Rosh Hashanah: From Divine Ownership to the Gift of Justice

Rabbi Zweig begins by addressing a deep discomfort many feel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—the oppressive weight of being judged. He argues that until we understand the fundamental starting point of our relationship with Hashem (ה׳), it is nearly impossible to have a healthy feeling going to shul on the Yamim Noraim. The question is stark: if God created us ex nihilo, doesn't He own us completely? And if He owns us, why does He owe us a trial at all? An owner can discard what he owns for any imperfection—one stain, one flaw, and the item is discarded. Why should Hashem grant us a day in court? The shiur's central insight is that God's ownership is absolute, yet He offers us an extraordinary covenant: if we coronate Him as King by blowing the shofar, He will no longer relate to us as Owner but as Sovereign over subjects. This is the meaning of "Ola Elokim b'teruah"—God ascends with the teruah, i.e., when we blow shofar, we transform the relationship. A Midrash in Parshas Emor explains that when God sits on the throne of justice, we blow shofar, and He moves from the seat of strict judgment to the seat of compassion. But the Midrash says we blow twice: once to establish Him as King (thereby limiting His ownership), and once to appeal for mercy as His children.