Elevating the lowest level

בפסוק טובה חכמה עם נחלה כו' בצל החכמה בצל הכסף.

On the pasuk: "Wisdom is good with an inheritance" … "in the shade of wisdom, in the shade of money" (Koheles 7:11-12).

The Sefas Emes opens from Koheles, which speaks of two kinds of "shade" — the shade of chochmah and the shade of money.

במד' כד"א יפה ת"ת עם דרך ארץ כו'.

In the Midrash, as it is said: "Beautiful is Torah study together with derech eretz," and so on.

The Midrash links this pasuk to the pairing of Torah learning with worldly involvement.

כי יש ב' הגנות מצד חסד עליון.

For there are two protections that come from the supernal chesed.

Hashem's kindness provides a person with two distinct forms of shelter.

והוא בצל החכמה כמ"ש ה' צלך והיא הסוכה שנק' צל החכמה כידוע.

The first is "in the shade of wisdom," as it says "Hashem is your shade" (Tehillim 121:5) — and this is the sukkah, which is called the "shade of wisdom," as is known.

The sukkah embodies the "shade of chochmah," a sheltering that comes through Hashem's wisdom enveloping a person.

ובצל הכסף הוא ע"י התשוקה שבאדם מלשון נכסף נכספת.

And "in the shade of money (kesef)" is through the yearning within a person, from the expression "you have surely longed (nichsof nichsafta)" (Bereishis 31:30).

The Sefas Emes reads "kesef" not as money but from the root of longing — the "shade" of a person's deep yearning for Hashem.

שגם עי"ז יש הגנה על האדם.

For through this too there is protection over a person.

A person's sincere longing for Hashem also forms a protective shade over him.

אף שאינו מתוקן כראוי רק [ע"י] שרצונו מגעגע באמת לאביו שבשמים.

Even though he is not yet properly refined, only [through] the fact that his will truly yearns for his Father in Heaven.

Even one who has not yet perfected himself is sheltered, provided his ratzon genuinely longs for Hashem.

והוא ג"כ צל הבא ע"י נדיבת רצון טוב שבאדם.

And this too is a shade that comes through the generosity of good will within a person.

This second shelter is generated by the person's own freely-offered good ratzon.

והוא ענין הלולב ולקחתם לכם כו'.

And this is the theme of the lulav: "And you shall take for yourselves," and so on.

The mitzvah of the four minim — "you shall take for yourselves" — expresses this active offering of the person's own will.

והוא נק' נחלה שהוא המשכת הדעת לכל המקומות שבאדם.

And this is called "inheritance (nachalah)," which is the drawing-down of daas to all the places within a person.

The "nachalah" of the pasuk is the extension of awareness of Hashem into every part of a person's being.

רמז לדבר ערבי נחל.

A hint to this is "willows of the brook (arvei nachal)."

The aravah, "willow of the brook (nachal)," alludes by wordplay to this "nachalah," the drawing-down of daas.

ונכתב נחל בערבה שהיא מדה השפילה בלי טעם וריח כי המשכת הדעת למקום מדריגה התחתונה זה מעולה מהכל.

And "nachal" is written by the aravah, which is the lowly attribute, having neither taste nor fragrance — for the drawing-down of daas to the place of the lowest level is the most exalted thing of all.

The aravah, lacking taste and smell, represents the lowest rung; precisely bringing the awareness of Hashem down into that lowest level is the greatest achievement.

לכן בחרו אנשי כנה"ג בהו"ר במצות ערבה כי ע"ז אנו סומכין עתה בגלות.

Therefore the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah chose the mitzvah of the aravah on Hoshana Rabbah, for it is upon this that we rely now, in galus.

The Men of the Great Assembly singled out the aravah for Hoshana Rabbah because, in galus, our reliance is precisely on elevating the lowest level.

והוא תיקון הרגלים כי הדורות הולכין כסדר.

And this is the rectification of the "feet (raglayim)," for the generations proceed in order.

The aravah corresponds to the "feet" — the final generations of history descending in sequence — and these too must be set right.

ומצד זה יש חשיבות למדריגה תחתונה עי"ז שכל הבנין עומד עליו.

And from this perspective there is importance to the lowest level, in that the entire edifice stands upon it.

The lowest rung gains its great importance because the whole structure rests upon it, like a foundation.

והוא ענין תמכין דאורייתא והוא עקבותא דמשיחא:

And this is the theme of the "supporters of the Torah (tomchin d'oraisa)," and this is the "footsteps of Mashiach (ikvesa d'Meshicha)."

Those who support Torah, and the final generation at the "heels" of Mashiach, embody this elevation of the lowest level upon which everything stands.

Summary: There are two protective "shades" of Hashem's chesed — the shade of chochmah (the sukkah) and the shade of yearning (kesef as longing), the latter sheltering even the unrefined person whose ratzon truly longs for Hashem; the aravah, lowest of the four minim, teaches that drawing daas down into the very lowest level is the most exalted avodah, which is why it is our mainstay in galus and the avodah of ikvesa d'Meshicha, since the whole edifice stands upon its foundation.