Achdus: The Key to Rosh Hashana

Parshas Netzavim begins, “...אתם נצבים היום כלכם לפני ” – you are standing today, all of you before Hashem... The Zohar says that often when the Torah uses the word “היום” it is referring to a special day. Many say that the word “היום” here is referring to Rosh Hashana. The Toldos Yakov Yosef, Rav Yakov Yosef of Polnoye, a prime disciple of the Baal Shem Tov says that the Jewish people all stand together in front of Hashem on Rosh Hashana for judgement. He says that there is something special to אחדות on Rosh Hashana and that it helps in judgment. There is a Medrish that tells a mashal of a person being able to break one stick, but if you give that same person a bundle sticks he wont be able to break it. The same is with he Jewish people when we come together on the Yom Ha’din before Hashem. We are much stronger.

There is an amazing Sifri in Parshas Naso that I heard from Rabbi Baruch Simon shlita. The Sifri says that shalom (peace) is so great that even if there is avoda zarah amongst a group of people who have shalom, the satan cant attack them. But if they have machlokes than they will be blamed.

Hopefully we will be zocheh to go before the master of the world as one united people and be blessed with only good for all of klal yisrael.

Good Yuntif and Good Shabbos

Josh “Buns – Garth” Silverman