Rosh Hashana is a unique yom tov in that it has a dual nature. On the one hand it's a holiday. On the other hand, since it is a day of judgment, the joy of the yom tov is tempered.

The Rambam writes that although Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are days of simcha there should not be simcha yeseira (excessive joy). Hallel is not recited for how can one sing when the books of life and death are open before Hashem?

The Shulchan Aruch notes that on Shabbat and Yom Tov one may not fast past midday. However, the Mishna Berura quotes the Rema that on Rosh Hashana one may fast after midday.

When delineating the laws of yom tov, the Shulchan Aruch generally warns us not to overindulge at the festive meal or to engage in excessive frivolity. Rather one should remain focused on serving Hashem. On Rosh Hashana the warning is more severe. Likewise, Jewish law states that clothing worn on yom tov should be nicer than that which is worn on Shabbat. However the Mishna Berura quotes the Magen Avraham that on Rosh Hashana one's clothing should reflect the somberness of the day.

In the Shemonei Esrei of Rosh Hashana, there are three blessings, malchiut, zichronot, and shofrot. Malchiut reflects the joy of the day. Zichronot represents the awe and fear of judgment. In Malchiut we crown Hashem king. In Zichronot we ask Hashem to remember us for the good as we are being judged. In a deeper sense, there's awe contained within Malchiyut too. When the King of kings sits in judgment, and we must account for our deeds, a sense of awe and trembling overtakes us. Likewise we can find joy in Zichronot. The Mishna Berura notes that although Hashem remembers all our actions, He is all-merciful and awaits our repentance.

Rav Soloveitchik notes that in Jewish law, the blowing of the shofar is considered a form of prayer. In the Shemonei Esrei of nusach sefard the shofar is blown in the middle of the prayers. Normally no interruptions are allowed but here we see that tekiat shofar is not considered a hefsek.

There is a discussion in the Gemara whether a shofar must be bent or straight. Rashi explains that the debate really refers to whether one should pray in a submissive way or in an erect dignified manner. Here we see another connection between shofar and prayer.

The Avudaraham writes that all blessings established by the sages are rooted in verses in Tanach. Based on this, Rav Soloveitchik asks, what is the Torah source for the blessing on shofar, "Shomea kol teruot amei yisrael b'rachamim?" (You who hear the voice of the shofar of the Jewish people with mercy.) There are many verses in Tanach referring to how Hashem listens to our pleas and prayers. If shofar is a form of tefilah, there is no question.

Blowing the shofar encapsulates both the joy and the awe of judgment. Rav Sadya Gaon notes that we sound the shofar as an expression of simcha the same way trumpets are blown to celebrate the coronation of a king. The shofar is also an expression of yebuvah (crying). On Rosh Hashana, we plead and beg and then when speech fails us, we just break down and cry. With the wordless tefilah of the shofar, we ask Hashem to give us what He knows is ultimately best for us.

We see in the Torah too, how the shofar reflects both happiness and fear. The Rambam writes that the shofar was blown to add joy to the sacrificial offerings. Yet in Hilchos Taanit he notes that there's a mitzvah to blow shofar and cry out to Hashem in a time of distress.

Rav Nebenzahl asks, why is Rosh Hashana, the day of judgment celebrated before Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. Shouldn't repentance come first? He explains that Rosh Hashana is in fact a day of repentance although we barely mention sin at all. We begin by attacking the core cause of sin.

Yom Kippur is like knocking down a building one floor at a time, Rosh Hashana is ripping out the foundation. On Yom Kippur we repent by focusing on specific sins. On Rosh Hashana we acknowledge Hashem as ourking. If we would internalize this and recognize that Hashem is all powerful and all- knowing, we would immediately stop sinning and do teshuva.

May we merit a ketiva v'chatima tova and a shana tova u'metukah!

 If we examine the Rosh Hashana prayers closely, we see that it contains almost no personal requests. The core aspect of the tefilot focus on crowning Hashem king. Why is this so? In the section of Shofrot, we refer to the shofar that was blown on Har Sinai. What is the connection of Har Sinai to Rosh Hashana?

Hashem says, "Imru lifanei malchiyut zichronot v'shofrot. -Say before me the prayers of malchiyut, zichronot, and shofrot. We are judged on Rosh Hashana because it was on this day that Adam was created, sinned, repented, and received atonement. It is therefore fitting that on this day we acknowledge our true mission in this world through the prayers of malchiyut, zichronot, and shofrot.

Adam ate from the tree of knowledge because he desired a more human centered universe. Therefore his teshuva was to acknowledge Hashem's centrality in his life. Adam was the composite of all souls that would ever live. His fall was caused by the souls found within him. In essence, we too desired to eat from the tree and we were all the cause of his downfall. Adam's teshuva is a paradigm for us. We must return and embrace a higher level of consciousness of Hashem.

Hashem created this world as a dwelling place for His presence. When Adam rebelled, in a sense, he pushed Hashem back to heaven one level. When Kayin sinned he pushed Hashem back further. The Avot succeeded in bringing Him back somewhat. At the giving of the Torah, the Divine Presence came down seven levels but it departed after cheit haegel. Our avodah on Rosh Hashana is to rectify the part of ourselves found in Adam. We must reveal the hidden presence of Hashem once again by sharpening our awareness of Divine Providence and by centering our lives to revolve around the will of Hashem.

The Sifsei Chaim notes that the sounding of the shofar strengthens goodness and subdues evil. The teruah-the broken sound, signifies breaking the yetzer hara and removing evil. The tekiah-the straight sound, symbolizes our good deeds. The Ramchal writes that before Adam's sin evil existed outside of man. After the sin, good and evil were mixed together. The tekiah is meant to subdue the teruah. The shofar signifies the desire to come back to our original state of purity.

When the Jews stood at Har Sinai the negativity of Adam's sin ceased to exist. Their yetzer hara left them and they became immortal. We focus on matan torah in the prayer of shofrot to remind us that we too can return.

When Adam sinned he affected the letters vav and hey in the shem Havaya and the yud and mem in Elokim. This spells hayom- today. Adam altered the concept of today. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked Mashiach, "When will you come?" He answered, "Hayom." When the missing letters of Hashem that Adam separated will be rectified. In exile, there is hester panim (Hashem's presence is concealed). Our struggle on earth is to make Hashem real in our life. We must believe that wherever we are at the moment, this is where Hashem wants us to be. Every opportunity is a potential for sanctifying His name. Hayom, where we find ourselves today, is our personal avodah and we must embrace it with passion and faith.

The Baal Hatanya writes that the pinimiyut halev (inner heart) of a Jew is in essence a part of Hashem. It is higher than anything we can fathom. With the chitzoniyut halev (outer dimension of the heart) we can understand somewhat how Hashem fills the world with His presence, but the level of penimiyut halaev is much harder to grasp. How can a finite being cross the bridge that connects him andHis Creator? In truth, it is possible only because,"Ki chelek Hashem amo"-the soul of a Jew is a part of Hashem. The pinimiyut halev is beyond physical reality and is not bound by natural limitations. It is something the world and ourselves cannot see or understand. It is a fragment of the ohr haganuz, the penimiyut haohr (the inner hidden light) .

A Jew's avodah (service)begins in the area of chitzoniyut halev but from there it can spread to penimiyut halev. The Rebbe teaches that through deep meditation, and avodah in Torah and mitzvot, one can come to the level of achrai- connecting to the ray of Hashem's light. Ze'akah-a scream emerges from the outer region of the heart. Yet a Jew can reach something deeper. He has the ability to seek the inner essence of Hashem himself . The cry that comes from, "Bakshu panai"-seeking His face, emerges from the penimiyut halev .

We say in Shema, "V'ahvata es Hashem...b'chol modecha"-And you should love Hashem beyond anything that can be measured. How can a person who is bound by physical reality be swept away by the love of Hashem beyond this world? When the hidden soul of a Jew is revealed he is not limited to the rules of this world. This is the strength of a tzaddik who transcends the boundaries of his finite self and taps into the infinite power that belongs to every Jew. It says about Yosef Hatzaddik, "Vayanos hachutza." He conquered his desires. We have this unbelievable strength too. The Jewish people are called shearit Yosef-the remnants of Yosef. There's a part within each of us that can never be defiled or touched by the outside world.
 

During the ten days of repentance we say, "Shir hamaalot mimamakim kirasicha Hashem,"-From the depths I call out to you, Hashem. From deep within our hearts, from our penimiyut halev, we can come to the highest levels of repentance. When a Jew feels the pain and bitterness of how distant he is from the light of Hashem's face and it touches him mimamkim -to the depths of his soul, then, "Karisicha Hashem," he can arouse Hashem to reveal Himself to him from His hidden place. The Navi says, "Merochok Hashem nirah li" -From the feeling of being far away, He appeared to me.

In the Rosh Hashana prayers we say, "Atah zocher maasei olam"-You remember all that took place. This does not mean that all year Hashem forgets and then on Rosh Hashana He remembers. Rather it means that He brings our deeds to the forefront on this day. On Rosh Hashana all that was far becomes near. When a Jew feels distant from Hashem and he repents and cries out to Hashem, his penimiyut halev is awakened and it is then that he can reunite once again with the King of Kings.