Hoshana Raba is coming up. There are many people who stay up on the night of Hoshana Raba, which is the culmination of our high-holiday season. Those of us that stay up say special selichot, and we again say “חותמנו - seal us” because Hoshana Raba is also a Judgement Day.
We end it with a minhag-neviim, an ancient custom, of banging the Aravah.
To explain this custom, Rav Chaim Palaggi, in his sefer Moed LeKol Hai, quotes Rav Hai Gaon (Gaonim were from the time before the Rishonim, about 1,000 years ago) who was asked why we bang the Aravot. Rav Hai explains that the Aravah is compared to the lips. (Each of the four Minim corresponds to a body-part. The Lulav to the Spine, the Hadasim to the Eyes, the Etrog to the heart, and the Aravot to the lips)
Thus, the Aravot shrivel up the fastest because sinning with the lips is the easiest type of sin to commit.
What is the significance of banging these “lips” on the ground?
We’ve just come through a whole process of Teshuva. Hopefully, we got a good judgement on Rosh Hashanah, then we purified ourselves on Aseret Yeme Teshuva. We further purified ourselves Yom Kippur, and as we’ve discussed, the Succah symbolizes Galut, Exile, which can further atone for us. Now, finally, the season is over and we are going out into the world. But what if we got a bad judgement? What should we do? A pasuk in Eicha says,
יתן בעפר פיהו, אולי יש תקוה
Put dirt in your mouth, maybe there will be hope
The Rishonim explain that this means, if you were insulted, and “put dirt in your mouth” (in other words, you cork your mouth, or keep quiet,) this can be hope.
Keeping quiet when one has been insulted has tremendous kapara power. Therefore, Rav Hai Gaon gives us this advice for going forward: Put dirt in your mouth.
Who taught us this lesson of not being affected by people that insult us?
We have three Avot: Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, each of whom have a leg of G-d’s chair. The fourth leg of G-d’s chair is held by David Hamelech. How did David HaMelech merit to be up there with the Avot (and earn a title, as we say, Magen Avraham, Magen David)?
The Chafetz Chaim quotes from a Zohar, which says that this occurred when David HaMelech was insulted by Shimi Ben Gera.
At the time, David HaMelech was on the run with his troops. Just then, from high above, Shimi Ben Gera saw David, threw rocks at him, cursed him, and said horrible things. David’s generals, Yoav and Avishai Ben Surya, both wanted to kill Shimi. They asked David to let them, “Take that dog’s head off!” But David HaMelech said “No, ה׳ אמר לו קללG-d told him to curse.”
Of course, Shimi had the freedom of choice of whether to do it or not, but David recognized that the curse was G-d’s message to him, and that he needed a kapara. David didn’t act out of emotion. He accepted it as coming from Hashem (However, knowing that Shimi was indeed deserving of punishment for rebellion against the king, he later told his son Shlomo to take care of it, after his death). This is the source, found in Sefer Hahinuch, for not taking revenge when we are wronged. Why shouldn’t we get them back? Because the person didn’t do anything. He was only the stick in G-d’s hand.
So, this is advice for us, for the rest of the year, and it’s a tremendous Emunah statement:
When someone insults you, harms you, upsets you, or blocks your driveway, and you’re able to say ה׳ אמר לקלל - “Hashem said it, it’s from Hashem,”
G-d looks down and says, “Wow, you understand the message, you got the lesson!” And that brings great atonement and great kapara.
This is what you should be thinking when you bang the Aravot (that look like lips) on the ground. It’s a reminder: When someone insults you, clog your mouth; put dirt in your mouth and realize it’s coming from Hashem. Appreciate the atonement that He’s giving you.
The Pele Yoetz says that if we realized the atonement we get for keeping quiet when we get insulted, we would look for ways for people to insult us, and we’d thank Hashem for it, for taking it easy on us.
The Reshit Hochma says it’s the easiest punishment to get. There is no blood, no money lost. Just keep your mouth shut.
That’s our lesson of Hoshana Raba.
Have a wonderful day and a Happy Yom Tov.