I was in synagogue and I noticed something very powerful.
A father and his son.
The father was protectively leaning over his son during the service.
I soon saw why.
The son was clearly challenged.
During the service the son let out some loud spontaneous guttural responses. The father gently put a hand on his son’s back during those outbursts.
But mostly the son sat calmly, allowing his father to pray.
He only got agitated one other time.
When it was the time to return the Torah to the Ark, the son, jumped out of his seat. Clearly this was the regular reaction for him.
His Dad was ready.
He guided his son to the Torah processional and helped his son to kiss the Torah.
Then they returned to their seats.
Rosh Hashana is coming.
Sometimes we do not know what to say.
It’s not the time for us to speak out our sins.
It’s a time to coronate Gd as the King.
Queen Elizabeth of England died on September 8, 2022 which was in the middle of the month of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashana.
This week, just before Rosh Hashana, once again British royalty in the form of the King of England was in the news, displaying the pageantry which is best shown by the British.
It’s interesting timing.

But there is no such thing as coincidence, it’s Gd tapping us on the shoulder.
Our Sages teach us that crowning Gd as our King is actually the way to earn a favorable judgement on Rosh Hashana.
What does it mean to crown Gd as our King?
Isn’t Gd the king of the world even if we don’t acknowledge it?
Moreover, we don’t even understand what kingship really means.
But this week we got a little human version taste of kingship.
We witnessed the pomp and pageantry a king can command. Even in this day and age seeing that elaborate ceremony takes our breath away.
The clothing, the ceremony and every move the royal family makes is of great interest and commentary.
The King’s minions only desire to follow his command.
Accepting Gd’s will is our priority.
The Alter of Kelm, leader of the Mussar movement in the 19th century, writes that although Gd is King no matter what we do, by crowning Gd ourselves we accept to commit using every piece of ourselves to His service.
This loyalty to Gd must extend past our thoughts, as we commit every bodily function to this purpose. So it must infuse our actions as well.
Every time we do a Mitzva we show we value Gd’s will over our own comfort.
Imagine if someone came into a great deal of money. The first instinct would be to go on a wild shopping spree.
But if a person has coronated Gd and values Gd’s will, the first choice will be to share of their gifts with those less fortunate.
How does this help the judgement on Rosh Hashana?
Because on Rosh Hashana Gd takes an accounting of how each one of us is doing to help the world reach its purpose.
How powerful that is!
Each one of us is needed to make the world complete.
The more we show Gd we care about bringing this world to perfection, the more resources and strength Gd will give us to help us accomplish those goals.
We actually put ourselves, consciously, on Gd’s team, so to speak.
This helps clarify the job we have before us on Rosh Hashana.
The Torah portion this week is called Nitzvavim, which talks about the Jewish nation standing before Gd.
It is always read right before Rosh Hashana because it reminds us to stand up and declare ourselves to be on the team which manifests Gd’s will in the world.
We do this by doing Mitzvot and dedicating ourselves and our resources to kindness and compassion, to repair the world.
But sometimes we still at a loss for words.
There is a famous Hasidic parable about a boy who came to synagogue who didn’t know the words of any prayer. So he started to sing a wordless tune. The congregants were shocked by this disrespectful disturbance, but the Rabbi quickly quieted the crowd. He explained that this wordless tune, emanating from a seeking soul, has the power to coronate the King.
So if the words are elusive or don’t have much meaning, each of us has to focus on what our personal role is in the coronation of the King.
I’m going to watch the son and father duo over Rosh Hashana. I know I will be inspired by the gentle, loving caring that the Father will exhibit. At the same time, a feeling that the unintelligible sounds emitted by that young boy will pierce the Heavens, coming from a purity of spirit which seems to want to pursue the Divine.
Sometime connections come from many words uttered in prayer and sometimes the connection can come from a wordless tune emitted directly from the soul.
May we be blessed with a Shana Tova which will be sweet and feel sweet in every way.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!