This Saturday night is Hoshana Raba, which is connected to Achdut. Rav Yerucham Olshin, in his Sefer Yerach L’Moadim (page 533) explains a fascinating concept. In Parashat Ki Tetzeh (21/13) the Torah tells us about the Yefat Toar,
וּבָ֥כְתָ֛ה אֶת־אָבִ֥יהָ וְאֶת־אִמָּ֖הּ
She cries over her father and her mother.
The Zohar tells us that this is symbolic of the Jewish people doing teshuva, crying in the month of Elul. The father refers to God and the mother refers to Knesset Yisrael, which literally means the gathering of the Jewish people. The Sefer Shelah HaKadosh explains that although the Jewish people down in this world look like they're separate, in the heavens above, in the secret of their souls, they're really united and they're one.
So when there’s a separation down here amongst Jews, it impacts a separation in the heavens above. As such, there are two aspects of teshuva. One is to fix the sins that impact on our relationship with God, and the other is to fix the sins that cause of the separation between the Jewish people.
He says that the first 10 days are Aseret Yeme Teshuva, but there are another 10 days from after Yom Kippur to Hoshana Raba. The first 10 days are to work on our disconnect with God, and the second 10 are to work on the disconnect from man to man.
This continues the theme of unity that we've been talking about until now, with the Lulav and Etrog, Aravot and Hadassim that symbolize unity, and also the Succah- as we mentioned, the whole Jewish people could fulfill their obligation with one Succah.
He adds a beautiful thought: on Hoshana Raba, which is the final judgment day, we bang the Aravot because symbolize the lips.
What do the Aravot have to do with lips?
Mainly, we are talking about fixing the divisiveness among the Jewish people, which is all about Sinat Hinam, and the Chafetz Chaim says that the main cause of Sinat Hinam is Lashon Hara. Therefore, our job on Hoshana Raba is to fix our lips. That's the Aravot.
And as we mentioned in the past, we are supposed to bang the “lips” on the ground. If someone says something that bothers you, what should you do? Put dirt in your mouth, put a cork in your mouth. Don't respond. That's the fixing of the lips.
And he brings down a beautiful thought from the Gaon of Vilna. There are different areas where our speech is made- we pronounce things with our teeth, with our lips, with our palate, and our throats
( the tongue is in a separate category as it’s the main part).
The letters that come out of the teeth are Zayin, Samech, Shin and Resh. Then we have letters that come from the lips. Bet, Vav, Mem and Peh. Then we have the letters that come from the Palate-the Gimmel, Yud, Chaf, and Kuf.
The Alef, Heh, Chet and Ayin come from the throat.
(The tongue letters are Daled, Tet, Lamed, Nun and Taf )
He says that the word Succah has a letter from the four enabler units. It has a Samech from the teeth letters, It has a Vav from the lip letters. It has a Chaf from the palate letters and the Heh from the throat letters.
The point is that we're trying to fix the different parts of the body that are involved in speech.
Because, again, the main theme of Succot is to fix the divisiveness that’s comes from speech.
One last little tidbit is that on Shabbat Mincha we say Atah Echad V’Shimcha Echad, Umi K’Amcha, Goy Echad B’Aretz.
You are One, Your Name is One, and who is like your people Israel, A unique nation on earth?
Why do we say this on Shabbat?
One explanation is that when the Jewish people are goy echad b’aretz/when we are united, then it brings about that Hashem Echad U’Shmo Echad. Since Shabbat Mincha is a time that symbolizes Mashiach’s times, that is why we talk about that concept.
(There are three Shabbats, that we’ve mentioned in the past- the Shabbat of creation, the Shabbat of Torah, and the Shabbat of Mashiach). The Shabbat of Mincha is the Shabbat of Mashiach, so we talk about the Jewish people being united. That will bring about the Oneness of God and the Oneness of His Name.
So B’Ezrat Hashem, we will dedicate ourselves, this Shabbat and the following Sunday, to being cognizant and introspective of the concept of Lashon Hara and B’Ezrat Hashem that will give us a good final judgment.
Have a wonderful day, Shabbat shalom and a pitka tava , which means a good note because the notes are given out on the judgment day of Hoshana Raba.
All the best.