In sum, we need not feel we are being hypocritical if we are moved to heights of devotion and teshuvah at this time of year. On some level, it is the whole point. Rosh Hashanah and the days surrounding it are meant to be a bubble – a time to express our innermost strivings.
Granted, simply to wish we were perfect tzaddikim is irresponsible. We must have a concrete plan of action. It can, however, be optimistic. It can even be one that depends on maintaining the religious level we experience during these special days. Indeed, our prayers are that God should help us retain as much of this heightened consciousness as possible. In any event, we need to take advantage of our lofty feelings at this time of year to maximize how we would like to conduct ourselves during the rest of the year.
What actually goes on during this period is very hard to understand. Luckily, the key here is not really to understand. God mostly wants us to just act upon the auspicious nature of what we feel Rosh Hashanah to be. If we do so, our national past bears witness that we will come to an awareness of God that is not only the object of Rosh Hashanah but ultimately of human existence as a whole.