Rosh Hashana 5787 | Rabbi Shlomo Friedman

🎬 Watch this shiur on YouTube AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information): The central question of the shiur explores the meaning of the Gemara’s teaching (Rosh Hashanah 16b) that a year which is "poor" at its beginning becomes "rich" at its end. This concept, derived from the unusual spelling of the word **meireishit** in Parashat Eikev, emphasizes the necessity of **tefillah** performed with extreme humility, where one approaches God not with demands but as a pauper relying entirely on Divine mercy. The shiur concludes that this mindset requires acknowledging that nothing can be taken for granted from year to year, yet it also offers the profound hope that because each year begins a new account, even long-standing difficulties can be completely overturned in the year to come. 1\. **Orthographic lesson** — The missing **alef** in the word **meireishit** (מראשית) in **Parashat Eikev** hints at the word **rash** (רש), meaning a poor person. 2\. **Prayer with humility** — One must approach **Rosh Hashanah** like a pauper at the door, relying on mercy rather than making demands based on merit. 3\. **Taking nothing for granted** — A "poor person's" **davening** means recognizing that even things we already possess require new prayers to continue in the coming year. 4\. **The new account** — Every year brings a fresh **cheshbon** (account), meaning that past successes do not guarantee the future, but past suffering does not dictate it either. 5\. **Fresh starts** — The story of the **Netivot Shalom** illustrates that a decree of illness from a previous year can completely expire once the new year begins. 6\. **Sincere intention** — Proper **kavanah** (intention) and humility are the keys to earning a **shanah tovah umetukah** (a good and sweet year).