Day of Judgment for ALL OF MANKIND

Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment for all of mankind. On this day man is judged for all of his actions, and all that will transpire and occur during the coming year is recorded.

The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 8a) derives this from the verse (Deuteronomy 11:12) that states: The eyes of G-d, your L-rd, are upon it [the land] from the beginning of the year until the end of the year - i.e., from Rosh Hashanah, the world is judged as to what will transpire throughout the year.

Our Sages said:

On Rosh Hashanah all of mankind pass before Him like sheep -they pass by Him one by one, one after the other, yet He scrutinizes them all with a single  glance. Thus, the verse (Psalms 33:15) states: "He created all of their hearts together and understands all of their actions"; G-d, Who is the Creator, sees all of their hearts together (with a single glance) and understands all of their actions.

R. Cruspedai said in the name of R. Yochanan: Three ledgers are opened on Rosh Hashanah: one for those who are entirely wicked, one for those who are  entirely righteous, and one for those who are in the middle. The entirely righteous are immediately inscribed and sealed to live. The entirely wicked are  immediately inscribed and sealed to die. The fate of those in the middle is held in balance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

If they have merit [i.e., if they repent), they are inscribed to live. If they do not have merit [i.e., if they fail to repent), they are inscribed to die (ibid. 16 a,b).

Rosh Hashanah was ordained as a Day of Judgment for two reasons: The first is that on this day the creation of the world was completed and it was the Divine intention that the world be ruled by the trait of strict justice. Hence, the commencement of the year was ordained as the Day of Judgment.

The second reason is, as we noted above, that on this day Adam was judged, he repented, and he was forgiven.

These two reasons are alluded to in the Musaf service of Rosh Hashanah, where we recite: For You have ordained a statute of remembrance to judge all spirits and souls, to consider a multitude of actions and creations without end. From the beginning You have made this known and from the commencement You did reveal this. This day is the commencement of Your works, a memorial of the first day- a memorial of the first day of the completely created world and of the first Day of Judgment.

Our Sages have noted: Come and see how G-d's ways differ from the ways of man. The way of man is to judge a loving friend with good will, in order to treat him mercifully; and to judge an enemy with anger, in order to exact strict justice.

But G-d does otherwise: He judges the entire world - including those who violate His commandments - only with good will, in the month of Tishrei. And Tishrei's numerous Festivals and mitzvot bring anew the affinity between Him and His creatures. During this month of reconciliation, G-d welcomes man's prayer and repentance and judges him with compassion.

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The teaching of the sages that each person is judged on Rosh Hashanah does  not refer to whether a person will merit Gan Eden and the World to Come if he is worthy, or Gehinnom and eternal destruction if he is unworthy. Rather, man is judged on Rosh Hashanah concerning only this world: whether he is worthy of life and peace, or death and affliction.

Our Sages taught: The verse (Psalms 81:5) states: This is the day on which Your works began, a remembrance of the first day. It is a statute for Israel, judgment for the G-d of Ya'akov. [In the Musaf prayer we continue:] And concerning the nations, it will be said then: Which for the sword and which for peace, which for famine and which for prosperity. And all beings will then be recounted to be remembered for life or for death.

This then is the manner of judgment: On Rosh Hashanah man's actions are weighed and he is written and inscribed either favorably or unfavorably regarding this world, based on that which he deserves for what he has done in  this world. And when man departs to his final resting place, his actions are weighed and his portion in the world of the souls is allotted him, based on his  merit (Ramban, quoted by Abudraham).

Even if a person sins throughout the year, he should not lose confidence in his capacity for repentance. Rather, he should return to the path of righteousness before judgment comes.

He should always believe that he has the ability to tip his own scales - and the scale of the entire world - to the side of merit. It is for this reason that it is customary among the whole House of Israel to be especially generous in giving charity, in performing good deeds, in the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Man is judged only according to his present actions (Rosh Hashanah 16a). Even if they are completely absorbed in sin throughout the year, G-d Himself testifies that Israel desires to fulfill His will. Hence, if they repent as the Day of Judgment approaches and fulfill G-d's will, they are judged as they are, and not as they were.

SOURCE:  http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4399/jewish/Day-of-Judgment.htm

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Measure for Measure - Your Deeds are Rewarded or Punished

There are consequences to our actions -- consequences that reflect those actions. If you commit murder and drown others in a river to hide your crime, you will receive your punishment in the form of your crime. If you invent an unjust thing to benefit yourself at the expense of others, that unjust thing will ultimately be used against you. On the positive side, if you introduce something that benefits others, that thing will ultimately come to benefit you as well. In Hebrew it is called: midah k'neged midah -- measure for measure.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/91921/jewish/The-Case-of-the-Floating-Skull.htm


The Midrash also stresses that each of the plagues represented punishment for a particular wrong that the Egyptians did to the Jews:
1)'They made them drawers of water--and so their river was turned to blood;
2)they made them load their freight -- and the frogs destroyed it;
3)they had the Jews sweep the streets--and the dust turned into lice;
4)they made the Jews watch their children--and God flooded the country with wild animals that devoured the children ...'.
5)The Egyptians made them cattle-herders, whereupon the pestilence killed the herds.
6)They used them to prepare their baths--and then they developed boils which made it impossible for them to wash.
7)The Jews were made stone-cutters -- and God sent hailstones against the Egyptians.
8)They were forced to tend the vinyards and fields--and the locusts consumed all that grew.
9)The Egyptians sought to keep the Jews as prisoners--and were themselves shackled by the thick darkness that fell upon Egypt;
10)their murderous designs upon the Jews brought the killing of the firstborn-- and their drowning of Jewish children was repaid by their death in the Sea of Reeds (Tanchuma).

http://www.heritage.org.il/innernet/archives/10plagues.htm

Hashem responds to our actions using 'midah k'neged midah'. This means that the response fits our act. Not simply a punishment but rather a means of revealing mistakes and rewarding proper acts. Let's see how this concept works through with the three advisors.

The ultimate end of Bilaam, who advised that the Jews should be killed, was that he was killed by the Jews. A clear example of midah k'neged midah. Yisro, who defended the Jews, ran for his life and settled in Midyan. There he met Moshe as he was fleeing from Paroah. Moshe married Yisro's daughter Tziporah, connecting Yisro to Klal Yisroel in a most intimate way. Once again, we see a very clear example of midah k'neged midah - the one who defended the Jews became part of the Jewish nation. However, when we come to the third advisor, Iyov, the connection is more difficult to understand. Iyov, who remained silent, suffered excruciating pain. How did that response fit his act?

Let's understand Iyov. He really had wanted to defend the Jews but, seeing the fate of Yisro, realized that his words would fall upon deaf ears. With nothing to gain by speaking, he remained silent. In order to reveal his error to him, Hashem sent 'yisurim', terrible pain. What does one do when experiencing intense pain? He screams! Even though the screams do nothing in terms of alleviating the pain, if it hurts, you scream. Hashem was teaching him that remaining silent showed that it didn't really bother him. Had Paroah's planned destruction of the Jews bothered him, he would have defended them.

http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha-insights/5758/noach.html

MORE EXAMPLES OF MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Yaacov deceiving his brother Esav out of the rights of the firstborn and his paternal blessing, we also see Yaacov being deceived by his Uncle Lavan who duped him into marrying Leah.

Haman fabricated lies about Mordechai and his Jewish brethren in order to defame them in the eyes of King Achashverosh and to convince the king to annihilate them. Haman was punished measure for measure when Heavenly messengers appeared to King Achashverosh and made the false claim that they had been sent by Haman to destroy Achashverosh’s property and to kill the king.

WHAT ABOUT US?
* You lie to someone - someone will lie to you
* A cashier steals money - he/she finds that their money has been misplaced or stolen
* An uncaught killer strangles his victim - G-d will exact punishment in this world ; perhaps the killer will die from choking, from drowning
* You smile at someone - someone will smile back
* You give charity - in your time of need charity will be given to you
*You pray for a person to be healed - in your time of need if G-d's will you will be healed

get the picture? good deeds are rewarded with good deeds ; evil deeds are repayed with evil deeds (in this world or in the world to come) NO DEED GOES UNREWARDED OR UNPUNISHED


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