There's a theme that permeates the entire liturgy of the RH Machzor
- God is King
- there is no ignoring this
- One of the problems is that we don't have a concept of Kingship so we can't relay to the term
- I recently heard a story about a Jew who lived in a time of a horrible czar to the Jews. One day, the czar died unexpectedly. Great news for the Jews but this person began to cry. Upon questioning, he expressed, because now, we no longer have an analagy for the concept of a King
- the word melech, with the letters flipped, reads Lemech. Instead of singing HAMELECH!!, we sang HALEMECH... would we notice
- it's not that God's kingship is a foreign concept in our liturgy
- every blessing includes the phrase- Melech Haolam
- we conclude every service with Aleinu and that God's kingship should resound the world entire
- On RH, this theme takes almost urgent attention in the forefront of the entire davening.
- Example 1:
(א) אַתָּה קָדושׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ וּקְדושִׁים בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ סֶּלָה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הָאֵל בעשי”ת: הַמֶּלֶךְ הַקָּדושׁ:
(1) You are holy and Your Name is holy, and holy ones praise Your name every day. Blessed are You, O Lord, the holy God. (During the Days of Awe say: Blessed are You, O Lord, the holy King.)
If we don't say Hamelech, we got to repeat the whole thing
On RH, t he wor it is mentioned hundreds of times. Literally if we would say every poem and every part of the davening, hundreds and hundreds of times.
Gemara is clear:
ultimate goal:
- Our goal- to turn God from a moshel into a melech
- Because, once we do this, it shows that we are actualizing the level of humility necessary to be a melech
- So a person can also be a melech
[picture of the sefirot- God says, I want to share this with you- Divine wisdom, understanding, kindness...]
- How will God do this- through this trait of Malchut
ואמרו לפני בראש השנה מלכיות זכרונות ושופרות מלכיות כדי שתמליכוני עליכם זכרונות כדי שיעלה זכרוניכם לפני לטובה ובמה בשופר
And recite before Me on Rosh HaShana verses that mention Kingships, Remembrances, and Shofarot: Kingships so that you will crown Me as King over you; Remembrances so that your remembrance will rise before Me for good; and with what will the remembrance rise? It will rise with the shofar.
עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְךָ... לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶֽךָ. לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָֽרֶץ. יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִּכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן: לְפָנֶֽיךָ ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפֹּֽלוּ. וְלִכְבוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּֽנוּ. וִיקַבְּלוּ כֻלָּם אֶת עוֹל מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ. וְתִמְלֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא וּלְעֽוֹלְמֵי עַד תִּמְלֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד.
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ:
We therefore put our hope in You,.. to perfect the world as the kingdom of Shadai. And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize, and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You every knee must bend, every tongue must swear allegiance to You. Before You, Adonoy, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves, and to the glory of Your Name give honor. And they will accept upon themselves the yoke of Your kingdom, and You will reign over them, soon, forever and ever. For the kingdom is Yours, and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written in Your Torah:
(יח) ה' ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
(18) The LORD will reign for ever and ever!
note the difference: Melech vs. Moshel of the world
(כט) כִּ֣י לַ֭ה' הַמְּלוּכָ֑ה וּ֝מֹשֵׁ֗ל בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃
(29) for kingship is the LORD’s and He rules the nations.
- eventually, though, the entire world will see God as Melech
וְהָיָ֧ה ה' לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה ה' אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD with one name.
שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה' אֱלֹקֵ֖ינוּ ה' ׀ אֶחָֽד׃
What is a moshel? The following gives us insight into the concept:
(ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֗ם אֶל־עַבְדּוֹ֙ זְקַ֣ן בֵּית֔וֹ הַמֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֥חַת יְרֵכִֽי׃
(2) And Abraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh
העתק האגרת מק"ק פרשוסחא
כתיב (ירמיה ל"א ב') מרחוק ה' נראה לי וכתיב (מלכים ב' ד') בתוך עמי אנכי יושבת וזה סוד ראש השנה.
השמחה והדאגה מסותרת בפחד, יזכהו ה' להיות לו שניהם יחד.
הבינה תגדל מהמעשה, כי המעשה רז והבינה אור ושניהם דומים.
וברוך ה' שהחיינו וקיימנו שיעלה זכרונינו לפני אדון כל.
אולי חנונים נהי' להוציאנו מאפילה לאורה.
Letter from Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Pshischa:
It is written (Jeremiah 31:2) “from afar the Lord appeared to me”, and it is written (Kings II 4:13) “I dwell among my people”, and this is the secret of Rosh Hashanah.
Joy and concern are masked/covered with fear, may G-d give [him] the merit to have them both [as one].
Understanding should be greater [increase] than the deed, for deed is a mystery and understanding light, and both are similar.
With thanks to Hashem who has kept us alive and sustained us, that [may] our memory go [up] before the Master of all.
Hopefully/Perhaps we will become supplicants [and merit] to take us out from darkness to light
A moshel is at the forefront of his or her rule. All else is treated like property. It is ruling without the subject's interest in mind.
- just like property which has no will of its own.
- so ultimately though, we want the world to experience God as melech, not as moshel.
- Here's a comedic take on this
Even when we attempt to define malchut, it doesn't seem to diverge that much from the concept of moshel. Typically, we think of God as king because, He is in control of eveything.
- God created the world and Adam and Eve.
- That was on Rosh Hashana.
- He did so with a purpose
- Are we living up to this purpose.
- We declare God's kingship saying: I recognize you rule, I don't. I am ultimately accountable to you and that applies in every facet of my existence.
- that's why we say, Shema then V'haya Im Shamoa
- shema is like RH where we accept God's rule. From here follows YK which is like V'haya, we focus on all the particulars.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: Why, in the mitzva of the recitation of Shema, did the portion of Shema precede that of VeHaya im Shamoa? [since they aren't adjacent to each other in the Torah]. This is so that one will first accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven, the awareness of God and God’s unity, and only then accept upon himself the yoke of the mitzvot, which appears in the paragraph of VeHaya im Shamoa. Why did VeHaya im Shamoa precede VaYomer? Because the paragraph of VeHaya im Shamoa is practiced both by day and by night, while VaYomer, which discusses the mitzva of ritual fringes, is only practiced during the day.
The goal though is that we should experience God as a melech, not a moshel. So what is a melech? To appreciate the concept of melech, malchut... we need to view it with fresh lens. To this, we look to a primary text of Jewish Kabbalah- the Zohar. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai uses a phrase whic is applied in many contexts:
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר... דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם.
Rabbi Shimon said... He possesses nothing of his own
The Zohar uses it to refer to the Moon, which offers no illumination of its own. The moon serves as a conduit for the suns light. The concept is also applied to Shabbat.
מי שטרח בערב שבת יאכל בשבת מי שלא טרח בערב שבת מהיכן יאכל בשבת
One who takes pains on Shabbat eve will eat on Shabbat, but one who did not take pains on Shabbat eve, from where will he eat on Shabbat?
What makes us able to experience the uniqueness of Shabbat is the preparation we put into it.
- physically- with food since we can't cook on the day
- but spiritually- by recognition of its uniqueness, that's kiddush, our dress is different, the home is prepared, the table, we learn the parsha...
(ד) לִקְרַאת שבָּת לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה. כִּי הִיא מְקור הַבְּרָכָה.
מֵראש מִקֶּדֶם נְסוּכָה. סוף מַעֲשה בְּמַחֲשבָה תְּחִלָּה.
Towards Shabbat let us approach, for she is the source of blessing...
Upon which, Shabbat serves as a blessing for the following week.
It is like a bridge between two weeks. What I put into Shabbat on week 1 then becomes the blessings of week 2.
Most interestgly, Shabbat is called מלכה
[shabbat, has complete humility- what Torah reading on RH, not the parsha but RH. We fast on YK. It makes space for the other holidays.]
רַבִּי חֲנִינָא מִיעֲטֵף וְקָאֵי אַפַּנְיָא דְמַעֲלֵי שַׁבְּתָא, אָמַר: ״בּוֹאוּ וְנֵצֵא לִקְרַאת שַׁבָּת הַמַּלְכָּה״.
Rabbi Ḥanina would wrap himself in his garment and stand at nightfall on Shabbat eve, and say: Come and we will go out to greet Shabbat the queen.
And in the Zohar and many other works of Jewish mysticism, the phrase also describes a king.
as if to say, what is the role of a king. To administer the wealth of the country to ensure everyone's needs are taken care of.
So for instance, The monarch receives whatever the nation provides via taxes, and the monarch’s job is to distribute that wealth for the benefit of the nation. The monarch is a conduit.
Just like the moon, receives illumination from the sun and transmits it, and just like Shabbat, receives our efforts and turns that into the pleasure of Shabbat and the blessings of the following week, so too a King, in its true glory, acts as a conduit.
(8) Thus the greatest advantage in all the land is: a King, to the field is enslaved.
because his job, is to take the produce of the field, and transmit it to his people.
Maimonides gives a lovely description of what a King is meant to embody. One one hand he has a level of exaltedness but at the same time, we see him needing to be extremely humble.
This is how our sages describe God:
(ו) כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁחָלַק לוֹ הַכָּתוּב הַכָּבוֹד הַגָּדוֹל. וְחִיֵּב הַכּל בִּכְבוֹדוֹ. כָּךְ צִוָּהוּ לִהְיוֹת לִבּוֹ בְּקִרְבּוֹ שָׁפָל וְחָלָל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים קט כב) "וְלִבִּי חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי". וְלֹא יִנְהַג גַּסּוּת לֵב בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶתֶר מִדַּאי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז כ) "לְבִלְתִּי רוּם לְבָבוֹ מֵאֶחָיו". וְיִהְיֶה חוֹנֵן וּמְרַחֵם לִקְטַנִּים וּגְדוֹלִים. וְיֵצֵא וְיָבוֹא בְּחֶפְצֵיהֶם וּבְטוֹבָתָם. וְיָחוּס עַל כְּבוֹד קָטָן שֶׁבַּקְּטַנִּים. וּכְשֶׁמְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל הַקָּהָל בִּלְשׁוֹן רַבִּים יְדַבֵּר רַכּוֹת. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים א כח ב) "שְׁמָעוּנִי אַחַי וְעַמִּי". וְאוֹמֵר (מלכים א יב ז) "אִם הַיּוֹם תִּהְיֶה עֶבֶד לָעָם הַזֶּה" וְגוֹ'. לְעוֹלָם יִתְנַהֵג בַּעֲנָוָה יְתֵרָה. אֵין לָנוּ גָּדוֹל מִמּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ וְהוּא אוֹמֵר (שמות טז ח) "וְנַחְנוּ מָה לֹא עָלֵינוּ תְלֻנֹּתֵיכֶם". וְיִסְבּל טָרְחָם וּמַשָּׂאָם וּתְלוּנוֹתָם וְקִצְפָּם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא הָאוֹמֵן אֶת הַיּוֹנֵק. רוֹעֶה קְרָאוֹ הַכָּתוּב. לִרְעוֹת בְּיַעֲקֹב עַמּוֹ. וְדַרְכּוֹ שֶׁל רוֹעֶה מְפֹרָשׁ בְּקַבָּלָה כְּרֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ יִרְעֶה בִּזְרֹעוֹ יְקַבֵּץ טְלָאִים וּבְחֵיקוֹ יִשָּׂא וְגוֹ':
(6) In the same way that Scriptures has given him great honor, and everyone is obliged to give him honor, so has he been commanded to be of a subdued and unpretentious heart, as it says, “and my heart is empty within me” (Psalms 109:22). He must not act brazenly over Israel [beyond its proper measure], as it says, “lest his heart become haughty over his brothers” (Deut. 17:20).
He must be merciful and compassionate to the small and great with regard17Lit., and deal with. to their wants and welfare.
He must show respect for even the lowest of the low.
When he speaks to the entire Congregation together, he is to speak sensitively, as it says, “listen to me my brothers and my people” (I Chronicles 28:2) and “and should you today be a servant to your people…” (I Kings 12:7).
He must always behave with extreme modesty, for we have never had anyone greater than Moses Our Teacher who said, “and what are we? your complaint is not against us” (Exodus 16:7-8).
He must suffer their burdens and criticisms and anger, “as a nursing father carries the sucking child” (Num. 11:12).
Scriptures calls him ‘shepherd’, “To be a shepherd over Jacob His people” (Psalms 78:71), and the (proper) behavior of a shepherd is as has been defined in the Tradition, as it says, “As a shepherd who leads his flock, and with his arm he gathers the lambs, and in his breast he carries….” (Isaiah 40:11).
Having mentioned the haftara read on Yom Kippur, the Gemara cites that which Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Wherever you find a reference in the Bible to the might of the Holy One, Blessed be He, you also find a reference to His humility adjacent to it.
Of course, the phrase לית ליה מגרמיה כלום, that a king owns nothing, can’t apply directly to Gd; Hashem created everything, and possesses everything. But in terms of what Hashem’s monarchy means for us, in that sense, yes, לית ליה מגרמיה כלום, He has nothing. Because Hashem’s goal in this world is to enable US to achieve to grow and self-actualize.
- Chochmah - wisdom,
- Binah - understanding,
- Daat - knowledge,
- Chessed - kindness,
- Gevurah - strength,
- Tiferet - beauty,
- Netzach - victory,
- Hod - splendor,
- Yesod - foundation,
- Malchut - kingship.
(ז) פָּתַח אֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא זָכוּר לְטוֹב וְאָמַר, רִבּוֹן עָלְמִין דְּאַנְתְּ הוּא חַד וְלֹא בְחֻשְבָּן, אַנְתְּ הוּא עִלָּאָה עַל כָּל עִלָּאִין, סְתִימָא עַל כָּל סְתִימִין, לֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה תְּפִיסָא בָּךְ כְּלָל, אַנְתְּ הוּא דְּאַפַּקְתְּ עָשָׂר תִּקּוּנִין, וְקָרֵינָן לוֹן עָשָׂר סְפִירָן, לְאַנְהָגָא בְּהוֹן עָלְמִין סְתִימִין דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְיָן, וְעָלְמִין דְאִתְגַּלְיָן, וּבְהוֹן אִתְכַּסִּיאַת מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא, וְאַנְתְּ הוּא דְקָשִׁיר לוֹן, וּמְיַחֵד לוֹן, וּבְגִין דְּאַנְתְּ מִלְּגָאו, כָּל מַאן דְּאַפְרִישׁ חַד מִן חַבְרֵיהּ מֵאִלֵּין עֲשַׂר סְפִירָן אִתְחַשִׁיב לֵיהּ כְּאִלּוּ אַפְרִישׁ בָּךְ: וְאִלֵּין עָשָׂר סְפִירָן אִינוּן אַזְלִין כְּסִדְרָן, חַד אָרִיךְ, וְחַד קְצִיר, וְחַד בֵּינוֹנִי, וְאַנְתְּ הוּא דְּאַנְהִיג לוֹן, וְלֵית מַאן דְּאַנְהִיג לָךְ, לֹא לְעֵילָּא וְלֹא לְתַתָּא וְלֹא מִכָּל סִטְרָא, לְבוּשִׁין תַּקַּנְתְּ לוֹן, דְּמִנַּייהוּ פַּרְחִין נִשְׁמָתִין לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְכַמָּה גוּפִין תַּקַּנְתְּ לוֹן, דְּאִתְקְרִיאוּ גּוּפָא לְגַבֵּי לְבוּשִׁין דִּמְכַסִין עֲלֵיהוֹן, וְאִתְקְרִיאוּ בְּתִקּוּנָא דָּא, חֶסֶד דְרוֹעָא יְמִינָא, גְּבוּרָה דְרוֹעָא שְׂמָאלָא, תִּפְאֶרֶת גּוּפָא, נֶצַח וְהוֹד תְּרֵין שׁוֹקִין, יְסוֹד סִיּוּמָא דְּגוּפָא אוֹת בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ, מַלְכוּת פֶּה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה קָרֵינָן לָהּ: חָכְמָה מוֹחָא אִיהִי מַחְשָׁבָה מִלְּגָאו, בִּינָה לִבָּא וּבָהּ הַלֵּב מֵבִין, וְעַל אִלֵּין תְּרֵין כְּתִיב הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַיי אֱלֹקֵינוּ, כֶּתֶר עֶלְיוֹן אִיהוּ כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְעָלֵיהּ אִתְמַר מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית אַחֲרִית, וְאִיהוּ קַרְקַפְתָּא דִתְפִלֵּי (נ"א קַרְקַפְתָּא דְלָא מַנַּח תְּפִלֵּי), מִלְּגָאו אִיהוּ יו"ד ק"א וָא"ו ק"א, דְּאִיהוּ אֹרַח אֲצִילוּת, אִיהוּ שַׁקְיוּ דְּאִילָנָא בִּדְרוֹעוֹי וְעַנְפּוֹי, כְּמַיָּא דְאַשְׁקֵי לְאִילָנָא, וְאִתְרַבֵּי בְּהַהוּא שַׁקְיוּ:
The prophet Elijah, of blessed memory, opened, and said:
Eternal Hidden Master of the worlds! You are He whose Unity is infinite and absolute, and therefore indivisible. You are He [the First Cause], transcendent beyond all that is above, and concealed behind all that is concealed. No thought whatsoever can grasp You.
[God as beyond description, relation...]
But You are He who brought forth ten rectifications - we call them the ten sefirot - with which to regulate [the powerful illumination of Your Light that flows down through] hidden worlds that are not revealed, as well as worlds that are revealed.
[The sefirot of Atzilut are clothed within these "garments", and for this reason] they are called ["limbs" of] a "body" relative to the "clothes" that cover over them.
[These "limbs"] are arranged as follows: chesed (or loving-kindness) is the right arm, gevura (restraint) is the left arm, and tiferet (harmony) is the torso. Netzach (dominance/perseverance) and hod (empathy) are the two legs, and yesod (foundation or channel) is the body's extremity, the sign of the Holy Covenant.
Malchut (kingship) is the mouth [of the holy covenant]. It is therefore called the "Oral Torah".
[Above these "limbs" is the "head" in which] chochma (wisdom) is the [right] brain, the seat of thought, and bina (understanding) is [the left brain and] the heart, the heart's ability to discern. Concerning these, it is written, "The hidden things belong to G‑d [corresponding to chochma] our G‑d [corresponding to bina]".
Malchut contains two completely opposite qualities, called hitnasut, meaning "exaltedness," and its opposite shiflut
"humility".- https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380807/jewish/Malchut.htm
God's expression of malchut in this paradigm explains:
- God's caring for every last detail every person- hashgacha pratit... in the particular, everything orchestrated. Everything in your life, is imprinted with God's finger prints [story of David]
- Ba'al Shem tov- everythig to teach you a lesson
We aren’t only talking about Hashem as King and Owner; we are talking about Hashem as Empowerer, whose monarchy has the ultimate goal of facilitating our spiritual work.
God has a will. He says, I want you to keep the Torah, I want you to believe this but not this.
Analagy of a teacher: they want to transmit an idea, a lesson. They want the student to do something. The reason is because they know that this information is valuable. The student needs it, the student stands to benefit. In order for that to happen, the teacher needs to make it completely about the student, not themselves. The teacher needs to become transparent, a complete conduit.
This is why R. Akiva taught to recognize the King also a father since a father is not jealous of the child. They want completely for the benefit of the child.
- moon- The teacher needs to be like the moon which has no light of its own
- covered moon
- creation- why is Malchut seen as a bridge that gives rise to life [like a mother who transmits influence, allows herself to be a bridge which gives rise to the life of a child.] When the teacher transmits in this way, where the student realizes that this is solely for their benefit, they can receive it. They become a new being, transformed. They have something now which they didn't have before.
- Knesset Yisrael- Malchut is seen as the description of the Jewish people. This is our task (why before, by nations, it's moshlim, because we are tasked with transmitting ideas to the world in this fashion. We often, talk about ideas that people need to know. But, the main job is how these ideas are transmitted. When it's done in a manner of malchut, you know the idea is profound, necessary for others and you see yourself as a messenger to transmit it [Hayom yom]
- Schina- Malchut is associated with the Schina, the Divine manisfestation where you feel bonded with God. What happens when a teacher is able to impact the student in this way. There's a feeling of bondedness, connection. Seeing themselves as one- A giving and receiving, sort of like a hand and a glove. The student-teacher feel close. And it's pleasurable.
- power of speech- speech is seen as the ability to reveal that whic was previously hidden, within myself.
- Oral Torah- the job of the transmitters of the Oral tradition is to act as conduits of God's will.
- Adam and Eve- On RH, God blew in the breath of life into Man. [He who blows, from within...]
- We declare back, we accept the task to become conduits so we blow through the shofar our own breath. We are up for the task.
- The message of the Torah is malchut because it is through malchut that we discover how personally relevant and necessary the ideas and life of the Torah.
- Nesira- the creation of Adam and Even mimick this process.
- Like Adam and Even, we experience the feelings of loneliness and alienation that actually create the yearning and anticipation for the final conscious reuniting with God [covered moon is a representation of this, yearning for light from the sun]
- On RH, we are like back to back with Hashem so we call out to be close
The Sages taught: An incident occurred involving Rabbi Eliezer, who decreed a complete cycle of thirteen fasts upon the congregation, but rain did not fall. At the end of the last fast, the congregation began to exit the synagogue. He said to them: Have you prepared graves for yourselves? If rain does not fall, we will all die of hunger. All the people burst into tears, and rain fell. There was another incident involving Rabbi Eliezer, who descended to serve as prayer leader before the ark on a fast day. And he recited twenty-four blessings, but he was not answered. Rabbi Akiva descended before the ark after him and said: Our Father, our King, we have no king other than You. Our Father, our King, for Your sake, have mercy on us. And rain immediately fell.
Rav Yosei bar Ḥoni says: A person is jealous of everyone except for his son and his student. Since their success reflects well upon him, he celebrates their success.
The fact that one is not jealous of his son is derived from King David’s servants telling him: May Solomon be greater than he is.
And the fact that one is not jealous of his student; if you wish, say that it is derived from that which Elisha said to Elijah: “I pray you that a double portion of your spirit be upon me” (II Kings 2:9). He asked of his mentor to be greater than him, indicating that it is not an objectionable matter. And if you wish, say instead that it is derived from Moses: “And he laid his hands upon him and commanded him” (Numbers 27:23). God commanded Moses to lay only one hand upon Joshua, and instead he laid both hands upon him with all his strength.
the experience is such of complete transparency of a person
you have to be solely about the message
otherwise, a person needs to check themselves
It is imperative that every Jew know that he is an emissary of the Master of all, charged with the mission - wherever he may be of bringing into reality G‑d's will and intention in creating the universe, namely, to illuminate the world with the light of Torah and avoda. This is done through performing practical mitzvot and implanting in oneself fine character traits.
This describes the "transition" of bridging between the infinite and the finite.
So God, so to speaks, contracts himself, kind of like putting on a glove.
There are 9 garments.
Then a tenth element which gathers them all and transmits. It's like the doorway between God's infinite existence.
It's role is to absorb and then to create, to bring about
- again, it is a transmitter, it is a
- a true conduit, brings about life. Just like a mother, who nurtures a being in her, allows it to develop and brings about life.
- it is an act of complete utter self negation, bittul, humility to allow the existence, the space of another. The result- creation.
- malchut, brings about creation, existence of our world
- it is the act of God's speech, which brings about the world.
- God brings about the world, as an extension of Himself. He speeks what is within him.
- מאן דנפח מ...
- and then, when we blow the shofar, we are expressing our converse, the mirror image response. We are reflecting.
- we accepting God's kingship by acting like Kings, being Kingly
- this is why, malchut is seen as a feminine trait. (nukva) Why Sarah, Rachel and Chana we able to conceive.
The result of God's conduitness is: In your light, we see light.
- what is our light- that we too are Kings
https://www.inner.org/sefirot/sefmalcu.htm
Malchut is associated in the soul with the power of self-expression.
Malchut as a whole is often referred to as “the world of speech” insofar as the spoken word represents the essential medium of self-expression, allowing one to not only reveal himself to outer reality but to guide and influence that reality as well. Hence, speech allows one to exercise authority and “kingship,” the literal meaning of malchut.
- In malchut, you command influence and authority through speech, not in any other form
- Not forced at all
- You can be completely ignored
- In malchut, I know that I have a really important message to share or I need to express something really important that needs to get done.
- [I think this is why some of most influential people in Jewish life lived very modest lives.]
- But in order to get you to identify with the important exalted message that I have, I need to completely identify myself with you.
- This is why: The spiritual state identified in Chassidut as corresponding to the sefirah of malchut is that of shiflut (humility). I have to be transparent, only concerned with the message getting to you.
- Imagine you are seated
(1) Of David. The LORD is my light and my help; whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread?
(ג) ... רבנן פתרי קראי בראש השנה ויום הכפורים. אורי בראש השנה. וישעי ביום הכפורים.
(3) 'my light,' on Rosh Hashanah. 'And my help ,' on Yom Kippur.
(א) לעורר את האהבה הישנה וחבת ארץ הקודש להיות בוערת כרשפי אש מקרב איש ולב עמוק כאלו היום ממש נתן ה' רוחו עלינו רוח נדיבה בהתנדב עם למלאות ידם לה' ביד מלאה ורחבה בריבוי אחר ריבוי מדי שנה בשנה הולך ועולה למעלה ראש כמדת קדש העליון המאיר לאה"ק המתחדש ומתרבה תמיד כדכתיב תמיד עיני ה' אלקיך בה מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה דהאי ועד אחרית כו' אינו מובן לכאורה שהרי באחרית שנה זו מתחלת שנה שניה וא"כ הל"ל לעולם ועד:
(ב) אך הענין יובן על פי מה שכתוב ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ שיסוד הארץ העליונה היא בחינת ממלא כל עלמין והתחתונה היא ארץ חפץ המכוונת כנגדה ממש ונקרא על שמה ארץ החיים הנה הוא נמשך מהמשכת והארת חכמה עילאה מקור החיים העליונים כדכתיב החכמה תחיה בעליה וכו' והארה והמשכה זו היא מתחדשת באור חדש ממש בכל שנה ושנה כי הוא יתברך וחכמתו אחד בתכלית היחוד ונק' בשם אוא"ס ב"ה שאין סוף ואין קץ למעלת וגדולת האור והחיות הנמשך ממנו יתברך ומחכמתו בעילוי אחר עילוי עד אין קץ ותכלית לרום המעלות למעלה מעלה ובכל שנה ושנה יורד ומאיר מחכמה עילאה אור חדש ומחודש שלא היה מאיר עדיין מעולם לארץ העליונה כי אור כל שנה ושנה מסתלק לשרשו בכל ער"ה כשהחדש מתכסה בו ואחר כך על ידי תקיעת שופר והתפלות נמשך אור חדש עליון מבחי' עליונה יותר שבמדרגת חכמה עילאה להאיר לארץ עליונה ולדרים עליה הם כל העולמות העליונים והתחתונים המקבלים חיותם ממנה דהיינו מן האור אין סוף ברוך הוא וחכמתו המלובש בה כדכתיב כי עמך מקור חיים באורך נראה אור דהיינו אור המאיר מחכמה עילאה מקור החיים (וכנודע לי"ח שבכל ר"ה היא הנסירה ומקבלת מוחין חדשים עליונים יותר כו') ובפרטי פרטיות כן הוא בכל יום ויום נמשכין מוחין עליונים יותר בכל תפלת השחר ואינן מוחין הראשונים שנסתלקו אחר התפלה רק גבוהין יותר ודרך כלל בכללות העולם בשית אלפי שנין כן הוא בכל ראש השנה וראש השנה. וז"ש תמיד עיני ה' אלקיך בה שהעינים הם כינוים להמשכת והארת אור החכמה שלכן נקראו חכמים עיני העדה ואוירא דארץ ישראל מחכים והארה והמשכה זו אף שהיא תמידית אעפ"כ אינה בבחי' ומדרגה אחת לבדה מימי עולם אלא שבכל שנה ושנה הוא אור חדש עליון כי האור שנתחדש והאיר בר"ה זה הוא מסתלק בער"ה הבאה לשרשו. וז"ש מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה לבדה ולכן כתיב מרשית חסר א' רומז על הסתלקות האור שמסתלק בליל ר"ה עד אחר התקיעות שיורד אור חדש עליון יותר שלא היה מאיר עדיין מימי עולם אור עליון כזה והוא מתלבש ומסתתר בארץ החיים שלמעלה ושלמטה להחיות את כל העולמות כל משך שנה זו אך גילויו מההסתר הזה תלוי במעשה התחתונים וזכותם ותשובתם בעשי"ת וד"ל:
To arouse the ancient love and the fondness for our Holy Land, that it flame as flashes of fire from the inmost of man and with a profound heart as if but this very day did the Lord set His spirit upon us, a spirit of generosity, when the people volunteer to consecrate themselves unto the Lord with a full and liberal hand, with one increase after another, from year to year, rising over the head, like unto the measure of kodesh ha'elyon— which radiates to the Holy Land and is constantly renewed and increased, as it is written: "Forever are the eyes of the Lord your G‑d upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."
Now, (the phrase) "to the end.. ." is apparently incomprehensible, for at the end of one year begins the second year. Thus it should have said: for everlasting!
However, this matter will be understood by considering the Scripture— "The Lord by chochmah founded the earth." That is, the foundation of the eretz ha'elyonah [i.e. the aspect o(memale kol almin], and of the nether (land) [i.e. the eretz chefetz which truly corresponds to it, and is called by its name— eretz hachayim ], issues from the efflux and radiation from the Supreme chochmah which is the source of the supernal life, as it is written: "Chochmah animates those who have it..." This radiation and efflux is renewed annually by a truly new light. For He, blessed is He, and His chochmah are one, in an absolute unity and it is called the "light of the blessed En Sof" because there is no limit and no end to the quality and greatness of the light and vitality that issues forth from Him, blessed is He, and from His chochmah, by way of elevation upon elevation to no end and limit, to the peak of the highest levels.
And every year there descends and radiates a new and renewed light which never yet shone, from the Supreme chochmah to the eretz ha'elyonah. For the light of every year withdraws to its source on the eve of every Rosh Hashana "When the moon is covered." Afterwards, by means of the blowing of the Shofar and of the prayers, a new, supernal light [of a yet higher rank in the sphere of the Supreme chochmah] is elicited to radiate to the eretz ha'elyonah and them that dwell upon it, i.e. all the upper and lower worlds that receive their vitality from it [i.e. from the light of the blessed En Sof, and His chochmah which is vested in it, as it is written: "For with You is the source of life, in Your light we see light"— which refers to the light that radiates from the Supreme chochmah, the source of life]. ( And as known to the savants of the esoteric science, that every Rosh Hashana there is the nessirah, and it receives new, more sublime mochin . .. )
In a very specific way this takes place every day. More sublime mochin are elicited by every morning-prayer, and these are not the original mochin that withdrew after the prayer, but more sublime ones. In a general way, with respect to the world as a whole during the six thousand years, this occurs every Rosh Hashana.
And this is the meaning of the Scripture— "Forever are the eyes of the Lord your G‑d upon it" [for the eyes are an epithet for the efflux and radiation of the light of chochmah, wherefore the sages are referred to as the "eyes of the congregation" ], and "The atmosphere of the Land of Israel makes wise." Now, this radiation and efflux, though it is continuous, nevertheless, it is not on one plane and level only since the beginning of the world. For every year there is a new, supernal light, because the light that was generated and shone on this Rosh Hashana withdraws to its source on the eve of the following Rosh Hashana. And this is the meaning of the Scripture "From the beginning of the year to the end of the year" only. And that is why מרשית (from the beginning) is written without an aleph, alluding to the withdrawal of the light [which withdraws on the night of Rosh Hashana] until after the order of the blowing of the Shofar— when a new, more sublime light descends, so sublime a light as has never shone yet since the beginning of the world. And it vests itself and conceals itself in the eretz hachayim of above and of below, in order to animate all the worlds for the duration of that year. However, its manifestation— from this concealment— depends on the action of those below, and on their merit and penitence during the ten days of penitence, and suffice this for the initiated.
(https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/1029315/jewish/Epistle-14.htm)
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, all things revert to their primordial state. The Inner Will ascends and is retracted into the divine essence; the worlds are in a state of sleep and are sustained only by the Outer Will. The service of man on Rosh Hashanah is to rebuild the divine attribute of sovereignty and reawaken the divine desire, "I shall reign," with the sounding of the shofar. (The Kabbalistic masters)
- Malchut= so what happens on RH
- Moon is covered (בכסה)), so therefore the pull of malchut is greater
- What happens on RH
- God, like the empty moon, stops his rulership, bestowing.
- Arizal
- On
- bittul
- Malchut as a feminine trait
- Nukva
- RH is Yom Harat Olam- world was conceived
- Sarah, Rachel, Chana conceived
- Rachel (diff. giving birth
- Source of time and space
- Nukva
- Moon is covered (בכסה)), so therefore the pull of malchut is greater
when Hashem witholds himself, it's like you have an investment. This is now your annual meeting to see whether you plan on continuing an investment. Think of how the employees or the board feel.
They need to convince the boss whether to continue to invest. So, in theory, the boss is witholding it in potential even though might still decide to withold.
Here, it is different. It's not God witholding the world from it's existence, God's investment. God doesn't lose anything by creating the world, He's not wasting a breath or losing money. What God does stand to lose is a quality of a relationship with us.
Analagy- daughter of the king faints
- not eating indicates a certain affinity towards the King
Will I teach you with pleasure or not
- from speech or from thought
the choice is not whether God will bless us or not, it is what do we want our worldview to be
David Aaron- God's will vs. plan
Arousal from below/arousal from above: That Israel's acts causes Hashem to intervene and vice versa. The concept is pointing to the co-creatorship and love between Israel and Hashem.
You express your continued interest in being part of: והיה ה למלך על כל הארץ
Where Malchut is the driving force.
It's like a teacher. The greatest gift you can give a teacher is, a student that wants to learn.
- We call out king because, we don't necessarily feel our unity with God (that's what exaltedness feels like)
- The judgment of RH is on how much you yearn to receive your blessing from God
- You get to choose how much God you get
- Malchut is, I want my blessing to come from you
- Do we want it back to back or front
on RH, you are choosing, what kinds of world you want to live in. You are identifying with the highest ideal of God's influence being bestowed on as a melech rather than experiencing the world as a Moshel.
Just as God contracts his infinite Presence to make a place in which the finite world can exist, so too, man contracts his self-centeredness so that Godliness can be revealed.
The Arizal said that the sefirah [the ten sefirot are aspects of God’s manifestation in this world according to Kabbalah] of malchut [kingship, corresponding to this world] is the furthest from the other nine sefirot [God's garments, expressions- Wisdom...], and is closest to the purpose of Creation [which is the revelation of God’s Presence in this world].
- The purpose of creation, thus, is not to be kind, it's not to be this or that. It's to be transparent
- Some people are more kind than others. Some people know how to exhibit self control better than others. Some are wiser, some are smarter. You can't do anything about that.
- But everyone, decides how to use these traits
- [ex: Rabbi Meir... blood]
- ON RH, God's presence is so to speak, witheld, no revealed
- What is God's presence in the world- we are His presence [which is why, Malchut, is also referred to as Knesset Yisrael/only us, until והיה…]
It is at this level that a person’s spiritual work is to contract his ego in order to allow the light of the higher sefirot to enter his world. By doing this, he will reveal aspects of God in the concealment.
When a person contracts his ego, he walks in the ways of God. [How so?] It is known [according to Kabbalah] that God contracted Himself, as it were, for the sake of creating the world, for the ultimate purpose of revealing Himself here. So too, a person contracts his ego for the sake of revealing God’s honor and greatness. This is the [deeper] meaning of the verse: “And cleave to him” (Devarim 13:5) which Rashi explains as: “Cleave to His ways, perform acts of kindness [bury the dead, visit the sick, just as God did].”
so when we blow the shofar, we are giving it back to God.
- we breath from wtihin ourselves
- that's why the Tekiah Gedolah is so important. Because, it's where you really got to go inwards in order to give it all you got.
- we become more willing to accept God's influence when we know Him as a melech