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Yom Kippur is the final day of judgment. The last prayer of Yom
Kippur, just as the sun is setting, is called "Neilah", meaning "the
locking" (of the supernal heavenly gates).  | | " Neilah is a state of grace and a spiritual dimension that lasts for the entire coming year...." | | |
The kabbalists explain that there are five levels to the soul:
Nefesh is connected to our actions, Ruach to our emotions, and
Neshama to our intellect. These three levels are contained within the body.
The fourth level, Chaya, connects us to heaven; Yechida, our
heavenly soul root, is hewn from G-d's throne of Glory and so is always in
ecstasy as it dwells in G-d presence. It is only at the time of Neilah,
once a year, that we are able to connect to this fifth and highest aspect of our
soul.
The conventional understanding of the title, "Neilah", is
that soon no more of the prayers of the Jewish people will be allowed to enter
heaven because the gates of prayer are closing. The implication is that we must
hurry and get in our last words before it is too late.
The Chasidic masters explain it differently. They say that
specifically at this most powerful and spiritually potent time, the Jewish
people are being locked in with G-d. This leads to a completely different
inference: Neilah is a state of grace and a spiritual dimension that
lasts for the entire coming year. We have been given the gift of connecting to
G-d with the Yechida of our soul. | | " Being happy is an important and overriding aspect of these days, displaying confidence that the Almighty has heard and accepted our prayers...." | | |
It follows then, that Sukkot, which begins four days after Yom
Kippur, and Simchat Torah, are eight/nine days of celebration that are all the
more joyful because they follow our positive Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur judgment.
Therefore, being happy is an important and overriding aspect of these days,
displaying confidence that the Almighty has heard and accepted our prayers.
The Four Species of Sukkot, the lulav, etrog, myrtle
and willows, are not only symbols of our victory, they also hint
towards the unity of the Jewish people. The sukka, the mitzvah that we
fulfill by immersing ourselves in it, is G-d hugging us. Literally! On Simchat
Torah we dance with the Torah while it is closed. We are so focused and satiated
on our connection to G-d and His Wisdom that we do not even need to know what it
says!
In addition to the special Torah portions that we read each day of Sukkot, the
portion that we must draw our inspiration at this time is the final portion of
the Torah, Zot Habracha. It ends with the words, "All the signs and
wonders that Moses did in sight of the Jewish people." (Deut. 34:12) Rashi
brings the traditional explanation that these words refer to Moses breaking the
first set of the Tablets of the Law at the time of the sin of the Golden Calf.
| | " The least we need to accomplish at this point is to know we have a ways to go...." | | |
In the Chasidic text Beit Avraham it is explained why
these are the last words of the Torah: Knowing there is a problem is the most
important part of the solution. It is a tragedy if a person has fallen from the
spiritual level he had attained previously and doesn't know it. For this there
is no cure. Alternatively, if a person feels his loss and shouts in despair
about it, he has hope to resolve his problem in a positive way. If Moses had not
broken the tablets, our people would not have felt the great blemish and loss.
The verse hints to the awakening of the nation to the seriousness of their sin
and opens their hearts to heaven.
It will take a lifetime to fix all of our bad traits. The least
we need to accomplish at this point is to know we have a ways to go. This is why
the Torah ends with these words on Simchat Torah, only to begin again
immediately with "In the Beginning G-d created...", the opening verses of the
Torah, signifying our ability to strengthen ourselves and make a truly fresh
start.
May this be a year of spiritual and physical advancement for the
Jewish people, and may we see the final redemption now!
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