Rosh Hashanah – Coronation Day

They journeyed in their hundreds of thousands, and they waited in the rain and the cold for hours on end.  From the north and south and east and west.  Some, a few miles away and others, from across the planet.  First in Scotland and then in London and Windsor.  They sobbed and clapped and then lowered their heads.  Enough flowers to fill a large park were left in their wake, along with the cards and Paddington Bears and marmalade sandwiches.

All for one lady.  Diminutive in stature and modest in appearance.  Whose words lifted the spirits of millions of her subjects and global admirers.

In the heart of darkness, we knew that, when it was over, ‘We shall meet again’.

And indeed, we did.

One.  Single.  Human Being.  The Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and without doubt, the most famous person on this planet.

Queen Elizabeth II was not a rock star or Oscar winning actress.  She was not a media celebrity or Vlogger, a fashion icon or TikTok sensation.  She didn’t appear on Strictly or Loose Women.  She wasn’t a member of the England Women’s Football Team or reveal an armful of colourful tattoos.  She was not any of these.

What she did do, was to make this vow at the tender age of 21:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

And it was an oath that she kept until her dying day, as everyone can attest, and which explains why we have witnessed the extraordinary scenes over the last three weeks.

Queen Elizabeth, aleha hashalom, did not need to rely on the ‘majesty of her position’, in the myriad ways we can understand this statement, to carry out her pledge.  For it was her deep and indefatigable faith and belief in Gd that drove her to act in the way she did. 

She too had a difficult life.  Palaces and Castles could not shield her from the pain she suffered at losing her beloved father at a young age and bearing the weight of responsibility that she bravely took on.  The distress caused by witnessing three of her four children divorcing was no doubt traumatic, as was having her sister and then mother pass away within two months of each other in February and March 2002.  And let us not forget the Annus Horribilis of 1992.  These were but a number of tragedies that she endured.  Yet, it was her faith that came to the fore, time and time again.  And we, her subjects looked on helplessly.

Last Monday evening, she was reunited with her beloved Philip, of blessed memory.  Today is the end of her shiva, as mandated by King Charles III.  As we know, it is also the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which I don’t believe is a coincidence.

Rosh Hashanah is when we recall Gd’s act in creating humankind, through the forms of Adam and Chavah, Adam and Eve, on this very day.  Gd sits in judgement over the whole of their descendants - hence one of the names of the festival being Yom HaDin – The Day of Judgement.’

The Torah does not refer to this day as Rosh Hashanah (that name appears for the first time in the Mishna).  Instead, it calls it ‘Yom Teruah’ (the day of blowing) and ‘Zichron Terua’ (remembrance of the blowing).

Rabbi Sacks ztl, in his Machzor explains the reason why the Terua sound on Rosh Hashanah could only refer to one emanating from a ram’s horn, namely, a shofar. 

He writes:

“The book of Psalms associates the Shofar not with a human king (for it was blown when a Biblical king was anointed) but with the declaration of Gd as King…Psalm 98 makes a clear connection between Gd’s kingship and His judgement:

With trumpets and the sound of the shofar,

Shout for joy before the Lord, the King

For He is coming to judge the earth.

He judges the world with righteousness”

And all nation with equity.

It is a day on which we celebrate the kingship of Gd….”

We shall soon read the Musaph prayer, with its three components of Malchiyot, kingship, Zichronot – remembrance of everything that Gd created and Shofarot, describing the inexorable link between this ancient musical instrument, our people and Rosh Hashanah itself - on this very day when we mark the end of the mourning period for Her Majesty, whose Divine Spirit informed everything that she did, both in her capacity as Queen and the humble human being we knew her to be.

But Rosh Hashanah has another side to explore.  Just as we re-declare our allegiance to the Creator of the Universe and recall with marvel his achievements, we use the Shofar to re-dedicate His presence in our lives.

Rosh Hashanah is also a Kingship Renewal Ceremony.  In other words, the Festival demands of us to enact a Divine Coronation.  And we do this too, through blowing the Shofar, in the same way that King Charles will be crowned within the span of this new Jewish Year.  For Gd is always in our lives, through thick and thin.

Before, during and after Covid.

Before, during and after the drought that struck our nation where our fields and homes burned.

Before, during and after the seemingly insurmountable energy crisis that we are all facing.

Gd is there for us, especially on Rosh Hashanah, the festival marking His coronation.  At a time when we feel as though we cannot continue, we must hold fast and look to the future when we pray that the Heavenly King will inspire our new Terrestrial one, in the same way that He emboldened his late mother.

Uteshuvah, Utefillah, Utzedaka – but repentance, prayer and charity – maarivin et ro’a hagezera – avert the evil decree.

Today is Gd’s coronation.  Rosh Hashanah is the festival when the Jewish people have the responsibility to pray for the world to become a better place so that when King Charles is enthroned, we will have helped to ease his way, through our power to communicate with Gd during these Yamim Nora’im, Days of Awe.

King Charles has spoken passionately of his role as ‘defender of all faiths’.  He exhibited this in the week following his mother’s passing, when he brought forward a meeting for different faiths on the Friday afternoon, to enable the Chief Rabbi to attend and return home in time for Shabbat.  Additionally, he made a point of asking Rabbi Mirvis to leave shortly after the meeting had begun in order to be able to achieve this.

Both King Charles and his late mother understood that for their respective reigns to succeed, this could only happen if they placed Gd at the centre of their moral compasses and resultant decision making.  I don’t believe that it is a coincidence that our Shuls, irrespective of their various denominations pray on a weekly basis for the Welfare of the Royal Family.  Having witnessed the Queen living to such a ripe age and ruling the country for seven decades demonstrates to me the power of prayer.

This prayer has a special resonance for the wonderful community of Cheltenham, as marked on the historic plaque adorning the wall of their beautiful Shul.  They are about to embark on their bicentennial commemorations next year.  I am in no doubt Elias Myers, Lewis Isaacs and Isiah Alex, the original founders of this congregation would have marvelled at how their vision resulted in the creation of an extraordinary and dedicated community that keep it alive two hundred years later.

On this Day of Judgement, Remembrance and Coronation, we ask Gd to judge us mercifully and favourably.

We beseech Him to remember the goodness that emanated from our beloved monarch and shelter her soul, bathed in His divine presence.

Finally, we pray that our shofar blasts will usher in a new era of benevolence under the stewardship of King Charles III.  May he reign over us in good health for many, many years.

And may Gd bring about the final redemption speedily in our days – bimhera beyamenu.  

Amen.

Shana Tovah.