The Jewish New Year   Moshe Ben-Chaim     The Jewish New Year is unlike man-made celebrations of the secular New Year, accompanied by self indulgence, drunkenness, and the inescapable self realization that the partiers celebrate nothing other than the celebration. Through the laws pertaining to the Jewish New Year, God continues to direct us to absolute truths in our never ending search for reality.     Our new year, Rosh Hashanna, Judaism focuses on a singular concept that God is the King, the Ruler of the universe. We make no personal requests. Rather, we praise God, His absolute omniscience and omnipotence through precisely formulated prayers. Our prayers accompanied by the Shofar blasts, emphasizes this one theme: "And so too Hashem our God, instill your awe upon all your works, and Your dread upon all that You have created. Let all works revere You, and all creatures prostrate themselves before You. Let them all become a single society to do Your will wholeheartedly. For as we know Hashem our God, that the dominion is Yours, might is in Your hand, strength is in Your right hand, and Your name inspires awe over all that You have created."   Regarding this idea of God's complete rulership, Talmud Rosh Hashanna 16a records a Mishna stating, "on Rosh Hashanna, all those who enter the world pass before God (in judgment) like sheep". The Mishna quotes a source, Psalms 33:16 - "Who forms at once their (man's) hearts, Who understands all their doings." Metsudas Dovid understands this as, since God created all people the same, He therefore understands all people equally, and this understanding is limited only to God - as God is Judge. One Who judges accurately possesses the entire truth about His created beings.   Ibn Ezra offers a different explanation, understanding the verse in Psalms slightly different, "The One Creator (of) their hearts, Who understands all their doings." Ibn Ezra teaches us a subtle idea: "There is One Creator - and there cannot be many - therefore He alone understands all their doings." Ibn Ezra states, precisely due to God's oneness, does God judge people. I ask, "Why does the reality that God is one, demand that God judge man?" How is God's judgment of man a natural outgrowth of His being one?   Ibn Ezra teaches this; God judges mankind, thereby teaching us that there is a Judge, One God. The very act of God judging us, is an essential lesson. It teaches the most fundamental idea, i.e., Unity of God. As only God judges, no other being or entity can judge.   God judging man targets many goals. I feel Ibn Ezra derived from this institution of judgment, that man must recognize God as the Ultimate Ruler. This is the main idea: Being judged is not primarily so man takes account of his actions, as an ends in itself. Rather, being judged is so "man recognize the existence of The Judge". There is a Being with ultimate knowledge and power - the Creator of all reality.   "Then You Hashem will reign alone over all Your works, on Mount Zion, resting place of Your glory, and in Jerusalem Your holy city, as it is written in Your holy writings, "Hashem shall reign forever, your God, oh Zion, from generation to generation, praised be God".     This quote repeats, "G-d will reign". By definition, God does not share His Oneness. He possesses the distinction of Oneness exclusive of all 'others'. We stand in judgment, thereby attesting to His eternal, independent reign. The idea of God is inherently bound up with the concept that God knows all of man's actions. We cannot agree to any concept of God, bereft of His absolute knowledge of our actions. This necessitates our act of repentance before Him. According to Ibn Ezra, standing in judgment is truly a testament to God's unique role as Ruler. The Creator knows His works, as the verse says, "The One Creator (of) their hearts, Who understands all their doings." By definition, "He alone understands all their doings." We therefore attest to His reign by standing in judgment.   This command to attest to God's exclusive reign as King by adhering to the laws of Rosh Hashanna, implants in man the most basic idea: God is One.