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Why does Torah (תורה) call Rosh Hashanah a day of love when it feels oppressive? The shiur explains that God owns us absolutely but chooses to limit Himself. When we blow shofar and coronate Him as King, He abandons His ownership rights and grants us due process in His court of justice.
This shiur addresses the fundamental paradox of Rosh Hashanah: why the Torah (תורה) describes it as a day of love and friendship ("Yom Teruah" meaning friendship) when most people experience it as oppressive and fearful. Rabbi Zweig also tackles the classic yeshiva question of why the holidays appear in reverse order - judgment (Rosh Hashanah) before repentance (Yom Kippur) and good deeds (Sukkos (סוכות)). The answer lies in understanding our fundamental relationship with God. As our Creator, God has absolute ownership over us - more complete than any human ownership. An owner has unlimited rights over his property and owes no due process. Yet remarkably, God grants us a day in court, complete with prosecutors, defenders, and judicial procedures. This represents an extraordinary self-limitation.
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