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On Rosh HaShanna the Jewish people celebrate the day that G-d created Adam; the crown and completion of the six days of creation.

Interestingly, only the Jews celebrate it. There is no other religion, people or nation that knows, or even cares when the world was created and, although Adam is the ‘father’ of all mankind, no one else is interested. Only the Jews.

On the other hand, why is it the Jewish New Year? The creation of the world is certainly not a religious event, it’s a physical one for everyone.

We can better understand this through examining Psalm 62:13.

“You, G-d, are kind; You repay man according to his deeds.”

The obvious question is; what is so kind about paying us for our work? That is simple honesty.

The Baal Shem Tov answered with a parable:

“Once a landowner had a lot of work to be done and went to wake one of his servants but the servant refused to wake up. The master tried shouting, throwing water, dragging him out of bed all to no avail.

“So, with no other choice the master rolled up his sleeves and did all the work himself. He plowed, planted, dug, tore down, built up, painted and worked until sunset.

“Then he returned to the servant’s quarters, finally succeeded in waking him, ordered him to stand up, gave him a big handshake and paid him in full for the day’s work!

“In other words; the master did all the work and the servant got paid!! Could there ever be such a thing?

“Answers the Baal Shem Tov; that is exactly what G-d does with us constantly and that is what the Psalm is saying.

“G-d creates us. He creates all being, the entire universe and everything and everyone in it, every instant anew from nothing. The world (us included) is a big miracle!

“So really G-d (like the landlord in the parable) is doing it all… all the ‘work’. And yet when we do good deeds G-d rewards us as though (according to), we did it.

“So G-d creates us and gives us everything including our free will and power to serve Him, and when we DO serve Him, we get rewarded.” THAT is tremendous kindness!

This is a very interesting idea. But it contradicts common sense. Any CHILD can tell you that we, and what we do, CERTAINLY, independently exist and no one feels they are being created!

And this is exactly the point of Rosh HaShanna the Baal Shem Tov was teaching:

On Rosh HaShanna we, the Jewish people, declare that G-d is ‘King’; acknowledge that He is the Almighty Creator, we are his creations, His wisdom Torah are true and our ‘common sense’ is fallible.                                                                                           

That is why Moses and king David had so much opposition. Because they tried to bring the Jews to see the world from G-d’s perception, which is against human nature.

And Moshiach will be even more so.  He will re-educate the world with the knowledge of the One-ness of G-d.

Like it says in the Midrash that when Adam was created (on Rosh HaShanna) all creation turned to him thinking he was G-d. He replied “Come bow and surrender to G-d OUR Creator (Psalms 95:6)”

And every Rosh HaShanna we do the same thing; ‘Coronate’ G-d as the King of the universe.

And only we Jews can (and must) do it. For that we were ‘chosen’. (As the first Rashi in B’reshis says: The world was created for the Jews and for the Torah).

That answers our question about why ONLY we Jews celebrate the creation: G-d put the world uniquely in our hands.

So, here are four important lessons to be learned from this:

First, life is a gift and a miracle. We should constantly THANK G-d for creating us and all we have.  (The Baal Shem Tov had a custom of going around asking Jews ‘how are you?’ in order to evoke from them a reply of ‘Thanks to G-d’ or ‘Blessed be HaShem’.

Second: We have an obligation to improve and benefit the world around us.  On Rosh HaShanna G-d put Adam in the garden to work and keep it (2:15).

Third: The world is being created constantly by the same G-d that gave the Torah. So the world can never truly oppose Torah. The Torah will always prevail.

And finally, just as Adam was created alone so also each and every one of us is essential and any one can change the ENTIRE world for good.

And Here are two stories to demonstrate:

The first was told by the Rebbe’s personal aid, Rabbi Groner,

 Just one month after the Rebbe accepted the leadership of the Chabad movement in 1951 came the joyous holiday of Purim celebrating the miraculous salvation of Jews some 2,500 years ago, and one of the commandments of the day is to get intoxicated.

The Rebbe made a Chassidic gathering called a ‘Farbringin’ and although he personally drank a very large amount of Vodka he spoke clearly and lucidly and delivered deep, complicated and novel ideas of Torah without the slightest confusion.

But there were Jews there that were not so adept at ‘holding’ their ‘vodka’. One was a businessman that, after a few ‘lechiams’, held a full cup of vodka in the Rebbe’s face and yelled. “Rebbe! Give me a blessing for money!”

The Rebbe asked him “What is your name?” But the fellow was so drunk and confused he couldn’t answer so the Rebbe asked him several times until finally he answered, “Isaac, my name is Isaac.”

“Do you know who Isaac was?” the Rebbe then asked him several times until he understood the question and answered, “One of the fathers of Judaism.”

“And do you know what he did?” the Rebbe continued.

The businessman was confused, “Ehh? What he did? No I don’t know. What did he do?”

“Isaac dug wells” the Rebbe replied. You know what that means?”

“Dug wells? No, what does it mean? That I should dig wells?”

The Rebbe continued, “Digging wells means removing the dirt and revealing what is hidden underneath. Do you understand? When you remove dirt what do you reveal?”

Again the fellow just didn’t get the question, then when he did he didn’t know what to answer but finally he blurted out, “Errr… oil! Oil, diamonds, water! Right?”

“That’s right!” said the Rebbe. “It means that if you remove the dirt; your bad habits and ideas, you will reveal the riches of your soul; living water! This can change the entire world around you!”

“I can change the world?!” he asked incredulously “I can’t change the world! Not me! All I want is a blessing for money.”

“Of course you can. Just like Isaac did. For instance,” The Rebbe continued. “When you leave here, ask the first person you meet on the street to put on Tefillin (Phylacteries).”

“I should ask people to put on Tefillin!?” He couldn’t believe the Rebbe was serious. “Why, I myself don’t put on Tefillin! How can I convince someone else?”

To this the Rebbe replied. “Isaac! You should know that there are Jews that will not listen to anyone. Not him, or him, or him or him. Not even to me!” (The Rebbe pointed first at one Chassid then at another then at himself). Not to any of the religious people in this room. But they will listen to you, Isaac.”

Rabbi Groner did not know what happened afterwards but it was obvious that the Rebbe was laying the groundwork for changing the world.

THE second story was told to me by the chief Rabbi of Kfar Chabad, Rabbi M. Ashkenazi.

He was once visiting Mexico on Rabbinical business and was invited by a local Rabbi there to see his community. Rabbi Ashkenazi discovered that this Rabbi had built a virtual empire of orthodox Judaism with an immense synagogue, a beautiful mikva, a huge yeshiva and more.

The Rabbi turned to Rabbi Ashkenazi and said, “I’m not a Chabad Chassid but I owe all this to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and I’ll tell you how.

“Before I got married, when I was learning in Jerusalem in Yeshivat Porat Yosef, someone came in and said that a ‘Shaliach’ (emissary) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe was speaking in a local Synagogue so myself and a friend went to listen.

“This Shaliach spoke in Yiddish so I didn’t understand a word but someone translated and said that the Lubavitcher Rebbe said that each Jew is like a match; With a little effort he can transform a place of complete spiritual darkness to light and warmth.’

“That was over thirty years ago. I married, got a job here in Mexico and got a taste of the spiritual darkness the Rebbe was referring to. No one here wanted to hear about Orthodox Judaism. But those words of the Rebbe gave me hope and strength.

Although other Rabbis protested my leading a community of non-religious Jews I kept working on the community and what the Rebbe said came true. I transformed it to light and warmth just like one little match can do.”

Thjs is the task that Adam was entrusted with when he was created on Rosh HaShanna and this is what Moshiach will complete; to illuminate the entire world with the light of Torah.

 And we have the power to make it happen one moment sooner!

We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish faith, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even good thought, can tilt the scales.

Wishing all our readers a happy, healthy, successful NEW year with …….. Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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