On the second day of Rosh Hashana, the Torah reading is the Akeda - when God told Avraham to sacrifice his son.

God told Avraham to sacrifice his son on “on one of the mountains which I will tell you of” (Genesis 22:2) yet he identifies the place without God apparently saying anything (22:4). The midrash fills the gap:

“Avraham said to Yitzhak ‘Do you see what I see?’ He replied “I see a beautiful and praiseworthy mountain and a cloud attached”. 

He said to his lads “Do you see anything?” They said “We do see only deserts”. 

Some saw a cloud and understood. Their vision enabled them to understand that this cloud was the embodiment of the divine presence and the opportunity it offered. Others, less spiritually attuned, saw only desert.

On Rosh Hashana, even a difficult one like this year’s, our task is to see beyond the desert, to see the mountain and the cloud, and to see the potential for growth and achievement in the coming year.