Rabbi Explains Spiritual Growth When Rosh Hashanah Falls on Shabbat

Rabbi Yoav Akrish is offering a unique perspective on spiritual growth for Rosh Hashanah תשפ"ז (5787), particularly when the holiday coincides with Shabbat, as it does this year. He explains that traditional notions of self-improvement often involve external struggles against ego, habits, and the need for external validation. This year, however, the observance of Shabbat during Rosh Hashanah offers a deeper insight: that goodness is not an external achievement to be conquered, but an inherent part of our inner being.

Normally, Rosh Hashanah involves blowing the shofar to symbolically crown God as King. However, when the first day falls on Shabbat, shofar blowing is prohibited. Rabbi Akrish suggests this absence is not a deficiency but an elevation. Instead of striving to approach the King from the outside, the Shabbat observance itself places individuals within the royal presence, signifying an intrinsic connection to divine kingship.

This understanding, according to Rabbi Akrish, fundamentally alters our approach to life. It allows for performing good deeds without dependence on gratitude or praise, practicing humility without self-diminishment, and ceasing constant comparison with others. This shift stems not from a cessation of effort, but from a higher, internal starting point for action. The rabbi emphasizes that this Rosh Hashanah presents an opportunity not just for resolutions, but for reaching a new level of inner awareness, realizing the person one aspires to be already exists within.