Torah Thoughts on Rosh Hashana by Rabbi Yosef Polstein
Offering a brachah to another Jew lies at the essence of our being. Included in the first message that Hashem told Avraham Avinu was "וַאֲבָרַכֶיךָ מְבָרֲכֶיךָ” – I will bless those who bless you.” Chazal (Chullin 49a) say that this applies even whenever a Jew blesses another Jew. So every time we extend a brachah to another Jew, we get it back directly from Hashem as well.
With that in mind, let’s look at a minhag which is hard to understand. On the first night of Rosh HaShanah the minhag is to offer the brachah "לְשָנָה טוֹבָה תִכָתֵבוּ וְתֵחָתֵמוּ" and there are those who add (Artscroll Machzor page 90) "לְאַלְתַּר לְחַיִים טוֹבִים וּלְשָׁלוֹם". However, on the second night, of Rosh HaShanah we don’t offer this brachah anymore. Instead, we use Good Yom Tov or Chag Same’ach. Why not? What’s wrong with giving this important brachah to another Jew. Remember, we also get it back!
In order to understand, we must recall the Gemara In Rosh HaShana 16b. Rabbi Kruspedai said that Rabbi Yochanan said: Three books are opened on Rosh HaShanah before the Holy One, Blessed be He: One of the wholly wicked (רְשָׁעִים גְמוּרִים), one of the wholly righteous (צַדִיקים גְמוּרִים), and one of the in-between people (בֵּינוֹנִים), whose good and bad deeds are equally balanced. Complete tzaddikim are immediately inscribed and sealed for life; complete resha’im are immediately inscribed and sealed for death; and beinonim are left with their judgment suspended until Yom Kippur. If they find merit, they are inscribed for life; if they do not, they are inscribed for death.
The Magen Avraham, quoting the Levush, explains. Since the inscription for complete tzaddikim has already taken place on the first day of Rosh HaShanah and it is only the beinonim who are suspended and not written and sealed in the Book of Life until Yom Kippur pending their sincere teshuvah, if we would extend the לְשָנָה טוֹבָה greeting on the second night as well, it would be as if we are saying to another Jew, “you are just a beinoni and not a tzaddik, so you need this brachah” – and we don’t want to cause another Jew pain by having him think that we look at him as just a beinoni. Rather, we drop the brachah, so that we appear to look at all Jews as if they are tzaddikim.
Even though the beinonim could have benefited greatly from another night of this brachah (and we could get it back as well), we are being told that it is better for us not to bless, but rather just to think that everybody is a complete tzaddik. Do you hear what we are giving up in order to have the “appearance” that we consider everyone is a tzaddik!
Why does this do more for them and for us than actually giving a לְשָנָה טוֹבָה brachah? Think about it! It is easy to give the brachah. Why not – we love to give brachos! On the other hand, how many people are really tazddikim in our own eyes. “My friend so and so, oh you should have heard what my friend had to say about..” or “do you know what he does when he is away from home”, or “my friend thinks he is so great...” Who really is a complete tzaddik in our eyes?
On Rosh HaShanah we have been tasked to look at everybody as being a complete tzaddik. So what is the explanation of our minhag? Nothing gives Hashem more pleasure than to see his children looking favorably upon one another. When we look beyond the surface inadequacies that other people possess and we see the talents, and longing that they have to be good, and see the tzaddik in them, then Hashem says: “Look at My children! Look how they view one another! Look at the benefit of the doubt they extend one another!” How can I not do the same, for they are all such tzaddikim? If we are looking for a zechus for these days, then this is it.
But even deeper, when we allow ourselves to see through the dirt that rests on the surface, and see the goodness, refinement, caring, love, dedication, and the yearning that another Jew possesses, then we are able to see within ourselves that we, too, can become that tzaddik.
Rabbi Yosef Polstein has served as HTC's dedicated and passionate Camp Director for nearly four decades and has served as our Camp Rav, Director of Learning, Director of Admissions, and an FYHS Rebbe.
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