Shabbos Shuvah 5764 (6th of Tshihrei, 5764)

Rabbi Avraham Brandwein of Yerushalayim
10.08.03

With the help of Heaven

The Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called “Shabbos Shuvah,” named for the Haftorah which is read from the Book of Hoshea, Chapter 14, which begins with the verse, “Shuva (Return) Israel “until” Hashem your Lord, for you have stumbled in your sins.” It is written in the Talmud, Tractate Yoma page 71, “Rabbi Yochanan says that the word “until” means (to return) “until” Hashem, but not (a further return) into (Hashem).”

We need to understand why is this so? Moreover, why is it not written, “Return “to” Hashem your Lord?” Also, the phrase, “For you have stumbled in your sins, should have been written, “That your sins have caused you to stumble.” Furthermore, it appears that “because you have stumbled” is the reason to return until Hashem your Lord. If so, what is the meaning of these things?

We need to understand a great rule: A person is unable to (G-d forbid) damage the Creator, Hashem, May He be Blessed, as it is written in Iyov, “If you sin, what have you done to Him?” So too, it is also impossible for a person to cause an increase in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, since Hashem is not dependent on the actions of a person. Hashem does not become larger or smaller from the actions of a person, as it is written, “ If you are righteous, what have you given Him?” Rather, the concept of any damage which is made to the emanations of Holiness, or in the opposite, for Holiness to raise up and increase, is all only speaking relative to the impact upon the person. If a person behaves as they should, then they receive Divine emanation. If, G-d forbid, a person does not behave properly, then the emanation does not shine to them. However, the Holiness itself is not impacted by the actions of the person, not for good and not for the opposite.

According to this, it is understood what is written in the Prophet, “For you have stumbled in your sins, for “you”, the person, through the sin, which is a crookedness and ruining (of the spiritual flow), you have caused that the emanation be unable to flow to you.

The root of the matter is also in the Sefiros, for they are divided in the following form: Kesser, Chochmah, Binah are called “the three first ones,” upon which a person can cause no damage, but it is where the main lights are found. Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchus, called “the seven lower ones,” the emotional attributes corresponding to the behavior of a person. When a person behaves appropriately, then all ten Sefiros shine, and if not, the lights of the first three Sefiros do not shine into the seven lower sefiros. However, it does not reach to damage the first three sefiros. When a person returns in Teshuvah, a person returns the Sefiros to be in order as they should be.

We need to understand, that when a person returns in Teshuvah, this means they behave with their Middos as they should. Let us ask the question, if a person’s ability to relate to Hashem is only through their Middos, as Chazal say, ”Just as He is compassionate, so too you should be compassionate, etc., if so, how can a person come close to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Himself? The answer is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself transcends the Middos,`, and there is no other possibility (to connect with Him) except after a person has refined all of their Middos. Then they are nullified in a complete nullification before Hashem; (only) then they come close to Hashem. According to this, we can understand what the Prophet says, “Return Israel “until” Hashem your Lord, and Rabbi Yochanan says that it is only “until” but not included into Hashem. This means to say that a person can repair all of the attributes, which are in their grasp, (levels that a person can impact), upon which the person has damaged and has now repaired. But to come close to Hashem Himself, this is the level of Ain Sof (the Infinite One), a complete nullification, which is the Sefirah of Kesser.

Therefore, it is written, “Return Israel until Hashem your Lord,” since the Teshuvah return, where the vessels are returned to the way they need to be, is only “until” (Hashem), but not included into Hashem. Afterwards, through a complete faith and nullification, we come close and attach to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Himself. And through this we can understand, why at the end of the Shemoneh Esreh (prayer), which corresponds to the World of Atzilus, (Sacrifices are the World of Asiyah. Pesukei Dezimra (praises) are the World of Yetzirah, the blessings of creation and the Shema are the World of Beriyah, and the prayer of the Shemoneh Esreh is the World of Atzilus), in the end (of the Shemoneh Esreh / Atzilus) it was established to say, “And my soul should be like the dust, as all shall come to be,” since from henceforth, it is possible to ascend only through self abnegation (nullification), which is the level of Ain Sof, which is the Sefirah of Kesser.

May it be His Will that we merit to a complete Teshuvah and to a final sealed judgment for the good.