Posted this in EL's thread in Break free, but reposting it here too:

The following mashul helps understand the avoidah of RH:
The Chasam Sofer heard it from his Rebbe, R’ Nosson Adler, and would repeat it every year. R’ Volbe writes that this is mashul encapsulates the entire idea of RH.

A servant of the King once rebelled, and was placed in jail. In those days, as we find by Paroah, the King’s birthday was the occasion where the prisoners would all be judged. In those happy, pre-ACLU days :D, this was a sober experience. Many prisoners were handed their heads on a platter, literally. Rebelling against the King is no laughing matter.

So, as the King’s birthday approached, the mood in the prison grew gloomier and gloomier  :'(. Each prisoner would have nightmares, envisioning only the worst.

Then, the King’s birthday arrived. Outside there were festivities, but only a faint echo of the revelry could be heard in the prison. Each prisoner sat in their cell, full of remorse, and despair. The warden hated making rounds that day  >…

When the warden reached the cell of the King’s servant, he was shocked. The servant was not at all despondent. Quite the contrary, he was laughing and singing. The warden had never seen this before  :o! He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it, and was worried that maybe the servant lost his mind out of fear.  ??? So, he decided to report this to the King himself.

The King knew that this servant was not a regular person, and was curious to know what was going on. He requested that the servant be summoned to appear before him.

The warden complied, and the servant was brought before the King, the whole while dancing and laughing. When he entered the King’s chambers, he grew even more excited, calling out Long Live the King, Happy Birthday to the King, I Love the King, and so on.  ;D ;D ;D

The King asked him, don’t you know that today is the day all prisoners are judged? Don’t you know that your fate might be sealed today in the worst possible way?

And the servant answered… of course I know. But who has time to think about it? Today is the King’s birthday! What could be more important than that!  Long Live the King… and the servant continued on with his dancing and singing. 

;D  ;D  ;D

Well, when the Kings saw that, He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the servant was truly loyal to him, and had simply erred in past misconduct. The King pardoned the servant, and welcomed him back to his Royal assembly.

Nechemia said to the Yidden returning from galus… the Yiddin who still had foreign wives, and were despondent that Rosh Hashana was coming: “eat fatty foods, drink sweet things,  and send portions to those that do not have, for today is Holy to our Master, and banish all melencholy, because rejoicing with Hashem is your strength”.

This is the message of R. H. 

We tell Hashem, we are yours, we recognize that all is from you, and our position in the world, our position in avodas Hashem, is all from YOU. And we are not interested in wallowing in self pity. We are interested in rejoicing with YOU!!!

we are not interested in wallowing in self pity.

We are interested in rejoicing with YOU!!!