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I want to wish everyone a K'tiva V'Chatima Tova!

The Gemara in Maseches Taanis 25b records an incident that occurred one year during a particularly bad drought. The Gemara tells us that Rebbe Eliezer led the congregation and recited 24 Brachos but he wasn't answered and the drought continued. However, when Rebbe Akiva led the congregation, all he said was "Our Father, our King: we have no king beside You. Our Father, our King: for Your sake have mercy on us," and immediately he was answered and it began to rain. This caused a large debate to break out amongst those assembled, questioning Rebbe Eliezer's greatness until a Heavenly Voice called out and said, "I didn't answer Rebbe Akiva because he was greater than Rebbe Eliezer, rather it was because Rabbe Akiva is מעביר על מדותיו and Rebbe Eliezer is not."

 The expression "מעביר על מדותיו" is normally understood to refer to someone who doesn't get upset when someone does something wrong to him-that he is overcoming his natural inclination to take revenge. According to this explanation the Gemara seems to make little sense as if it's true that Rebbe Akiva overcomes his natural inclination and Rebbe Eliezer doesn't then this seems to be a reason that Rebbe Akiva is, in fact, greater. How can we understand this Gemara?

The עץ יוסף explains that really Rebbe Akiva and Rebbe Eliezer responded to personal slights in the same way, with neither letting it bother them. However, one needs to look at their background to truly understand this Gemara. Rebbe Akiva was a convert and did not grow up in a house that was imbued with Torah's sensitivities towards others. Therefore, when he looked the other way, he was overcoming all of the bad habits he had learned in his youth. Rebbe Eliezer, on the other hand, had grown up in a Torah home and it was more natural for him to look the other way when someone would wrong him.

It turns out that we have two people who seem to respond the exact same way to when one wrongs them, yet, because of their backgrounds, they are not the same at all. I believe that if people who act the same are actually quite different, then all the more so should people who act differently be judged differently. It would seem that it is vital whenever we interact with others to take their background into consideration and, more often than not, this will help us understand others and treat them in a much more appropriate way.

 In doing so, may we all merit to be written and sealed in the book of life.

There is another disagreement-- about how we should stand during davening on Rosh Hashana.  Should we stand straight and tall and proud?  We ARE declaring that Hashem is our King after all!  Or should we be bent over and humble, since we are davening for our whole year, and are afraid of what our judgement might be?

The answer to both questions is the same--we are bent over, and our shofars are bent, to remind us to be humble, and realize that we are very small, and Hashem is VERY great.

However, you might think that this means that Rosh Hashana is supposed to be a sad and scary day.  Actually, there is also a mitzvah of simcha on Rosh Hashana!  Even though it is a serious day, we are happy.  We are celebrating so many things--a new year, the opportunity and gift that Hashem gives us to do Teshuva, and the fact that we KNOW that Hashem will judge us fairly, even if we don't always understand how.

We show our simcha by singing, eating special foods, wearing nice clothes etc.  These things aren't a distraction from the main ideas of Rosh Hashana--the Shofar, Teshuvah, and Tefillah.  Rather, showing and experiencing Simcha, happiness, is another important way to fulfill the purpose of Rosh Hashana and connect to Hashem.