Rosh Hashanah's judgment transformed into merit

ראש השנה הוא יו"ט לבנ"י כי באמת כל המשפט והדין למעלה לזכותן של בנ"י.

Rosh Hashanah is a Yom Tov for Bnei Yisrael, for in truth all the judgment (mishpat) and din on high is for the merit (zechus) of Bnei Yisrael.

Although Rosh Hashanah is a day of judgment, it is truly a festival, because the entire purpose of the heavenly judgment is to bring merit to Bnei Yisrael — the din itself is for their benefit.

ור"ה הוא בחי' היכל זכות שכתב בזוה"ק פקודי דשם כל המשפטים ודינים.

And Rosh Hashanah is the aspect of the "Heichal Zechus" (Chamber of Merit) that is described in the Zohar (Pekudei), where all the judgments and dinim reside.

Rosh Hashanah corresponds to the "Chamber of Merit" mentioned in the Zohar — the place from which all judgments issue, yet it is named for merit, not punishment.

ונק' זכות כי כל המשפט כדי לזכות בני אדם.

And it is called "zechus" (merit) because all the judgment is in order to bring merit to people.

The chamber bears the name "merit" precisely because the whole aim of the judgment is to find people meritorious and bring them zechus.

והקב"ה רצה לזכות את בני ישראל הרבה להם תורה ומצות כמ"ש חז"ל ה' חפץ למען צדקו.

And Hashem wished to grant merit to Bnei Yisrael, so He gave them abundant Torah and mitzvos, as Chazal said: "Hashem desired, for the sake of His righteousness."

Hashem's whole desire is to make Bnei Yisrael meritorious; that is why He gave them so many mitzvos — and the judgment of Rosh Hashanah serves this same purpose of vindicating them.

וזהו הד' ובכן שכ' האריז"ל כי כל בכן עולה חסד וג' בכן.

And this is the four occurrences of "uvchen" about which the Arizal wrote: for each "uvchen" has the numerical value (gematria) of "chesed," and there are three "uvchen."

The Arizal noted that the word "uvchen" in the Rosh Hashanah davening equals "chesed" in gematria. There are in fact four such "uvchen," and the relationship among them carries deep meaning.

רי"ו.

216 (the gematria of three times "chesed," and of "gevurah").

Three units of "chesed" total 216 — which is also the numerical value of "gevurah," hinting at how chesed and gevurah are intertwined in the judgment.

גבורה.

"Gevurah" (= 216).

The value 216 corresponds to "gevurah," the attribute of strict judgment.

ובכן הד' כולל כל הג'.

And the fourth "uvchen" includes all three.

The fourth "uvchen" is not merely another unit but encompasses and unifies the previous three.

[ובאמת בתולעת יעקב וכן הרמ"ק מגמגמים בזה דלא נמצא רק רי"ו.

[And in truth, in the Tola'as Yaakov, and likewise the Ramak, they hesitate over this, for only 216 is found.

The Sefas Emes notes a difficulty raised by the Tola'as Yaakov and the Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero): they find only one value of 216, not the further computation implied here.

אבל באמת נראה דהם ב' דינים רי"ו בפרט של ג' ע"ב ורי"ו א' הכולל כולן והם ב' בתי דינין וכן הי' ב"ד בהר הבית ובפתח העזרה.

But in truth it appears that there are two dinim: a 216 in detail (of three times 72), and a single inclusive 216 that includes them all — and these are two courts (batei din), just as there was a beis din on the Har HaBayis and at the entrance of the Azarah.

The Sefas Emes resolves the difficulty: there are two distinct judgments — one "detailed" 216 (three times 72) and one "inclusive" 216 that contains all of them. These correspond to two heavenly courts, paralleling the earthly batei din that sat at the Temple Mount and at the entrance to the Azarah (courtyard).

וב"ד שבלשכת הגזית למעלה מכולן] והם ב' בחי' גבורות.

And the beis din in the Lishkas HaGazis (Chamber of Hewn Stone) was above them all] — and these are two aspects of gevuros.

Above both of those courts stood the supreme beis din in the Lishkas HaGazis. The two 216-values correspond to two aspects of gevurah (judgment) in the upper worlds.

ונראה דזכות עולה ב"פ גבורה וא' יותר שהוא גבורה הג' שליט על ב' הגבורות.

And it appears that "zechus" equals twice "gevurah" plus one more — which is the third gevurah that rules over the two gevuros.

The gematria of "zechus" equals two times "gevurah" plus one — pointing to a third, higher gevurah that governs and masters the two lower gevuros, turning their strict judgment into merit.

והוא שכ' בעל גבורות ששליט על ב' הגבורות ומהפכן לזכות ולרחמים והמשכיל יבין ביותר.

And this is what is written, "Master of mighty deeds (Baal Gevuros)," that He rules over the two gevuros and transforms them into merit and mercy (rachamim); and the discerning one will understand further.

Hashem as "Baal Gevuros" rules over the two lower gevuros and converts their din into merit and mercy. This is the inner secret of Rosh Hashanah's judgment, hinted to the thoughtful reader.

והנה איתא במד' וארא על פסוק מגיד מראשית אחרית כו' חפצי אעשה שחפץ הקב"ה להצדיק בריותיו ע"ש ולעתיד יהי' הכל מתוקן.

And behold, it is brought in the Midrash (Va'eira) on the verse "Telling the end from the beginning etc., I will do all My desire," that Hashem desires to vindicate (l'hatzdik) His creatures — see there — and in the future all will be rectified.

The Midrash teaches that Hashem's deepest "desire" is to find His creatures righteous and justify them. In the future, this will be fully realized and all of creation will be set right.

ובכל ר"ה שמתחדש הבריאה מתעורר זה התיקון להצדיק הברואים.

And on every Rosh Hashanah, when the creation is renewed, this rectification (tikkun) is aroused — to vindicate the creatures.

Each Rosh Hashanah, as the world is renewed, this same power to vindicate and rectify creation is awakened anew.

ובנ"י זוכין לזה בכל ר"ה.

And Bnei Yisrael merit this on every Rosh Hashanah.

Bnei Yisrael already attain this vindication every Rosh Hashanah, ahead of the rest of creation.

ולעתיד יתקיים בכלל כל הברואים.

And in the future it will be fulfilled for all creatures in general.

What Bnei Yisrael experience now will, in the future, be realized for the entire creation.

ואז יתקע בשופר גדול וע"ז מבקשין בנוסח בכן תן פחדך כו':

And then "the great shofar will be sounded," and for this we pray in the wording "uvchen, place Your awe etc."

At that future time the great shofar will be blown, ushering in the universal rectification. The "uvchen" prayers — "place Your awe upon all" — are precisely a request for this future vindication of all creation.

Summary: Rosh Hashanah is truly a Yom Tov, because the whole purpose of its judgment is to bring merit to Bnei Yisrael — it is the "Chamber of Merit." Through the kabbalistic teaching of the Arizal on the four "uvchen" (each equal to chesed; three totaling 216, the value of gevurah), the Sefas Emes explains two heavenly courts/gevuros, ruled by a third, higher gevurah — Hashem as "Baal Gevuros" — who transforms strict judgment into merit and mercy. Hashem's deepest desire is to vindicate His creatures; this tikkun is aroused each Rosh Hashanah as creation renews, attained now by Bnei Yisrael and destined to be fulfilled for all creation when the great shofar is sounded.