25th of Elul (The Beginning of the Creation of the World): Creation as an Aid to Repentance
Tishrei is a month of beginnings of creations. On Rosh Hashanna, Sara, Rachel, and Channa, who were barren, were granted the gift of children. The patriarchs were all born in Tishrei. Rosh Hashanna marked Yosef's release from his 12 year imprisonment and the start of his ascension to power in Egypt. Our forefathers' slavery in Egypt ended on Rosh Hashanna, and the redemption began. Finally, according to Rabbi Eliezer, the original creation of the world was completed on Rosh Hashanna with the creation of Adam, the first human being. What is the Torah teaching us by placing Rosh Hashanna, the Day of Judgement, in a time singled out for beginnings and creations?
Rosh Hashanna is the first of the ten days of repentance. The Chovos Halevovos teaches us that a fundamental principle of repentance is to take a private self-accounting of what we owe G-d in light of what He has given us. The first thing to realize is that G-d has given, and continues to give us, our very existence - in other words, to realize that we are G-d's creations. This is far removed from our normal thinking.Let us imagine our response, if asked to identify G-d's creations. How many of us would point to ourselves? If we internalize this point, it would have a profound positive affect on our spiritual lives. Repentance, in particular, which some people find difficult, would be made much easier if we thought of ourselves as G-d's creations. For example, when a quiuet, nagging voice asks us, "How much does G-d really want from me?" "How much can G-d expect of us already?" or " What's really so wrong with x, y, or z?" we can now silence it by saying "Put yourself in G-d's shoes, as it were." If you had created something which is totally dependent on you, what is the least you can ask from it? Would you not rightly require it to give you all that it can, since it is totally dependent upon you? How then, can you complain when G-d asks something of us - seeing that he can rightly claim all from us let alone think of defying Him?
Thinking of ourselves as G-d's creations also aids repentance when we go to the opposite extreme. We say to ourselves, "I've sinned, not only once or twice but repeatedly done terrible things. But what can be expected of me? I 'm a low-life, a piece of dirt," and so on. Such an attitude denies the fact that G-d himself created us, since G-d does not err when he does something. We know that G-d did not "mess up" when our turn came to be created. Rather, G-d's work is perfect, and by extension, we are too. Our place in the whole scheme of creation is at its pinnacle - man is the whole purpose of creation as the talmud explains why man was created last - so that he say "the whole world was created for me." By sinning, we lower the whole world, and with repentance, we restore it to its proper place.
Now, it is clear why Rosh Hashanna is placed on the day of Adam's creation and in the month of beginnings. This causes us to focus on our beginnings, as the verse says, "A wise man, his eyes are on his "rosh" - head (beginning)." May we merit to be counted amongst G-d's choicest creations - those who know that they are His creations and serve Him with all that they have!
