The Judgement Of Rosh Hashana

Rabbi Re'im Hakohen - Shabbat Bi-shabato Rosh Yeshiva and Chief Rabbi, Otniel

Question:   Rabbi Krospodai said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Three books are opened during Rosh Hashanah – one for completely evil people, one for completely righteous people, and one for people in the middle. Righteous people are immediately written down and sealed for life. Evil people are immediately written down and sealed for death. Those in the middle remain hanging from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur. If they have merits, they are written down for life; if they do not have merits, they are written down for death. The words of Rabbi Yochanan are brought into sharper focus by the Rambam: Every single person has merits and sins. Whoever has more merits than sins is righteous, and whoever has more sins than merits is evil. Anybody who has equal merits and sins is considered in the middle. The same is true for an entire country. If the merits of the entire population are more than their sins, the country is a righteous one, and if the sins are more than their merits it is evil. And the same is true for the entire world. Any person whose sins are greater than his merits dies immediately for his evil, as is written, "for your many sins" [Yirmiyahu 30:15]. The same is true for a country whose sins are more than its merits, as is written, "The cry of Sedom and Amorah is great..." [Bereishit 18:20]. The same is also true for the world as a whole. If their sins are more than their merits, they will be destroyed immediately, as is written, "and G-d saw that the evil of mankind was great" [6:5]. This consideration is not according to a count of the merits and sins but is rather on their seriousness... And the only one who can weigh these things is the G-d of knowledge, for He is the one who knows how to compare merits and sins." [Hilchot Teshuva 3]. * * * * * *   What are people judged for on Rosh Hashanah? Can it be that everybody who passed away during the year was evil, and whoever continues to live among us year after year while sinning all the time is really a righteous person?   Answer:   The Definitions of "Righteous" and "Evil" People   The Ramban discusses the above definition in a sermon for Rosh Hashanah, and he gives a novel definition: "Anybody who is exonerated in his trial is called a completely righteous person, anybody who is found guilty in his trial is called a completely evil person." According to the Ramban, there are two systems of justice. The normal system involves the sum total of actions of a person, and this is relevant at the time of death, when the reward in the world to come is decided. However, the decision of "who will reach his appointed end and who will die before the appointed end" every year depends only on the actions of that year. Thus, the definition of "righteous and evil" in this case is a matter for a specific judgement and does not reflect on the quality of the person in general.   However, there is a problem with the definitions of the Ramban, since from this viewpoint it is not at all clear why one person is exonerated or found guilty in his trial, and in fact this matter does not seem to depend on his specific actions. This is different than the approach of the Rambam, who seems to have ruled based on a simple interpretation of the passage in the Talmud (see Hilchot Teshuva 3:1-2). He also greatly emphasizes the fact that a person must make a great effort before the Days of Awe.   Guidance of Uniqueness and Guidance of Justice   In the writings of the Ramchal, Rosh Hashanah is presented as a day based on "Guidance of Uniqueness." This is a concept that is a foundation of the philosophical outlook of the Ramchal. It describes the way the Holy One, Blessed be He, supervises the world. This can be compared to a second regime of "Guidance of Justice." This is the system of reward and punishment, which operates in reaction to the actions of man and is expressed in natural and fixed rules.   The concept of free choice, which is the basis for the Guidance of Justice, allows for the existence of evil, which has the ability to turn the created world away from its appointed task. In order to prevent this from happening, the Holy One, Blessed be He, operates also within the framework of Guidance of Uniqueness, which has as its objective the fulfillment of the goal of the world, without taking into account the actions of mankind. This type of guidance can sometimes be seen, as a flicker of miraculous revelations. That is when events occur which diverge from the regular sequence of nature and Divine justice. A great abundance has an effect on many people, including some who do not deserve it according to the strict rules of justice. On the other hand, great disasters can harm people seemingly at random.   According to the Ramchal, these two systems of guidance operate in parallel, at the same time. From the exposed and external point of view, reward and punishment are visible, following the regular rules. At the same time, the world is constantly progressing towards its ultimate goal, based on the Guidance of Uniqueness.   The Central Role of Declaring G-d as King   Thus, according to the Ramchal, the purpose of Rosh Hashanah is not to put mankind on trial for their deeds but to bring the world closer to its ultimate goal – declaring G-d as King of the world, something which is very strongly emphasized in our prayer for the holiday. Therefore, the elements of the holiday are not based on reward and punishment. It is true that the fates of individuals are decided on this day, but that is merely a side effect in relation to the main subject. The main question is not what has happened in the past but rather what will be in the future. Which person will be best able to take on a role that will advance the position of the Divine Kingdom, based on the eternal Divine plan? And that is how we should understand the words quoted above by Rabbi Yochanan: Those who are evil or righteous are not defined by their actions before Rosh Hashanah but rather according to the future, the year that is now beginning.   What can an individual person do under these circumstances? The action of a person on Rosh Hashanah is to declare his readiness and his desire to be an active participant in bringing the world closer to its ultimate goal. This is to be done by making a personal enhancement to the royalty of G-d. We must be ready to stand before G-d and declare, "I am here!" A person who makes such a declaration shows that he or she is ready for any Divine demand, and that he or she accepts a role of participating in the guidance of the Holy One, Blessed be He, on the path to the ultimate objective of the world. In this way the person rises up above the mundane considerations of reward and punishment, reaching towards the uniqueness of G-d. This is an action which the Ramchal describes as follows: "To establish the royalty of the Holy One, Blessed be He, over His world, so that He will be the leader."