Interestingly, the words rosh hashanah do not appear in the Chumash. Rather, Bamidbar 29:1 refers to Yom Teruah, "a day of blowing of the horn". The closest we come to rosh hashanah is in Devarim 11:12: "A land which the Lord your God cares for; always are the eyes of the Lord upon it, from the beginning of the year (mireshit hashanah) until the end of the year." The context in which these words appear is significant: God's love and

God reciprocates and renews His love for us.

concern for Eretz Yisrael.



Question: Why doesn't the Torah simply state that "God's eyes are always on the land"? Why does it add the phrase, "From the beginning of the year to the end of the year"?



Perhaps the Torah is informing us that God's concern for the Land is not automatic. It is renewable at every "beginning of the year". But we must earn that renewal. And it is renewed at Rosh Hashanah, because this is when we renew our own relationship with God, crowning Him as our King. When we do this, we effect a reaction in Heaven. God reciprocates and renews His love for us, once again focusing "His eyes on His land".



May we be worthy of renewing our attachment to Him this reishit hashanah, and may He once again renew His Divine care and deliverance.

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Rabbi Emanuel Feldman served as rabbi of Atlanta's Beth Jacob synagogue for 39 years until his aliyah to Israel in 1991. He was editor of Tradition magazine, and has authored 8 books and over 100 articles.

The foregoing commentary was distributed by the Aloh Naaleh organization.