Renewing the inner point of life

כתבנו לחיים.

"Inscribe us for life."

The Sefas Emes takes up the central Rosh Hashanah plea — "write us for life" — and asks what "life" we are really requesting.

כי בכל איש ישראל יש נקודה קדושה בלבו והוא נשמת חיים שנאמר וחיי עולם נטע בתוכנו.

For in every Jew there is a holy point in his heart, and this is the "breath of life," as it is said: "and He planted eternal life within us."

Each Jew carries a holy inner point — the divine soul, the "breath of life," an eternal spark of Hashem planted within (an allusion to the blessing on the Torah, "chayei olam nata b'socheinu").

אך בכל השנה שמסגלין עונות כל שהחומר גובר ומכסה הנקודה הנ"ל.

But over the course of the year, when one accumulates sins, as the material (chomer) grows stronger it covers over that point.

Throughout the year, sins and the dominance of physicality (chomer) build up and conceal that holy inner point.

צריך האדם לבקש רחמים מהקב"ה לחדש זאת הרשימה בלבו בר"ה וע"ז מבקשין כתבנו לחיים.

A person must beg mercy from Hashem to renew this imprint (reshimah) in his heart on Rosh Hashanah, and this is what we ask in "inscribe us for life."

"Inscribe us for life" is a plea that Hashem renew and re-engrave that covered-over holy spark in our hearts on Rosh Hashanah — that the "writing" of the inner point be refreshed.

והוא שנאמר חרות על הלוחות שדרשו חז"ל חירות ממלאך המות ויצה"ר.

And this is as it is said "engraved (charus) upon the tablets," which Chazal expounded as "cheirus" (freedom) — freedom from the Angel of Death and from the yetzer hara.

Chazal read "charus" (engraved) as "cheirus" (freedom): the engraving of the Torah on the tablets brought freedom from death and from the yetzer hara — a parallel to the "writing" of the inner point.

כי בקבלת התורה היו בנ"י מוכנים שלא יהי' נמחק הכתיבה לעולם רק ע"י חטא נתקלקל אח"כ וצריכין לחדש החיים בכל שנה.

For at the giving of the Torah, Bnei Yisrael were prepared such that this writing would never be erased; only through sin was it afterward ruined, and so we must renew the life each year.

At Matan Torah the inner "writing" was meant to be permanent, but cheit (sin) damaged it; hence each year on Rosh Hashanah we must renew that divine life within us.

והחתימה היא להיות זאת הנקודה חתומה שלא להתפשט החיות בכ"מ כמ"ש גן נעול כו' מעין חתום:

And the "sealing" (chasimah) is that this point should be sealed, so that the life-force not spread out into every place — as it is written "a locked garden… a sealed spring."

The "sealing" of Yom Kippur means guarding the holy point so its life-force is not dissipated outward, but kept contained and protected like a locked garden and sealed spring — a hint to the "ksivah" and "chasimah" (writing and sealing) of the Days of Awe.

Summary: Every Jew bears a holy inner point — the eternal "breath of life" — which sin and physicality cover over during the year. "Inscribe us for life" on Rosh Hashanah is a plea that Hashem renew this engraving in the heart, recalling the "charus/cheirus" of the tablets that freed Yisrael from death and the yetzer hara; and the "sealing" is the guarding of that point so its life-force remains contained, like a locked garden and a sealed spring.