#20: Elul II - Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur - What Should We Actually Be Thinking About? - With Rabbi Zimmerman

We know what we do on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But what are we actually supposed to be thinking and feeling? In the second part of this special Elul series, Mena Reisner continues his conversation with Rabbi S. F. Zimmerman, exploring the meaning behind the Yamim Noraim. Why do we celebrate on the Day of Judgment? Why is there almost no mention of teshuvah in the Rosh Hashanah tefillos? What is the shofar actually meant to achieve? What changes during Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, and what makes Yom Kippur fundamentally different from every other day? From Rosh Hashanah through Ne’ilah, a thought-provoking conversation about how to approach the most important days of the Jewish year and what we should actually be trying to achieve.   Timestamps: [00:00] – Introduction; Elul Part 2 and Rosh Hashanah focus [00:39] – Rosh Hashanah as Yom HaDin and Yom Tov; fear vs simcha [05:23] – No vidui/confession in Rosh Hashanah davening [09:08] – Being “Mamluch Hashem” and defining essence as avdei Hashem [09:40] – Personal requests on Rosh Hashanah and “Hashem’s payroll” [13:06] – What shofar accomplishes; wake-up call and the Satan [18:13] – How shofar “confuses” the Satan; teshuva me’ahavah [19:32] – Why no shofar when Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbos [23:24] – Zechroinos/Yom Hazikaron – what Hashem is “remembering” [27:05] – From Rosh Hashanah to Aseres Yemei Teshuva [28:20] – What’s unique about Aseres Yemei Teshuva and beinonim [31:07] – What makes Yom Kippur so holy (kedusha) [34:06] – How Yom Kippur teshuva differs from year-round teshuva [37:18] – Bein adam lechaveiro: mechilah before Yom Kippur [42:26] – “I’m mochel everyone” – how that works [42:48] – Kol Nidrei and the power of speech [46:41] – Ne’ilah: final opportunity and special status [51:38] – After Yom Kippur: confidence and simcha [54:28] – Final message: “Ashreichem Yisrael” and closing