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Why does Tehillim 81 define Rosh Hashanah as the "hidden moon holiday"? The shiur develops the principle that the moon's diminishment teaches the foundation of malchus: serving Hashem (ה׳) means receiving exactly what's needed for the job, without self-aggrandizement or feeling entitled as "part of management." This yesod explains Parshas Nitzavim's warning against those who hear the bris yet think "b'shirirus libi elech"—a dangerous mindset that confuses spiritual elevation with ownership rights.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a striking question from Tehillim 81:4-5: why does Dovid HaMelech characterize Rosh Hashanah as "ba'keseh l'yom chageinu"—the holiday when the moon is hidden? The Gemara (גמרא) in Rosh Hashanah identifies this as Rosh Hashanah because it falls on Rosh Chodesh when the moon is not visible, unlike Pesach (פסח) and Sukkos (סוכות) which fall on the fifteenth. Yet this seems like an insulting, peripheral way to describe Yom HaDin, the day of judgment and coronation of Hashem (ה׳) as King. What does the "hidden moon" teach us about the essence of Rosh Hashanah? The shiur turns to Parshas Nitzavim to develop the answer. The parsha describes Moshe gathering all of Klal Yisrael—"atem nitzavim"—to make a bris regarding keeping the mitzvos, with severe warnings about the consequences of violation. The Torah (תורה) then describes a troubling personality: "V'haya b'shom'o es divrei ha'alah hazos v'hisbareich bilvavo leimor shalom yihyeh li ki b'shirirus libi eilech"—when he hears these words of curse, he will bless himself in his heart saying, "I will have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart." This person hears Hashem making a bris, knows the consequences, yet concludes he can do whatever he wants. The pasuk concludes with the shocking statement that such a person won't be forgiven even if he returns a lost object to a non-Jew ("l'ma'an s'fos haravah es hatzmeiah").
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Parshas Nitzavim 29:9-19, Tehillim 81:4-5
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