Rosh Hashanah - 5785

Rosh Hashanah - 5785

Rabbi Hal Miller

The Torah does not give us a name for this holiday, just says first of the seventh month.

Where do we get the name "Yom HaDin", Day of Judgment?

Many of our holidays have more than one name, Shavuot being a good example. But

Rosh Hashanah also has a few. In Tehillim [81:4] we read, "blow the shofar at the

renewal of the moon, the time of concealment of our festival day", thus "the day of

concealment" is a name. It is sometimes called a day of beginnings, with a long list of

beginnings listed in Rosh Hashanah [11a]. We see the day called Day of Judgment in

many places. But the Torah does not directly tie this name to Rosh Hashanah. We

derive it by tying a number of bits together.

Vayikra [23:24] notes that the first day of the seventh month is a time for shofar blasts.

Combining this with the Tehillim verse above that tells us to blow shofar for the new

moon, it would follow that the new moon of the seventh month is what is referred to.

The day of concealment then means concealment of the moon, which is just about to

reappear. The Gemora Beitzah [16a] asks what festival is concealed, and answers that

it means Rosh Hashanah. This ties this holiday with the month of Tishrei, the seventh.

But how does the idea of judgment fit in?

Rabbi Yonasan Gersten suggests that instead of concealment of the moon, what may

be referred to here is concealment of sins, meaning they are wiped away in judgment

which is what this time of year is all about.

The Mishnah [Rosh Hashanah 16a] lists four dates in the year which it calls days of

judgment, Pesach for grain, Shavuot for tree fruit, Sukkot for water, and Rosh Hashanah

for all living creatures. On Rosh Hashanah 8a-b, Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak expounds a

verse in Devarim [11:12] "The eyes of God are on it from the beginning of the year until the

end of the year" that means God judges at the beginning of the year for the entire upcoming

year. He cites the Tehillim above and adds the next verse [81:5] "Because it is a statute for

Israel, a judgment day unto the God of Yaakov." Rashi calls it "God's day of judgment". 

The Gemora Yerushalmi [Rosh Hashanah 1:3] explains that when the Jewish people display

their trust in God, He turns the day from judgment to forgiveness. Thus, the Torah tells us

when this holiday arrives, but it takes the Gemora and Tehillim to tell us what Rosh Hashanah

means, Day of Judgment.