The code of Jewish law known as Tur Shulchan Aruch cites a Midrash that proclaims the greatness of the Jewish people on Rosh Hashana. Most people awaiting a verdict of life or death are distressed and disheveled. The Jewish people on the other hand treat their day of judgment for life or death as a holiday! In preparation for Rosh Hashana they bathe, cut their hair, trim their nails and put on fine clothing. In Rosh Hashana itself they, "eat, drink, and rejoice because they know that Hashem will perform a miracle for them."
How can we be so confident that Hashem will do miracles for us and we'll come out on the positive side of the judgment? Don’t we know many people who haven't? Precisely because we don’t know what our verdict will be, we find throughout writings about Rosh Hashana that a person should have אימת הדין (aimat hadin), the fear of judgment. How can we explain being fearful and joyous about the same thing?
There is an answer given that as individuals we actually cannot be so confident. But Klal Yisroel, the entity of the Jewish people, can be confident that Hashem will do miracles for it. As individuals we hope and pray that everything will work out. But the confidence and joy displayed is for Klal Yisrael.
This is why there are mixed emotions on Rosh Hashana. We have a festive meal but there is trepidation that we feel throughout the day, especially during tefilos. That’s because we really don’t know what is in store for us as individuals.
The truth is that Klal Yisroel is presently facing many difficulties. Where are the miracles from the last Rosh Hashana? Where were the miracles when the Holocaust was raging?
I believe the answer is that in many ways Klal Yisroel at that time did not receive a judgment for life. But the fact that the Jewish people survived the Holocaust was a miracle! And it took many miracles along that very dark path for that to happen. The miracles continued with the tremendous growth of the Jewish people after the Holocaust.
The same holds true for the challenges facing the Jewish People today. There will always be ups and downs but we are confident that as the Jewish people we will experience miracles for our survival and development.
Is there something for individuals to do to help themselves? Rav Yisroel Salanter answered yes! Make yourself an integral part of the Jewish people and then you can ride on their coattails. How does one do that? The general answer is to get out of yourself and care about others. How that care will manifest itself will depend on every person’s situation. Some will touch thousands of people while others will touch a few. Sometimes there will be nothing to do but to feel someone’s pain. Whatever way it may be, you are then a person that Klal Yisrael needs and you are an integral part of the Jewish people.
This idea manifests itself in what we said above regarding treating Rosh Hashana in a festive manner. Here we are celebrating the miracles that will be done for the Jewish people even though as individuals our personal lot is up in the air. That means we care about the Klal more than ourselves! That makes us an integral part of Klal Yisrael.
May each one of us and Klal Yisrael merit a new year of Torah growth, health, happiness, simchot and nachat!
Ketiva v’chatima tova!
Yitzchak