The din of Rosh Hashana is unparalleled in its thoroughness. Every single action is dissected, each thought examined. But it’s not just a matter of precision and intensity- the din of Rosh Hashana is unconceivably broad. Let’s read the Zichronos part of the Mussaf davening to see what this din includes.
אַתָּה זוֹכֵר מַעֲשֵׂה עוֹלָם וּפוֹקֵד כָּל יְצוּרֵי קֶדֶם.
Hashem recalls all actions since the beginning of the Universe. And He examines every creature that ever existed. He remembers all the way back to Adam HaRishon and beyond.
לְפָנֶיךָ נִגְלוּ כָּל תַּעֲלוּמוֹת וַהֲמוֹן נִסְתָּרוֹת שֶׁמִּבְּרֵאשִׁית.
He considers all secrets, going back to the Creation.
הַכֹּל גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לְפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, צוֹפֶה וּמַבִּיט עַד סוֹף כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת.
He looks into the future, to the end of time.
Why is all this necessary? A man is judged on Rosh Hashana for his actions during the past year. The judgement is about him- did he do more mitvzos or more aveiros? What does that have to do with the distant past and the future, to every creature which ever existed, or to the secrets of the Creation?
The answer is that the din of Rosh Hashana is not about how we stand on our own, whether we were “good” or “bad”. There is much more to it. Hashem has a plan for the world, and we must fit into His plan. “זֶה הַיּוֹם תְּחִלַּת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ”- This is the day of the beginning of Your actions.” Our actions are not the point, but rather His actions. We have to justify His action of creating the world. Is the purpose of the Creation being accomplished? Are we playing the role intended for us in the larger scheme, in order that His intention for the world should be realized? Since this din is about how we fit into the greater plan, all the facets of Creation are taken into account: other creations, the past and the future.
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Essentially, every single aspect of the Creation, that which was, is, or will be, is “placed on the table”, and we have to fit in with all of it. “Overwhelming” is not even the word; it’s mind-blowing. How do we approach a din which is all-encompassing? We don’t know the future and the past and the secrets of the universe!
We approach the din with the Bris. If you look back in the Machzor, you see that the pesukim we say for the Zichronos mention the Bris repeatedly: “וַיִּזְכּוֹר אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ”, “וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב”, “יִזְכֹּר לְעוֹלָם בְּרִיתוֹ”, and so on. The beracha of the Zichronos is “זוכר הברית”. In the Bris, Hashem commits to Klal Yisroel no matter what- even when we do the wrong thing. “רבי מאיר אומר בין כך ובין כך אתם קרוים בנים“- Rebbi Meir said whether or not you act like sons, you are called sons.”
On a deeper level, Hashem’s plan is to bestow good upon us. But He wants us to earn it. We have to work; we have to choose good. We are His partners in bringing about His plan for the world because we must struggle with evil and in the end choose good. In that sense, our flaws and mistakes are a part of His plan, because he wants our Bechira. He makes us partners “במעשיך”- in His actions.
We approach the din of Rosh Hashana by “holding on” to the Bris. We cannot simply rely on Hashem keeping the Bris, we must remain in the Bris as well. We have to realize that we exist not only for ourselves, but for something greater: we are Hashem’s partners in realizing His plan for the world. Our actions, therefore, affect not only us, but the entire Creation. This is a much broader look at ourselves and our actions. We can be zoche in din when Hashem’s plan is central and most important: “אשרי איש שלא ישכחך…”.