Rosh HaShanah from a Kabbalistic Perspective
We are soon approaching the holiday of Rosh HaShanah, which arrives at the start at the month of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar and marks the beginning of the year. In this world, it is the time of celebrations and feasts, wherein we eat lots of symbolic foods – notably the well-known honey-dipped apple.
However, when we are talking about Rosh HaShanah in the wisdom of Kabbalah, we are talking about a state in the worlds above: we learn about the creation of the world, the state of the world before creation, the reason for its creation; we learn about what was new in reality, the reality before, during and after creation, and we learn what relation all of this structure of the world has to do with a person. All of this is already included in the root in Rosh HaShanah, the head of the year.
What does Rosh HaShanah mean?
Fundamentally, and as with all holidays, we aren’t referring to some specific day in our calendar when we’re talking about the meaning of holidays in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Rather, we are talking about a spiritual state.
“Rosh” means “head” in Hebrew. It refers to the state from which everything originates and unfolds. Nothing new happens afterwards, as what happens in the beginning simply unfolds. Thus, it's important for us to study this process and try to understand what we are supposed to do for us to attain this origin; for this creation to go through each of us, together.
“Shanah” means “year” – from the word change – the beginning of the changes; it implies we are now starting to move towards our goal, towards the final correction. Hence this state is called Rosh HaShanah, since it determines the initial connection between us, wherein we begin our path, and that's how we will advance further until the final correction.
The meaning of Rosh Hashanah [New Year’s Eve] is a new beginning, when a person begins to build a new structure. It is as our sages said, “One should always consider oneself half sinful, half righteous. If he performs a single Mitzva [good deed/commandment], happy is he, for he has sentenced himself and the whole world to the side of merit. If he commits one transgression, woe unto him for he has sentenced himself and the whole world to the side of fault.”
Rabash, Letter No. 34
What is Rosh HaShanah in the wisdom of Kabbalah?
Rosh HaShanah is the beginning of the correction. It is a time wherein, precisely, the system of Adam HaRishon – that soul – that the Creator created, was broken.
It follows that everything extends from the first failure, when Adam HaRishon fell into self-love. This caused the following generations to have work of simple faith, since when a person is in self-love, the Tzimtzum [restriction] and concealment are on him, and the upper light cannot shine for him.
RABASH, Article No. 2
Now, we need to enter a state of faith above reason. This means that one’s force of bestowal can be more than one’s force of reception, that one restricts their will to receive and try to relate to everything that appears as outside of them only through the force of bestowal. And in that attitude, one begins to see an opposite world, a spiritual world.
We need to try to bring it to correction with our efforts, alongst with the bad qualities within us and in spite of our resistance to this correction, we nevertheless want to re-establish this system – the collection of the souls that were broken and became separated – and bring everything back into this one, united soul. By this, we build a new world. It’s a new development, and this is what happens to us in this holiday, in this spiritual state called “Rosh HaShanah”
In that state, we put together all the forces that were in the system called Adam HaRishon before the sin which caused the shattering, and all of the forces that were revealed during the sin. During the shattering, as the Creator says “I created the evil inclination”. He breaks the system of Adam HaRishon. Therefrom, we have to re-establish it with all the bad forces and the good forces together, and this is the matter of the building of Malchut.
The ARI says that Rosh HaShanah is the building of Malchut, called “the quality of judgment.” Malchut [kingship] means that the whole world follows her quality, since Malchut is called “the assembly of Israel,” in which all 600,000 souls of Israel are included, and the whole work of Rosh HaShanah is to accept the burden of the kingdom.
RABASH, Article No. 45
What do we have to do on Rosh HaShanah?
The whole work of Rosh HaShanah from the side of the person is to accept the burden of Malchut. Meaning, that one must recognize their evil inclination and accept that they are under the upper control, which organizes everyone. This is why, when we want ourselves to accept it and that we’re willing for this to be the case, we pray on Rosh HaSahanah for the Creator to reveal His glory, His control, His greatness, upon all of us, so as to all feel it.
In other words, Malchut means that we must accept and crown His kingship over us, so it does not have the form of Shechina [Divinity] in the dust, but a form of glory. This is why on Rosh Hashanah, we pray, “And give glory to Your people.” That is, we ask that the Creator will let us feel, so we will feel the glory of heaven.
RABASH, Article No. 45
And Rosh HaShanah is called Yom HaDin – the “day of Judgement”. It is the determining beginning of a state, from which everything unfolds. Thus, on that day, one’s spiritual state is judged to be good or to be bad – whether they glorify the Creator or not – and from that point the entire year unfolds.
This is why, during these days, we can be kept from all the separating forces that act on us and the evil inclination that’s present in each and every one of us. We do not have anything else to do other than recognize our evil inclination and direct our new intention towards correction which will bring about connection between us, as one man with one heart; to be as one bundle.
One should awaken one’s heart precisely to Teshuva [repentance], to submit oneself to his Creator and take upon himself the burden of His kingship with great love. By this, the love of the upper one awakens on him, as was said, “From afar, the Lord appeared to me.” This is so on Rosh Hashanah [Hebrew New Year], when the upper one is far from Israel because of the sentencing, and man is far because of the separation.
Kol Simcha, Letters
It follows that all our work is to aim our hearts through the friends, in order to aim it at this concept called 'The Creator', and this marks a new spiritual beginning, which is “Rosh HaShanah”. And by annulling our desire before all the friends and towards the Creator, we feel like we enter into a mutual contact with him. From this point of contact, we begin to develop, and as it grows and expands, it marks the process of the year.
In connection we discover all our states, what we need to do, each of our inner states for each of us and all of us together – only in connection. There really is nothing else in creation after the Creator designed the soul of Adam HaRishon and broke it. There's only one thing that we have left to do: connect the broken pieces.
What do the customs of Rosh HaShanah symbolize?
Rosh HaShanah is associated with a few traditional customs. A Shofar, pomegranate, apple dipped in honey, and a fish head; all of these customs symbolize the mitigation of the Dinim (judgment) by respecting bestowal instead of receiving, because this new year is a day of judgement. It follows:
Blowing of the Shofar – The word shofar comes from the Aramaic word shufra – the best of the best. The blowing of the horn stands for our yearning for correction from hatred of others into love of others.
Apple with honey – The apple symbolizes sin (the desire to receive for oneself), which is softened and sweetened with honey. The sweetening, in turn, symbolizes the desire to learn how to use this innate human desire altruistically.
Fish – The creature that lives in water symbolizes a life in grace, since water represents “grace” in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Eating the fish’s head recalls the wish to “be the head and not the tail.” This means examining one’s own path and not blindly following the “herd,” which, without realizing it, pursues only self-interest.
Pomegranate – As our sages said, “that our rights (Zchuyot) should be as many as a pomegranate”. “Zchuyot” stems from the root “Zachut,” which means “purity” and refers to the purification of our ego. Each individual seed of the pomegranate represents a desire that must be discovered within oneself in order to learn to use it not for personal gain, but as a blessing for others.