Teshuvah restores Creation's original unity

עשרת ימי תשובה הם נגד עשרה מאמרות שנברא בהם העולם.

The Ten Days of Teshuvah correspond to the Ten Utterances (asarah maamaros) by which the world was created.

The Aseres Yemei Teshuvah parallel the ten Divine "sayings" of Creation.

ור"ה נגד בראשית כדאיתא בראשית נמי מאמר הוא.

And Rosh Hashanah corresponds to "Bereishis," as it is taught that "Bereishis" is also an utterance. (Rosh Hashanah 32a)

Rosh Hashanah aligns with the first utterance, "Bereishis," which the Gemara counts as one of the ten.

והוא כולל כולן.

And it includes all of them.

This first utterance contains within it all ten utterances.

וע"ז אמרו והלא במאמר אחד היה יכול להבראות שהוא מאמר האחדות שעלה במחשבה לפניו ית'.

And about this they said: "Could it not have been created with a single utterance?" (Avos 5:1) — for this is the "utterance of unity" (maamar ha-achdus) that arose in thought before Hashem.

The single utterance by which the world could have been made represents Hashem's original unified vision, the "thought" preceding Creation.

וכמו שיהי' לעתיד כשיתוקן הכל.

And as it will be in the future, when everything is rectified.

That unity will be fully realized in the future, when all is set right.

וע"ז אמרו חז"ל ג"כ עלה במחשבה לבראות במדה"ד ראה שאין העולם מתקיים ושיתף עמו מדה"ר.

And about this Chazal also said: it arose in [His] thought to create with the attribute of justice (middas ha-din); He saw that the world could not endure, so He joined to it the attribute of mercy (middas ha-rachamim). (Rashi, Bereishis 1:1)

The original "thought" was to create with strict justice alone, but to let the world stand, Hashem partnered justice with mercy.

והכלל כי קודם חטא אדה"ר הי' מוכן להיות בחי' מאמר אחד כנ"ל.

And the principle is that before the sin of Adam HaRishon, [the world] was ready to be in the aspect of the single utterance, as above.

Before Adam's sin, the world was poised to exist in that state of perfect unity.

אך ע"י התערובת נעשה בחי' השיתוף מדת הרחמים והי' הבריאה בעשרה מאמרות ליתן שכר ועונש כדאיתא במשנה.

But through the admixture [of good and evil], the aspect of the partnership of the attribute of mercy came about, and Creation was [enacted] through ten utterances, in order to give reward and punishment, as is taught in the Mishnah.

The mixing in of evil necessitated the ten-utterance structure of justice-and-mercy, which allows for reward and punishment.

ואמת כי הרשעים שהיו עתידין לצאת מאדם הראשון הם גרמו החטא.

And it is true that the wicked who were destined to issue from Adam HaRishon are the ones who caused the sin.

The future wicked latent within Adam are what brought about the fall.

והצדיקים ובנ"י שנאמר עליהם ועמך כולם צדיקים הם המעוררין כח האחדות.

And the tzaddikim and Bnei Yisrael, of whom it is said "and Your people are all righteous" (Yeshayahu 60:21), are the ones who awaken the power of unity.

By contrast, the righteous of Bnei Yisrael are those who reawaken the original unifying power.

ועליהם אמרו חז"ל ג"כ כי בנ"י עלו לפריו ית' במחשבה מקודם שנברא העולם כנ"ל.

And about them Chazal also said that Bnei Yisrael "arose in thought" before Hashem before the world was created, as above. (Bereishis Rabbah 1:4)

Bnei Yisrael belong to that original Divine thought of unity that preceded Creation.

ומ"מ אחר החטא נאמר אין צדיק בארץ כו' ע"י התערובת.

Nevertheless, after the sin it is said, "There is no righteous person on earth [who does only good and does not sin]" (Koheles 7:20), because of the admixture.

After the sin, the mixture of evil means no one is entirely free of sin.

ובפרט בגלות בין הרשעים.

And especially in galus, among the wicked.

This is all the more so in exile, surrounded by the wicked.

והעצה רק ע"י תשובה שעל זה רומז השופר להיות מבוקש כל אחד לחזור העולם לתיקונו להתקיים כמו שעלה לפניו ית' במחשבה הקדומה כנ"ל.

And the only remedy is through teshuvah, which is what the shofar alludes to — that each person should request to return the world to its rectification, to endure as it arose before Hashem in the primordial thought, as above.

The shofar calls each person to do teshuvah and yearn to restore the world to the perfect unity of Hashem's original thought.

וכמו שהיה מוכן בשעת קבלת התורה לולי החטא שהי' אחר כך.

And as it was ready [to be] at the time of receiving the Torah, were it not for the sin that came afterward.

That same restored state was nearly achieved at Matan Torah, until the sin of the Golden Calf intervened.

ואיתא בגמ' מעשי בראשית לדעתן נבראו.

And it is taught in the Gemara that the works of Creation were created "with their consent" (le-daatan). (Rosh Hashanah 11a)

The creations came into being in their full, "consenting" mature state.

ולכן גם בכל ר"ה שמתחדש הבריאה כפי מה שמכינים בנ"י דעתם ורצונם לקבל עליהם מלכותו ית' ומשתוקקין לחזור העולם לכמו שהי' קודם החטא כנ"ל כן עולה בידם.

Therefore also on every Rosh Hashanah, when Creation is renewed, according to how much Bnei Yisrael prepare their daas (consciousness) and ratzon (will) to accept upon themselves His sovereignty and yearn to return the world to how it was before the sin, so it succeeds for them.

Each Rosh Hashanah re-creates the world, and the renewal succeeds to the degree Bnei Yisrael ready their minds and wills to crown Hashem and long for the pre-sin state.

וע"ז רמזו חז"ל שנמלך הקב"ה בנשמתן של צדיקים.

And to this Chazal alluded, that Hashem "took counsel" with the souls of the tzaddikim. (Bereishis Rabbah 8:7)

The souls of the righteous are, as it were, partners in the renewal of Creation.

והנה אדה"ר חזר בתשובה באותו היום וכתיב אח"כ וירא כו' כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאוד והי' זה בכח תשובת אדה"ר חזר וחל עליו אותו החן.

Now, Adam HaRishon repented on that very day, and afterward it is written, "And [God] saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good" (Bereishis 1:31) — and this was by the power of Adam's teshuvah; that grace (chein) returned and rested upon him.

Adam's teshuvah on the day of his creation restored the "very good" of the world, and the original Divine favor returned to him.

ומזה נעשה שבת קודש שהוא התאחדות הבריאה ואין בה תערובת רע כמ"ש ויברך ויקדש.

And from this, Shabbos Kodesh came about, which is the unification of Creation, and there is no admixture of evil in it, as it is written, "And He blessed and sanctified [it]." (Bereishis 2:3)

Shabbos, born of that restored "very good," is the day of unified Creation, free of any evil admixture.

ולכן בשבת א"צ לתקוע כי האחדות נתעורר מעצמו.

Therefore on Shabbos there is no need to blow [the shofar], for the unity is awakened on its own.

When Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos, the shofar is not blown, because Shabbos itself already arouses the unity.

והתקיעה הוא לעורר בחי' האחדות הנ"ל כמ"ש עשה לך כו' חצוצרות כו' ובהקהיל כו' תתקעו כו'.

And the blowing serves to awaken the aspect of unity mentioned above, as it is written, "Make for yourself... trumpets... and when gathering [the assembly]... you shall blow." (Bamidbar 10:2-7)

The shofar's purpose is precisely to arouse that unity — like the trumpets that gathered Bnei Yisrael into one assembly.

וע"י תשובה מעוררין כח אחדות הנ"ל.

And through teshuvah one awakens the aforementioned power of unity.

Teshuvah is the means by which this unifying power is aroused.

וע"ז נאמר קחו עמכם דברים ושובו אל ה' כי הקב"ה ברא הכל בכח התורה כמ"ש בראשית [בשביל] התורה שנק' ראשית שהיא שורש הכל.

And about this it is said, "Take with you words and return to Hashem" (Hoshea 14:3), for Hashem created everything by the power of the Torah, as it is written, "Bereishis" — for the sake of the Torah, which is called "reishis" (the beginning), for it is the root of everything.

Teshuvah is done with "words" because the world was created through the Torah, called "reishis," the root of all existence.

וע"י הרבה צמצומים נעשה מזה כל הבריאה יש מאין.

And through many contractions (tzimtzumim) all of Creation was made from this — "something from nothing" (yesh me-ayin).

Through successive contractions, the Torah's light became the entire physical "something" created out of nothing.

ובנ"י צריכין להחזיר כל הבריאה לעשות אין מיש.

And Bnei Yisrael must return all of Creation, to make "nothing from something" (ayin me-yesh).

The task of Bnei Yisrael is the reverse: to nullify the physical "something" back into its spiritual source, "nothing from something."

ולכלול הכל בהתורה.

And to include everything within the Torah.

This means re-absorbing all of Creation back into the Torah, its root.

והוא ע"י המצות שיש בכל המעשים.

And this is through the mitzvos that exist in all deeds.

The vehicle for this elevation is the mitzvos embedded within physical acts.

ובכוונת המעשה כנ"ל הצדיקים מקשרים הכל בכח התורה כנ"ל וזה עיקר התשובה.

And through the intent of the deed (kavanas ha-maaseh), as above, the tzaddikim bind everything by the power of the Torah, as above, and this is the essence of teshuvah.

By performing deeds with proper kavanah, the righteous reconnect everything to the Torah — and this reconnection is the core of teshuvah.

ויש תשובה במעשה ובמחשבה ועל זה נאמר יעזוב רשע דרכו.

And there is teshuvah in deed and in thought; and about this it is said, "Let the wicked one forsake his way." (Yeshayahu 55:7)

Teshuvah operates on two planes — action and thought; "forsaking his way" refers to the level of action.

הוא בימי המעשה לעזוב מעשיו הרעים.

This is during the weekdays (yemei ha-maaseh) — to abandon one's evil deeds.

The teshuvah of action belongs to the weekdays: forsaking wrong deeds.

ובש"ק יש תשובה למעלה מזה ואיש און מחשבותיו.

And on Shabbos Kodesh there is a teshuvah higher than this: "and the man of iniquity [should forsake] his thoughts." (Yeshayahu 55:7)

Shabbos enables a loftier teshuvah — purifying not just deeds but thoughts.

היינו שאינו נקרא רשע במעשה.

That is, one who is not [even] called wicked in deed.

This higher teshuvah is for someone already free of sinful actions.

רק שבת תשובה הוא לשוב על המחשבות והרהורים.

Rather, Shabbos Teshuvah (Shabbos Shuvah) is to repent over the thoughts and stray reflections (hirhurim).

Shabbos Shuvah is dedicated to repenting even for improper thoughts.

וכתיב כאשר ירד הגשם כו' כן יהי' דברי כו' לא ישוב אלי ריקם כי אם עשה את אשר חפצתי כו'.

And it is written, "As the rain comes down... so shall My word be... it shall not return to Me empty, but rather it shall accomplish that which I desire." (Yeshayahu 55:10-11)

Just as rain does not return without watering the earth, Hashem's word does not return empty but accomplishes its purpose.

הם דברי תורה שנטע ה' בתוך כל איש ישראל כמ"ש וחיי עולם נטע בתוכנו.

These are the words of Torah that Hashem planted within every Jew, as it is written, "and eternal life He planted within us." (from the Torah blessing)

The "word" that must not return empty is the Torah Hashem planted inside every Jew.

וע"ז רמז הפסוק האזינו השמים כו' ותשמע הארץ כו' יערף כמטר לקחי תזל כטל כו'.

And to this the verse alludes: "Listen, O heavens... and let the earth hear... May my teaching drip like rain, may my speech flow like dew." (Devarim 32:1-2)

The "rain" and "dew" of Torah descend from Heaven onto the receptive "earth."

פי' כמו הגשם שמרוה הארץ ומעורר כח הזריעה שבארץ להוציא צמחה.

The explanation: just as the rain saturates the earth and awakens the power of planting within the earth to bring forth its growth —

Rain awakens the latent seed-power in the soil to sprout.

כן יש נטיעה בלבות בני ישראל והוא בחי' תורה שבע"פ בחי' ארץ.

— so too there is a "planting" in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, which is the aspect of the Oral Torah (Torah she-be'al peh), the aspect of "earth."

The Torah planted in Jewish hearts corresponds to the Oral Torah, the "earth" awaiting the rain.

עכ"ז צריך סיוע משמים בחי' תורה שבכתב שע"י היגיעה בדברי תורה שבכתב מתעורר כח הניתן באדם וכל האדם נברא לעמול בתורה.

Even so, it requires assistance from Heaven — the aspect of the Written Torah (Torah she-bichsav) — for through toil (yegiah) in the words of the Written Torah, the power placed within a person is awakened; and the whole of man was created to labor in Torah.

The inner Torah-seed needs the "rain" of the Written Torah from above; toiling in Torah awakens that inner power, which is man's very purpose.

וכפי מה שיכול להעלות הדיבורים להשי"ת זה תשלום השליחות להשיב הדברים להמשלח.

And according to how much one is able to elevate the words (dibburim) to Hashem, this is the completion of the shlichus (mission) — to return the "words" to the One who sent them.

Man's mission is to raise his words and Torah back up to Hashem, returning them to their Sender.

אך לא יתכן להעלותן רק ע"י תיקון כל המעשים שנמשכו אחר הדיבורים.

But it is not possible to elevate them except through the rectification of all the deeds that followed from the words.

The words can only be raised once the deeds that flowed from them are themselves rectified.

וז"ש כי אם עשה את אשר חפצתי כו'.

And this is the meaning of "but rather it accomplishes that which I desire."

Hashem's word "accomplishes His desire" precisely when it is fulfilled through rectified deeds.

ואז הם חוזרין לשורשן וזהו עיקר התשובה כנ"ל:

And then they return to their root — and this is the essence of teshuvah, as above.

Through rectified deeds the words return to their source, and this returning-to-the-root is the true heart of teshuvah.

Summary: The Ten Days of Teshuvah correspond to the Ten Utterances of Creation, while Rosh Hashanah ("Bereishis") embodies the higher "single utterance" of unity — the world's pre-sin state of perfect oneness. Sin introduced the admixture of evil, requiring justice tempered by mercy and the structure of reward and punishment; the shofar and teshuvah call each Jew to restore the world to that original unified thought, and on Shabbos the unity arises by itself. Ultimately, since Hashem created all "something from nothing" through the Torah, Bnei Yisrael's task is the reverse — to elevate physical deeds back into "nothing from something" through mitzvos done with kavanah and toil in Torah, returning all words and deeds to their root, which is the very essence of teshuvah.