We asked community personalities to share their poignant Rosh Hashanah moments—a thought they had, a lesson learned, a childhood experience that changed trajectory, inspired, and made them, and us, reach higher.

 

Never Stop Asking

Rabbi David Benarroch

It was the night of Rosh Hashanah, and we were staying at my in-laws’ home. In their china closet sat a tempting bag of lollies, which quickly caught the eye of my four-year-old daughter, Ruthie. She began to plead, again and again: “I want a lolly, I want a lolly!” She wouldn’t stop.

Eventually, my father-in-law, Rabbi Mordechai Maslaton, gave in to her sweet persistence and handed her one.

The very next day, that small moment became the centerpiece of his Rosh Hashanah speech. He spoke about how we’re meant to daven to Hashem when we truly need something—not once, not twice, but persistently, wholeheartedly, and without giving up.

“Just like my granddaughter wouldn’t stop asking for that lolly,” he said, “so too must we keep asking from Hashem, crying out and begging from the depths of our hearts until we’re answered.”

Rabbi David Benarroch grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, and is an alumnus of Beis Medrash Govoha.

He’s a popular teacher at the Lakewood Cheder for 27 years and a therapist for kids with severe difficulties.

He’s also the founder and director of The Regesh Network, a helpline for young people.

 

Just Us and Hashem

Avrohom Leffler

For me, the turning point for how I view Rosh Hoshanah was a…realization. Some may call it maturity.

Because we can hear and read all the mefarshim, but at the end of the day, it’s just us and Hashem.

Yes, it’s a day of davening, spending time in shul, shofar, and so much more. But primarily, it’s an opportunity to be mamlich Hashem. To get close to Hashem.

To daven that there’s only Hashem and nothing else impeding that. And what can possibly compare to having two days of talking to Hashem, being close to him, and having a clearer understanding of a world filled with Hashem’s grandeur? For that reason, I try to just focus on the words. Be mindful of them. Plead and shout and yearn for closeness and a relationship that’s real. And everything else, teshuvah, nachas, brachah…comes as a biproduct of that.

May we all be zocheh to a year of life. A life of Toras chaim, yiras Shamayim, and tremendous brachah and nachas.

Avrohom Leffler, LCSW is a therapist, supervisor, and clinical director in Lakewood, NJ.

 

Blessed

Simi Mandelbaum

As a child, every Erev Rosh Hashanah, I would go to my grandparents’ home to receive a brachah from Zaidy. Waiting patiently in the kitchen, the smell of Babbi’s delicious cooking filled my nose.

Entering the dining room, I saw my revered grandfather standing in his white kittel. I imagined him to be a malach as I slowly walked to him. He placed a white kerchief on my head and held his holy hands above it. With his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face, I heard him davening, his voice a trembling whisper. I remember thinking: This must be what being bentched by Hashem is like. When Zaidy was done, I would kiss his hand and feel so pure, holy, and sacred.

Throughout Yom Tov, in shul, I would imagine Hashem as my other Grandfather who loves me. And I would hope, with a child’s heart, that He was bentching my whole year.

Now, every Rosh Hashanah, I close my eyes and relive those moments. It grounds me. It reminds me to approach the Yom Tov with awe, gratitude, and hope. Awe to be in the audience of Hashem. Gratitude for allowing me to live out the year, filled with family, friends, and helping others. Hope that the coming year will bring peace, happiness, and health for my family and me, for Klal Yisrael and the world at large.

Simi Mandelbaum CFT, AFC, FBS, is the CEO of PROSPR Financial.

 

Truth Is Where You Seek It

Rabbi Yechezkel Auerbach

We all daydream of experiencing an “aha!” moment during Rosh Hashanah…a sliver of insight that will illuminate our neshamos, ripping asunder the veil that separates us from whom we long to be. And sometimes that appears from the most unexpected source.

Many years ago, I was reading my very young daughter a story from a “Dov Dov” book. These were a series of children’s books that came out in the 70s. The story described how, just before Rosh Hashanah, a young girl had cheated on a test. That night at dinner her father was relating how a new building downtown had collapsed, injuring a number of innocent people. This was caused by the contractor who had cheated on his responsibility when putting up the building. The subject of the story internalized the message that not living up to your responsibilities has real consequences, and she was able to translate that into her davening on Rosh Hashanah.

The impact that this simple story had on my daughter opened my eyes to the reality that truth can be found in the everyday tests that we have. It’s how we address them and act on them that help us grow.

Rabbi Yechezkel Auerbach was a rebbi for 10 years before going into kashrus for the last 36 years.

A talmid of Rav Shamshon Refael Hirsch, he believes that clarity in all matters depends on being cognizant of each detail.

 

A Nation of Faith

Rabbi Shimon Gruen

The Mabit explains that we don’t daven to Hashem to get good results. We don’t always see in this world how those who daven more necessarily get more brachah. We daven in order to strengthen our emunah, to remind ourselves that Hashem is the only One who provides us with refuah and parnassah. We daven because it strengthens us.

When I look around the room when Unesaneh Tokef is said, seeing people getting emotional and overwhelmed, I see it as such a tremendous, beautiful display of emunah. When I was younger, I had these immature thoughts of “Whom are we kidding? All of a sudden they’re getting emotional?” but now, it’s different. I think, “Look at all these people, Hashem. They all believe in you, they all believe that you’re the One Who’s going to give them a good year, they all believe that You’re the One Who takes everything into account and that You see everything that happened and You’re the only One Who can give it.” I always take the moment to look around, and I get overwhelmed by the sincerity of Am Yisrael.

We don’t understand why this year was hard and the year before was not as hard. It’s not something I can figure out—that because I davened more or less, I was more worthy or less. We don’t get it, and still, everyone is davening because they know Hashem is in charge.

During World War II, there was a group of Yidden who baked matzos in the ghetto. And then, the day before Pesach, there was an aktzia, and the Nazis killed many people. Those who were left were so angry that they took the matzos they had baked with such mesiras nefesh and threw them in the street. One of the rabbanim who was there said, “Hashem, the street is full of emunah! They’re angry because they clearly believe it was You who took their family members, and they know it’s You who’ll be upset that they don’t eat matzos; look at this display of emunah!” Within the rebellion he noticed the temimus of the Yiddishe kinder.

It’s the sincere and vulnerable obvious display of emunah that’s always my greatest chizuk for the new year.

Rabbi Shimon Gruen, author of the bestselling book Get Along with Everyone, consults and guides individuals in the areas of shalom bayis and chinuch through classes, workshops, teleconferences, and one-on-one counseling. He specializes in guiding and counseling based on a very deep understanding of personality assessment.

 

Bringing It Home

Mrs. Shaindy Lieberman

My fourth-grade teacher, Morah Baron, told us the story about Rebbe Amnon. When she finished that awe-inspiring, and yes, scary story, she proceeded to explain the tefillah he composed, Unesaneh Tokef . She went through all the eventualities, starting with “Mi yichyeh…” and made them real to us.

(It was okay back in the day to do that with fourth graders.)

Then we got to the words u’teshuvah, u’tefillah, u’tzedakah, and she successfully impressed upon us that it’s in our hands at this time of year to ensure the best of outcomes. That empowering message comes back to me each year.

Mrs. Shaindy Lieberman has over two decades of experience in chinuch. She currently teaches in Kerem seminary and Tehilas Chaya Sara and is a noted kallah teacher.

 

Three Points of Awareness

Peretz B. Eichler

Among the top-of-mind points of awareness for me as the new year beckons are the end of an interview I did with Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen, a suggestion from Chacham Yitzchak Dweck, and a thought from Rav Lazer Apter. Rav Simcha Bunim said simply to remember and internalize that Hashem is the melech and controls everything and that we need to thank Him constantly and think and act accordingly.

Rav Dweck referred to Bereishis 26:12, where it says that Yitzchak sowed and reaped me’ah she’arim in that year, a hundredfold, and Hashem blessed him. It’s propitious to say this pasuk 12 times before Kiddush on both nights of Rosh Hashanah as an acknowledgment that all brachah, abundance, comes from Hashem and is a means to serve Him with yirah, ahavah, and emunah sheleimah.

Rav Lazer Apter reminded us of the pesukim listing a choice of what to ask for in Kedushah, i.e. good children who are osek in Torah, ruach hakodesh, or wealth.

Some ask, why not choose wealth in at least one of the tefillos? We learn from Aharon, who lit the Menorah consistently, never departing from his avodah to bring the ketores and the assurance of wealth. He was steadfast and never wavered from what he understood to be paramount.

“Hashem melech, Hashem malach, Hashem yimloch l’olam va’ed.”

Peretz Baruch Eichler is the author of Rich Returns as well as a broadcaster and award-winning speaker and filmmaker.