Rosh Hashanah is more than the Day of Judgment. On this day, we come to crown G-d as King over the world, willingly accepting His sovereignty upon ourselves. The story of Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks offers a powerful insight into the meaning of the shofar on this day.
Why Do We Need a King?
The most famous monarchy today is the British royal family, which never stops producing headlines and stories that occupy the attention of the world. But it is certainly not the only royal family in the world. To this day, there are several monarchies around the world, in Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and many other countries.
And this raises an interesting question: In the modern world, where almost every country is governed by elected governments, why do we still need kings? Why does a country need a person who was born into a royal family to be its king?
There is a major debate over this question. Some say that the institution of monarchy is outdated, expensive, and undemocratic. They ask, why should the public pay for palaces, security, and royal ceremonies? And why should a person have a special status simply because of the family into which he was born?
On the other hand, there are those who believe that monarchy gives a country something that politicians cannot provide. Politicians come and go, they are frequently replaced, whereas monarchy provides tradition, continuity, stability, national identity, and a figure who stands above political disagreements.
This debate reached a peak recently in England, surrounding King Charles III. On May 6, 2023, his coronation took place. There were people who demonstrated against the monarchy, carrying signs that said: “He is not my king.”
But despite everything, thousands of people came to London just to be there when the king emerged from the palace. About 2,300 guests participated in the ceremony itself. And outside, along the route of the procession, crowds stood waiting to see the king.
And this makes us think: Perhaps there is something about the concept of a “king” that is much deeper than we think, something that is very closely connected to Rosh Hashanah.
You Should Stay for Rosh Hashanah
In 1968, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who was then a young man of 19, came for a private audience with the Rebbe, a meeting that changed his life, as he himself recounted in many places. It was toward the end of the summer, shortly before Rosh Hashanah. He was preparing to return to England to begin the academic year at college.
He was supposed to leave the United States on Sunday at the end of August. The day before, on Shabbat, he participated in a gathering with the Rebbe, and the Chassidim told him: “You’re going back to England? Take a bottle of vodka with you, go to the Rebbe during the singing in the middle of the Farbrengen, the Rebbe will say l’chaim, and that way you will have vodka from the Rebbe.”
In the middle of the Farbrengen, in front of thousands of people, he approached the Rebbe and asked him to say l’chaim. The Rebbe looked at him in surprise. “Are you leaving?” he asked. “Yes,” he answered. “Why?” “I have to return to Cambridge, the semester is about to begin,” he said. The Rebbe turned to him and said: “But at Cambridge, the semester does not begin until October.”
Rabbi Sacks was stunned. How did the Rebbe know that? Then the Rebbe said, “I think you should stay for Rosh Hashanah.” The Rebbe said l’chaim to him, and Sacks returned to his place.
Everyone wanted to know, “What did the Rebbe tell you?” He innocently told them. The yeshiva students in 770 immediately said to him, “if the Rebbe says to stay, you have to stay.” The next day, they would not let him go to the airport.
He argued, “I’ll lose the ticket.” “Don’t worry, we told the airline that you are not feeling well and cannot travel.” “But how will I be able to prove it?” he asked. “Tomorrow, the doctor in 770 will give you a certificate.”
The next day, the doctor went through a long list of illnesses with him and asked him whether he had ever had each one, and for everything he answered no. Finally, after 50 illnesses, he asked, “Have you ever had jaundice?” Sacks answered, “Yes, ten years ago.” The doctor said, “Then you can have a recurrence!”
And so he says, “I was privileged to spend Rosh Hashanah with the Rebbe.” This was an experience that remained with him throughout his life. When he told the story 46 years later, he said that he could still hear the sound of the shofar in his ears.
And then he said something wonderful, that the Rebbe’s shofar was different from every other shofar sound he had heard in his lifetime.
He explained that the most commonly given reasons for blowing the shofar are to inspire us to repent or to remind us of the binding of Isaac, neither of which is a particularly happy reason.
The sound of the shofar is a sad sound. It is worrying. But when the Rebbe blew the Shofar, Rabbi Sacks concluded, “The sound of the shofar was not a sad sound!”
A Kingdom of Kindness
Let us try to understand what is really hidden behind the sound of the shofar. But before that, we need to ask a more general question: Why did the Torah establish Rosh Hashanah on the first day of Tishrei? Why specifically on this day?
The answer is that the first human being was created on Rosh Hashanah. This is the day on which Adam and Eve were created, the day we mark the birthday of humanity. But the question still remains: Why do we celebrate this? What difference does it make to us that Adam and Eve were created thousands of years ago?
Rather, there is something deeper here. On the day they were created, Adam and Eve were not babies. They were like young people in their twenties. On the day they were created, they recognized that there was a Creator of the world. They understood that there was an owner of the palace, recognized G-d as the Creator of the world, and willingly accepted His authority. And ever since then, every Rosh Hashanah, Jews gather in synagogues around the world to renew our commitment to G-d and willingly accept His authority as King of the world.
If we examine the central prayer of Rosh Hashanah, we discover that we are not praying only for ourselves. We pray that the entire world will recognize that G-d is the King of the world. We say: “Reign over the entire world in Your glory.” And we ask G-d to reveal His power in the world, so that His leadership will be seen, and that things will happen that will cause the entire world to recognize that He is the King.
My friends, Rosh Hashanah is not only the Day of Judgment. It is also a very festive day, the day of the coronation of the King. Who would not want to be invited to the coronation of a king? And that is exactly what we are doing today. We come to crown G-d as King of the world.
What does it mean to crown? G-d does not need us in order to be the ruler. He rules the world even without us declaring Him to be King. He created the world, and He guides it. But this is not about government or control. We are talking about kingship.
True kingship is a kingship that the people willingly accept upon themselves. It is not like a dictator who rules by force through the army. We say to G-d: We want You as our King. We accept Your sovereignty upon ourselves. Therefore, on Rosh Hashanah there is something that very much resembles a coronation ceremony: the blowing of the shofar. (Maamer “This is the day,” 5725, Likutei Sichot, volume 41, page 3.)
There is a video of the moment when the crown was placed on the head of King Charles. Immediately after the crown was placed on his head, they declared: “G-d Save the King,” and immediately afterward, the sound of trumpet fanfare was heard.
Why trumpets? Because when a king is crowned, it is announced with a loud sound. We also come today with our “trumpets.” We blow the shofar and announce: G-d is the King. This sound of the shofar is not a sad sound. On the contrary, it is a sound filled with optimism and joy!
And that is why, specifically on the day of the coronation of the King, it is also the Day of Judgment. What happens when a king ascends to power? On the day of his coronation, he begins his reign with kindness. He cancels taxes, gives gifts, and grants pardons. This is not an ordinary day. It is a day of favor, kindness, and mercy.
And as the Rebbe says in a talk: “Since ‘the earthly kingdom resembles the heavenly kingdom,’ just as it is with the kingdom of a human being, where the practice and the law are that when a king is crowned, he then cancels every decree, grants relief to the countries, and gives gifts with a king’s generosity, so too with the coronation of G-d, when He cancels all decrees, and the Jewish people are in a state … in which they merit judgment,” and therefore “there was certainly a favorable inscription for a good and sweet year” … “As discussed at length above, on the day the king is crowned, the king exempts everyone from all matters of taxes and gives gifts, and so on, … children, life, and abundant sustenance, without conditions, and it continues in a manner of abundance.” (See Likutei Sichot, volume 70, page 9 and page 36.)
And this is exactly what we ask for on Rosh Hashanah. We stand before the King whom we ourselves have accepted upon ourselves and ask: Master of the Universe, be our King, and treat us with a kingship of kindness, mercy, and love.
A Pardon from the New Czar
I want to share with you a story about the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the founder of the Chabad movement, which can help us understand what is really happening on Rosh Hashanah.
The Alter Rebbe was a student of the Maggid of Mezeritch, who sent him to spread the teachings of Chassidism in Vilna, a place where there were great Torah scholars as well as strong opposition to Chassidism. The Alter Rebbe, who was an extraordinary scholar, entered into debates with them and succeeded in convincing many of the correctness of the Chassidic path. As a result, many young people were drawn to him.
This aroused great opposition, until his opponents decided to inform the Russian authorities against him. They claimed that he was dangerous to the government and intended to rebel against the czar. The Alter Rebbe was arrested and taken to St. Petersburg. And from here begins a story of imprisonment. After 53 days, the Alter Rebbe was released from prison. There was tremendous joy and celebration. This day became known as the 19th of Kislev, the day of his redemption.
But two years later, his opponents informed against him again, and once again he was taken to St. Petersburg. However, this time things were different. He was treated with greater respect. This was no longer imprisonment, but was more like house arrest. He was questioned and investigated, but in the end he was released again. This time he was released on the fifth night of Hanukkah.
But even though he was free, the Russian authorities still did not allow him to return home. And so days and months passed. The Alter Rebbe remained in St. Petersburg, waiting for permission that would allow him to leave and return to his city and his home. He desperately wanted to be home for Passover. It was very important to him to celebrate the holiday in his home, together with his family and his followers. But the long awaited permission did not arrive.
Passover was approaching. The waiting became more and more difficult, and this caused him great pain. On the Shabbos Hagadol, which was Erev Pesach, the czar went out to tour the streets of the city. He would travel by carriage throughout St. Petersburg and observe what was happening around him. During the journey, he passed by a window where the Alter Rebbe was standing. The Alter Rebbe looked at the czar for some time, and then said: “For the splendor of the king has departed from him, and he is merely a man.” That night, people from within assassinated Czar Paul I. (The Life and Times of the Alter Rebbe, page 53.)
A few days later, his son Alexander I was appointed czar. Then something remarkable happened: The practice was that when a new czar rose to power, he granted pardons, and there was someone there who made sure that the Alter Rebbe’s file was brought to the new czar. He signed a complete pardon for the Rebbe, who could immediately leave St. Petersburg.
On Rosh Hashanah, we turn to the King of the world and ask Him: Today we crown You anew over us. We willingly accept Your kingship. And after we have crowned the King, we ask Him for a pardon. Master of the Universe, be our King, and give us the pardon and the blessing of a king, a good and sweet year.
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