Christian Reflection and Prayer

“Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his
rule with trembling.” — Psalm 2:11

Rosh Hashanah has several other names,
one of which is “The Day of Judgment.” On
the Jewish New Year, every single person in
the world stands before God in judgment.
The previous year is taken into review, and
decisions are made regarding the year to come.

It was always hard for me to know how to relate
to Rosh Hashanah. On one hand, it is a day of
joy and celebration. We dress in our finest
clothing and share delicious meals with family
and friends. On the other hand, we spend half of
the time in prayer, contemplating that we are
being judged by the Master of the Universe.
That’s a pretty scary thought!

The psalmist sums up my ambivalence with
words that the Talmud associates with Rosh
Hashanah: “Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate
His rule with trembling.” Well … which is it? Are
we celebrating or are we trembling? It seems
awfully difficult to do both at the same time!

The process of moving from one location to
another can help us understand the words of the
psalm writer. Anyone who has moved houses
knows the process is no picnic, and for many
who have moved to Israel, where everything is
tiny compared to super-sized America, the
process also means downsizing in a major way.
You have to make decisions about every single
thing that you own. Do we really need it? Does
it serve a good purpose?

If you do a good job, you end up throwing a lot
of stuff out. The process of de-cluttering one’s life
and assessing one’s worldly possessions is
downright painstaking. But at the same time, it is
incredibly liberating. It’s painful, but at the same
time it is joyful. There is nothing more cathartic
than throwing junk out!

This process can help us better understand the Day
of Judgment. On Rosh Hashanah we tremble,
knowing that we are being judged. We are forced to
take stock of our inner world: Do I really want to
behave this way? Do I really want to be that kind of
person? Is this the direction I want my life going in?
We take note of all of the junk cluttering our minds
and interfering with our souls and we throw it out!
We say to God, “I’m getting rid of all that garbage!”

And you know what? It feels pretty good to go through
such a thorough cleansing. We feel lighter, clearer,
and yes – joyful.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein