2) The blasts of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah
revitalize the soul and intelligence of every Jew. Each one receives
a new soul and a new level of understanding, each according to his
level. This new soul and vision are drawn from the inner countenance
of God (35:6).
3) The blasts of the Shofar sweeten the
severity of God's judgement (42).
4) The purpose of sounding the Shofar is to
arouse men from their sleep and prevent them whiling away their days
in slumber. When people are aroused from their sleep, the power of
speech bursts forth with tremendous strength. This in turn leads to
trust, and those who were barren give birth. Then men are brought to
the true fear of Heaven and rele ased from sexual lust and the
futility of superficial attractions and the `charm that deceives'
(cf. Proverbs 31:30). Instead they attain `fullness of days' in
holiness: they learn to lengthen every day of the rest of their
lives by adding ever greater holiness and purity. This brings them
true spiritual riches and the ability to reach the very he ights of
contemplation and perception of God. All of this is possible through
hearing the blasts of the Shofar from the Tzaddikim, who understand
how to accomplish these tikkunim (60:9).
5) It is customary to go to the Tzaddik to
celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is first and foremost the Day
of Judgement. But no matter how great the severity of the judgement
and no matter where in the world it threatens, everything is
sweetened when Jews gather around the Tzaddik on Rosh Hashanah. With
so many Jewish souls gathered together and merged in abundant love,
a wonderful joy and delight come into the world (61:7).
6) To explain more about the importance of
celebrating Rosh Hashanah with the Tzaddikim, you must understand
that the sweetening of harsh judgements comes about when thought is
purified and sanctified. This can only be achieved through being
attached to the Tzaddik. Rosh Hashanah is the source of the harsh
judgements of the entire year. The way to sweeten them is by
purifying our thoughts. It is in order to attain sanctity in thought
that we journey to the Tzaddikim (211).
7) God gave Rosh Hashanah out of great
kindness (Likutey Moharan II, 1:14).
8) Who is able to celebrate Rosh Hashanah?
He who is worthy of binding himself to the roots of the souls of
Israel (Ibid.).
9) The effect of Rosh Hashanah is to
strengthen faith. There are great gatherings of Jewish communities
everywhere. Especially significant are the gatherings of Jews around
the true Tzaddikim. Through these gatherings, all the different
facets of faith expressed in all the different souls are joined
together in a common whole. They are refined, un ified and elevated.
The sparks of new intuitions and perceptions flash forth. New levels
of understanding begin to develop. The process continues during the
Ten Days of Repentance, when we work on ourselves and strive to
return to God. The sparks of intuition and perception are embodied
in the mitzvah of tefilin, which are the `seal of holiness' a nd an
aspect of tikkun habrit (see Tefillin). Yom Kippur is the climax of
the process. The `seal of holiness' is perfected, and the flashes of
intuition and perception reach their fullest development. Following
this, on Succot the illumination which must be drawn into the world
is that of Joy. Through joy we can elevate all the food we eat to
prev ent it from disturbing our dreams and causing impure
experiences at night. On Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day of Solemn
Assembly, the spiritual work is to bring integrity to the faculty of
judgement. If the judges are not honest it can cause unclean
occurrences at night. All the tikkunim which have been mentioned
here are also brought about whenev er the followers of a spiritual
leader gather at his side. Rosh Hashanah is the main time for such
gatherings because the source of the entire process of tikkun is to
be found then. In fact the very details of the Rosh Hashanah ritual,
and in particular the different notes blown on the Shofar, all have
the power to bring about these tikkunim. Thus the first note we
blow, Tekiah, has the effect of strengthening faith. The second,
Teruah, causes new intuitions and perceptions to flash forth. And
through the third note, Shevarim, we are protected from having
distrubed dreams and being corrupt in our judgements. This preserves
us from impure experiences at night (5:15).
10) On Rosh Hashanah you must force yourself
to put all your power and strength into your prayers, and you must
bind them to the true Tzaddik. The Tzaddik is the real `strong man':
through his spiritual powers he is able to offer his prayer in such
a way that the prayer itself is on the level of `judgement.'
And this is precisely the form of prayer
that is necessary on Rosh Hashanah. Through this it becomes possible
to extricate from the forces of the Other Side all the holy
lifeforce which they have snatched from the Jewish people and
swallowed: all the prayers, the acts of kindness and the wisdom of
the Jews... The forces of the Other Side are compelled to vomit them
out from their very innards. This is brough t about through the
strength of the prayers of this '>> 'strong man,' the Tzaddik. Then
the glory of God is revealed in its fullness through the converts
who attach themselves to the faith of Israel. Prophecy and true
faith enter the world and false ideologies are destroyed. This is a
foretaste of the wonderful renewal of the world which is destin ed
to come about in the future. In the new order, the force of nature
will be nothing. The world will be governed through the providence
of God alone, with miracles and wonders. Then we will be worthy of
hearing the sound of the song and the melody which will break forth
in time to come. This will be the chief delight of the World to Come
(8:11).
11) During the Days of Awe it is a good
thing when you can weep profusely like a child. Throw aside all your
sophistication. Just cry before God, cry for the diseases of the
heart, for the pains and sores you feel in your soul. Cry like a
child before his father. Then you will be worthy of a beautiful
etrog. The more profusely you weep the more be autiful the etrog you
will have for Succot. (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom 87).
12) On Rosh Hashanah you must be wise. This
means that you should be careful to think only good thoughts. Then
God will be good to us and give us a good year. On Rosh Hashanah you
must be joyous... and on Rosh Hashanah you must weep (Ibid. 21).
13) On the first day of Rosh Hashanah people
should be very careful to speak as little as possible. The greater
the person the more careful he must be (Ibid.).
14) The day before Rosh Hashanah is a good
time to present a redemption (Ibid. 214).
