The avodah of the mouth in galus

להו"ר ערבה היא דומה לפה.

On Hoshana Rabbah the aravah (willow), which resembles the mouth, is taken.

The willow leaf is shaped like a mouth (lips), so the Sefas Emes reads it as a hint to the power of the mouth — speech, tefillah and Torah.

ורומז לדורות הללו שאין לנו רק כח הפה כמ"ש ונשלמה פרים שפתינו.

It alludes to these generations, in which we possess only the power of the mouth, as it is written: "Let us render the bulls with our lips" (Hoshea 14:3).

In galus, without the korbanos of the Bais Hamikdash, the avodah of our lips — words of prayer — takes the place of the sacrificial bulls.

וזה הכח מיוחד רק לבנ"י.

This power belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael.

The capacity to substitute the avodah of the mouth for actual korbanos is given only to Bnei Yisrael.

ולכן איתא בגמ' שאוה"ע אבדו שבזמן שביהמ"ק קיים קרבנות מכפר עליהם ועתה מי מכפר עליהם ע"ש במס' סוכה.

Therefore the Gemara teaches that the nations of the world were left bereft: while the Bais Hamikdash stood, the korbanos atoned for them, but now who atones for them — see there in Maseches Sukkah.

The seventy bulls of Sukkos brought atonement for the nations; once the Mikdash fell, the nations lost that atonement, for they have no inner avodah of the mouth to replace it.

והיינו שבנ"י יש להם גם עתה כח הקרבנות בפה.

That is to say, Bnei Yisrael still possess the power of the korbanos through the mouth.

Even after the churban, the inner force of the sacrifices remains available to Bnei Yisrael through their words.

ובאלה הפרים שע"י הפה אין אחיזה לאוה"ע.

And in these "bulls" that come through the mouth, the nations have no grasp.

The avodah of the mouth is purely penimiyus (inner), so the outer nations can take no hold of it.

ובאמת תורה ותפלה היא הפנימיות.

In truth, Torah and tefillah are the inner dimension.

Torah and prayer are the penimiyus — the inner core of avodah that cannot be reached by anything external.

וכדאיתא בגמ' מי שיש בו תורה כאלו נמסרו לו מפתחות הפנימיות ויראת שמים מפתחות החיצוניות.

As the Gemara teaches: one who possesses Torah, it is as if the keys to the inner chambers were handed to him, and yiras Shomayim is the keys to the outer chambers.

Torah opens the inner gates that lead directly to Hashem, while yiras Shomayim (fear of Heaven) guards the outer gates through which one must first pass.

ובירושלים הי' היראה בשלימות וע"ש זה נק' ירושלים וזה השער לה'.

In Yerushalayim the yirah was complete, and on this account it is called Yerushalayim — and this is "the gate to Hashem."

The name Yerushalayim (from yirah, awe) marks it as the place of perfect yiras Shomayim, the very gateway to Hashem.

לכן אין תורה כתורת א"י מציון תצא תורה.

Therefore there is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisrael, as it is said: "From Tzion shall go forth Torah" (Yeshayahu 2:3).

Because Yerushalayim is the gate of yirah, the Torah that issues from there — through that gate — is the highest, reaching the innermost places.

וע"ז מבקשין פתחי לי שערי צדק כו' אודה יה.

About this we plead: "Open for me the gates of righteousness… I will give thanks to Y-ah" (Tehillim 118:19).

We ask Hashem to open the outer gates of yirah so that we may enter and offer the praise that is already prepared within us.

פי' שבנ"י מוכנים בפנימיות להלל ולשבח להבורא.

The meaning is that Bnei Yisrael are prepared in their inner being to praise and laud the Creator.

Within, Bnei Yisrael are always ready to give praise to Hashem; the readiness is innate.

אך הפתח סגור שהוא מפתחות החיצוניות.

But the gate is shut — and that gate is the keys of the outer chambers.

What is lacking in galus is the outer gate of yirah and Mikdash; that doorway is closed to us.

אבל הפנימיות נשאר בכח התורה בפיהם של ישראל:

Yet the inner dimension remains, through the power of the Torah in the mouths of Yisrael.

Even with the outer gate closed, the penimiyus is preserved through the Torah spoken by Bnei Yisrael — the willow of the mouth that never fails.

Summary: The willow of Hoshana Rabbah, shaped like the mouth, points to the avodah of speech — Torah and tefillah — which is the penimiyus that replaces the korbanos in galus. While the outer gate of yiras Shomayim and the Bais Hamikdash is closed to us, the inner power of praise endures through the Torah in the mouths of Bnei Yisrael, a power the nations cannot grasp.