Shanah Tovah U’Metukah everyone.
Every year on Rosh HaShanah, we have the custom of eating symbolic foods, and one of them is the head of a ram, and for Ashkenazim the head of a fish. We look at it, and some even eat it, and we say, “שנהיה לראש ולא לזנב” “We should be the head and not the tail.”
My grandfather was one of the children that were saved from the Nazis through the kinder transport, and when he arrived in London, they sent him to one of the villages together with other boys. The locals by the village inspected them to find the horns and tails that they thought Jews had. Otherwise, why would anyone want to kill another normal human being? So, when one of these locals asked my grandfather where his tail and horns are, he responded that he left them at home. Since then, my grandfather always says every Rosh HaShanah that we should have a head without the horn or tail.
On a more serious note, this blessing is difficult to understand. What is the benefit in being the head and not the tail? In the book Sefer HaDorot, there is a story about Eliyahu HaNavi that he went into one of the cities together with R’ Yehoshua HaLevi, and nobody offered them any food or help. When they left the city, Eliyahu HaNavi was very upset and disappointed with their behavior towards visitors, so he cursed them all to be heads. When Eliyahu HaNavi went to a second city, they were very welcoming and hospitable to him. He was very pleased by their good deeds, and so he blessed them that they should have only one head.
R’ Yehoshua HaLevi was confused, as this blessing really seemed like a curse, so he asked Eliyahu HaNavi what the blessing was. He responded to him that when there is one head person in charge, there is peace and blessing in the land. However, if there are many heads each fighting for power, there is chaos and turmoil.
Based on this story, we have to explain this blessing that we make on Rosh HaShanah differently. The Gemara in Masechet Rosh HaShanah says that “כל שנה שרשה בתחילתה מתעשרת בסופה” “All years that start in poverty or difficulties will end successfully.” It turns out that if there will be blessing in the upcoming year, it will come only at the end. Therefore, we ask from HaShem that we should receive the blessing now, at this very moment, at the beginning of the year, and it should continue for the rest of the year. We don’t want October 7th, and then after to defeat our enemies, rather we should be victorious from the beginning of the year until the end.
We can also explain this blessing based on the Shlah HaKadosh’s question. The halacha is that in general, we do not ask for our personal needs in the first three blessings of Shemonah Esrei. So, how can we ask “remember us for life” in the first three blessings on Rosh HaShanah? The answer is that we are not asking for physical life, but rather spiritual life, and once someone is focused on spirituality, his physical needs are subordinate. This too is why we ask that we should be the head, as we are asking to be involved constantly with spirituality and our higher purpose, and not to be involved with the tail of materialism.
I wish you all to have a blessed and meaningful year from the very beginning, Amen.