Watch Rabbi David Sutton - A Path To A Meaningful , Positive, and Meaningful Elul & Yamim Noraim https://itorah.com/browse-lectures/all/rabbi-david-sutton/personal-growth-midot-/midot-perseverance/all-languages/all-dates Welcome to our special miniseries on pesukim of Musaf Rosh Hashana . We are now in Zichronot , the section of Hashem remembering us. As before, we have ten pesukim in this topic. Our first pasuk is: וַיִּזְכֹּ֤ר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־נֹ֔חַ וְאֵ֤ת כׇּל־הַֽחַיָּה֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתּ֖וֹ בַּתֵּבָ֑ה וַיַּעֲבֵ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֥ים ר֙וּחַ֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וַיָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃ Vayizkor Elohim et Noach/Hashem remembered Noach ( when he was stuck on the Teva ) and all the wild and domestic animals that were with him on the Teva . And God passed His spirit over the earth, and the waters calmed down . Rashi says the the words Vayizkor Elokim indicate Midat Hadin. Did the Midat Hadin remembered him for the good? The answer is that the Din turned over into mercy . Through the prayers of the Sadikim , Hashem turns it over to the good. That's the beauty of this, and we read it on Rosh Hashanah because we want to show Hashem's justice turning into mercy. Every one of these pesukim is chosen and weighed to give a very important message. Chizkuni adds a beautiful point. What did He remember? The next words are Chaya and Behema , meaning that Hashem remembered that Noach took care of all the animals on the Teva; Noach did acts of kindness. And it says kindness is not just reserved for human beings, as we see from the story of Rabbenu HaKadosh, who was held accountable for not having mercy on a sheep that was going to slaughter. The judgment was later turned for the good when he had mercy on some cats that were in the barn. It says there, God has mercy on all creations . When you have mercy even on animals, that can arouse God's mercy. Another point on what it means that Hashem remembered Noach and what was with him on the Teva is from the Psikta D'Rav Kahana, one of the early midrashim. In psikta ט it says Hashem remembered Noach , and because He was saving Noach, he also saved those that were dependent on him, which is another important point, that Rabbi Dessler speaks about. Sometimes a person might not deserve to survive on his own, but because he's needed in the world of the Sadik or the righteous, he merits it that way. That's another way that Hashem's Middat Harachamim works- people around this person need to survive for him. That's a powerful message. Another important message is from the Zohar- (vol one, page 69 B): When there is justice in the world a person is not supposed to have his name remembered Above. You're not supposed to stand out, because if you stand out and your name is remembered Above, they focus on your sins and supervise you. The source for this is the famous Isha Shunamit, who Elisha went to on the day of Rosh Hashanah, when God is judging. Elisha told her ( Malachim 2,4). Do you have anything to say to the King (Hashem) Should I tell Him anything on your behalf? She answered, No , B'Toch Ami Ani Yoshevet/I'm amongst my people. I don't want to be singled out Anytime someone makes himself singled out, that's not good. We want to be part of the people. That is why she eventually merited having a child. That's what it means to be a part of your people. It means identifying with the Jewish people. It's not about me on Rosh Hashanah. The Zohar continues and says about Noach, that the world was in judgment. Where was Noach during the Mabul when the world was in judgment? He was in the Teva . He was undercover. He was hidden. Once the judgment passed and the waters subsided, then Vayizkor Noach. Now we remember his name, after everything calmed down. So we see that the rabbis who wrote the prayers put this pasuk in to remind us that we're supposed to stay undercover . We're not supposed to stand out. Undercover doesn't mean that you go incognito and sit in the back of the shul. Rather, it's a mindset of being amongst my people . Conversely it says the Satan remembered Iyov on Rosh Hashanah, because he wasn't keeping what we call a low profile. That low profile attitude is important on Rosh Hashanah. That's another lesson that we have in this pasuk. The pasuk says וַיַּעֲבֵ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֥ים ר֙וּחַ֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וַיָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃ God brought us wind on the earth, and caused the waters to become subdued . The Alshech says something beautiful here. It says the word Elohim, meaning this wind came like a tornado wind. So seemingly, it was a bad thing, but since Hashem's justice turned into mercy, this tornado wind actually benefited them by causing the waters to subdue. So, when a person, through his tefillah , causes Hashem's justice to turn into mercy, the justice itself becomes beneficial.