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24 Ellul 5761 - September 12, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
His Kingdom Rules All

What does a new year mean to most of the people in the world? "Celebrating" with eating and drinking and wild abandon. Have a blast in honor of the new year.

Needless to say, for the Jewish people a new year is an entirely different experience. Though it is a yom tov and we mark it also with a festive meal, yet it is also an awesome day of judgment, in which all creation is evaluated and the fate of the world as a whole and all its individual parts is decided. At the same time, we focus on praying that Hashem's kingship of the world become evident to the whole world, accepting His rule upon ourselves and praying that its truth will overwhelm the rest of the world as well.

Certainly these two themes emphasize each other. As we review our deeds and are aware of the heavenly judgment that is taking place, it makes us more aware of the fact that Hashem is King over us and over the universe, and at the same time it makes His rule more evident in ourselves.

Umalchuso bakol mosholoh -- His Kingdom rules all. Whether we introspect and weigh the propriety and correctness of our deepest thoughts, whether we think back about how we have dealt with our parents, our spouses, our siblings, whether we review how we have treated the most exalted people we come in contact with or the lowliest menial workers -- all come within the purview of Hashem's teachings to us and all must reflect the fact that we are His subjects and that we conduct ourselves according to the way He wants us to behave.

Both someone who takes a penny that is not rightfully his and someone who takes millions, is limiting malchus Shomayim.

No detail is too small, no hiding place too obscure, no creature too insignificant, to reflect the influence of Hashem Yisborach at all times.

Whatever we can do to correct something, in ourselves or in the world around us, is another step -- large or small -- towards the time when Hashem will be King of all the world.

So profound is this principle, that we cannot always accurately determine what is, from Hashem's perspective, important or trivial. Not only is Hashem concerned with what we might see as insignificant, but He may value that "small" detail more than something else that appears to our eyes to be much more important. There are small things that we trample underfoot, but they really stand at the highest point of the world.

We must do our best to fulfill all of the Torah, without exception, and to evaluate and improve ourselves in everything that we do.

So, when we ask, "meloch al kol ho'olom kulo bichvodecho," in order to do our part to make this a reality we must reflect, repent and resolve to mend our ways. Then we will surely merit a kesiva vechasimah tova.


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