Renewed Chiyus and the Book of Life

איתא בגמ' אמרו מה"ש מפני מה אין ישראל אומרים הלל בר"ה השיב הקב"ה אפשר מלך יושב על כסא דין וספרי חיים ומתים פתוחין כו'.

It is brought in the Gemara: the ministering angels asked, "Why do Yisrael not recite Hallel on Rosh Hashanah?" The Holy One answered: "Is it possible? — a King sits upon the throne of judgment, with the books of the living and the dead open, [and they should sing praise]?" etc.

The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 32b) explains that Hallel is not said on Rosh Hashanah because it is a day of judgment, when the books of life and death lie open before the King.

הענין הוא דכ' לא המתים יהללו.

The matter is as it is written: "The dead do not praise [Hashem]" (Tehillim 115:17).

The Sefas Emes connects the absence of Hallel to the passuk that praise belongs only to the living, not the dead.

ופי' חז"ל אותן שנקראים מתים בחייהם הרשעים.

And Chazal explained: those who are called "dead" even in their lifetime are the resha'im.

Chazal teach that resha'im are deemed "dead" while still alive, since they are cut off from the source of life.

אבל הצדיקים נקראים חיים.

But the tzaddikim are called "living."

Tzaddikim, by contrast, are called truly alive, for they remain connected to the wellspring of life.

דכ' אתה עשית את השמים כו' ואתה מחי' את כולם.

For it is written, "You made the heavens… and You give life to them all" (Nechemiah 9:6).

The passuk names two distinct works of Hashem: the act of making creation, and the ongoing giving of life to all.

והם ב' בחי' הבריאה שברא הקב"ה חק נתן ולא יעבור.

And these are two aspects: the creation that the Holy One created — "He set a law that will not pass" (cf. Tehillim 148:6).

The first aspect is the fixed order of nature, a permanent law established at creation that never changes.

אבל ואתה מחי' הוא בחי' ההנהגה שהקב"ה מנהיג העולם ונותן חיות חדש תמיד.

But "and You give life" is the aspect of the hanhagah (Divine governance), through which the Holy One conducts the world and gives new chiyus (vitality) at every moment.

The second aspect is the living governance by which Hashem continually pours fresh vitality into the world, beyond the fixed law of nature.

וזו הבחי' נמצא רק בבנ"י עמך כולם צדיקים.

And this aspect is found only in Bnei Yisrael — "and Your people are all tzaddikim" (Yeshayahu 60:21).

This renewing chiyus belongs especially to Bnei Yisrael, who are all called tzaddikim.

וזו הבחי' עיקרה בר"ה שע"ז המשפט מי שיזכה להיות בספר החיים.

And the essence of this aspect is on Rosh Hashanah, for the judgment is over this: who will merit to be in the Book of Life.

Rosh Hashanah's judgment is precisely about this renewing life-force — who will be bound up in the Book of Life and receive the new chiyus.

ועל ב' אלו כתיב זכור ימות עולם הוא הבריאה.

And regarding these two it is written, "Remember the days of old" (Devarim 32:7) — that is the creation.

"The days of old" refers to the first aspect: the original, fixed act of creation.

בינו שנות דור ודור הוא ההנהגה המתחדשת ומשתנה בכל שנה ושנה באופנים שונים כפי זכות הדורות.

"Understand the years of each generation" (Devarim 32:7) — that is the hanhagah, which renews and changes in each and every year, in varying ways, according to the merit of the generations.

The second phrase points to the living governance, which is renewed and shifts year by year, adapting to the zechus of each generation.

וכ"ה במד' דכ' ועשיתם בר"ה כשזוכין נעשין ברי' חדשה ע"ש.

And so it is in the Midrash, that it is written "and you shall make [yourselves]" — that on Rosh Hashanah, when they merit, they become a new creation; see there.

The Midrash teaches that when Bnei Yisrael are worthy, Rosh Hashanah re-creates them anew, like a fresh briah.

ובנ"י שמקבלין תמיד חיות מחדש.

And Bnei Yisrael, who continually receive vitality anew.

Bnei Yisrael are always receiving renewed chiyus from Hashem.

אומרים הלל בכל עת שמרגישין התחדשות החיות.

Recite Hallel whenever they sense the renewal of the vitality.

Hallel is the natural response to feeling fresh life-force break in; it is sung at moments of renewed chiyus.

לכן בכל תשועה שנעשה נס והתגלות החיות למעלה מהטבע.

Therefore, at every deliverance, when a miracle occurs and a revelation of vitality above nature takes place.

Whenever a nes brings a manifestation of supernatural chiyus, that is an occasion for Hallel.

יש הלל.

There is Hallel.

Such moments of revealed, above-nature life call forth song.

וכמו כן בזמנים שמתחדש בהם החיות כמו שמברכין זמן בכל רגל ורגל.

And likewise on the festival times, in which the vitality is renewed, just as we recite the berachah of "Zeman" (Shehecheyanu) on every Yom Tov.

The festivals too are times of renewed chiyus, which is why we say Shehecheyanu on each — and hence we say Hallel on them.

וזהו הרמז שאין קורין הלל למפרע פי' על הכח שכבר ניתן בטבע מימות עולם לא שייך הלל רק על הארה המתגלה מחדש כנ"ל.

And this is the hint that we do not recite Hallel "in retrospect" — meaning, on the power that was already placed into nature from days of old, Hallel is not fitting; rather, only over an illumination that is newly revealed, as above.

Hallel is never sung over the old, fixed force of nature, but only over a fresh illumination of chiyus that breaks in anew.

ולכן בימים אלו שהחיים ניתן במשפט ותלוין ועומדין לדין.

And therefore, in these days [of Rosh Hashanah], when life is given through judgment and hangs in the balance, standing for din.

On Rosh Hashanah the renewed life is still suspended in judgment, not yet granted.

על זה לא שייך הלל.

Over this, Hallel is not fitting.

Since the new chiyus has not yet been openly bestowed but is still under judgment, there is no Hallel.

ועיקר הבקשה להיכתב בספר החיים הוא להיות דבוקין בשורש החיים כאותן שנקראו חיים.

And the essence of the request to be inscribed in the Book of Life is to be attached to the Source of Life, like those who are called "living."

Our true plea on Rosh Hashanah is not for survival alone but for deveikus — to cling to the very Source of life, as the tzaddikim called "living" do.

ולכן איתא בזוה"ק תרעומות על אותן שצווחין ככלבים הב לנו מזוני סליחה מחילה.

And therefore there is in the Zohar HaKadosh a complaint against those who cry out like dogs, "Give us sustenance, pardon, forgiveness!"

The Zohar criticizes those who pray only for their own needs — food, pardon — as if barking "give, give."

וחז"ל התקינו כל אלו הבקשות.

Now, Chazal did institute all of these requests.

The Sefas Emes clarifies that the requests themselves are legitimate — Chazal established them in our tefillos.

אבל התרעומות הוא על אותן שצווחין ככלבים הם שרוצין רק קבלת צרכיהם.

But the complaint is against those who cry out like dogs — those who want only the fulfillment of their needs.

The fault lies not in asking, but in asking solely for one's own benefit, with no higher aim.

אבל עיקר בקשתינו הוא להיפוך להיות כל צרכינו בדביקות חי החיים שלא להיות נפרד מן שורש החיים וההתחדשות.

But the essence of our request is the opposite: that all our needs be [met] in deveikus with the Life of all life, so as not to be separated from the Source of life and renewal.

The proper intent is that even our material requests serve to keep us bonded to Hashem, the Chei HaChaim, never severed from the Source of life and constant renewal.

ואיתא בס' תולעת יעקב פי' על מ"ש אם כבנים אם כעבדים שבחי' הבנים בוודאי מיוחד רק לבנ"י.

And it is brought in the sefer Tola'as Yaakov, an explanation of what we say, "whether as sons, whether as servants": that the aspect of "sons" is certainly exclusive to Bnei Yisrael.

The Tola'as Yaakov explains the Rosh Hashanah tefillah "im k'vanim im ka'avadim": the level of being Hashem's "children" belongs to Bnei Yisrael alone.

רק אפילו אם כעבדים אין אנו כעבדים המשמשים ע"מ לקבל פרס.

But even "if as servants," we are not like servants who serve in order to receive a reward.

And even on the lower level of "servants," Bnei Yisrael are not like hirelings who serve only for wages.

רק עינינו לך תלויות ע"ש.

Rather, "our eyes are turned to You"; see there.

Our service is one of eyes lifted to Hashem Himself, not to the reward.

דכתיב כעיני עבדים אל יד אדוניהם כו' שפחה אל יד גבירתה ומסיים כן עינינו אל ה' ולא נאמר אל יד ה'.

For it is written, "As the eyes of servants to the hand of their masters… [as the eyes of] a maidservant to the hand of her mistress" (Tehillim 123:2), and it concludes, "so are our eyes to Hashem" — and it does not say "to the hand of Hashem."

The passuk pointedly shifts: servants look to the master's hand (the source of reward), but we look to Hashem Himself, not to His "hand."

רק זה עיקר החילוק כי עבדים ושפחות כל עבודתם בעבור הפרס שמקבלים מיד אדוניהם.

This is the essential distinction: ordinary servants and maidservants do all their service for the sake of the reward they receive from their master's hand.

The hireling's whole focus is on what the master's hand will pay him.

אבל אנו עינינו אל ה' להיות טפלים ודבקים בו.

But our eyes are to Hashem — to be subordinate to Him and cleaving to Him.

Bnei Yisrael's gaze is on Hashem Himself, seeking to be batel to Him and bound to Him in deveikus.

עינינו לך תלויות שנוכל להמשך אחר רצונו ית' ולקבל כל השפע כפי מה שהוא רצונו ית"ש.

"Our eyes are turned to You" — that we may be drawn after His will and receive all the shefa according to what is His blessed will.

We long to be pulled after ratzon Hashem and to receive all abundance only as He desires, not on our own terms.

ובנ"י זוכין לזו הבחי' ע"י התורה שהוא עץ החיים.

And Bnei Yisrael merit this aspect by means of the Torah, which is the Tree of Life (Eitz HaChaim).

It is through the Torah, the Tree of Life, that Bnei Yisrael attain this bond with the Source of life.

וז"ש קרוב ה' לכל כו' אשר יקראוהו באמת.

And this is the meaning of, "Hashem is close to all… who call upon Him in truth" (Tehillim 145:18).

Hashem is near to those who call upon Him "in truth" — and that truth is the Torah.

ואין אמת אלא תורה.

And there is no "truth" except Torah.

"Emes" in the passuk is identified with the Torah itself.

וזהו יקראוהו להיות הבקשה בדביקות.

And this is "who call upon Him" — that the request itself be in deveikus.

To "call upon Him in truth" means that even our requests are wrapped in clinging to Hashem.

כמ"ש עינינו לך תלויות ודו"ק:

As it is said, "our eyes are turned to You"; and understand this well.

This is the essence of the proper Rosh Hashanah avodah: eyes turned to Hashem alone, our every request an expression of deveikus.

Summary: Creation has two aspects — the fixed "law that will not pass" (the days of old) and the living hanhagah that pours new chiyus into the world each year according to the generations' merit. Hallel is sung only over newly revealed, above-nature vitality, never over the old fixed force of nature; on Rosh Hashanah, when the renewed life still hangs suspended in judgment, no Hallel is said. The true plea to be written in the Book of Life is not for survival alone but for deveikus with the Source of life — like the tzaddikim called "living." The Zohar faults those who "bark" only for their own needs; though Chazal instituted those requests, our intent must be that all our needs keep us bound to the Chei HaChaim. Even as "servants," Bnei Yisrael serve not for reward but with eyes lifted to Hashem Himself, drawn after His will — a bond attained through the Torah, the Tree of Life, by calling upon Him "in truth."