Parshat – Haazinu

There is immense power in Shabbat regarding all matters connected to repentance; Shabbat is an inseparable component of repentance, holding elevated standing and unique segulot, and those of discerning taste know how to utilize these days to the utmost.

Repentance must have Shabbat. It resembles a sick person who goes to the physician; part of the medicinal cure for transgression is Shabbat. Shabbat serves as the remedy for the spiritual blemishes that sin inflicts upon the soul. One must understand a fundamental principle in all matters of repentance: in every repentance, Shabbat is indispensable. Shabbat is part of repentance; there is no repentance without Shabbat.

On Rosh Hashanah at the festive meal, we discussed the soul’s inner struggles. It is arduous for a person to make decisions in life, and every decision is an entire struggle. As the days go by, people who struggle with making decisions find that their condition worsens. In my youth, I recall a neighbor near the Talmud Torah where we studied, an individual who plunged into deep deliberations over every small detail in life, pondering whether it was worth doing or not. His condition deteriorated to such a degree that deciding at an intersection whether to turn right or left would take longer and longer. Day after day, we would find him standing for hours at the crossroads, debating with himself whether to turn right or whether it was preferable to turn left. In short, from that day on, his moniker became "Either-Or" — everything in life was an either-or.

This is a profound problem in the human soul, sinking into a kind of intellect that evolves daily not into wisdom, but into genuine affliction. A person must maintain agility of thought, be swift in decision-making, and leave the outcome in G-d's hands.

The Shabbat approaching us for good and blessing is a great and momentous Shabbat, concealing sublime segulot concerning all matters of repentance. At the dawn of creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, formed man. Man did not hearken to the voice of his Creator, who warned him not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and went ahead and ate. Thereby, he brought death into the world, hardships of livelihood, the anguish of childbirth, and basic curses that constrained the expansive ease of the world.

Following that severe rebellion of man against his Maker by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, G-d stirred man, and man engaged in repentance. Immediately, Adam HaRishon entered into the holy day of Shabbat. That very Shabbat was the Shabbat situated between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — "Shabbat Shuva". Thus, after the sin, after the remorse, after hearing G-d's shofar blast in the Garden, Adam HaRishon entered directly into the Shabbat of "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord your G-d." The sublime quality of this Shabbat is to balance, soften, and sweeten the sin, ushering a person into an entirely new reality after the sin through the sheer power of Shabbat.

Shabbat possesses the power to balance the sinner, as our Rabbis stated (Shabbat 118b): even if one worshipped idols like the generation of Enosh, if he observes Shabbat meticulously, all his transgressions are forgiven. Shabbat contains an extraordinarily potent power of renewal; after his bitter and grave sin, Adam HaRishon required Shabbat to regain his spiritual equilibrium. Likewise, after committing the first heinous act in the universe by murdering his brother, Kayin was seized with immense terror until the Holy One, blessed be He, granted him assurance: "Whoever slayeth Kayin, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold" (Genesis 4:15), signifying that Shabbat would shield and guard Kayin, accompanying him and protecting him. Shabbat holds the power of fencing, distinction, protection, and deliverance.

So we find with David, King of Israel: "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell (Shivti — from the language of Shabbat) in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" (Psalms 27:4). Despite all his life’s struggles, David knew that Shabbat was his strength, his shield, his everything; without Shabbat, life is completely different. Therefore, we must grasp the depth and greatness of the upcoming Shabbat, "Shabbat Shuva" — a Shabbat distinguished above all others, symbolizing the power G-d granted us in the days of Shabbat to serve as the brake within the frantic race of life every week, establishing order amidst the turmoil.

One who seeks to enter Yom Kippur with true greatness must labor over himself regarding the evil inclination of appetite for food. This is the primary spiritual task one must undertake, as we plead in prayer: "Remember not against us the iniquities of our ancestors" (Psalms 79:8). We entreat the Holy One, blessed be He, to wipe away our earliest transgressions, because once the initial sins are removed, the later transgressions have no foundation upon which to stand.

A person's earliest sins form the soil and weight upon which all subsequent sins are built. The primary, earliest sin of humanity was the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, after G-d commanded him not to eat from it. The Torah testifies that man ate because "it was a desire to the eyes" (Genesis 3:6) — because of physical lust and craving, man ate from the tree and brought unprecedented ruin upon creation.

Therefore, on the eve of Yom Kippur — the day of atonement when man repents — one must eat abundantly, but eat strictly for the sake of Heaven. When a person partakes of his meal on Erev Yom Kippur with holy intent, that eating serves as a direct rectification for Adam HaRishon's eating out of base desire. A person should declare: "I am eating in order to possess the strength to fast; I am eating to have strength for His service, blessed be He, to study Torah and fulfill mitzvot." He does not eat out of craving, but solely for Heaven.

Regarding one who directs his eating in this holy manner, the Gemara declares (Berachot 8b): Whoever eats and drinks on the ninth is regarded by scripture as if he fasted both the ninth and the tenth, because holy eating on the ninth rectifies the primal sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge.

The Influence of Holiness: One Above and Seven Below

The holy Torah states (Leviticus 16:11–14): "And Aaron shall offer the bullock of the sin-offering... and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the ark-cover eastward; and before the ark-cover shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times." In our Yom Kippur prayers we recount that the Kohen Gadol sprinkled "one above and seven below." Why was this sprinkling so unique?

One explanation is that "one above" represents Yom Kippur itself, the most sacred day of the year. The spiritual labor of Yom Kippur is elevated and intense. The more a person conducts himself in holiness and purity on Yom Kippur, the more it radiates upon all the other days of the week. If Yom Kippur is sanctified with supreme spiritual loftiness, the "seven below" — the seven days of the week throughout the entire year — become purified through the power of that one supreme day.

Furthermore, "one above" corresponds to the Yetzer Tov (good inclination), while "seven below" alludes to the seven names and forces of the Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) cited in the Gemara (Sukkah 52a). When a person sanctifies the good inclination, the seven forces of the evil inclination are subdued before him.

Additionally, the number seven represents the natural order, while that which transcends seven is above nature. When a person sanctifies the "one above" in supreme communion with the Almighty, the seven days of the week are elevated above mundane astrological fortune, existing purely within supernatural Providence.

On Yom Kippur at Minchah, we read the Book of Jonah. Jonah ben Amittai was a prophet whom G-d dispatched to Nineveh, a great city of gentiles, to warn them that their evil had risen before Him and the city would be overturned. Jonah feared that if the gentiles repented, it would evoke a harsh prosecution against Israel who were slower to repent. He sought to flee from the presence of G-d by boarding a vessel at the port of Jaffa.

A tempest arose at sea, and the ship threatened to sink. While the mariners prayed each to his deity, Jonah descended into the ship’s hold to sleep. Lots were cast, falling upon Jonah, who urged them to cast him into the raging sea. A great fish swallowed Jonah, and when he failed to pray, G-d commanded the fish to spew him into the mouth of a female fish crowded with young, which traveled past the Yam Suf. Only then did Jonah break down in fervent prayer, returning to G-d, and the Almighty forgave him.

Why is this specific Haftarah read on Yom Kippur? Because sometimes a person falls into a state of despair. When urged to repent, he cynically wonders: "Will G-d really hear me after all the evil I have committed?" He attends synagogue, but remains emotionally disconnected, thinking: "What else can happen to me? I'll simply carry on." Jonah reached this very state of numbness. What did G-d do? He brought a tempest.

When a person becomes apathetic, G-d sends a storm into his life — sudden turmoil in his home, livelihood, or health. If he still fails to awaken, he is cast into deeper waters, swallowed by circumstances, until he is brought to realize, just as Israel did at the Red Sea, that salvation is solely in G-d's hands. We read this at Minchah of Yom Kippur, the supreme hour when all heavenly gates are open, to instruct every Jew never to succumb to spiritual despair or complacency.

Life is a Temporary Dwelling, Not Permanent

The Gemara (Sukkah 2a) states: "The Torah commanded: Throughout the seven days, depart from your permanent dwelling and dwell in a temporary dwelling." The Sukkah reminds us that our true security does not lie in our sturdy brick homes, but in the shelter of the Almighty. Immediately following the solemn repentance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot arrives to strip away our illusions of self-sufficiency ("My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth" [Deut. 8:17]) and remind us that we reside merely in an antechamber before the palace of eternity (Avot 4:16).

The Gemara records a dispute between the Sages and Rabbi Yehudah regarding a Sukkah taller than twenty cubits: the Sages rule it invalid, while Rabbi Yehudah rules it valid. Why? Because up to twenty cubits, a structure does not require permanent foundations; beyond that height, it requires heavy foundations, resembling a permanent abode. Rabbi Yehudah maintains that even if a person constructs a tall Sukkah with foundations, it still succeeds in instilling the awareness of life's transience in his heart.

Whenever a person boasts excessively in his own strength, G-d demonstrates in a single instant how frail mortal life truly is. As Akavya ben Mahalalel taught (Avot 3:1): "Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: know whence you came, whither you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning."

The Gemara (Nedarim 50a) recounts concerning Rabbi Akiva, who was among the greatest and holiest souls of the Jewish people. In his youth, he was a simple, unlettered shepherd. At age forty, the daughter of Kalba Savua recognized his modest and refined character, promising to marry him if he committed to studying Torah. Her wealthy father disowned and expelled her with nothing. They lived in extreme poverty in a barn amongst the livestock, sleeping on coarse straw.

One day, Elijah the Prophet appeared disguised as an impoverished beggar, knocking on their doorway and pleading: "My wife has given birth, and we have nothing for her to lie on; could you spare a little straw for her to rest her head?" Rabbi Akiva immediately shared his straw. He then turned to his wife and said: "Look, we at least have straw to lay our heads upon; there are those who possess not even straw! Let us thank Hashem for the straw He has granted us!"

Why did Elijah the Prophet appear to ask for straw instead of gifting them gold or sustenance? Because granting money would not have resolved Rabbi Akiva's spiritual task. Elijah came to impart an eternal lesson: there are always those who suffer far more; one must rejoice and give thanks for whatever he possesses. A person should not require perpetual miracles to maintain his faith.

Filling the Warehouses of Faith

A Jew must constantly fortify his faith in G-d before crises arise, rather than attempting to cultivate conditional belief when calamity strikes. If a person consistently pictures genuine self-sacrifice for G-d, recognizing that all occurrences stem from Divine providence, he will withstand any ordeal.

As the Gemara recounts (Berachot 61b), when the Romans took Rabbi Akiva out to be executed, tearing his flesh with iron combs at the hour of the Shema, his disciples cried: "Our master, even to this extent?" He replied: "All my days I was pained over this verse: 'With all thy soul — even if He takes your soul.' I said: When will it come to my hand that I may fulfill it? And now that it is in my hand, shall I not fulfill it?"

Rabbi Akiva felt no pain because his entire life had been an unbroken meditation of faith, filling vast reservoirs of trust in G-d. If a person lives with constant Emunah, the reservoirs he built will stand by him so that "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me" (Psalms 23:4).