Shabbat Shalom

She'elah u'teshuvah, Q & A, with Rabbi Tow

Question: How should we pray on Rosh Hashanah? Do we say our prayers with a sense of happiness and celebration? Or do we say our prayers with a sense of trembling before God and with tears?

This is a question that came to Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, a former Chief Rabbi of Israel. It is also a topic that I wrote about in my September bulletin column. I thought it would be helpful to share some of his insights into this question.

Answer:

While Rosh Hashanah is a day of introspection, reflection, and judgment, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef brings to light several sources from our tradition that teach us to approach Rosh Hashanah with a sense of joy.

We see in the Book of Ezra that the exiles who returned to the Holy Land after the Babylonian exile would gather on Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the New Year, to hear their leader Ezra the Scribe read from the Torah. The people cried since they felt they had not followed God's teachings since they were unfamiliar with the Torah, an unfortunate result of the exile. Ezra, along with fellow leader Nehemiah, said to the people, "...do not mourn and do not weep...go and eat good and sweet things, and send gifts to those who have nothing prepared, for the day is holy to our God. Do not be sad, for your rejoicing in God is the source of your strength."(Nehemiah 8:9) From this account, Rabbi Yosef explains that Rosh Hashanah is meant to be a day of celebration and thankfulness.

A second point that Rabbi Yosef makes is that we may not fast on Rosh Hashanah. When we fast, there is a sense of fear and also an absence of the joy that is associated with special holiday foods. While the Rabbis think of Yom Kippur, a fast day, as a day of celebration despite the fast, there is a different feeling in the words of Ezra and Nehemiah who not only permit but rather encourage people to enjoy and share good food on Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Yosef also explains that we may not fast even on the second day of Rosh Hashanah since it is really an extension of the spirit of the first day.

Next, we should not offer our prayers with tears on Rosh Hashanah, rather we should offer our prayers in a pleasant and happy tone. It is not problematic if we feel the urge to shed tears as a result of the impact of the prayers on our souls, but we should not force ourselves to cry. Tears that come from the impact of the words and music are welcome to God on the High Holidays since, as the Rabbis taught, "the gates of tears are open" on these significant days.

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The New Year is coming, a time for joy!
The New Year is coming, it's not a time for "Oy"!
Remember the sound of the shofar from previous years
Its powerful music still ringing in our ears
Awake! Awake!
Let us rise in song!
Rosh Hashanah will soon be here,
A time for simchah instead of fears,
A time to celebrate and wash away tears.