2022/5783
In the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the fear to involve ourselves with Aveirot does not stem from a fear of punishment, but rather because we want to stay on the holy level that we reached on Yom Kippur; the strong connection we built between HaKadosh Baruch Hu and us is something that we still feel and want to hold on to. This type of Teshuvah is called Teshuvah Mei’Ahavah, returning through love.
This concept answers an age-old question. Every year we finish a day of heartfelt Tefilot and Teshuvah. We don’t eat, we don’t drink, we barely sleep, and we spend our day in Shul striking our chests as a way of showing that we are sorry for what we’ve done. Immediately following a whole entire day of this, in Maariv, we once again strike our chests and say Selach Lanu… Hashiveinu Avinu… we just had a whole day of this, and Yom Kippur is over; we are clean! Why are we asking for forgiveness and beginning Teshuvah again?! The Beit Aharon (Rav Aharon of Karlin) explains that the Teshuvah that was done on Yom Kippur was Teshuvah MeYirah, but we need to continue the Teshuvah after Yom Kippur to get close to HaKadosh Baruch Hu through Ahavah.
The first 10 days of the year, the Avodah is Yirah. Doing Teshuvah because we know the Yemei HaDin are approaching, we (re)accept HaKadosh Baruch Hu, but now in the second half, the Avodah becomes an Avodah of Ahavah. In fact, the Shelah HaKadosh (Mesechet Sukkah, Torah Ohr Ot Alef) writes that the 10 days between Yom Kippur and Hoshana Rabbah are also included in “Dirshu Hashem BeHimtzao…”. We see that the days that are approaching are of no less significance than the first 10 days of the year; we just need to approach them with Ahavah, not Yirah.
What is the Avodah of Ahavah? The Avodah of Ahavah is an extremely important one, and there are many ways and suggestions on how to approach and implement this Avodah in our lives. I will present just one. Perhaps one can say that just as the Teshuvah/Avodah of Yirah calls on us to focus on our shortcomings and failures, which helps us do Teshuvah, the Teshuvah/Avodah of Ahavah calls on us to focus on the things we actually do. When we pause and think about all the Mitzvot we do and are going to do, we can attain a level of Simchah. Simchah brings us closer to Hashem and encourages us to desire more. The Chofetz Chaim would often speak about the greatness of Limud HaTorah; every second of learning is a Mitzvah. If you pick up a Sefer, a Mishnyaot, for 5 minutes, that’s 300 seconds, that’s 300 Mitzvot. When you wear Tefilin, when you wear Tzitzit all day, think about the greatness you do, and contemplate that Hashem has given you the opportunity to perform these Mitzvot that are more precious than gold! Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin in Tzidkat HaTzadik (154) writes that just as we must believe in Hashem, we must believe in ourselves! We must believe in the power of our Mitzvot and that every Mitzvah we do, every Tefilah we pray, and every good thought, action, and spoken word has tremendous value to the world. This is just one pathway into the world of Ahavah. As we enter into the Sukkah, and days of Simchah, pause, reflect, and think about your day, how much Kedushah you bring, and how much more you can bring through doing good, this will bring you to Simcha, and this will enable you to return to Hashem through Ahavah.