BY RABBI MOSHE TARAGIN

The words of tefillah are timeless – rooted in Tanach, shaped by Chazal, and carrying our mesorah through the generations. But the emotions behind them shift with history’s turns. October 7th reshaped Jewish identity, peoplehood, and our bond with the Land. Over the past two years, we have not only carried the weight of that day’s sorrow but also witnessed extraordinary courage, unity, and achievements that have renewed our spirit. 

This Rosh Hashanah, our prayers rise from the sorrow of that day and the strength forged in the struggle that followed. Here are eight passages from the Rosh Hashanah tefillah that take on new depth in its aftermath.

1. Hester panim

The quintessential verse of Rosh Hashanah: “תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ” (Tehillim 81:4) literally translates as “Blow the shofar at the new moon, on the concealed day of our festival.” Chazal associate the word keseh with kisu – something hidden. Rosh Hashanah is, in many ways, a concealed chag. The Rosh Chodesh elements are muted, and even G-d’s divine presence – so central to Yom HaDin – remains hidden from most of humanity. By being judged, each person unwittingly submits to divine authority, yet remains unaware. On Rosh Hashanah, we strive to pierce that concealment – to unveil hidden truths and illuminate the shrouded presence of Hashem.

Unfortunately, on October 7th, His presence was profoundly obscured. Since then, we have experienced a more tempered period of divine concealment, punctuated by moments of great miracles. Yet the shadow of concealment still lingers. Rosh Hashanah is a day to unveil Hashem’s hidden authority, and this year our yearning for the revelation of G-d’s presence feels even more urgent. After two years marked by “keseh” (hiddenness) – of incomprehensibility – we long for giluy (revelation):

“הוֹפַע בַּהֲדַר גְּאוֹן עֻזֶּךָ עַל כׇּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל אַרְצֶךָ”

“Appear in the splendor of Your mighty glory upon all the inhabitants of Your world.”

2. Restore our honor

My Rebbe, Rav Amital, recounted davening on Rosh Hashanah during the Holocaust in a charred cellar. Few had machzorim, and tefillot were recited by heart in cloaked darkness. When they reached the tefillah of “וּבְכֵן תֵּן כָּבוֹד ה’ לְעַמֶּֽךָ, And so, grant honor, Hashem, to Your people,” some began to laugh and cry at what seemed like a preposterous dream. Our people were hunted like animals, murdered in cold blood. What possible honor could be granted to such a crushed and broken nation?

The survivors could not imagine that, over the next eighty years, the honor of our people would steadily rise, transforming despair into resilience and honor.

And yet, here we stand once again – mocked, scorned, and accused of baseless, malevolent crimes. Once more, our glory has been tarnished. We plead with Hashem to restore honor to His people and bring hope to all who seek Him.

3. Banish evil

In the section of Rosh Hashanah tefillah known as “וּבְכֵן צַדִּיקִים,” we visualize the righteous people celebrating Hashem, while fervently praying for the eradication of evil from our world.

“וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כֻּלָּהּ כְּעָשָׁן תִּכְלֶה כִּי תַעֲבִיר מֶמְשֶֽׁלֶת זָדוֹן מִן הָאָֽרֶץ”

“And may all wickedness vanish like smoke, when You remove the dominion of arrogance from the earth.”

In the past, we prayed to Hashem to remove forces of evil which we imagined as poised to attack our people and to threaten humanity. Currently, those forces of death and murder are unleashing their anger and violence upon us, and, of course, against all of humanity. They attack the Jews, but they murder humanity.

Today, the wicked governments and rulers mentioned in our prayers are clearly identifiable. Baruch Hashem, we have already witnessed the beginning of their downfall, as armies and nations bent on destroying G-d’s people have been removed from this earth. With Hashem’s help, we have begun this work, but we implore Him to complete it.

This tefillah calls not only for the removal of tyrannical governments (memshelet zadon) but also for the eradication of pervasive evil (rish’ah) that sabotages humanity. We have witnessed this evil rise not just in governments but among opportunists who exploit this conflict to unleash antisemitic hatred against us. We beseech Hashem to eliminate both corrupt regimes and the insidious evil that has distorted truth and perverted morality.

4. Instant memory

When recalling the covenant of Yitzchak, the Torah doesn’t employ the term zechirah (remembrance) as it does for Avraham and Ya’akov.

“וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק וְאַף אֶת בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר”

“And I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham I will remember” (Vayikra 26:42).

Chazal explain that since Yitzchak was prepared to be sacrificed, his ashes are “perpetually assembled” upon the altar of Har HaMoriah. They are so immediate and vivid that they require no special “act” of remembrance. It is as if Hashem looks directly below and instantly recalls Yitzchak’s sacrifice and courage.

If Hashem remembers the bravery of a single soul who was nearly sacrificed, and responds to his virtual akeidah ashes, how much more should He remember the countless lives tragically lost in the flames of that dark day, and the millions of His people denied dignified burial in Europe’s killing fields? How can a 21st-century Jew recite this verse without trembling, without turning to Hashem to remember our sacrifice? As history unfolds, so do our tefillot – the words remain unchanged, but their meanings grow richer, deepened by each generation’s experience.

5. Our sons, His son

At a deeply passionate moment in the Musaf prayer, we remind Hashem that we are not merely His subjects, but are also His beloved child:

“הֲבֵן יַקִּיר לִי אֶפְרַֽיִם אִם יֶֽלֶד שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים”

“Is Ephraim a dear son to Me? Is he a child of delight?” (Yirmiyahu 31:19)

We all recognize the depth and intensity of the love we feel toward our children, and by citing this verse we yearn for Hashem to see us through that same lens of parental affection. Tragically, during this war, we have lost too many sons and daughters. We stood alongside grieving families, hearing the heartbreaking cries of parents whose loss cannot be measured.

On Rosh Hashanah, recall this love and channel it: the love we felt toward our children and our students who protected us and defended us with their lives. Ask Hashem to mirror that love, to look upon His children as we do ours, with infinite compassion and affection.

6. Inner sheep

The Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah portrays all of Hashem’s subjects appearing before Him as “b’nei maron.” One interpretation of the Gemara for b’nei maron – the one adopted by U’netaneh Tokef – is that we appear before Him like sheep. Sheep are utterly helpless, at the mercy of their shepherd, unable to turn right or left, and defenseless.

This war has deepened our gratitude for the privilege of having a Jewish army to protect us. While October 7th was not the first pogrom in our history, it marked the first pogrom followed by a war. Yet, even amidst our courageous efforts to defend our land and people, we often contend with a disheartening sense of helplessness, acutely aware of our reliance on our Shepherd to protect and guide us through this darkness. Tap into that inner vulnerability. This year we know too well how to feel helpless as a sheep.

7. Release them

The first verse of Zichronot doesn’t take us back to any grand moment of Jewish history. Instead, we ask Hashem to have mercy on us, just as He had mercy on the animals in Noach’s ark. These animals had no merits nor covenants. They were merely creatures, sequestered in a dark, sweaty, and putrid ark for twelve months, with little light, air, or food. Hashem’s mercy was bestowed upon them simply because they were His creations who were suffering intolerable conditions.

Fifty hostages – our own people, our own children and brothers and sisters – are still enduring conditions far worse than the animals aboard the ark. Who can unsee the horrifying images of starving hostages languishing in airless, oxygen-deprived tunnels? We plead: Hashem, release them from their imprisonment, just as You released Your creatures from the confines of the ark. Show them that same mercy.

8. They will know

Finally, we return to the central theme woven throughout our tefillot: the hope we carry for the day we long for – a day hinted at every Rosh Hashanah – when the whole world will recognize His presence and embrace His will.

“וְיֵדַע כָּל פָּעוּל כִּי אַתָּה פְעַלְתּוֹ וְיָבִין כָּל יְצוּר כִּי אַתָּה יְצַרְתּוֹ וְיֹאמַר כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְאַפּוֹ ה’ אֱ-לֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶֽלֶךְ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָֽׁלָה”

“Then every being will know that You created it, every creature will understand that You formed it, and all who have breath will declare: ‘Hashem, G-d of Israel, is King, and His kingship rules over all.’”

One day, Hashem’s presence will be unmistakable, a force that unites the entire world. Only His presence can lead humanity to rise above hatred, ego, and selfishness.

“וְיֵעָשׂוּ כֻלָּם אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם”

” Then they will all form a single bond, to do Your will with a perfect heart.”

Only through Hashem’s revelation can humanity come together as an agudah achat – a true unity born of shared purpose and wholehearted devotion. May we pray that Hashem reveals Himself to our wounded world, replacing darkness with light, evil with spirit, and murder with morality. May He renew His great love for His chosen people.

 

Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion / Gush. He is a weekly columnist for the Jerusalem Post and for the OU’s Torah Tidbits. His most recent books include: “Reclaiming Redemption”: Deciphering the Maze of Jewish History, and “To be Holy, but Human”: Reflections Upon My Rebbe, HaRav Yehuda Amital which are available in bookstores and at www.mtaraginbooks.com.