Rosh Hashana: How Important are Your Deeds | Rabbi Menachem Feifer

Someone who studies the נוסח התפילה of Rosh HaShanah will notice something very peculiar. In the Tefillah of Musaf, in the Bracha of Zichronos, we mention, in middle of the Bracha, the Zchus of Noach, and how HaKadosh Baruch Hu remembered Noach in the Teiva and saved him from the Mabul. Very unusual. Generally, Yidden don't consider themselves Bnei Noach. We’re Bnei Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. How does Noach get into the Tefillos of Musaf of Rosh HaShanah? There is a famous מימרא that R’ Chaim Vital wrote that he asked his Rebbe, the Arizal, Why do you say that my actions are higher than the actions, higher than the מעשים טובים of a תנא? I'm so much smaller. I can't even reach the toenails of a תנא. Why do you say my actions are so Choshuv by Hashem? And the Arizal told him, Because your actions are measured according to the backdrop of the generation that you live in. In our דור, the Arizal said 400 years ago, where the טומאה and קליפות are so strong, even a small act has tremendous Chashivus. Noach was On Rosh HaShanah, we say to the Ribono shel Olam, Noach was measured as a Tzaddik in the backdrop of the generation that he lived, the דור המבול. Ribono shel Olam, look at the rest of the world and look at Your children. Compare us with the rest of the world and be מרחם on us בדין. The Chofetz Chaim would tell a story that he met a fellow who dealt with grain. And during years of plenty, he asked him: How is business? He said: Terrible. I can't find customers. Everyone is so picky what I give them. They start bargaining and telling me they can get it for less at someplace else. It's available all over. And then a few years later, he met him during years of a war, when there was starvation and terrible, terrible lack of food all over. How are things going now? the Chofetz Chaim asked. It must be very bad. He said: No, to the contrary. Any grain I have gets caught up right away. Everyone wants to buy it. Any grade of grain, no matter how bad it is. People are waiting in line to buy things from me. It's the best business I've ever had, ever in my life. Chofetz Chaim said, In the times of Rishonim and Achronim and back to Amora’im and Tana’im, there was such a wealth of Ruchniyus in the world. In Shomayim, the Mal’achim would say: Wait, wait, wait, not so fast. Let's see if this Tefillah deserves to go up in front of the כסא הכבוד. Was it said לשמה? Was it said with Simcha? Was it said with Kavanah, with Ahavah, with Yir’ah? Today, they're starving in Shomayim. The smallest Mitzvah that we do, the smallest פרישות מעבירה that we do, every single act that we're able to be מתגבר and do something למען Hashem has so much, so much Chashivus by the Boreh Olam. It's grabbed up immediately and treasured by HaKadosh Baruch Hu.