Rosh Hashana - Parshas Ha'azinu 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Oct 2, 2024
- 2 min read
לכו אכלו משמנים ושתו ממתקים ושלחו מנות לאין נכון כי קדוש היום לאדנינו ואל תעצבו כי חדות ה' היא מעזכם ... (נחמיה ח,י)
MASHAL: There was once a land which was blessed with a very devoted king, a monarch who took his royal responsibilities very seriously. He did not ignore the people; he listened to all his subjects who came to him for help and worked hard to assist them. Eventually, after hearing so many sob-filled stories for such a long period of time, he became depressed.
Soon it became a national crisis; the nation’s beloved king was sick - and getting worse each day. His close ministers convened a meeting, and it was decided to call a world-renowned specialist in from a far-away land.
The specialist arrived shortly thereafter. After a number of tests, the prestigious doctor came up with a diagnosis; the king was chronically depressed and the only thing that can cure him would be if he wears a “happy man’s” shirt.
Thus began an extensive search throughout the realm for a genuinely “happy man.” Special convoys of ministers were dispatched all around the land in search of this atypical individual, a man who was sincerely happy. However, search as they may, not one single person fit the bill. There were happy people, to be sure, but when asked if extra money or possessions would bring them additional joy, they all had to admit to the truth. It would not. The ministers were dismayed; they were not going to be able to help their beloved king.
Suddenly, on their trip back to the palace, off a forest dirt road, they heard the sound of unmistakable joy. Someone living far out in the forest was going about his business with a hum of unusual content and happiness. They approached the man and began questioning him, and it soon turned out that this man was genuinely a real “happy man”!
Overjoyed, the ministers explained their story and about the cure they needed for the sick king. But the man was confused. “I would love to help you, I really would,” explained the happy man, “but I don’t own a shirt!”
NIMSHAL: On Rosh Hashana we stand before the King of Kings with fear and trepidation, beseeching Him for a good and prosperous year. Despite this, the Navi tells us not to forget that this day is a holiday, a happy day as well. This is something novel to think about on this holy day. The attribute of happiness is so essential to our daily lives because it is precisely “joy” that gives us the power and the catalyst to reach greater heights. Indeed, the Torah tells us (Devarim 28-47), “Since you didn’t serve Hashem with joy and a content heart,” terrible calamities befell our nation. Genuine happiness is the antidote against all evil.