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Rosh Hashanah (the “beginning” or “head” of “the year”) is the Jewish New Year, celebrated on the 1st of Tishrei (September-October) each year. As with all Jewish holidays, understanding its complete meaning requires understanding the law of root and branch by which spiritual causes precede their corporeal consequences.
According to the spiritual roots, Rosh Hashanah marks the creation of the soul of Adam HaRishon (lit. “The First Man”). The soul of Adam HaRishon is the root of every person’s soul. It is where we, humanity, exist in complete unification, perfectly and harmoniously, with the higher force of bestowal and love permeating our connection to each other.
The soul of Adam HaRishon is both where we are all from and where we are all headed. The environment (called “the upper world” or “the spiritual world”) for this soul’s existence was created in the five days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and on the fifth hour of the Friday, the soul of Adam HaRishon was created. The word “Adam” means “similarity” (“Domeh”) to the higher force of bestowal and love, as the unity of all our souls in a harmonious whole is possible only through the revelation of this force of bestowal and love between us.
Through various actions, we became separated from our root, causal state of Adam HaRishon to our current branch state, called “our world” or “this world,” which we now experience. This took place in order for us to:
- feel opposite to the state of perfection (i.e. what we perceive and feel now), and
- undergo a process of transformation to re-discover that perfection we once all shared.
While living in our world, we identify Rosh Hashanah as the day when a man in this world underwent that transformation, and discovered the perfection of the upper world. It took place on the 1st of Tishrei (September-October), 5,800 years ago. This was a man who, like many of us, asked about the meaning and purpose of life. However, instead of brushing this question aside, he devotedly sought its true answer and wouldn’t stop investigating until he discovered it. This man was also given the name, “Adam HaRishon,” due to being the first man known to humanity who made that transition, and who also wrote a book of his discoveries.
Therefore, Rosh Hashanah signifies the beginning of change. It involves undergoing an introspection of our attitude in the previous year in relation to the attitude of bestowal and love that exists among us in our root and goal state—the soul of Adam HaRishon: a state of connection, love of others as ourselves, and not to do to others what we hate done to ourselves.
Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to perform this self-examination and change. The implications of this process are far reaching, and can make the difference between individuals and society living a life of suffering, insecurity and emptiness and a life of happiness, confidence and fulfillment.
Based on “The Meaning of Rosh Hashanah” by Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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