The willow and the inborn bond beyond deeds

מצות ערבה בהו"ר שבחרו חכמינו ז"ל בערבה יותר מבכל המינים.

The mitzvah of aravah on Hoshana Rabbah — that our Sages, of blessed memory, chose the aravah (willow) more than all the other species.

On Hoshana Rabbah the willow is singled out for special honor, more than the other Four Species.

אף כי הוא נגד אותם שאין בהם טעם וריח.

Even though it corresponds to those who have neither taste nor scent.

The willow symbolizes the Jews who have neither Torah (taste) nor good deeds (scent), seemingly the lowest type.

כי באמת מזה ניכר יותר דביקות בנ"י להשי"ת.

For in truth, from this the deveikus of Bnei Yisrael to Hashem is recognized even more.

Precisely the willow reveals the deepest bond, because its worth does not depend on accomplishments.

כי מאין בא חביבות בני אדם הללו.

For from where does the belovedness of these people come?

If such people have no Torah or mitzvos, what makes them beloved?

רק שבנ"י נקראו בנים למקום.

Only that Bnei Yisrael are called children of the Omnipresent.

Their belovedness flows from their essential status as Hashem's children, regardless of their deeds.

ויש בכל איש ישראל דביקות בה' אלקים כמ"ש ואתם הדבקים בה' אלקיכם חיים כולכם כו'.

And there is in every Jew a deveikus to Hashem, as it is written, "And you who cleave to Hashem your God are all alive today" (Devarim 4:4).

Every Jew possesses an inborn attachment to Hashem, an inner life-bond that the willow represents.

כתיב ישקני מנשיקות כו' טובים דודיך מיין.

It is written, "Let Him kiss me with the kisses… for Your love is better than wine" (Shir HaShirim 1:2).

The Sefas Emes turns to the verse of "kisses" to explain the bond of Bnei Yisrael with Hashem.

פי' נשיקה כמו השקה במים שעל ידי שמתדבק לשורשו נעשה טהור.

The meaning of "kiss" (neshikah) is like "joining (hashakah) of waters," that through cleaving to its root it becomes pure.

Just as one body of water purifies another by touching it, deveikus to one's source — Hashem — renders a person tahor.

כן התורה שנקראת מים ניתן לבנ"י כמ"ש חיי עולם נטע בתוכינו.

So too the Torah, which is called water, was given to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "eternal life He planted within us."

The Torah, compared to purifying water, was implanted within Bnei Yisrael as a wellspring of eternal life.

בחי' תורה שבע"פ שהוא פלא גדול שחכמים יכולין להוסיף על התורה.

This is the aspect of Torah she'b'al peh (the Oral Torah), which is a great wonder — that the Sages are able to add to the Torah.

The Oral Torah is a marvel: the chachamim can expand and add to the Torah through their own derivations.

ודבריהם עושים רושם בשמים כמ"ש לאל גומר עלי.

And their words make an impression in Heaven, as it is written, "to the God who completes for me" (Tehillim 57:3).

What the Sages establish below takes effect Above; their rulings leave a real impression in the heavens.

וע"ז נאמר טובים דודיך מיין כי נסכים בכל השנה מיין.

And about this it is said, "Your love is better than wine," for all year long the libations are of wine.

The "love better than wine" alludes to that which surpasses the ordinary wine-libations brought throughout the year.

והוא מצות ומעש"ט שבנ"י מסגלין להקב"ה שיש לו נחת רוח מבני ישראל ולא מאומות.

And this refers to the mitzvos and good deeds that Bnei Yisrael accumulate for Hashem, that He has nachas ruach from Bnei Yisrael and not from the nations.

The "wine" is the treasury of mitzvos and good deeds by which Bnei Yisrael give Hashem satisfaction, unlike the nations.

ובסוכות מים.

And on Sukkos, water.

On Sukkos the libation is of water, not wine — pointing to a bond deeper than that earned by deeds.

הענין שגם בלי המעשים רק מצד עצם הבריאה יש ג"כ דביקות עצום לבנ"י יותר מכל האומות.

The matter is that even without the deeds, simply by virtue of the very essence of creation, there is also an intense deveikus for Bnei Yisrael, more than all the nations.

The water-libation expresses the bond that exists from Bnei Yisrael's very essence, independent of any deeds.

וזה נתברר בסוכות.

And this becomes clarified on Sukkos.

Sukkos brings to light this essential, deeds-independent attachment to Hashem.

ולכן צריך הגנה כמ"ש לעיל.

And therefore it requires protection, as mentioned above.

This precious inner point needs the shelter of the sukkah to guard it.

ובני ישראל שמחין יותר בנקודה הזו שנטבע בהם מצד הבריאה ממה שזוכין ע"י מעשיהם.

And Bnei Yisrael rejoice more in this inner point, which is stamped into them by virtue of creation, than in what they merit through their own deeds.

The deepest joy comes not from earned achievements but from the inborn point of connection embedded in every Jew.

כי מה יכול לפעול מעשה בו"ד.

For what can the deed of flesh and blood accomplish?

Human deeds are limited; they cannot compare to the gift of an essential bond given by Hashem.

וז"ש טובים דודיך שבא מהקב"ה מצד חלק ה' עמו.

And this is the meaning of "Your love is better" — that which comes from Hashem, by virtue of "the portion of Hashem is His people" (Devarim 32:9).

"Your love is better than wine" means: the bond that comes from Hashem's own side, because Bnei Yisrael are His portion, surpasses anything earned.

ממה שזוכין ע"י מעשינו כנ"ל:

— more than that which we merit through our own deeds, as above.

This Heaven-given closeness is greater than all the closeness attained through our own actions.

Summary: The willow, chosen on Hoshana Rabbah though it has neither taste nor scent, reveals the deepest truth: Bnei Yisrael's bond with Hashem stems not from their deeds but from their very essence as His children; the wine-libations represent closeness earned through mitzvos, while the Sukkos water-libation expresses the inborn deveikus stamped into every Jew by creation — a love "better than wine" because it flows from Hashem's own side.