Rosh Hashana might be the most misunderstood holiday.
Aside from a pretty long prayer service, what is the day commemorating? Judgement? Creation? Apples?
The Torah describes Rosh HaShana simply as a “day of remembrance, of the sounding of the shofar.” Nothing about judgement or creation is even mentioned! Why not? Why doesn’t the Torah elaborate what this day is all about?
In school, there are two types of questions of tests you may be familiar with. Multiple choice and essay questions. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. For the multiple choice, it’s easy to just take a random guess. Essay questions, you can always just write everything you know and hope for the right answer. A distinct advantage of the short answer test is that at least by writing something, it reflects that you put in SOME effort.
Rosh Hashana is the essay question of the Jewish calendar. It’s not about selecting the ONE right answer. It’s about making sure you don’t hand your test back blank. Show your teacher that you have put in effort. The shofar is an un-articulated sound and Rosh Hashanah is in many ways an un-articulated holiday because at the beginning of the year we may not know the precise expression or answer to the challenges and questions of life. There is no ONE right answer. The beginning of the year is a time to show that we are making an effort at bettering ourselves and introspecting on our values. We may not have the exact answer, but the real value is in the effort and relationship.
While listening to the shofar, remember that it’s not multiple choice. There is NO one right thing to think about. The main thing is to make sure that when you turn your paper in, it reflects that you made an effort at preserving a meaningful and authentic relationship with God, friends, family and yourself.