Humble bittul as the ladder to salvation

להושענה רבה.

Concerning Hoshana Rabbah.

The Sefas Emes turns to the theme of the final day of Sukkos, Hoshana Rabbah, and its distinctive mitzvah of the aravah (willow).

חז"ל בחרו בערבה שרמז לאלו שאין בהם תורה ומצות כו'.

Chazal chose the aravah (willow), which alludes to those Jews who have in them neither Torah nor mitzvos.

Among the four species, the willow has neither taste nor smell, symbolizing the Jew who seems to possess neither Torah learning nor good deeds.

והענין עפ"י מ"ש אדם ובהמה תושיע ה'.

The matter is understood according to the verse: "Man and beast You save, Hashem" (Tehillim 36:7).

The verse pairs "man" and "beast" together as objects of Hashem's salvation, and Chazal read a profound lesson into that pairing.

ודרשו חז"ל שערומין בדעת כאדם ומשימין עצמם כבהמה.

And Chazal expounded: those who are shrewd in knowledge like a man, yet make themselves like a beast.

The highest madreigah is one who has genuine daas (understanding) like a person, yet humbles himself into the bittul (self-nullification) of a simple beast — knowing, yet not relying on his own knowing.

וע"י זה באין לישועה.

And through this they come to salvation.

This combination — wisdom joined to humble bittul — is precisely what draws down Hashem's yeshuah (salvation).

לכן בחרו ביום הושענא רבה בערבה.

Therefore on the day of Hoshana Rabbah they chose the aravah.

On this day of crying out for salvation, we take up the willow alone — the symbol of the one who has "nothing of his own" yet turns to Hashem.

רק להבין החשיבות שמשימין עצמם כבהמה.

One need only understand the importance of those who make themselves like a beast.

Far from being a deficiency, lowering oneself to the bittul of a "beast" is itself a great spiritual achievement that must be properly appreciated.

עפ"י המשנה הוי זנב לאריות ואל תהי ראש לשועלים פי' כי כמה מדריגות יש ובודאי יש מקומות ומדריגות שגם הערום בדעת נחשב כבהמה.

This follows the Mishnah: "Be a tail to lions rather than a head to foxes" (Avos 4:15) — the explanation being that there are many levels, and there are surely places and madreigos in which even one who is shrewd in knowledge is reckoned as a beast.

Relative to truly exalted levels, even a wise person is like a lowly "tail." Recognizing how far one stands from the highest madreigos makes him feel like a "beast" — and that humility is preferable to being a self-satisfied "head."

ובנ"י רוצים להתקרב אליו ית'.

And Bnei Yisrael desire to draw close to Him, may He be blessed.

The driving force is the yearning for closeness to Hashem, which is what makes a person willing to feel small before Him.

ולהיות נושע ממנו אף שבאים למקומות הללו שנחשבים כבהמה.

And to be saved by Him, even when they arrive at those places where they are reckoned like a beast.

Even when a Jew finds himself on a low rung that feels "beastly," he can still cry out and be saved — that lowliness does not bar him from Hashem's salvation.

ועי"ז ממש שמשימין עצמם כבהמה מתעלין למקום הזה.

And through this very act of making themselves like a beast, they are elevated to this place.

The paradox: the bittul of feeling like a "beast" is itself the ladder by which one ascends to the highest place of closeness to Hashem.

והבן היטב כי קצרתי ממיעוט פנאי:

Understand this well, for I have been brief due to lack of time.

The Sefas Emes signs off, noting he has condensed the idea and inviting the reader to ponder its depth.

Summary: The aravah of Hoshana Rabbah represents the Jew "without Torah or mitzvos." Yet the verse "man and beast You save" teaches the highest avodah — to be shrewd in daas like a man while making oneself humble like a beast. This bittul, born of yearning to draw close to Hashem, is not a defect but the very ladder that lifts a person to the loftiest closeness and brings salvation.