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Why does the Torah (תורה) command simcha on Rosh Hashanah when we're facing life-or-death judgment? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Hashem (ה׳)'s entire system—including Rosh Hashanah judgment—is purely for our benefit, not His. The test of Avrohom at Lech Lecha reveals this axiom: we must internalize that mitzvos are inherently good for us, not God controlling or manipulating us for His agenda.
This shiur addresses a fundamental question that has bothered the speaker since childhood: how to reconcile the heaviness and fear of Rosh Hashanah judgment with the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s statement that there is a mitzvah (מצוה) of simcha on Rosh Hashanah, and with the allusion "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" (I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me) describing Elul as a time of love and anticipation like marriage. The Hasidic answer—that we can be confident because the Jewish people as a whole will survive even if individuals may not—is examined and found insufficient. While it explains confidence, it doesn't explain genuine simcha when one's own fate and family remain uncertain.
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Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Parshas Lech Lecha (Bereishis 12:1-2)
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