Rosh Hashanah, inner life, and teshuvah

החיים שמבקשין בר"ה כי בר"ה נברא האדם.

The "life" that we request on Rosh Hashanah — for on Rosh Hashanah man was created.

The Sefas Emes begins by asking about the nature of the "life" we plead for on Rosh Hashanah, noting that this is the day on which Adam, the human being, was created.

והוא עיקר החיים.

And he [man] is the essence of life.

Man is not merely one creature among many; he is the very core and purpose of all life in creation.

וכל החיים בעולם באמצעיות האדם דכתיב אתה עשית את השמים כו' ואתה מחיה את כולם.

And all life in the world comes through the medium of man, as it is written, "You made the heavens… and You give life to them all" (Nechemiah 9:6).

The flow of life into all of creation passes through man, who serves as the conduit. The verse declares that Hashem gives life to everything — and man is the channel through which that vitality reaches the world.

פי' כי כל הבריאה של מעשה בראשית הוא צמצום אלקות בהתלבשות הטבע.

The explanation: all the creation of the work of bereishis is a tzimtzum (contraction) of Godliness, clothed within nature.

Creation itself is a "contraction" of the Divine — Hashem's infinite light condensed and concealed within the garment of the natural world.

כמ"ש בספרים שזה ענין הבריאה יש מאין מה שהי' מקודם הבריאה מלא כבודו ולא הי' מציאות שום דבר יש רק ע"י צמצום אורו ית' ונעשה יש.

As is written in the seforim, that this is the matter of creation "yesh me'ayin" (something from nothing): before creation, His glory filled everything and there was no existence of any "something" (yesh); only through the contraction of His light, may He be blessed, did "something" come to be.

Before creation, Hashem's glory filled all reality and there was no independent "thing." The very emergence of a "yesh," a seemingly separate existence, occurred only through Hashem contracting His light — making room, as it were, for a world of substance to appear.

וכל מה שנתפשטו הברואים.

And to the extent that the creations spread forth [into independent existence].

The more a created being expands into its own apparent, separate existence — away from its Source.

ה"ז בחי' מיתה.

This is the aspect of death (misah).

This spreading into separate, self-standing existence is itself a kind of "death," a movement away from the living Source.

דכל ירידה והשפלה נקראת מיתה ואח"כ ברא האדם ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים ויהי האדם לנפש חיה פי' שהוא הכלי שיחזור ויתמשך החיים מחי החיים אל כל מעשה בראשית.

For every descent and lowering is called "death"; and afterward He created man — "and He breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and man became a living soul" — meaning that he [man] is the vessel through which life is drawn back from the Living One of life (Chei HaChaim) to all the work of creation.

Any descent and concealment is termed "death." Man was then created to reverse this: through the Divine breath of life within him, he becomes the kli (vessel) that draws vitality back from Hashem, the Source of all life, and channels it to the entire creation, reconnecting the world to its Source.

ולכן האדם קרא שמות לכל.

Therefore man gave names to everything.

Adam's naming of all the creatures expresses this role: by naming each thing, he reveals its inner essence and binds it back to its Divine root.

שהוא המעלה ומקשר כל הבריאה אל חי החיים.

For he is the one who elevates and connects all of creation to the Living One of life.

Man's function is to lift up all created things and bind them to Hashem, the Source of life — undoing the "death" of separation.

ולכן הצדיק נק' חי.

Therefore the tzaddik is called "alive" (chai).

Because the tzaddik fulfills this role of connecting everything to Hashem, he is called "alive" in the truest sense.

והרשעים בחייהם קרוים מתים.

And the wicked, even in their lifetimes, are called "dead."

The resha'im, by contrast, are bound up in separateness from Hashem; even while physically alive they are called "dead," for they embody the "death" of disconnection.

כי כל מה שמתדבק בגשמיות הוא בחי' מיתה.

For whatever cleaves to physicality is the aspect of death.

Attachment to gashmiyus — to the material as an end in itself — is the very definition of "death," since it is a clinging to the realm of concealment and separation.

והצדיק הוא חי.

And the tzaddik is "alive."

The tzaddik, who cleaves instead to Hashem, is genuinely alive.

וזהו החיים שיורד בר"ה שיש התחדשות משורש החיים.

And this is the "life" that descends on Rosh Hashanah — that there is a renewal from the root of life.

The "life" we ask for on Rosh Hashanah is precisely this: a fresh infusion drawn directly from the root and source of all life.

ולכן נקרא ראש השנה כי עיקר החיים בראש.

And therefore it is called "Rosh HaShanah" (the head of the year), for the essence of life is in the head.

The name "head of the year" is fitting because, just as life is concentrated in the head, this day is the "head" from which the year's vitality flows.

וכמו בבחי' נפש הראש נותן חיים לכל הקומה ויש איברים שהנשמה תלוי' בהם.

And just as, regarding the soul, the head gives life to the entire body (komah), and there are limbs upon which the soul depends.

In the body, the head transmits life to the whole stature, and certain vital organs are the ones in which the soul's presence is especially concentrated.

וכמו כן יש זמנים שבתות ויו"ט בשנה.

And likewise there are special times in the year — Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim.

Just as the body has its vital organs, the "body" of the year has its vital points — Shabbosos and the festivals.

שחיות הנשמה תלוי בהם ומתגלה בהם.

Upon which the vitality of the soul depends and through which it is revealed.

These holy times are the "organs" of the year, the points where the soul-life of time is concentrated and revealed.

אך בר"ה בחי' הראש ששם עיקר הנשמה.

But Rosh Hashanah is the aspect of the "head," where the essence of the soul resides.

Among all these times, Rosh Hashanah is the "head" — the seat of the essential soul of the year, from which all the rest derives its life.

והנה התמשכות חיות הנ"ל תליא ברמ"ח מ"ע ושס"ה ל"ת.

Now, the drawing down of the aforementioned vitality depends upon the 248 positive mitzvos and the 365 negative mitzvos.

The flow of this life is bound up with the mitzvos — the 248 positive commandments (corresponding to the limbs) and the 365 prohibitions (corresponding to the sinews) — through which a person draws vitality into himself and the world.

ולכן הדין בר"ה לפי שיקול רוב הזכיות או רוב עונות.

Therefore the judgment on Rosh Hashanah is according to the weighing of the majority of merits or the majority of sins.

Because life flows through the mitzvos, the Rosh Hashanah judgment weighs whether a person's merits or sins predominate — for this determines how much life can be drawn to him.

כי עבירה מכבה מצוה.

For a sin extinguishes a mitzvah.

An aveirah "extinguishes" a mitzvah, as Chazal say — it dims the light and interrupts the flow of life.

שמכבה ומפסיק המשכת החיות כנ"ל.

For it extinguishes and interrupts the drawing down of vitality, as explained above.

The "extinguishing" effect of sin is precisely that it blocks and cuts off the channel through which life flows into the person and the world.

אבל אינה מכבה תורה כי תורה היא עיקר שורש החיים שנק' עץ חיים.

But it does not extinguish Torah, for the Torah is the very root of life, which is called "etz chaim" (a tree of life).

While sin can extinguish a single mitzvah, it cannot extinguish Torah itself, for Torah is the very wellspring and root of all life — the "tree of life" that no sin can dim.

וזהו בחי' תקיעות שופר שהיא נקודה חיות פנימיות שאינה יכולה להשתנות.

And this is the aspect of the shofar blasts (tekias shofar), which are the inner point of vitality (nekudah pnimis) that cannot be changed.

The blowing of the shofar represents this unextinguishable inner point of life — the penimiyus, the core vitality that no sin can alter or block.

כמש"ל מזה בפ' נצבים.

As explained above regarding this in Parshas Nitzavim.

The Sefas Emes refers to his fuller treatment of this idea in his writings on Parshas Nitzavim.

והנה יש שפע לעולם כפי צורך קיום העולם שאינו תלוי במעשה התחתונים.

Now, there is a flow of abundance (shefa) to the world according to the world's need for its sustenance, which does not depend on the deeds of those below.

There is a baseline level of Divine abundance that the world receives simply to keep existing — and this minimal sustenance is granted unconditionally, regardless of human conduct.

וזה הי' כריתות ברית עם נח שלא יהי' חרוב העולם בכל אופן.

And this was the covenant made with Noach — that the world would not be destroyed under any circumstances.

This guaranteed baseline of existence is the bris Hashem made with Noach after the Flood: a promise that the world will be sustained and never wholly destroyed, no matter what.

אכן אם יטיבו את מעשיהם יתרבה השפע או יתמעט כפי הזכות.

However, if they improve their deeds, the abundance increases — or it decreases — according to the merit.

Beyond that fixed baseline, the measure of shefa rises or falls in proportion to people's deeds and merit.

אבל יום ולילה לא ישבותו.

But "day and night shall not cease" (Bereishis 8:22).

The fundamental rhythm of existence — the guaranteed continuity promised to Noach — endures regardless, as the verse pledges that day and night will never stop.

וכעין זה ממש הי' כריתות בריתו ית"ש עם בנ"י להיות פנימיות החיות לעולם.

And in exactly this manner was the covenant of Hashem, may His Name be blessed, with Bnei Yisrael — that the inner vitality should remain forever.

Paralleling the Noach covenant, Hashem made a bris with Bnei Yisrael that their inner spiritual vitality — the penimiyus of life — would be guaranteed to them permanently and unconditionally.

חלק ה' עמו.

"For Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9).

Bnei Yisrael are Hashem's own portion — a bond so essential it can never be severed.

ולא תשכח מפי זרעו.

"It shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring" (Devarim 31:21).

The Torah, the inner vitality, will never be entirely forgotten from Bnei Yisrael — a guarantee that the connection endures through all generations.

רק אם זוכין בנ"י מתרבה ומתפשט כח התורה בהם ביותר.

Only that if Bnei Yisrael are meritorious, the power of the Torah within them increases and spreads forth all the more.

While the baseline bond is guaranteed, the degree to which the Torah's power flourishes and expands within Bnei Yisrael depends on their merit — just as the world's shefa beyond the baseline depends on deeds.

וברית הזה מתחדש בכל ר"ה ע"י תקיעות שופר.

And this covenant is renewed every Rosh Hashanah through the blasts of the shofar.

The shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah serve to renew this eternal covenant of inner vitality between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

כמ"ש זוכר הברית.

As we say, "Zocher HaBris" (He who remembers the covenant).

This is reflected in the Rosh Hashanah liturgy describing Hashem as the One who "remembers the covenant" — the bond renewed through the shofar.

וזאת עיקר בקשתינו.

And this is the essence of our request.

This renewal of the inner-life covenant is the true heart of what we ask for on Rosh Hashanah.

כתבנו בספר החיים.

"Inscribe us in the Book of Life (Sefer HaChaim)."

Our plea to be written in the Book of Life is a request for this inner vitality.

להיות החיים מזהיר בלי השתנות והסתר הגשמיות והטבע שהיא בחי' מיתה.

That the life should shine without the change and concealment of physicality and nature, which is the aspect of death.

We ask that our inner life-force shine unobstructed, not dimmed by the concealment of gashmiyus and nature — that very concealment being the "death" described earlier.

והנה כ' דרשו ה' בהמצאו דרשו חז"ל על עשרת ימי תשובה.

Now, it is written, "Seek Hashem when He is found" — which Chazal expounded as referring to the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah (the Ten Days of Repentance).

The Sefas Emes turns to the verse "Seek Hashem when He is found," which Chazal apply to the Ten Days of Teshuvah — the days when Hashem is uniquely accessible.

שאז הקב"ה ממציא עצמו לקבל שבים.

For then HaKadosh Baruch Hu makes Himself available to receive those who return.

During these days Hashem, as it were, makes Himself "found" and near, ready to receive the ba'alei teshuvah who turn back to Him.

דכ' שובה ישראל עד ה' אלקיך.

As it is written, "Return, O Yisrael, unto Hashem your God" (Hoshea 14:2).

The call of teshuvah is to return all the way "unto Hashem your God" — back to one's very Source.

פי' עד שיתקיים מאמר אנכי ה' אלקיך.

The explanation: until the declaration "Anochi Hashem Elokecha" (I am Hashem your God) is fulfilled.

"Return unto Hashem your God" means returning until one realizes within himself the truth of "I am Hashem your God" — the first of the Aseres HaDibros.

כי זה המאמר אנכי נחקק בכל איש ישראל.

For this declaration of "Anochi" is engraved within every Jew.

The "Anochi" — Hashem's self-revelation — is inscribed into the soul of every Jew as an indelible, inner reality.

כמ"ש אנכי בעלתי בכם.

As it is written, "Anochi (I) have been a Master/Husband to you" (Yirmiyahu 3:14).

The verse "I have espoused you" expresses the inseparable bond in which Hashem's "Anochi" is permanently bound to every Jew.

אכן כתיב עונותיכם כו' מבדילים ביניכם לבין אלקיכם.

However, it is written, "Your sins… separate between you and your God" (Yeshayahu 59:2).

Yet sin creates a barrier: although the "Anochi" is engraved within, a person's aveiros form a separation between him and Hashem.

פי' בתוך האדם עצמו עושה העון הבדל שלא יוכל להתפשט חלק אלקות שבו להאיר בו.

The explanation: within the person himself, the sin creates a separation, so that the portion of Godliness within him cannot spread forth to illuminate him.

The "separation" caused by sin is not that Hashem departs, but that an internal barrier forms within the person, preventing his own chelek Eloka — the Divine portion engraved in him — from shining outward and illuminating him.

ואמרו חז"ל לעולם יראה אדם עצמו כאלו קדוש שורה בתוך מעיו.

And Chazal said: a person should always regard himself as if a holy one dwells within his innards.

Chazal teach that one should always be aware that something holy — a Divine presence — resides within him.

פי' לעולם אפילו אחר שחטא.

The explanation: "always" — even after he has sinned.

The word "always" is emphatic: this holiness remains within a person even after he has sinned.

מ"מ יש בו חלק אלקות.

Nevertheless, there is within him a portion of Godliness.

No matter how far a person has fallen, the chelek Eloka — his Divine portion — remains intact within him.

אך שהוא קדוש ונבדל ע"י מסכים המבדילים ע"י העונות.

Only that it is "holy and set apart" by the screens (masachim) that divide, [formed] through the sins.

The word "kadosh" here also means "set apart": the Divine portion is partitioned off behind "screens" of separation that the sins have erected, concealing it from view but never destroying it.

וכמו שהוא בפרט האדם.

And just as it is regarding the individual person.

The Sefas Emes now extends this principle from the individual to the cosmos.

כן בכלל הבריאה כח אלקי נתלבש ונסתר תוך הטבע.

So too, regarding creation as a whole, a Divine power is clothed and hidden within nature.

Just as the individual conceals a Divine portion behind screens of sin, so the entire creation conceals a Divine vitality clothed within the garment of nature.

ובימים הללו שמתחדש הבריאה מתגלה זה הכח הן בכלל הן בפרט כל איש.

And in these days, when the creation is renewed, this power is revealed — both in general and in the individual, each person.

During the days of Rosh Hashanah and the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, when creation is renewed, this hidden Divine power becomes revealed — both on the cosmic scale and within each individual.

ולכן בנקל לשוב להתדבק בחלק אלקות שבו.

And therefore it is easy [during these days] to return and cleave to the portion of Godliness within him.

Because the inner Divine point is more revealed at this time, teshuvah comes more easily — one can readily reconnect with the chelek Eloka within.

ועשרת ימי תשובה הם להתחדש עשרה מאמרות בכלל.

And the Ten Days of Teshuvah are for the renewal of the Ten Utterances (asarah ma'amaros) in general.

The ten days correspond to the renewal of the Ten Utterances of creation — the cosmic dimension of this renewal.

ועשרת הדיברות בפרט לבנ"י.

And the Ten Commandments (Aseres HaDibros) in particular, for Bnei Yisrael.

And on the particular, national level for Bnei Yisrael, these ten days correspond to the renewal of the Ten Commandments — the "Anochi" engraved within each Jew.

ובשבת תשובה בנקל יותר להתקרב לתשובה כי עיקר התשובה לשוב אל השורש כמ"ש לעיל כי בימי המעשה נברא העולם בטבע.

And on Shabbos Teshuvah it is even easier to draw close to teshuvah, for the essence of teshuvah is to return to the Source, as explained above — for during the weekdays the world was created within nature.

Shabbos Teshuvah makes return easier still, because the core of teshuvah is returning to the Source, and Shabbos itself is a return to the root. The weekdays correspond to creation "within nature" — the realm of concealment.

ואח"כ נברא האדם שהוא פנימיות החיות בעולם ע"י האדם.

And afterward man was created, who is the inner vitality of the world — [the vitality that comes into the world] through man.

After the natural creation of the weekdays, man was created as the penimiyus — the inner life-force through whom vitality enters the world.

ובכח תורה ומצות יכול למשוך החיות כמ"ש אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם.

And through the power of Torah and mitzvos he can draw down the vitality, as it is written, "which a man shall do and live by them" (Vayikra 18:5).

By means of Torah and mitzvos, man draws this life-force into the world. The verse "and live by them" teaches that the mitzvos are the very channel of true life.

כי הטבע היא בחי' מיתה וירידה שנברא יש מאין.

For nature is the aspect of death and descent, since it was created "yesh me'ayin" (something from nothing).

Nature, as the realm of "something from nothing" — apparent separate existence — is intrinsically the aspect of "death" and descent, concealment of the Source.

אבל תכלית הבריאה הי' כדי שיתבטל היש אל האין.

But the purpose of creation was that the "yesh" (something) should become nullified back into the "ayin" (nothingness).

The ultimate goal of creation is the reverse movement: that the seemingly independent "something" should achieve bittul, nullifying itself back into the Divine "ayin" from which it came — undoing the "death" of separation.

וזה בחי' השבת שהיא תכלית שמים וארץ.

And this is the aspect of Shabbos, which is the purpose (tachlis) of heaven and earth.

Shabbos embodies this goal — it is the purpose toward which all of creation strives, the return of the "yesh" to its Source.

שחוזר הבריאה להתקשר בשורש החיים.

For [on Shabbos] the creation returns to bind itself to the root of life.

On Shabbos, all of creation reconnects to its life-root, reversing the descent of the weekdays.

והוא בחי' גאולה והתגלות החיות שהוא למעלה מהטבע.

And this is the aspect of geulah (redemption) and the revelation of the vitality that is above nature.

This binding to the Source is itself a form of redemption — a revelation of the supernatural life-force that transcends the concealment of nature.

ולכן איתא בזוה"ק דבשבת לא אשתכח בי' מנא דכל ברכאין בי' תליין כו' פי' שהוא שורש הברכה הנמשך מבחי' אין שאינו יכול להתגלות בבחי' יש.

And therefore it is taught in the holy Zohar that on Shabbos no "vessel" (mana) is found in it, "for all the blessings depend upon it" — the explanation being that it is the root of blessing that is drawn from the aspect of "ayin" (nothingness), which cannot be revealed within the aspect of "yesh" (something).

The Zohar teaches that Shabbos has no "vessel" because its blessing flows from the level of "ayin," the undivided Divine source, which is beyond and cannot be contained within any defined "yesh." All blessing draws from this hidden root.

וזהו עיקר החיות והברכה.

And this is the essence of vitality and blessing.

This blessing drawn from the "ayin" is the true core of all life and blessing.

והוא עצמו בחי' תשובה.

And this itself is the aspect of teshuvah.

This very return of the "yesh" to the "ayin" — the reconnection to the Source — is the essence of teshuvah.

וכמו שמתגלה בשבת הארה מקדושה עליונה הנסתרת בימי המעשה.

And just as on Shabbos an illumination is revealed from the supernal holiness that is hidden during the weekdays.

Shabbos reveals a glimmer of the lofty holiness that lies concealed throughout the workweek.

כמו כן מתגלה הקדושה בכל איש ישראל בשבת מה שהי' נסתר בימי המעשה.

So too, the holiness is revealed within every Jew on Shabbos — that which was hidden during the weekdays.

On the personal level as well, Shabbos uncovers the inner holiness within each Jew that remained concealed during the week, making teshuvah more accessible.

ואיתא הפותח שער לדופקי בתשובה.

And it is taught [in the liturgy]: "He who opens a gate for those who knock in teshuvah."

The Sefas Emes cites the description of Hashem as the One who opens the gate for those who "knock" — who strive to return through teshuvah.

ויתכן לפרש על השבת שהיא מתנה טובה ומסייע לבנ"י לתשובה.

And it may be explained as referring to Shabbos, which is a "good gift" and assists Bnei Yisrael toward teshuvah.

This "opening of the gate" can be understood as Shabbos itself — the precious gift that Hashem gives to help Bnei Yisrael achieve teshuvah.

דביום השבת יפתח כתיב.

For it is written, "on the day of Shabbos it shall be opened" (Yechezkel 46:1).

The verse describing the inner gate being "opened on the day of Shabbos" supports reading the "opened gate" as a reference to Shabbos.

ובנ"י שהם דופקי בתשובה ניתן להם השבת שהיא פתיחת שער התשובה.

And Bnei Yisrael, who are "those who knock in teshuvah," were given the Shabbos, which is the opening of the gate of teshuvah.

Because Bnei Yisrael yearn and "knock" to return, Hashem gave them Shabbos as the very means by which the gate of teshuvah is opened to them.

שהיא מעין עוה"ב שורש התשובה:

For it [Shabbos] is a foretaste of the World to Come, the root of teshuvah.

Shabbos is a taste of Olam Haba — and since the World to Come is the ultimate return of all existence to its Source, it is the very root of teshuvah, which Shabbos brings within reach.

Summary: The "life" we plead for on Rosh Hashanah is the inner vitality drawn from Hashem, the Source of all life — for creation is a tzimtzum in which "something" emerged from "nothing," and any descent into separate, physical existence is a kind of "death," while man is the vessel that draws life back to creation. Rosh Hashanah is the "head" of the year from which this vitality flows, channeled through the mitzvos; sin extinguishes a mitzvah but never the Torah or the unchanging inner point expressed by the shofar. Like the covenant with Noach guaranteeing the world's baseline existence, Hashem made an eternal covenant of inner vitality with Bnei Yisrael, renewed each Rosh Hashanah by the shofar. The "Anochi" is engraved in every Jew; sin only erects screens that conceal this Divine portion without destroying it, and in these renewed days — especially on Shabbos Teshuvah, which is the return of the "yesh" to the "ayin" and a foretaste of Olam Haba — that hidden holiness is revealed, making teshuvah readily attainable.