The sweet voice of simple prayer

להו"ר מצות ערבה אמרו חז"ל ערבה נגד אותן שאין להם טעם וריח.

For Hoshana Rabbah, the mitzvah of the aravah (willow) — Chazal said the aravah corresponds to those who have neither taste nor fragrance.

The willow, which has no taste and no smell, represents those Jews who lack both Torah (taste) and good deeds (fragrance), in the well-known parable of the four species.

א"כ מה להם רק תפלה שקולן ערב לפני הקב"ה.

If so, what do they have? Only tefillah, for their voice is "areiv" (sweet) before the Holy One.

Even one with neither learning nor mitzvos still possesses one thing: prayer. The cry of such a simple Jew is sweet and pleasing before Hashem.

וזה בחי' דוד המע"ה נעים זמירות ישראל.

And this is the dimension of Dovid Hamelech, "the sweet singer of Yisrael" (Shmuel II 23:1).

This quality of sweet, heartfelt prayer is embodied by Dovid Hamelech, whose tehillos and zemiros rose so pleasingly before Hashem.

וכ"כ ערבה דומה לשפתים.

And so it is written, the aravah resembles the lips.

Chazal note that the leaf of the willow is shaped like lips — alluding to the power of speech and tefillah that the aravah represents.

והוא ההפרש בין צפצפה שאין פי' חלק.

And this is the distinction from the tzaftzafah (a invalid willow-like species), whose "mouth" (edge) is not smooth.

The kosher aravah has a smooth-edged leaf, unlike the disqualified tzaftzafah whose edge is serrated. The "smooth mouth" hints at pure, sincere speech in prayer.

לכן תקנו הרבה תפלות בהו"ר.

Therefore they instituted many tefillos on Hoshana Rabbah.

Because the aravah of Hoshana Rabbah symbolizes the power of pure prayer, Chazal established an abundance of tefillos for this day.

והיא הכנה לשמחת תורה.

And it is a preparation for Simchas Torah.

The intense tefillah of Hoshana Rabbah serves as the preparation and gateway to the joy of Simchas Torah that follows.

כמו שהי' ביצ"מ ע"י ענני הכבוד שהלכו במדבר נתקרבו להשי"ת עד שאמרו נעשה ונשמע.

Just as it was at yetzias Mitzrayim — through the Ananei HaKavod (Clouds of Glory) by which they traveled in the wilderness, they drew close to Hashem Yisborach until they said "na'aseh ve-nishma (we will do and we will hear)."

At the Exodus, the Clouds of Glory that surrounded and led Bnei Yisrael through the desert refined them and drew them so close to Hashem that they reached the level of "na'aseh ve-nishma" at Har Sinai.

ע"י שנזדככו בנסעם בענן ה'.

Through their being refined as they traveled within the cloud of Hashem.

The very journey enveloped in Hashem's cloud purified them and prepared them to receive the Torah.

כמו כן ע"י הסוכה צלא דמהמנותא נתקרבו בנ"י לה'.

So too, through the sukkah — the "shade of faith" (tzila di-mehemanusa) — Bnei Yisrael are drawn close to Hashem.

The sukkah, which the Zohar calls the "shade of emunah," parallels the Clouds of Glory: dwelling within it draws Bnei Yisrael near to Hashem and refines them just as the desert journey did.

ולשון ערבה כמו תערובת שנתדבקו לה' ולמדו דרך הקודש עד שיודעין להוציא קול ערב לפני השי"ת.

And the word "aravah" is like "ta'aroves" (mixture/blending), that they became attached to Hashem and learned the way of holiness, until they know how to produce a sweet voice before Hashem Yisborach.

The Sefas Emes plays on "aravah" as related to blending and clinging. Through the sukkah Bnei Yisrael cleave to Hashem and absorb the path of kedushah, until even the simplest among them can lift up a sweet, pleasing voice in tefillah.

ועי"ז זוכין לתורה.

And through this they merit the Torah.

This closeness and refined power of prayer is what makes them fit to receive the Torah anew on Simchas Torah.

ושמחת תורה הוא בחי' תורה שבע"פ שהיא בכח המקבלים וא"א לפרש יותר:

And Simchas Torah is the dimension of Torah she-be'al peh (the Oral Torah), which lies in the power of the recipients — and it is not possible to explain further.

Simchas Torah corresponds to the Oral Torah, which depends on the active participation and effort of those who receive it. The Sefas Emes hints that this is a deep matter that cannot be fully spelled out in words.

Summary: The aravah of Hoshana Rabbah represents the Jew who has neither Torah nor mitzvos but possesses one precious thing — tefillah, whose sweet voice is dear to Hashem, in the manner of Dovid Hamelech. Just as the Clouds of Glory refined Bnei Yisrael in the wilderness until they reached "na'aseh ve-nishma," so the sukkah, the shade of emunah, draws them close and teaches them to lift a sweet voice before Hashem — and through this they merit the Torah, culminating in Simchas Torah, the Oral Torah that lives in the power of those who receive it.