Rabbi Baruch Fruchter
As parents, we must try to ensure that our children understand the central role of prayer in our lives from an early age, and we could not find a better example than our conduct on Rosh Hashanah.
The joy of the holiday, of our closeness to the Almighty, of the opportunity to speak to Him and praise Him cannot help but be passed on to our children. With G-d's help, this joy associated with prayer will stay with them throughout their lives.
Rosh Hashanah is a special day on which so much is decided: the fate of every person and of the entire world. Only prayer can influence that decision, including your child's prayer!
There is a reason we do not mention our personal needs in the holiday prayers, focusing solely on accepting the Almighty's sovereignty. We think only about how to glorify the King of Kings, and all worldly problems recede into the background: there is simply no place for them in a world under the Almighty's absolute sovereignty.
It is precisely by accepting His sovereignty and surrendering ourselves to His will that we reach a state in which there is no longer any need to ask for anything specific: He will give us everything we need. This approach is far higher and wiser than the argument that “G-d sees everything anyway.”
The three sections of the Musaf prayer on Rosh Hashanah—Malchuyot (“kingships”), Zichronot (“remembrance”), and Shofarot (“blasts”)—give the day and our prayers their completeness. Together, these sections of the prayer can repair the entire world and remedy anything we may have lacked—health, money, learning, wisdom…
It is important for our children to feel part of Creation and to contribute to repairing the world, first and foremost through their pure and sincere prayers!
Prepared by A. Schwalb