Joy born from the days of judgment

כתיב שמחה לצדיק עשות משפט.

It is written, "It is a joy to the righteous to do justice" (Mishlei 21:15).

For the tzaddik, the very act of judgment is a source of joy rather than dread, because he understands its purpose.

ובנ"י עמך כולם צדיקים לכן מן המשפט של ר"ה ויוהכ"פ באים אל השמחה בחג.

And Bnei Yisrael — "Your people are all righteous" (Yeshayahu 60:21) — therefore from the judgment of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur they come to the joy of the festival.

Since every Jew is counted among the righteous, the verse "it is a joy to the tzaddik to do justice" applies to all of Israel: the Days of Judgment lead directly into the simchah of Sukkos.

וזה שכתבו דמיני לולב סימנין דנוצחין דינא.

This is what is written, that the species of the lulav are signs of having prevailed in the judgment.

Taking up the four species is like a victor's bouquet: it signals that Bnei Yisrael have emerged victorious from the Yom Kippur judgment.

זה שבאין מן המשפט עצמו לשמחה דנעשה מן הדין עצמו ישועה ושמחה.

This means that they come from the judgment itself to joy — for from the very judgment is made salvation and joy.

The joy of Sukkos is not despite the judgment but born out of it: the din itself is transformed into yeshuah and simchah.

ובמד' [יעלז] שדי כו' ירננו עצי היער כי בא [כי] בא לשפוט הארץ בר"ה ויוכ"פ ע"ש פ' אמור.

And in the Midrash: "Let the field exult… let the trees of the forest sing for joy, for He has come, [for] He has come to judge the earth" (Tehillim 96:12-13) — referring to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; see there, Parashas Emor.

The Midrash applies the psalm's call to rejoice "because He comes to judge" to the Days of Awe, teaching that the coming of Hashem to judge is itself cause for song.

כי בנ"י מבינים כי במה שכל באי עולם עוברים לפניו במשפט הוא כדי לזכות אותנו.

For Bnei Yisrael understand that the fact that all who come into the world pass before Him in judgment is in order to give us merit.

Israel grasps that Hashem's judgment of all creation is an act of love — its aim is to vindicate and elevate them, not to condemn.

ולכן יש לשמוח במה שנזכרין לפניו במשפט.

Therefore there is reason to rejoice in being remembered before Him in judgment.

Being brought to mind before Hashem — even for judgment — is itself a closeness worth celebrating.

ולעתיד עתידין כל באי עולם לשמוח בזה.

And in the future, all who come into the world are destined to rejoice in this.

Ultimately even the nations will recognize the goodness of Hashem's judgment and share in this joy.

ז"ש כי בא כי בא לשפוט.

This is the meaning of "for He has come, for He has come to judge" — said twice.

The doubled "for He has come" in the verse is not redundant; the Sefas Emes will explain the two phrasings.

ב' פעמים כי בא.

Two times "for He has come."

He highlights that the verse repeats the phrase to teach a double idea about the joy of judgment.

פי' שמרננים על כי בא ה'.

The explanation: that they sing for joy over the fact that Hashem has come.

The first "for He has come" is the cause of the rejoicing — they exult simply because Hashem reveals His Presence.

והגם כי בא לשפוט מ"מ שמחים בביאת ה' שמבינים כי באור פני מלך חיים אעפ"י שבא לשפוט.

And even though He has come to judge, nevertheless they rejoice in the coming of Hashem, for they understand that "in the light of the King's countenance is life" (Mishlei 16:15), even though He comes to judge.

The second "for He has come to judge" might have caused fear, but Israel rejoices anyway: the very nearness of the King — His revealed Presence — brings life, judgment and all.

ועצי היער הם האומות שעתידין כולם לשמוח בזה.

And "the trees of the forest" are the nations, who are all destined to rejoice in this.

The "trees of the forest" (as opposed to cultivated fruit trees) hint at the nations of the world, who will eventually join in the joy of Hashem's judgment.

ועתה לא יקומו רשעים במשפט רק לבנ"י שמחה עשות משפט ומחתה לפועלי און:

And now, "the wicked shall not stand in judgment" (Tehillim 1:5) — rather, for Bnei Yisrael there is joy in the doing of justice, but ruin for the doers of iniquity.

For now, in this world, the joy of judgment belongs to Israel, while it remains a thing of dread to the wicked; only in the future will all the world come to share in the simchah.

Summary: Because Bnei Yisrael are all counted as tzaddikim, the judgment of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is itself a source of joy that flows into the simchah of Sukkos — the four species being the victor's sign. Israel rejoices not despite but because of Hashem's judging Presence, for "in the light of the King's countenance is life," and ultimately all the world will join in that joy.