Centuries ago, in one of the smaller kingdoms of Europe, a young noble by the name of Lord Neeman served his sovereign, King Fordam, as Minister of the Treasury.  The years passed, and Neeman continued as a loyal servant of the crown.  There was nothing that Neeman did not know; his majesty trusted him with every aspect of the administration of the kingdom.  Needless to say, he was also entrusted with the keys to the royal treasure house where his majesty's most prized valuables were stored.

In the course of his duties, Lord Neeman would frequently enter the treasure house, ensure that all was in order by weighing the jewels, coins, and precious metals stored there.  When his majesty requested one of his valuable jewels, it was Lord Neeman who was in charge of seeing that it was delivered intact to the king.

Even after more than a decade of serving his majesty thus, Neeman still felt his head spin anew each time he entered the treasure house and his glance scanned shelf after shelf of royal assets.  However, he never once entertained the thought of taking the smallest coin for himself.  He remained completely loyal to his sovereign; there was no question that he was not capable of betraying the king's trust.

More than twenty years passed.  Neeman found himself in dire circumstances.  He had accumulated more debts than he could ever repay, and saw no way out of his predicament.

One day, as he was on an errand in the treasure house, he decided that just this one time, he would take as few gold coins for himself, until he could get out of debt.  Quickly, he slipped five gold crowns into a pocket.  Then he carried on with his task as though nothing were amiss.

Somehow, the king learned that Neeman had betrayed him.  Soon, everyone at court heard of the scandal.  After more than two decades of faithful service to the crown, Lord Neeman had betrayed the king's trust in him!  Despite his years of loyal service, he was tried and sentence to be hung.

His highness was distraught.  Neeman had been a close friend and servant for over twenty years.   It distressed him no end to think that Neeman should suffer so ignoble a death.  On the other hand, he was determined to demonstrate to one and all that justice would be done in his kingdom.  Anyone who stretched forth a hand to touch that which belonged to the crown would be judged as a traitor, even his good friend Neeman.

The execution was scheduled as a part of the celebration on the coming Coronation Day.

The day dawned bright and clear.  It was ideal weather for celebrating, but for the prisoner who knew that this day would be his last, the sunshine was almost too much to bear.

“It would be easier to leave a world that was not so beautiful,” he thought to himself, as he was led out to the gallows.  In the distance, he heard the sound of the royal buglers announcing that his royal highness was drawing near.

“Ah,” he thought.  “If the king himself is present, perhaps there is still a chance that I shall be spared.”

The guard broke in on his thoughts and asked whether he had a final request to make.

“Yes,” he answered, suddenly coming to life with a spark of hope.  “Please give me a length of a new hangman’s rope.  I wish to present it to his majesty.”

It seemed a harmless request, if somewhat odd.  The head of the guards ordered someone to bring the rope.  “Now please take me to his majesty,” Neeman asked when he had the rope in hand.

The crowd watched in a hush as the prisoner was conducted by two guards to the dais where the royal party was seated.  Lord Neeman fell at the feet of the sovereign whom he had betrayed.  He held out the piece of heavy rope, as though offering it to his majesty, and began to speak:

“Your Majesty!  For nearly three decades, I served you faithfully.  I was devoted to you, day and night, with all the strength I could muster.  How I admired you, Your Majesty!  For me, you were the symbol of honor, justice, and kind-heartedness in all your ways.  I was loyal to you and fulfilled my duties honestly.  I sought ways to please you, and I always did my utmost for the benefit of the crown, and it seemed to me that I often achieved this goal.

“Only now, in my old age, did I succumb to man’s natural instincts of self-interest, when I was overcome with a burden of debt.  I have erred, I have sinned, I have betrayed the trust your Highness placed in me.  Allow me, Your Highness, to make one last request before I die.”

The king nodded in assent, and Neeman continued: “I would very much like to be certain that in my dying, I have also served you fully, as I did in most of my lifetime.  This day, on which you were crowned so many years ago, has always been a cause of rejoicing for me.  I beg of you to confirm that my death, on this, the last Coronation Day I am privileged to celebrate with you, is indeed the fulfillment of your will."

He held out the length of rope to his majesty, and continued: "My final request is that Your Highness himself place this rope around my neck, so that I will be certain that my death is, indeed, his will.  If so, I shall go to the gallows willingly, with a light heart, knowing that I have merited serving you in my death just as I served you loyally during the length of days allotted to me.”

All eyes turned to the king.  His face clearly revealed the strong emotions that stirred his heart.

After a long pause of silence, he granted Lord Neeman a royal pardon, and the throngs cheered with relief.

Lord Neeman was released from prison and reinstated as a minister, as though nothing had gone amiss.

A few days later, the Council of Ministers met in the royal palace.  Lord Neeman also appeared, but it was obvious to one and all that he had not forgotten the events of the past weeks.  Around his neck, he wore a piece of rough rope, a noose of the same type that might so easily have ended his life only a few short days previously.

He announced to one and all that he wished never to forget that his highness had given him his life as a gift, and he was indebted for every additional minute on this earth to the gracious forgiveness of his sovereign.  He served King Fordham loyally to the end of his days.

*******

On Rosh Hashanah, each of us knows that, as he stands before his Maker in judgment and his deeds are weighed in Heaven, he is in need of a generous helping of mercy and forgiveness.

This is the moment to accept upon ourselves the yoke of G-d's sovereignty.  Now is the time to declare in our hearts: "You are our King; it is You who rules the universe, and determines our every step in life."

This is the golden moment when our hearts are open and ready for us to undertake to serve our King faithfully, and to follow His instructions, and thus to fulfill His will completely.