Preparing for the NEw Year: The Majesty is In the Field
09/16/2025 03:48:35 PM
“The King is in the Field,” is a teaching of the Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812, the founder of Chabad Hasidism). He likened Rosh Hashanah to a time when the king is in the palace and it is very formal act to approach the throne. But when the king is traveling to the palace on his royal horse, anyone can approach him as he travels through the fields.
“At such times, anyone can approach him; the king receives them all with a smiling face and a radiant countenance. The peasant behind his plow has access to the king in a manner unavailable to the highest-ranking minister in the royal court when the king is in the palace.”
The Rebbe used this parable to explain that during the lunar month of Elul, just prior to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it is easier to access our connection to the divine. That doesn’t mean that you literally have to go out to a field. It’s in your heart. This is a time for extra prayer, tzedakah/charity, reconciliation with others, and spiritual stock-taking. Contemporary Torah teacher, Gavriel Strauss suggested that we literally go out in nature, to a real meadow or field, as a wonderful way to sense that spiritual closeness.
In case that King metaphor feels patriarchal, here’s another interpretation. In the Zohar on Genesis, Shechinah (the feminine, indwelling Divine Presence) is described as a fragrant, verdant field. Reverence for nature is reverence for the divine. And I also like to make it more gender-neutral and say, "The Majesty is in the Field," this time of year. For me as a nature lover, this is a perfect way to prepare for the days of awe: going out in nature and feeling the subtle change of seasons beginning.
Hearing the crickets and cicadas, seeing the drying echinacea and hints of fall foliage, feeling the texture of the air at late summer, all these connect us to the change of season and the Divine Presence that pervades all things. As the field of possibilities for the year ahead opens up, may I suggest that you take some time in these days of Elul to go outside and seek your inspiration for the new year?
Enjoy this program to prepare for the Days of Awe with Cantor Michele Rozansky and me, and explore our theme for the High Holidays: "LeChaim - To Life!" LIsten to more of the Cantor's holiday songs here. \
