for him, the situation in the Golan would have been twice as bad.
We also commemorate the heroic battles that led to an unprecedented 'turnover' - B'H - at the end of which the IDF got as far as 40 km from Damascus bombarding it with its artillery, and as far as 101 km from Cairo. We respect and pay tribute to the heroes who participated; many of whom paid with their lives.
After fifty years, many ask, were the lessons learned? Has the 'trust' and 'it will be fine' culture changed, in the personal and the public spheres? Is the common terminology 'calculated risk management', in fact, not the same with a different name? Is it now clear that accepting a 'surprise' situation that would endanger our existence is out of the question? Is it clear to the leadership that הֶֽחָכָם֙ עֵינָ֣יו בְּרֹאשׁ֔וֹ "A wise man has his eyes in his head". (Ecclesiastes 2:14) and guidance means having a strategic action plan of
סוף מַעֲשה בְּמַחֲשבָה תְּחִלָּה “last in deed is first in thought”.
אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם – הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַנּוֹלָד 'Who is the wise person? The one who sees and anticipates the consequences of his behavior'. (Tamid 32a:7)
הַמֵּבִין מִלִּבּוֹ מַה שֶּׁעָתִיד לִהְיוֹת קוֹרוֹת שֶׁעֲתִידִים לָבֹא וְנִזְהָר מֵהֶן
"The one who understands from his heart what is going on, the coming events and beware of them" (Rashi ibid).
The leadership is obliged to consider all the possibilities that may arise and prepare an adequate response. Gambling is not an option! The expression 'we were taken by surprise', kind of a self-pity statement, is not acceptable, and has only one meaning! 'We failed' in planning in advance! And from that we will have to draw conclusions.
Do we also apply these principles in our personal lives, leading ourselves on the path of our lives? And if not, what are the chances that they will be implemented in public life?
Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world, the day on which G-d's Creation plan was realized, from the beginning of the world to the end of time. It is renewed every year:
תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃
"Blow the horn on the new moon, on the full moon for our feast day". (Psalms 81:4)
The blowing of the shofar ('Shofarot – Blasts of the Shofar') is the announcement of the point of time renewal - 'in the month', then, and today.
It reminds us of the divine leadership ('Malchuyot – Kingliness') in the plan of creation from the beginning and its realization in the present.
זִכְר֥וּ רִאשֹׁנ֖וֹת מֵעוֹלָ֑ם כִּ֣י אָנֹכִ֥י אֵ-ל֙ וְאֵ֣ין ע֔וֹד אֱלֹקים וְאֶ֥פֶס כָּמֽוֹנִי׃ מַגִּ֤יד מֵֽרֵאשִׁית֙ אַחֲרִ֔ית וּמִקֶּ֖דֶם אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא נַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ אֹמֵר֙ עֲצָתִ֣י תָק֔וּם וְכׇל חֶפְצִ֖י אֶעֱשֶֽׂה׃
"Bear in mind what happened of old; For I am G-d, and there is no one else, I am divine, and there is no one like Me. I foretell the end from the beginning, and from the start, things that had not occurred. I say: My plan shall be fulfilled; I will do all I have purposed". (Yeshayahu 46:9-10)
"I was with Him as a confidant." (Proverbs 8:30) וָֽאֶהְיֶ֥ה אֶצְל֗וֹ אָ֫מ֥וֹן
דָּבָר אַחֵר אָמוֹן, אֻמָּן. הַתּוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת אֲנִי הָיִיתִי כְּלִי אֻמְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בְּנֹהַג שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם בּוֹנֶה פָּלָטִין, אֵינוֹ בּוֹנֶה אוֹתָהּ מִדַּעַת עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא מִדַּעַת אֻמָּן, וְהָאֻמָּן אֵינוֹ בּוֹנֶה אוֹתָהּ מִדַּעַת עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא דִּפְתְּרָאוֹת וּפִנְקְסָאוֹת יֵשׁ לוֹ, לָדַעַת הֵיאךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה חֲדָרִים, הֵיאךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה פִּשְׁפְּשִׁין. כָּךְ הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַבִּיט בַּתּוֹרָה וּבוֹרֵא אֶת הָעוֹלָם,
"Another thing I say, O artist: The Torah says, 'I was the tool of His (G-d's) artistry,' referring to the fact that the King of Flesh and Blood who builds palaces in this world, does not do so from his own knowledge, but from the knowledge of an artist. And the artist himself does not create from his own knowledge, but rather from his tools and implements, in order to know how to make rooms and carve designs. Similarly, G-d looked into the Torah and created the world." (Bereshit Rabbah 1:1)
Rosh Hashanah is the time for the 'accountability test' of the plan from the beginning of creation, and for the merit of everyone in the world, here and hereafter ('Zichronot – Remembrances'):
אַתָּה זוֹכֵר מַעֲשֵׂה עוֹלָם וּפוֹקֵד כָּל־יְצֽוּרֵי קֶֽדֶם. לְפָנֶֽיךָ נִגְלוּ כָּל־תַּעֲלוּמוֹת וַהֲמוֹן נִסְתָּרוֹת שֶׁמִּבְּרֵאשִׁית... כִּי תָבִיא חֹק זִכָּרוֹן לְהִפָּקֵד כָּל רֽוּחַ וָנָֽפֶשׁ... מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּזֹאת הוֹדָֽעְתָּ. וּמִלְּפָנִים אוֹתָהּ גִּלִּֽיתָ. זֶה הַיּוֹם תְּחִלַּת מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ זִכָּרוֹן לְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן... וְעַל הַמְּדִינוֹת בּוֹ יֵאָמֵר אֵי זוֹ לַחֶֽרֶב. וְאֵי זוֹ לַשָּׁלוֹם. אֵי זוֹ לָרָעָב. וְאֵי זוֹ לַשּֽׂבַע. וּבְרִיּוֹת בּוֹ יִפָּקֵֽדוּ. לְהַזְכִּירָם לַחַיִּים וְלַמָּֽוֶת...
"You remember the dealings of [men in] today’s world, and You [also] consider the behavior of all those who lived in earlier times. In Your Presence are revealed all hidden things and the multitude of secrets from the beginning of creation… You remember all that has been done, and even all that which is formed is not concealed from You. All is revealed and known before You Hashem, our G-d Who observes and looks until the end of all generations. For You set an appointed time of remembrance, to consider every soul and being… the beginning of creation, You have made this known, and from before time You have revealed it. This day [Rosh Hashanah] is the beginning of Your work, a memorial of the first day. For it is a statute for Yisrael a [day of] judgment of the God of Yaakov. And over countries [judgment] is pronounced, which of them is destined for the sword [war] and which for peace, which for famine and which for abundance. And on it, creatures are brought to mind, to be remembered for life or for death". (Musaf Rosh Hashana)
The sound of the Shofar is a call for introspection and public reflection. To emulate G-d's attributes and teach ourselves that סוף מַעֲשה בְּמַחֲשבָה תְּחִלָּה “last in deed is first in thought".