Reasons for the Customs of the Ten Days of Repentance and Yom Kippur - Rabbi Shmuel Mekamel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You are listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 The Ten Days of Teshuvah are very special days. The verse says, “Seek Hashem when He is to be found; call upon Him when He is near.” Our Sages explain that during the days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is close to each and every Jew. Chassidus explains that at this time, the source of light draws close to the spark. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is close to every single person. We know that throughout the year there is a great advantage to praying with a congregation, because communal prayer is always heard. Hakadosh Boruch Hu never rejects the prayer of the many. But during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when the verse says that He is near, He is close to each and every individual as well. Even an individual’s prayer is heard and cherished. Of course, on days when even an individual’s prayer is heard as it should be, communal prayer is all the more valuable and praiseworthy. But this shows us just how very special the Ten Days of Teshuvah are. It is written that a person should examine his deeds during these days, which were designated for teshuvah and are called the Ten Days of Teshuvah. We are especially careful then to avoid anything that has even a trace of prohibition, including things we pay less attention to during the year. On these days in particular, we need to be careful. The Rambam says, “The custom of all is to rise at night during these ten days and pray in the synagogues with words of supplication and exhortation until daybreak.” In practice, our custom is that we do not say Selichos during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, apart from Tzom Gedaliah, when we say them during the prayers. But we can see that these days were long ago established as days of Selichos and teshuvah—very special days that we need to use for teshuvah and the service of Hashem. The Arizal says that during the seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there are, after all—

02:16 Speaker 2 seven days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and so on, as well as a Shabbos in the middle, called Shabbos Teshuvah. Sunday rectifies all the Sundays of the past year and gives strength for serving Hashem on the Sundays to come. The same is true of Monday and Tuesday. Shabbos Teshuvah rectifies all the Shabbosos of the past year and gives strength for the Shabbosos of the coming year. So we need to make use of these days. The Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbos Teshuvah, after the verse at the beginning of the haftarah: “Return, Israel, to Hashem your G-d, for you have stumbled through your sin.” It is explained that this Shabbos has the power to rectify all the Shabbosos of the year and to give strength for the coming year’s service. There is a wonderful explanation of why this Shabbos is called Shabbos Teshuvah. There is a concept called the teshuvah of Shabbos. What is the teshuvah of Shabbos? It is teshuvah even for permitted things. Throughout the year, we do not live with forbidden things. If something is not kosher or is otherwise forbidden, it does not enter our home. Even before Pesach, although we eat chametz throughout the year, we remove all the chametz from the house before Pesach arrives, because we do not live with forbidden things. But then Shabbos arrives, and suddenly we enter a state in which things that are permitted and that we live with throughout the week become set apart from us on Shabbos; certain things now become muktzeh. This is Shabbos Teshuvah, the teshuvah of Shabbos. Until now, we did teshuvah only for forbidden matters. When Shabbos arrives, it is time to do teshuvah for permitted matters too—to rise to a higher level,

04:25 Speaker 2 and to do teshuvah that is deeper and more meaningful even for things that were fine until now, in light of the special level Shabbos gives us. The third of Tishrei is Tzom Gedaliah, one of the four fasts our Sages established over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the troubles connected with it. The last of these was the killing of Gedaliah ben Achikam. He was responsible for the Jewish people who remained in Eretz Yisroel after the exiles that preceded the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash—Sennacherib’s exile of the tribes, Nebuzaradan, and the other exiles. Only a small remnant remained in Eretz Yisroel. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted that small group to stay there, and they appointed Gedaliah ben Achikam over themselves. When he was killed, even that remnant in the land after the destruction was scattered. A fast was established on this day to teach us that the death of the righteous is like the burning of the house of our G-d. We know that in the future this day will become a Yom Tov, a day of joy and celebration, as it says: “Thus says Hashem: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be for the house of Yehudah occasions of joy and gladness and good festivals; therefore love truth and peace.” With Yom Kippur approaching, today we will discuss the meaning of several of its customs and laws. Yom Kippur was established as a day of forgiveness and atonement. We know that on this day Hakadosh Boruch Hu forgave the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf, after the final forty days that began on Rosh Chodesh Elul. Forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul brings us precisely to Yom Kippur, when Hakadosh Boruch Hu forgave the Jewish people—or told Moshe Rabbeinu of His forgiveness. Since then, Yom Kippur has been established as a day of forgiveness and atonement, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu

06:41 Speaker 2 commands us that, beyond what applies to every special day—every day called a “holy convocation,” all the days listed in the Torah—when we are obligated to cease work, meaning not to perform melachah, and to treat the day as holy by wearing clean clothes, honoring it, and offering its special sacrifices, Yom Kippur also has mitzvos of its own. Beyond the other festivals, this day has the mitzvah of afflicting ourselves: “You shall afflict your souls.” There are five forms of affliction we must observe on Yom Kippur, and, of course, there is the mitzvah of teshuvah. Beyond that, the offerings of the day in the Beis Hamikdash were part of an entire order of service, complete and distinct from that of the other festivals. With Hashem’s help, when the Beis Hamikdash is rebuilt, we will merit to see the Yom Kippur service. There is another mitzvah on this day: sounding the shofar in the Jubilee year. On Yom Kippur of the Jubilee year, there is a special mitzvah to sound the shofar. When it was sounded, all the slaves were released and set free. Today, when the Jubilee is not observed, we commemorate that sounding by blowing the shofar at the close of Yom Kippur. This has meaning for us too: every year on Yom Kippur, we attain freedom through the forgiveness of sins and are released, like those slaves who were freed when the Jubilee was observed. On the eve of Yom Kippur, we perform kapparos. The custom is to take a chicken and slaughter it in the last watch of the night, because at that time a thread of kindness prevails in the world. Since a rooster is called a gever in the language of our Sages, as in the phrase “the call of the rooster,” we take the gever and slaughter it, letting out its blood. In doing so, we draw out the forces of severity, the things that symbolize severity, and sweeten them at this special time, when a thread of

09:07 Speaker 2 Kindness in the world, and so we take judgment and turn it into kindness; we take severity and turn it into kindness. This also recalls the scapegoat that was sent to Azazel, which brought atonement in the time of the Beis Hamikdash. For kapparos, we customarily take a white chicken, as it says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall become white as snow.” We take a kapparah for each member of the household. Therefore, a pregnant woman takes two hens and one rooster, in case the baby is a boy. The purpose of kapparos is to awaken a person to teshuvah. He thinks that everything being done to the bird should, G-d forbid, have been done to him, and reflecting on this awakens him to teshuvah. Before circling the chicken, we recite the verses beginning, “Those who dwell in darkness, prisoners of affliction and iron.” The verses allude to four groups of people saved from danger, whom we know from the laws of the blessing Hagomel: four must give thanks—those who crossed deserts, those imprisoned, the sick, and those who traveled by sea. On Yom Kippur, we ask for atonement and deliverance from dangers against which we cannot protect ourselves. That is why these particular verses were chosen for kapparos. After reciting the verses, we circle the chicken three times and say, “This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement.” The initials of the Hebrew words spell chatach, alluding to the Name that apportions life to every living being. It is also customary to redeem the value of the kapparos bird and give that amount to charity. Indeed, it is preferable to give its value rather than the chicken itself, because a poor person might feel embarrassed to receive a bird used for kapparos. So the best thing is to give its value to charity. Erev Yom

11:26 Speaker 2 Kippur is generally considered a Yom Tov. We know that our Rebbeim customarily wore Yom Tov clothes on Erev Yom Kippur. We do not say Tachanun that day, nor do we say Avinu Malkeinu. According to our custom, we do not say Selichos at all during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. We also do not say Mizmor Lesodah that day. The reason is that a thanksgiving offering was not brought in the Beis Hamikdash on Erev Yom Kippur. A thanksgiving offering could be eaten only that day and until nightfall. If, for some reason, there would not be enough time to eat it within that period, it was not brought. So on Erev Pesach, since the breads of the thanksgiving offering included chametz and a time would come when they could no longer be eaten, the offering was not brought on Erev Pesach or during Pesach. That is why we do not say Mizmor Lesodah on those days. The same applies on Erev Yom Kippur: once the fast begins, the time available to eat the offering is cut short. Since the thanksgiving offering was not brought on Erev Yom Kippur, we do not say Mizmor Lesodah then either. After Shacharis, the custom is to ask for lekach. Each person goes and asks to be given lekach, a honey cake. Why do we make a point of asking? If, G-d forbid, it was decreed that we would have to ask another person for our livelihood, then by doing this we have fulfilled that decree by accepting a gift from another person. From now on, we will no longer need to rely on anyone’s gifts or loans. On Erev Yom Kippur, there is a special mitzvah to eat and drink. Our Sages said that anyone who eats on the ninth is considered by Scripture

13:35 Speaker 2 as though he fasted on both the ninth and the tenth. In fact, eating on Erev Yom Kippur is not only preparation that enables us to fast properly. That is certainly a reason Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave us this mitzvah: out of His love for us, He gave us a day of atonement and asked us to fast, but He also cares for our health and asked us to eat and drink so we can fast properly without being harmed by the fast. Yet beyond being a practical preparation for the fast, eating that day is itself a mitzvah. There is an obligation to eat on Erev Yom Kippur. Another part of preparing for Yom Kippur is making peace and asking forgiveness. We know it says, “Before Hashem you shall be purified.” Yom Kippur atones specifically for sins that are “before Hashem”—matters between a person and Hashem, for which we must ask Hashem’s forgiveness. Hakadosh Boruch Hu forgives and pardons those sins. But Yom Kippur does not atone for wrongs between one person and another. Therefore, before Yom Kippur, each person must ask forgiveness from anyone he has wronged, apologize, and make peace with him. Then we will be clear of wrongs between ourselves and others, and, of course, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will forgive our sins against Him. On Erev Yom Kippur, we customarily receive symbolic lashes with a strap. It is written that this should be a calfskin strap, corresponding to the verse, “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s trough; Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” We specifically want a calfskin strap to symbolize that even an ox knows its owner. The strap serves as a reminder that we, too, should know our Owner and remember

15:50 Speaker 2 Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The number of lashes is thirty-nine, in remembrance of the thirty-nine lashes administered when a beis din imposed that punishment. The custom is for both the person administering the lashes and the person receiving them to recite “And He, being merciful, forgives iniquity” three times. Recited three times, the verse has exactly thirty-nine words. Although we are not subject to the punishment of lashes today, these symbolic lashes spur us on and remind us to do teshuvah. It is written that the person receiving the lashes stands with his back to the south and his face to the north. Why? Because a person’s sins often come about through money, as it says, “From the north comes gold.” So he faces north, with his back to the south. A person needs to humble himself toward the direction from which his sin comes. As part of preparing for Yom Kippur, there is a mitzvah to immerse in a mikveh, to purify oneself before the holy day and for the sake of teshuvah. Just as a convert is required to immerse, so we immerse on Erev Yom Kippur for the sake of teshuvah, three times. In practice, we immerse in the morning before Shacharis. It is also customary to immerse after the symbolic lashes, before Minchah, and a third time after the final meal, so that we enter the great and holy day in a state of purity. On Erev Yom Kippur, we also give generously to charity, putting money into charity boxes. There is significance to the sound of the coins: as the Baal Shem Tov says, the clinking of coins frightens the kelipos. One can see that when the Rebbe enters on Erev Yom Kippur, the Rebbe makes a point of putting charity into every box and every bowl. There is a great emphasis on giving charity and distributing coins on Erev Yom Kippur. At the end of Minchah on Erev Yom Kippur, after “May the words of my mouth be acceptable” and before “My G-d, guard my tongue,” we say the text

18:20 Speaker 2 Of confession. The reason we say the confession during Mincha on the eve of Yom Kippur, even though, strictly speaking, the mitzvah of confession applies only on Yom Kippur itself, when the great and holy day begins, is this: besides the mitzvah of teshuvah, there is a separate mitzvah to confess on Yom Kippur. But the Sages saw that, since there is a mitzvah to eat and drink on the eve of Yom Kippur, as we mentioned, there is a concern that a person might, G-d forbid, come to harm while eating and be unable to confess. So before the meal, before the final pre-fast meal, during Mincha, before he goes to eat, he says the confession. That way, he will have confessed at least once before Yom Kippur. In addition, after the final pre-fast meal, as the great and holy day is about to begin, toward the end of the day, there is reason to say the confession again. That is really the original time for confession, as the day begins; saying it earlier at Mincha was only an enactment of the Sages, in case a person came to harm. Perhaps this is the place to mention what Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev said: If the non-Jews had a custom like this, a mitzvah to eat and drink abundantly, afterward you wouldn’t be able to speak to anyone. They would all be rolling around drunk and falling into a deep sleep after their great holiday of eating and drinking. But the Jewish people, immediately after eating and drinking, come with a feeling of holiness, ready for the holy day, with an air of seriousness on their faces. This is the virtue of the Jewish people and what makes them so beloved. This day, Yom Kippur, is a particularly auspicious day, and there is a custom—

20:30 Speaker 2 It is a Jewish custom to bless one’s children on the eve of Yom Kippur. At that time, the blessings a father gives his children reach them in a very special way. They make a very good impression and go straight to the heart, so it is a particularly auspicious time to bless one’s children. We can also see the Rebbe blessing the students, his children, every eve of Yom Kippur, and the special feeling of holiness at that gathering. On the eve of Yom Kippur, we already begin preparing for the day that the Torah commands us to observe as a holy occasion. On every festival, observing a holy occasion includes eating and drinking, lighting candles, making the beds, and wearing fine clothes. Of course, on Yom Kippur we do not eat or drink; we are forbidden to. We have been commanded to fast on this day. But the eating and drinking associated with a holy occasion take place on the eve of the festival. In addition, of course, we light candles as on every Yom Tov. We just need to remember that women who recite Shehecheyanu when lighting the candles should not recite Shehecheyanu again as the day begins. After Kol Nidrei, everyone recites Shehecheyanu for having reached this occasion. Since there is no Kiddush over a cup on Yom Kippur, we recite Shehecheyanu without a cup. But someone who has already recited Shehecheyanu when lighting candles should not recite the blessing again. So there is candle-lighting and clean clothing—of course, wearing festive, respectable clothes. Beyond that, we resemble angels. On this day we are like angels, and so it says that we “wear white and wrap ourselves in white.” In practice, the custom is for married men to wear a kittel, a white garment—not in the first year after the wedding, but on the second Yom Kippur after marriage. There are actually two reasons for it. The first is that it reminds

22:45 Speaker 2 us of the day of death, reminds us of burial shrouds, and inspires us to do teshuvah. The second reason, as we said, is to resemble angels. That is also why we wrap ourselves in a tallis: as it says, we “wear white and wrap ourselves in white,” and on Yom Kippur we are like angels. Since we want to put on the tallis before Yom Kippur and wear it during the prayers on Yom Kippur night, and nighttime is not the time for a tallis, we recite the blessing over the tallis before sunset. Besides the candles lit on the eve of Yom Kippur, there is also a custom to light a ner hachayim, a “candle of life.” Every married man lights this candle. The numerical value of ner, “candle,” is 250, alluding to a person’s 248 limbs together with his ruach and neshamah: 248 plus ruach and neshamah makes 250. We also know that the Torah is called a lamp, and a man is obligated in the mitzvah of Torah study: “A mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light.” That is why we light a candle before Yom Kippur. One should make sure that this candle burns throughout Yom Kippur. It is written that if the candle goes out, he should keep it burning after Yom Kippur and resolve never again to let his Yom Kippur candle go out, but always to leave it burning. The Sages said that any communal fast that does not include the transgressors of Israel is not a fast. They learned this from the ingredients of the incense, which included galbanum, whose smell was unpleasant, yet it too was included among the incense ingredients as a pleasing aroma to Hashem. Therefore, on every communal fast we must include the transgressors of Israel. That is why a beis din is formed, with three people holding Torah scrolls, to give the occasion the character of a beis din. We say, “With the sanction of the heavenly court and with the sanction of the earthly court, we

25:03 Speaker 2 permit prayer with the transgressors.” Then we say Kol Nidrei. The meaning of this declaration is that we annul all the vows we may make during the coming year, from now on, so that any vows we make will be null and void. This way, we avoid transgressing the laws of vows. Since this resembles the annulment of vows, three people stand beside the shliach tzibbur [unclear] so that it looks like a beis din. During the Yom Kippur prayers, we say “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” aloud, unlike the rest of the year, when we say it quietly. The reason, according to the Midrash, is that when Moshe Rabbeinu ascended to heaven, he heard the angels saying, “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.” He was very taken with this prayer and wanted to bring it to the Jewish people. There is a parable about someone who entered the king’s palace, took a precious treasure from there, and gave this jewel to his wife. He told her to wear it only on special occasions, and in private, so that no one would find out. Similarly, when Moshe Rabbeinu ascended to heaven and heard this precious prayer, he took it from the ministering angels and told the Jewish people to use it only quietly. But on Yom Kippur, when we resemble angels, we can say this prayer openly rather than quietly. That is why, during the Yom Kippur prayers, we say “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” aloud. When washing our hands on Yom Kippur, throughout the day we wash only up to the knuckles. Why don’t we wash the whole hand? Of course, washing is prohibited. But, for example, before the kohanim recite the priestly blessing, they do wash

27:04 Speaker 2 The hands, over the entire hand. So why, before davening, don’t we wash the entire hand as we do every morning? The Rebbe explains that on Yom Kippur, the impurity has no permission to spread over the hands beyond the knuckles. Since the kelipos cannot reach beyond that point, we have no need to wash beyond the knuckles. And if there is no need, it is forbidden, because washing is prohibited on Yom Kippur. We do not wash unnecessarily on Yom Kippur. But after Yom Kippur, we wash our hands fully, over the entire hand. In the morning brachos on Yom Kippur, we do not say the bracha “She’asah li kol tzorki,” because that bracha corresponds to a person’s shoes, and on Yom Kippur we are forbidden to wear shoes. Even after Yom Kippur, when we put our shoes back on, we do not say “She’asah li kol tzorki” until the next day. On Yom Kippur, after Shacharis, two Torah scrolls are taken out. From the first, we read Parshas Acharei Mos, about the order of the Yom Kippur service in the Beis Hamikdash—all the mitzvos involved in the Kohen Gadol’s service on Yom Kippur. Then, for Maftir, we read about the offerings of the day. At Minchah, we read the end of Parshas Acharei Mos, where the Torah warns us to be holy and warns us against forbidden relationships. This serves as a reminder and awakens us to do teshuvah for things that require it. At Minchah on Yom Kippur, we also read the haftarah of Yonah, which likewise speaks about teshuvah—how much Hakadosh Boruch Hu desires every person’s teshuvah and is, in fact, waiting for us to return. The Avodah service of Yom Kippur is a recitation of the entire order of the Kohen Gadol’s service in the Beis Hamikdash, detailing

29:16 Speaker 2 everything done on that holy day in that holy place. It includes the order of the declarations and prostrations. We read all of this and hope and yearn to see it again. When we read about the declarations and prostrations, we too make the declarations and prostrate ourselves. But if the floor is stone and has no covering, halachah says that one may not kneel and prostrate oneself on it. There is a prohibition against prostrating oneself on a stone floor, so there must be a cloth or some other barrier between the person prostrating and the stone floor. At the end of Musaf on Yom Kippur, we do not say “Kaveh” or “Ein K’Elokeinu.” The reason these are said on ordinary days is that they correspond to the brachos of Shemoneh Esrei. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, there are not eighteen brachos, so in principle their recitation could have been deferred, but the practice remained. On Yom Kippur, however, since we have already said many prayers, piyutim, and mentions of Hashem’s Name, we defer them until after Ne’ilah. After the Torah reading at Shacharis on Yom Kippur, we say Yizkor. Yizkor is a prayer for the souls of those who have passed away, accompanied by a commitment to give tzedakah on their behalf. It is said on Yom Kippur and on Shemini Atzeres, the last day of Pesach, and Shavuos. We also add the prayer “Av Harachamim” for the souls of those who were killed al kiddush Hashem. Why do we say Yizkor on Yom Kippur? Because remembering the deceased humbles the heart, and because Yom Kippur is a time of atonement not only for the living but also for those who have passed away. Through

31:27 Speaker 2 the prayers of their loved ones and relatives, atonement is brought about for them as well. We also remember their souls on the festivals because the Torah reading about the festivals says, “Each person according to what his hand can give.” In Yizkor, we always connect remembering the deceased with giving tzedakah to elevate their souls. So it is relevant to all the festivals and to Yom Kippur—especially Yom Kippur, when it also awakens atonement. The prayers and tzedakah that are given awaken atonement for their souls. Those whose parents are living customarily leave the shul before Yizkor. One reason is to avoid causing distress: remembering those who have passed away can arouse sadness, and we do not want someone who does not need to be there to be present. There is also a concern that if everyone stays, some whose parents are living might mistakenly recite the Yizkor text. Because words can have consequences, we are very careful not to “open our mouths to the Satan,” and we also want to avoid the evil eye. Several other reasons have been given for leaving the shul. But the Rebbe gives another very interesting reason: the souls are present in the shul when they are remembered. The Rebbe says: “May it be Hashem’s will that those who leave the shul because their parents are living have parents who live long lives. They leave because it has been explained to them that, at the time of Yizkor, all the souls in the World of Truth are present, and therefore they must be outside the shul at that time. By leaving the shul, they too are united with the souls in the World of Truth, all the way up to the souls of the Patriarchs—Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov—and the Matriarchs—Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah.” So leaving the shul also connects those who leave with those souls, which arouse mercy for everyone,

33:46 Speaker 2 including those who leave because their parents are living. It arouses mercy that all those still living should have long, good lives. Ne’ilah is a very, very special prayer. Today, we daven it just once a year. In fact, the Sages instituted Ne’ilah for every public fast, and they differed as to whether Ne’ilah corresponds to the closing of the gates of the Beis Hamikdash or the closing of the gates of Heaven. In practice, today we do not daven Ne’ilah on every fast. The only fast on which we daven five prayers is Yom Kippur. The time of Ne’ilah on Yom Kippur is very, very special, and we need to make use of it. The Frierdiker Rebbe says that at the time of Ne’ilah, even the least observant person does complete teshuvah, because at the level of the yechidah of the soul, all Jews are equal. That is why this prayer is called Ne’ilah, the closing of the gates. The Rebbe explains that the entire Jewish people are enclosed together, alone with Hakadosh Boruch Hu—“Yisroel and the King alone.” Only the Jewish people are connected to this revelation of the yechidah of the soul. We begin the prayer with “Ashrei” and “Uva Letziyon.” Usually, on Shabbos and Yom Tov, we begin Minchah with “Ashrei” and “Uva Letziyon.” On Yom Kippur, we do not say them at Minchah, because we already have the Torah reading between Musaf and Minchah, whereas there would otherwise be no break between Minchah and Ne’ilah. So the Torah reading remains the break: we begin Minchah directly with the Torah reading, which separates Musaf from Minchah, and then begin Ne’ilah with “Ashrei” and “Uva Letziyon,” which is

35:57 Speaker 2 It actually forms a break between Minchah and Neilah. In the Kaddish at Neilah, we say “le’eila u’le’eila” — “higher and higher.” We do not say “min kol birchasa,” but “mikol birchasa.” We double the word because at this time Hakadosh Boruch Hu is exalted even higher, far beyond all the praise of His creations. He sits on the throne of judgment, and everyone must praise and glorify Him and ask for mercy. That is why we say “le’eila u’le’eila.” But there is particular care that the Kaddish contain no more than twenty-eight words, corresponding to koach, “strength.” We know that Moshe Rabbeinu said, “And now, may the strength of Hashem be magnified,” corresponding to “Yisgadal veyiskadash shmei rabba.” Since Moshe Rabbeinu used the word koach, care is taken that the Kaddish have twenty-eight words. So, because we add a word by saying “le’eila u’le’eila,” we do not say “min kol birchasa.” Instead, we combine “min” and “kol” into “mikol”: “le’eila u’le’eila mikol birchasa.” That way, the number remains twenty-eight — koach. There is another noticeable change in Neilah. Wherever, during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, we referred to being written, in Neilah we speak of being sealed: “Seal us.” We mention sealing because Neilah is when the sealing is completed, and we must ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to seal us for good. If not now, when? At the end of Neilah, we say the verse “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One” once, and “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” three times. During the year, we do not say Shema Yisroel twice; the Sages say that someone who says “Shema, Shema” is silenced. But once we have said “Hear, O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One” once,

38:11 Speaker 2 and proclaimed Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s oneness in the world, we can go on to say “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” three times, and “Hashem is G-d” seven times. We say this to accompany the Shechinah as it ascends through the seven heavens. During the prayer, the Shechinah was present among the Jewish people, among those praying. At the end of the prayer, the Shechinah departs. That is why it is customary to sound the shofar at the end of Neilah, to allude to the Shechinah’s departure. At Matan Torah, too, it says, “When the ram’s horn is drawn out”; with the sounding of the shofar came the Shechinah’s departure. We also know the verse “G-d ascends with a blast,” so the sounding of the shofar signifies the Shechinah’s departure. After the shofar blast, we declare, “Next year in Jerusalem.” In fact, we make this declaration twice a year: at the end of the Seder night and at the end of Neilah. The Rebbe explains that these represent two kinds of avodah: the avodah of tzaddikim and the avodah of teshuvah. On Seder night it is the avodah of tzaddikim; on Yom Kippur it is the avodah of teshuvah. Through both, we reach the point of “Next year in Jerusalem” — the city in its complete state. As the Frierdiker Rebbe explains, this does not mean that we will only be in Jerusalem next year. Rather, we will be redeemed and enter Jerusalem immediately, so that next year we will already be there. On the night after Yom Kippur, the Sages instituted Havdalah over a cup of wine, including the blessing “Borei me’orei ha’esh.” Unlike an ordinary Motzaei Shabbos, when one may kindle a new flame, after Yom Kippur we make the blessing specifically over a flame that burned throughout the day. We want to express that using fire was forbidden to us that day, whereas now we may use and benefit from it again. That is why we say “Borei me’orei

40:35 Speaker 2 ha’esh.” On Motzaei Shabbos, we say “Borei me’orei ha’esh” because that was when fire was first created. It says that on Motzaei Shabbos, Adam Harishon struck two stones together and a spark emerged. So every Motzaei Shabbos, to commemorate the creation of fire, we kindle a new flame and say “Borei me’orei ha’esh.” After Yom Kippur, though, the blessing expresses that throughout the day we were forbidden to kindle a fire and now it is permitted. That is why we are particular to use a flame that burned throughout the day: we could not use it then, but now we can. It is customary to say Kiddush Levanah after Yom Kippur. Some have written that one should say Kiddush Levanah as soon as its time arrives during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, so that we have another mitzvah to our credit in judgment. In practice, though, the accepted ruling is to say Kiddush Levanah specifically after Yom Kippur, not during the Ten Days of Teshuvah. Until then, the awe of judgment hangs over us; after Yom Kippur, it is a happy time, a time of joy, particularly because we are like angels. We are fit to greet the Shechinah. Kiddush Levanah is a time of greeting the Shechinah, and we are also joyful. That is the time to say Kiddush Levanah. More generally, the night after Yom Kippur is a happy time. We already begin wishing one another “Gut Yom Tov.” We eat [unclear], and a heavenly voice goes forth and proclaims, “Go, eat your bread with joy.” This is when Hakadosh Boruch Hu accepts our avodah, and we have a mitzvah to eat a festive meal that night. This is one of the reasons for sounding the shofar at the end of Yom Kippur: to rouse everyone and announce that they should go eat a festive meal with joy. On the night after Yom

42:37 Speaker 2 Kippur, it is customary to begin building the sukkah. The Rebbe says that, in practice, even if one does not actually begin construction, one should at least talk about the mitzvah of sukkah and plan it. In this way, we go from strength to strength, from the holiness of Yom Kippur to the special time of “the season of our rejoicing.”