Welcome to the pesukim of Musaf, Rosh Hashanah. We're on our fifth pasuk of shofarot, which refers to the shofar of our Rosh Hashanah. The pasuk is from Tehilim 98,6
בַּ֭חֲצֹ֣צְרוֹת וְק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָ֑ר הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ
לִפְנֵ֤י ׀ הַמֶּ֬לֶךְ יְהֹוָֽה׃
With trumpets of the shofar, the voice of the shofar, we will blow in front of Hashem, our God, which refers to the shofar of Rosh Hashanah.
The Meiri, in his sefer on Teshuva, says, let's look at this full chapter.
It starts off with Let the whole land trumpet, with all types of terms of songs. play with a harp, etc
Then it says, וְק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָ֑ר הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ
לִפְנֵ֤י ׀ הַמֶּ֬לֶךְ יְהֹוָֽה
Which, as we said, is talking about Rosh Hashanah.
And then it says a few pesukim later , Lifneh Hashem, Because Hashem is coming to judge the land. So that pasuk of Ki Ba Lishpot Haaretz is clearly talking about Rosh Hashanah. And yet we mention happiness and song. What's going on? The Meiri explains that the fear of Rosh Hashanah is a path to get us to Simcha, to get us to happiness.
He says that's why it's not accepted to fast on Rosh Hashanah, because Rosh Hashanah is a Yom Tov, and we can't pass on that simcha of Yom Tov. What are we happy about? We're happy about the messages that we got from the shofar.
He adds that even though Hashem is holding on to the chair of justice, it's befitting to be happy, because of what the person received from that arousal, from that understanding the he got. Rav Wolbe used to always say that the pesukim that we say right after the shofar is blown, are pesukim of happiness. We quote from Tehilim 89,16. We say, Asher HaAm Yodeah Tiruah/ Fortunate are the people that know the secret of the tiruah, which is to arouse yourself in Teshuva. Hashem yaor panekha yalech, we're going to go in the light of Your face, which is, again, a positive concept. Bshimcha yagolun Kol Hayom/In Your name we're going to be be delighted and elated all day. These are clearly pesukim of happiness.
It's said that the Gaon of Vilna's face was fiery with happiness as the shofar was blowing. What are we happy about? Says the Meiri, We realize that Hashem controls the world and we understand that as nation we are being supervised by Him, and we pray to Him and we have our supplications.
And then he says, we walk out with reliance on the promises of the prophets.
On Rosh Hashanah, when we start talking about Hashem revealing Himself, we are looking forward and hoping to Mashiach. That's a lot of the talk on Rosh Hashanah. And he says, Lo she'yipol Ye'ush Bilvavenu/We should not despair in our hearts or give up hope because the exile has been so long. No. We walk out of Rosh Hashanah enthused. We walk out of Rosh Hashanah inspired.
We walk out of Rosh Hashanah motivated- and this means when walk out of the Tekiyat shofar. When we hear the shofar blowing, and we get the lessons of the shofar…
Malchuyot/Hashem is King
Zichronot/He remembers us. He's watching over us. Shofarot/the shofar of Har Sinai.
Although we know we're being judged (and the reason why we're taking this so seriously is because we're being judged), we are still excited about the lessons that we got due to the judgment. It's like a person that's going for a physical therapy session. He's being stretched and twisted and whatever it may be, and he walks out charley-horse. But he knows that that's going to make him feel better in another day or two because he's now more flexible and more mobile. So too, when we walk out, we know that the fear of Rosh Hashanah is what got us to where we are.
If not for Elul and Rosh Hashanah, and our preparation, taking this seriously, because we know it's judgment Day, we wouldn't get here. We need the backdrop of Judgment Day to get ourselves here. But the goal, says the Meiri, after all that, is to be happy with that,
There is an unbelievable Rabbenu Yona in his commentary on the Rif in Berachot, where he says that normally for human beings, fear and happiness are a contradiction. If you're standing in front of someone in fear, you're moved back by worry. But with Hashem, it doesn't work that way. It's the opposite. When you start delving into His greatness and become afraid of Him, you become happy with that fear. Why? Because that fear is going to get you to fulfill mitzvot.
That fear aroused you, and now you're thrilled. He says, that's the concept, that you could serve Hashem with fear and be happy with that fear. That's what it means that the curses come because you didn't serve Hashem out of happiness. It means you should have gotten to a fear and the fear doesn't leave you in fear. The fear brings you to happiness.
The great Rav Yehezkiel Levenstein was known for his tremendous fear on Rosh Hashanah, crying during the prayers. But his student Rav Dan Segal said he once heard him during the break in his room, singing songs. What was going on? You're crying and you're singing? Yes, that's the power of Rosh Hashanah.