Rabbi Mordechai Kraft - Rosh Hashana - Why Adam Did It

so we're gonna speak tonight about Rosh Hashanah and when we talk about Russia's China there's a little bit of confusion because on one hand we're dipping the apples in the honey and it's a sweet day and we wish each other a sweet new year and we dress up for a young t'v and we get haircuts and we put on nice clothing and there's a sweetness to it then we wish each other you should have a sweet new year at the same time it's a day of tremendous fear of trepidation of trembling we're being judged our lives are on the line if we're going to live or die is determined on this day how much money we're gonna make is determined on this day if we have sicknesses can return on this day the entire world is going through a judgement so it's a day of judgment you have at the same time there seems to be an underlying tone in it of sweetness so I'd like just to throw out a few questions to everybody and and then present what I think gives us an approach to Rosh Hashanah that I think will help us very much on the state question number one that I have perhaps the question we just mentioned we know that everything that God does in this world is based on love Shem created the world because He loves us and his involvement is the word the world is entirely based on love so the question that we have of course is how is judgment a manifestation of God's love judgment is scary it sounds oftentimes demanding how is it a manifestation of love question number one question number two I think we have to ask is that we're being judged on what day we're big judged on the first day of the new year well that's very interesting you think about it because imagine coming back to one semester now in the university and the professor telling you that guess what your final exam is going to be now in September everything you learned last year the final exam now at the beginning of the new semester after a summer break going you back the end of high school guess what everything we covered last spring we're having the test on now and we think about it a chef judges us he's judging us one he's judging us on the last year excuse me I should say he's looking at the past year and what is he judging us he's judging us on the first day of the new year perhaps it would make more sense if a Shem were to judge us on the last day of the old year take a look at my track record what did i do what did I accomplish and judge me on the past look at the last day of the last year Hashem doesn't do that Shem waits for the first day of the new year and judges me on what I did in the past year that seems to be a little bit unusual let's keep that question in mind as we progress tonight a third question I think we have to ask the mid-south chauffeur very interesting Mitzvah apparently when we blow the chauffeur we understand from the deeper sources that that point where the chauffeur is blown in the synagogue well we are listening to show for full of fulfillment of the mitzvot that point is where the judgment takes place we're being judged right then in heaven how it works I don't know but that's what we're told when we blow show foots will fill the Mitzvah judgment takes place then but it's very interesting we run to the synagogue we get up only to go to the synagogue as were supposed to to blow the shofar which means we're running to be judged doesn't seem to make sense to be judged by God we know we have not been perfect definition of being human the definition of free choice means we're not going to be perfect it means our track record this past year has not been stellar and yet we run to the synagogue in order to ask God to judge us so an interesting concept which we have to think about and a rabbis going further than that they said when we want the synagogue to blow the shofar it's Mamta Kassadin sweetens the judgment blowing this show for somehow makes the judgment even more sweet so let's just think about these questions right now number one why does God judge us for what we did in the past on the first day of the new year why are we asking God to judge us by running to the bait the knesset to the synagogue in the morning and being having tremendous desire to blow the shofar we know that's what judging takes place how is the whole day a manifestation of God's love judgment sounds scary yet we know God's love filters behind it so let's see if we can understand the day and perhaps answer these questions what's it doing on the first day of the new year and why do we run to the synagogue to be judged to understand much of Shonna we have to go back in time and we have to travel and we have to go to the first russia shana in human history when was the first russia shot in human history well it was in the Garden of Eden and it was the day of the creation of Adam contrary to popular belief Adam only made it in the Garden of Eden how long he made it how long was he there for a few hours there's not a few hours let me read to you what the cameras in rosh hashanah describing adam's creation and what happened on that first day of creation it says as follows since but Rosh Hashana never elaboration the Talmud tells us that in Rosh Hashanah other was created shall reshawna all of the Lok Sabha and the first hour of the day a sham created the idea of Adam of Adam the idea came into existence he no college bar Cabrillo suddenly prepared the idea she nearness guides in mafia charts second hour of creation we're told that God discussed it with the Angels the famous verse NASA autumn battle may know let us make man God is speaking to the Angels should we do it or not discussing it why didn't you discuss with the Angels our sages tell us to teach us humility before you make great decisions in life discuss it for someone even if the person or the people the being is lesser than you humility means discuss it for someone God is teaching us that lesson he's discussing it with the images that was the second our third our colleagues are oh he gathered together the dirt but doubted go blow and the fourth hour of the day a sham took the dirt and he was he created a a a mountain so to speak the Kamisha rockin all the fifth hour of the day he began to mold it the six us a golem and the sixth hour of the day the love so God made a golem he made a creature a golem something like a figure a person of a human being but not yet a human being yet Oba Zions up on the Shama seven thousand a God breathed the soul into autumn and once the soul joined together with the body now we have a human being as we defined the human being today soul together with body but that's on the eighth hour of the day he's me so the GaN Eden he enters into the garden of aid Eden on the eighth hour the day listen to the the timeframe the eighth hour of the day God places on them in the Garden of Eden see she stood stava on the ninth hour of the daintiness stopping he's commanded he's given the command what's the command to enjoy every fruit of the garden but one fruit it's a dust over lo topa me Meno one thing don't do that's the one command but he has we are serious Sura and the tenth hour of the day he sinned biack rat destroy me dawn and the eleventh hour of the day judgment took place beasts eyeing us we got some Adiemus in the twelfth hour of the day other than having shown was kicked out of the garden for the point where he got a soul which was the eighth hour of the day to the point where excuse me the cemetery of the day and became a human being the point where other was kicked out was the twelfth hour so it means there was a basically a five hour tenure in the Garden of Eden was not a tremendously long period of time but a very significant period of time I believe so I believe we not yet not yet we believe yet it seems it seems that it was submitted maybe they did was or maybe you mean till after Shabbos I'm not sure but it sounds quite the good part was a five hour period in the Garden of Eden it was five hours now we are talking about hours as we know them today we can say of course the other we could certainly say you know of course before the creation of the Sun and things like this but you talk about as many hours as we need 15 billion whatever we want and before the creation of other with his soul we can even talk about whatever you want evolutionary steps in creation but once we talk about all the man together with the soul now we're talking about the human being as we know it and human history has begun as we know it and now we're talking five thousand seven as we say now let's analyze this for one moment the Gemara says something very fascinating it says when other is judged for eating of the tree he's given a judgment but he's expelled from the garden but our rabbis say something very interesting it doesn't say he was really expelled it says owned them lifts they had did beyond that that understood and in front of God on this day we go see Oba Dimas he went out with a fair just good statement good judgment not some pidemo success he went out with a judgment which which somehow was for the right word in him in English equitable fair good it was a good judgment that's what it says and coach Parker says just like I judged Adam on this day and he left with such a good sentence this is the day that I'm going to choose to judge my creation on this day now I want it's kind about a question the question is like this the Talmud tells us that on the left with a good sentence a good judgment what was good about notes of a Deimos success but that's equitable is good it was fair was charitable something like that it was a good judgment what was good about it let's look at it let's compare and contrast what was life like in the Garden of Eden well in the Garden of Eden number one there was no death death is a function of the expulsion in the Garden of Eden God was visible God was present God wasn't concealed you could have a relationship with God you could see God you could you know that God is there what an amazing existence we're looking forward to getting back to that we're looking forward to getting back into the garden before the sin we can enjoy that relationship with God again that was a relationship with God amazing relationship imagine that you could you're in the presence in the Garden of Eden our sages tell us that the the eight Sahara the creative drive that we have to disconnect from God was external to us was on the outside once we ate from the tree of course we brought that external drive that drive to disconnect from God at the inside and that's all the problems that we have in life in making decisions and discovering that there's a drive inside of us that wants to disconnect it's called a yet Sahara in the Garden of Eden was outside was much easier to get to know God so you had a place where you can have an intimate relationship with God you didn't have we didn't have the eight Sahara confusing our mind as we have it today there's no death needs physical needs are prepared it's all there you can go in the Garden of Eden and pick your fruit off the tree in fact our sages tell us one opinion is of course that the the eighth saw - the tree wasn't the fruit tree different opinions some c1s frog some say it was wine one opinion said it was wheat not only that it was a bread tree wasn't the we tree was a bread tree how much he left I mean arts you know we make the blessing on mochi left I mean our it's God we thank you for bringing forth bread from the earth it's not true we don't break bread for the earth do we we bring forth week from the earth and in the week you have to grind and you have to winnow when you have to bake and you have to do all sorts of process these ten processes in fact to make it from raw material to something edible then how can we make the blessing God thank you for bringing forth the bread from the earth so I said you say we have to go back to the Garden of Eden the bread grew from the trees you can go to the trees and you can actually pick off your bread there was a hollow tree there was a bagel tree there's a tandoori bread tree there was that big big that big Bihari in like umbrella bread that he'd found with that used to break and crack it was a big problems got to take a special miracle and you just have to catch it it was whole thing protected the Russian behind the Russian but it was a it was a very interesting existence and all of our needs were prepared what a beautiful existence now let's compare the expulsion while we go into a world of number one we go into a world where God is concealed we go into a world where there's a turtle fight with our Yates ihara and therefore we find disconnection from God in a lot of that we do and not only that we have to work for a living in the Garden of Eden you can enjoy your bread right from the tree outside the garden Bizet separate alekum you have to work and eat your bread by the sweat of your brow and that's why we have to get jobs and we have to go to university and we have to get training and we have to worry about the stock market going up and down and up right it's all a function of the sin and the expulsion but in the Garden of Eden that didn't exist yet God says I judged I'll go by the twelfth hour the eleventh hour expelled him on the twelfth but this sentence that I gave him was so good so just so sweet so fair I don't hear too sweet and fair it's cool and harsh and cold and disconnected and demands work now where I'd rather be in the basic goodness is learning and diverting I have to go out and worried about my poor Nelson my livelihood where's their fairness in that I hate our sages say or the left but Dimas was so fair was so good what a beautiful sentence that God gave him maybe because he survived maybe that he had life that's interesting interesting but seems to be saying more than that it's something sweet in it there's something good in it let's analyze it for a moment then I think we'll see something very beautiful a rabbis look to understand what motivated Adam to sin why did he do such a thing here he is created by God mr. Bauer to before he has one commandment and he blows it heats heats of the tree what motivated him why would he do such a thing so of course we understand the story that the snake and he was enticed and there's a lot to it of course a lot to discuss but I'd like to present something you might not have heard before the re the great kabbalist theory that saw it gives an approach based on the deeper works in turn he says as follows he says that Adam first man sinned for the sake of heaven it was at a passion of mine what does that mean he sinned for the sake of heaven it means like this one can imagine perhaps if one is born the son of Bill Gates and grows up in a family where you have a credit line of 60 million 40 billions whatever it is look at imagine growing comes such a family imagine Bill Gates his son decides he wants to go into business so supposing he succeeds in business what will everybody say about him well of course he'd succeed why not he had his father's money his father's capital behind him and money makes money it's easy to make money when you start with money if Bill Gates his son wants to show that he is really a businessman and really has the acumen in the the keenness and the talents to making the business you know he has to say to his dad has to say dad I don't want any of your money and when you cancel the credit card I don't want to I don't want access to my trust fund I don't want your help I want to do it myself because the only if I can do it myself can I show that I really did it because if you're there behind me the whole time people don't look at me and say yeah of course you succeeded you're Bill Gates on the son of the richest man in the world I dare say that autumn Harish young Adam first man had a similar challenge his challenge was as follows autumn loved Hashem he was created by God it's creating again I got only two hours before he was intimate with the Shem he had a beautiful loving relationship with the shed but when you love somebody or you love a Shem what you want to do is you want to prove your love you want to prove how much you can love God so I'll them understood something this aura tells us he understood that as long as he's in the Garden of Eden it's too easy to love God God you're visible I see you of course I'm not gonna do anything wrong you're present like what's the test what's the challenge not only that all them understood as long as this spiritual force called the gate Sahara is outside of me it's very easy to make correct decisions how am i showing that I Love You God and I'm choosing to follow you if you're present and I see you and it takes a hurry with inclination to disconnect from God's outside of me it's not internal so I don't have a plan this plan was I'm going to eat of the tree I'm going to eat a little to absorb that knowledge of disconnected disconnection we call evil I'm gonna make it part and parcel of what I am and then I'm going to show you something God I'm going to show you that even with the test of wanting not to get close to you thoughts that take me away from you thoughts that make it confusing that make me rationalize what should I do like those are the thoughts we have which are part and parcel I'm having the X of Horrors we know should I get up in the morning I need a little more sleep it's cold outside I can't go to Dobbin I'll be healthier if I sleep a little longer in ten more minutes I'll be Ella davon with more Cavanaugh I'm sure God wants me to skip going to show all the Shabbat because you know he wants me to rest and be physically strong so I serve during the week do we have ever have thoughts like this these confusing thoughts that make us wonder what is the correct thing to do we don't always know and of course can we have the internally it's a whole other set to God it's too easy I want to bring the gate so heart inside of myself and God not only that it's too easy being in the Garden of Eden your present I see you it's easy to serve you easy to love you it's easy to show people I can love you I want to be in a situation where the challenge is intensified it's according to these are is it I don't knew what he was doing it was a sin for God's sake okay the shame Shania I'm gonna drop a level to show on this lower level that I can discover you and that's gonna bring more sanctity to your name just like Bill Gates's son I don't win any of your money dead I want to do it myself and that will show who I really am god I want to show you how much I can love you but to show that I could love you I can't do it in this current situation it's too easy I want a harder test that's what the source says that's be a recess now if you were God what might you say to Adam after he ate of the tree God understands that automated the tree in order to show his love for God he wanted to drop a level to show that even a lower level he could discover God and love God deeply right if I were God what I've said autumn oh that was so beautiful of you what a sweet sentiment what a beautiful idea you really love me so much oh let me reward you for that I was just so beautiful what does God say he says Adam Minato oh you're that because you don't have a Mona you don't have a mother you don't have trust that's what it says Adam mean Hagar he lacked trust wasn't really like trust he was created by God two hours before the whole reason he sinned was you guys even wanted to show how much you can love God so happy to say that autumn lacked trust how could that be so of course we have to understand what is trust we talk about a moon in a Shem what does that mean trust in God well trust in God really means the brisket love said once where reason ends faith begins meaning God I want to understand everything about you but there's always gonna be something about you that I won't under then when I can no longer understand I'm going to have to trust belief that God created the world is it based on trust or knowledge they're said knowledge we can study the facts see perfection realized there's a designer believed that God gave us the time trust our knowledge there's a knowledge we had six million bubbies and jay-z's Sabah the softest standing there witnesses gave us all the information god you're all about love I Crusades expulsion 'he's holocaust s-- homicide bombings i can't I thought you about love now I have to trust there's an aspect of you a Shem that I don't understand oh now I have to have my a mood of my faith and say God you know my mind can't understand it I'm gonna have to trust that's a mother that's trust in God God turns to autumn and he says to other variation on autumn mean--it are you like a moon of autumn you like trust what does that mean it means that autumn you had a very beautiful plan a plan on what you wanted to show how much you can love me there's a one problem with that plan what's that problem it wasn't my plan my plan was that you should be in the garden my plan is that I should be visible to you my plan was that the it's a harsh should be external from you that was my plan you had a wonderful plan of you're the smartest kid in the class there's only one problem your test at that moment was to subordinate your brilliance to my brilliance your test was are you gonna follow my way even though you don't understand it autumn you lack trust what do you do with the guy who lacks trust there's only one thing you could do with such a person that's exactly what God does he expels them from the garden why is that because the only way Adam will be able to fix up this lack of trust in the Shem is to be placed into a world now or God is going to be concealed a world where you're gonna have to find God behind current events find God behind the current events of your life a world we're gonna have to work to produce your bread gets about that seed in the ground and you have to water it and you have to pray for rain and pray for sunshine and pray that the all of the chemicals of the soil will take effect that produce that crop and then pray that that crop will get to how the harvest time without some sort of hurricane whatever it might be you live now in a world where you're gonna be forced to trust trust that what you can't see so God knew exactly he was doing if all those sin if our there was a mistake because he didn't trust God properly he had a great idea god I want to sin for your sake I want to lower my level we actually didn't appreciate what it meant to truly be out of the Garden of Eden but he's saying God I want to lower my level to show I can love you God tears back it says autumn you lacked trust so now I have to put you in a world you're gonna have to learn to trust me because the world when you're not gonna see me so clearly and you're gonna have to know that I'm there and you're not gonna understand everything Garden of Eden you can understand it you could talk to me I'm right there you'll see clearly my plan now I'm gonna be in a world when my plan is gonna be concealed from you a little bit you have to work gonna have to trust your minds not gonna be able to understand it fully and have let your heart take over that's what I say just say I say just say that other Mauritian yotsuba demos he left the garden with the perfect judgment a judgment that was sweet and good it said it's so harsh and cool you know a world where your food grows on trees to a world where you have to bring it out of the ground but wasn't harsh and cruel because of what was wrong with others and what a lack was the mistake was the flaw was a lack of trust the greatest way that God could fix it up is to put him in the world now that's exactly what he has to do to work on his Emunah to work on his trust and that's what I say just say he went forth from the garden with a sweet just perfect sentence now we learned something from this if that's what other harish on received on the first day the first Russia Sharna in human history we learn about what the judgment is is the judgment a punishment for the past or is the judgment a look at the past in order to fix me up for the future and what was it for Auden was he being punished for what he did or did God look at what he did and say I have the perfect way to fix up the mistake it's a look at the past the past year to determine what we need for the future year that's what it implies and says if you had a company at the end of the year what do you do you go through the books you go to the financial records in order to see how the company can grow and produce and become something greater in the upcoming year you look at the past in order to determine what you need for the future that's interesting we should keep in mind by the way it's almost radical when I say it but we have to know it in this world there's no such thing as punishment it doesn't exist punishment does not exist it's not a concept for this world the consequence of our actions is something for the next world there will be consequences it has to be otherwise life isn't meaningful in this world everything that God gives us is designed to help us pick we are everybody knows me knows I love the language the human language and if we look at the one word we have for punishment what's that word that we use oldish even the word itself speaks to the concept if I had a blackboard I could demonstrate it easier but just have to follow with me oh there's just three letters I in known Shin I in in Hebrew means what and I write to see the world I aim is to look to see to perceive you means to investigate deeply you tongue got the idea the I use it to look the two-letter root nosh in Hebrew what does it mean to let a root nosh interesting two-letter root let's look at other words that share the two little root well let's see we have an issue which means an eagle a bald eagle so we understand an Escher means that there was something that was on the head a feather and it fell off nosh Raisch something fell off something fell back off the head that's what called the nation' something bald eagle something fell off the head never another word did not share in Hebrew means to shear a sheep to take a sheep and to cause the wall to fall off hear the word not share any share falls off now another one last week sparks actually it said that if a person takes an axe and he wasn't careful to hammer on the axe head firmly and he brings it back it's called nutshell my gums end but falling back the shell odd cause that of the axe the two-letter root nosh throughout the Hebrew language always means to fall back let's look at the word Amish which we translate as punishment let's understand what it really means I in means use the I use your intellect look person you investigate that what nosh that you fell only God brings pain to our life he brings discomfort to our life he brings situations which aren't always sweet in order that we should examine ourselves to roads we fallen that's not like it's a slap on the wrist it's a wake-up call look at yourself examine yourself look at where you need to go that's Phil I got operates in this world boenish I and gnashed look at you fell get up but it's never a punishment it's never this is the consequence of the action this is this is a way to fix the action this world is about takuna correction and God is a loving parent and that's his goal and that's his objective now let's think for a moment if on the day of judgment month of arisia was given such a perfect judgment the problem was a lack of trust the fixing up is in a world where God conceals himself that's the perfect way to fix it up God looks at the past to decide we need for the future let's answer some questions why then is Rosh Hashanah on the first day of the new year and not the last day of the old year because if it was on the last day of old year what it would apply what applied punishment this you did this right you did that wrong okay get this you get that but what God puts it on the first day of the new year gotta say I'm looking at the past to determine what you need to grow further to fix yourself up you know we say in parenting maybe you never heard this and maybe never experienced it you never give a child a patch for the past I kid there's something wrong you don't patch the kid for the wealthy to the right that's not good parenting what you do do is you patch the child for the future the patch is most direct the child to improve to correct himself it's not a punishment it's a direction a saccade does he puts the day of judgment the first day of the new year to teach us that the whole reason I would look at your past is to determine what you need for the future now why do we get up early to ask God to judge us what's that all about why do we get up early to ask judge God the judges well perhaps we couldn't understand it if judgment isn't punishing the judgment is the way God looks at our lives to direct us for the future he we can understand why we get up to ask God to judge us not only that when we ask God to judge us God says you know what I will sweeten the judgment I'll give you one analogy I think we'll get it clear I'll end with this imagine the following case my little daughter Shoshanna she's now nine going the fourth grade imagine I get a letter home from the teacher the teacher says I need to speak to you okay come at the school I speak the teacher teacher says you know your daughter Shoshanna has a big problem I said what is it she's stealing I'm catching her reaching into other kids little knapsacks and taking out pencils and erasers and little notebooks I see her going into her knapsack and placing it in there she has a problem with theft now I as a parent what's my obligation to respond to that I have to do something about it in fact I might have to look very harsh about it I might have to speak to her and said listen I'm going to take something away from you so you can experience what it means to lose something if you can't appreciate another child's property maybe I have to take something away from you so you realize how much it hurts when you don't have what you want I have to have a very strong harsh judgment true but now imagine the following supposing I don't get a call from the teacher my little daughter comes up to me she says to me ha ha I need to talk to you I said what is it your honor she says ABBA I have a problem what's the problem ABBA I can't stop myself but every time I see these little new erasers I just have to take it and every time I see another kid get this shiny new pen I just wanted for myself and I take it and every time I see them get these stickers I don't know what it is I just like I take it and put in my knapsack and I hate myself for it I can't believe I'm doing it I can't stop myself ah but you have to help me now what's my response I'll say okay you shot it it's okay let's draw up a plan then we're gonna do we make a chart and every day you're gonna come from school I'm gonna ask you a question did you steal something you take something and when you say no we're gonna put a sticker on the chart and if we could get seven stickers across that chart oh we're gonna go out for ice cream together I'm gonna buy something special an amazing savings why was my reaction so much sweeter cuz she came to me she realized yeah I want to grow I want to change I realize I have imperfections help me chef says the same thing to us when you get up early in the morning people that chauffer yes that's what judgment takes place but when you come to me and say I want to be judged because you understand the purpose of judgement is to find the way to bring that perfection into your own lives so then God says you know I thought I have to be harsh with you you didn't understand the value of money I thought you have to lose money okay you don't have to loosen I'm just gonna take a little bit away you didn't understand the value of health I was gonna have to bring a sickness into your life to make you appreciate it now God's now God could say I'm gonna Stuart more gently just something very subtle something very light when we come to God first and we recognize the purpose of judgment as Tiku is correction then God could say I could sweeten it I can make it a much gentler softer judgment so my friends this is where I want to share with you tonight this understanding that Russia Shawna's on the first day of the new year because we're looking at the past to decide where we're going in the future we ask God to judge us because that sweet is the judgment were coming to him first and perhaps the most important point I want to stress it's just like other Mary Jean first men who received the first judgment on the first Rosh Hashanah the judgment was the perfect way to fix the sin everything that God gives us in our lives isn't punishment it doesn't exist it's the way God plans and directs to help us perfect the type of human being that he wants us to become we shall have a sweet Rosh Hashanah tonight yes chauffeur well the question was what the moment will be blow chauffer that's what the judgment takes place but we say that with blow shofar at that point so God judges at that point why are we asking to be judged we're asking to be judged because when we come to God and say judge me God we're saying to God in essence God I realized I even from perfections I'm the less I'm not perfect but I want your help in perfecting me it's like my little daughter coming to me and saying that she wants to and in fact the word chauffeur the etymology of chauffeur means sheep or which means little pear which means he was speakers to improve God had told me that's we're asking God will we should all have a sweet judgment we're very honored tonight now that we're going to hear from her Evelio heart