The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on Rosh Hashanah that R' Frand spoke about in place of a parsha vort tonight. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
The Gemara in Rosh Hashanah quotes R' Avohu who asks - why do we blow a Shofar made of a ram's horn on Rosh Hashanah? It answers that Hashem is saying - blow this before Me so that I remember the Akeidah of Yitzchak the son of Avraham where the ram was offered in his stead and I will treat you as if you sacrificed yourselves before Me.
R' Frand then asked - what is unique about the Akeidah that it must be remembered by Hashem on Rosh Hashanah? The Avos did many great acts, yet this is the singular event which is remembered.
R' Frand then quoted a pasuk from the Akeidah where Avraham states וַיִּקְרָ֧א אַבְרָהָ֛ם שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יְהֹוָ֣ה | יִרְאֶ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵֽאָמֵ֣ר הַיּ֔וֹם בְּהַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה יֵֽרָאֶֽה . Why did Avraham call the place "Hashem will see?" and what was it that Hashem should see?
R' Frand answered these questions by quoting the Meshech Chachma who explains that the Akeidah changed the DNA of the Jewish people. By voluntarily going on the Akeidah, Yitzchak said - my will is nothing, I am adopting the will of Hashem and making it mine. Following this event, the Jews gained the ability to make Hashem's will their own and to want to do things because Hashem wants them to.
R' Frand gave the example of the man who does not want to give his wife a get and the halacha of Kofin Oso Ad She Omer Rotzeh Ani. A get is not valid if it is coerced, but a proper Beis Din can compel the giving a get, because the man truly wants to do the right thing.
R' Frand next quoted the Bnei Yissaschar who in turn cites a Medrash Tanchuma which states that teshuva is a unique process which only the Jews possess. From a logical standpoint, if someone eats something not kosher or injures or kills someone, there is no way to "unring" the bell. Yet teshuva does allow us to be forgiven for an act. Why? Because the person did not want to sin and it was only because his desire or anger overcame him that he sinned. Since he did not really want to sin, teshuva allows him to be forgiven for allowing something else to overtake his will.
This is why we remember the Akeidah, because Yitzchak did Hashem's will and made Hashem's will his own. By invoking the Akediah on Rosh Hashanah, we tell Hashem that we want to do His will as well. This is also why Avraham says that Hashem will see - we want Him to see that we desire to do His will.
R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Abir Ya'akov who answers the question of the Aruch LaNer of why specifically the ma'amar chazal states Yitzchak the son of Avraham - is there any other? Because the Avraham who said Hashem see this - this act that shaped the Jews, he is mentioned as well.
R' Frand then gave a last thought on the year 5780 and how we are not sad to see it leave. People talk about the Gemara that says the year of troubles should end and the new year should begin with Berochos, but this year people really think this.
R' Frand then said that people are looking for Zechusim and he mentioned a vort from R' Shapiro based on a Ba'al HaTurim in Vaeschan. When Moshe davened in the beginning of Vaeschanan to enter the Land of Israel, what act did he say was his merit? The Ba'al HaTurim connects it to the last statement of Moshe in Parshas Devarim - where Moshe encouraged the Jews to not to be afraid. He did not cite to accepting the Torah and spending 40 days and nights on the mountain, or to taking the Jews out of Egypt or praying that they would not be destroyed. It was the Chizuk of the Jews that he asked be remembered as a merit.
R' Frand noted that there are a lot of people who are hurting in many ways due to the pandemic, financially, emotionally and in many other ways. A kind word costs nothing, but saying something nice about the person or their child, or reaching out to someone who is alone and could use some Chizuk - this is priceless. If Moshe used this as his Zechus to ask Hashem to reverse His decree, we should do the same.
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