During this sacred time, we are called to repent and make teshuvah, renewing our souls for the year ahead. Rosh HaShanah offers us the opportunity to approach HaShem based on our own merits and plead for His mercy. But have you considered how we come before Him? Often, we focus on sustenance, healing, and forgiveness. However, we must be careful not to approach HaShem with a list of demands. The Zohar warns against such requests, likening them to "barking dogs"—empty and self-serving.
History teaches us that we’ve had many reasons to ask for help. Tragedies have often beset the Jewish people. Consider Adam: created as the ideal human, he failed to reach his potential, succumbing to physical desire by eating the forbidden fruit. Later, when God gave Israel the Torah, the nation again lost its chance to fulfill their elevated purpose, falling prey to material temptations.
This time of year is critical for reconnecting with our inner spark of sanctity, which may have lain dormant throughout the year. We must free ourselves from material impulses and, on Rosh HaShanah, seek the renewal of our spiritual drive. When the Torah was given, an inner spark was implanted in every Jewish soul—a permanent reminder of the sacred Tablets. This spark, along with the promise of eternal life and freedom from the evil inclination, remains within us. We must awaken it as we return to HaShem.