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Short Summary
Main recommendation: On Rosh Hashanah, consciously "coronate" God as your king by choosing your infinite, divine core, rather than fear, addiction, trauma, or stress, to rule your life. Rabbi YY Jacobson frames this as an annual decision that lets your best self lead, especially during uncertain times such as the age of corona.
Key Points
- The coronation idea comes from the Yiddish phrase "Koronatsie nacht," the "night of coronation," which Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson (Rabbi Shalom Yosef Ber Celebi, per the speaker's story) recalled his childhood teacher in Khoslavitch teaching him about Rosh Hashanah.
- Unlike earthly kings, who gain power from the people's vote, God's kingship is not conferred by humans. The speaker argues that God's kingship is already a given, since God created us and sustains us.
- The speaker cites the Baal Shem Tov's teaching that the world is recreated every moment by divine energy, so God's energy is the only truly real energy in existence.
- Coronating God means recognizing that your deepest identity is a manifestation of the divine, not your fears, addictions, or past wounds.
- The speaker presents Rosh Hashanah as a day of self-judgment in which you see yourself as being judged by a loving God who wants you to fulfill your potential.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: On Rosh Hashanah, ask yourself directly: who is the king in my heart, mind, and life? Honestly list what currently rules you (for example, addictions, depression, anxiety, stress, insecurity, or trauma) and whether you own them or they own you.
- Concrete instructions: Declare "Malchus," meaning "God, you are the king," and identify yourself as an ambassador of God in this world, letting your divine essence lead your decisions.
- Concrete instructions: During the coming year, align yourself daily with your "infinite core," approaching challenges from a state of centeredness, balance, and equilibrium.
- Concrete instructions: Develop a personal, intimate relationship with God, especially during difficult times, and use Rosh Hashanah as a day of true self-judgment.
- The speaker quotes Thomas Paine: "There are moments that try people's souls," used to describe the challenge of crisis moments when your best or worst qualities can emerge.
- The speaker retells a story (heard from another rabbi) in which, as a child, that rabbi jokingly answered 'Nicholas' when asked who is coronated on Rosh Hashanah, and his teacher corrected him, noting Nicholas II was already crowned and later met a tragic end in the Bolshevik Revolution, proving he was no true king.
Bottom Line
Rosh Hashanah is an annual invitation to choose which part of yourself governs your life: your fears and pain, or your divine core, so you can move from being "pregnant" with potential to being fully born into it.
