Chazal teach that on Rosh Hashanah Adam HaRishon was created. This is the meaning of “יום תחילת מעשיך”—the day when man appeared in the world, and through him the Malchut Hashem was revealed. For there can be no king without a nation; only when man, capable of recognizing Hashem’s kingship and choosing His service, came into being, did the essence of kingship appear. Therefore, this day was established as the day of crowning Hashem over the entire world.

But the Torah also tells us that on that very same day came the first cheit—the sin of eating from the Etz HaDa’at. After eating, the Torah says: “ותפקחנה עיני שניהם וידעו כי עירומים הם… ויתחבאו מפני ה' אלוקים בתוך עץ הגן.” And then Hashem calls to Adam and says: “איכה?”

Chazal explain: It is not that Hashem did not know where Adam was, but rather this is an eternal call—“איכה?”—“Where are you? Where do you stand?”

On Rosh Hashanah, the day when everything begins anew, we are called not to hide. Not to cover ourselves with excuses, walls, or masks. Hashem does not demand artificial perfection; He seeks truth. He wants us as we truly are.

Therefore, Rosh Hashanah is a day of honest reflection: to look at ourselves sincerely, to recognize both our weaknesses and our strengths, and not to be ashamed to stand before our Creator as we are. Only through inner truth can we truly crown Hashem as King over us and over the world.

This is the essence of the day’s avodah: “איכה?”—to ask ourselves sincerely: Where am I? What is my place? Where do I want to go this year? And when we face these questions with honesty and courage, we can return to our true selves, connect to our neshama, and crown the King of Kings with a complete heart.