Chapter 1

יחיינו מיומים ביום השלישי יקימנו ונחי׳ לפניו

“He vitalizes us through the two days; on the third day He raises us up, that we may live in His presence.”1

The “two days” allude to the two days of Rosh HaShanah, which [nowadays] is always a two-day festival. Even during the time of the Holy Temple, Rosh HaShanah was almost always celebrated for two days.2 “On the third day” refers to Yom Kippur.3 The verse reads thus: “Our source of vitality emanates from the two days of Rosh HaShanah; and on the third day, Yom Kippur, He raises us up so that we may live in His presence.”

“Living in His presence” means that our lifestyle is such that we are vibrantly alive, unlike the wicked who refuse to do teshuvah (repent and return), and are therefore considered dead.4

The verse “He vitalizes us…” is a continuation of the previous verse, which states:5 “Come let us return to G-d; it is He who has caused us to become confused and it is He who will heal us, it is He who has smitten us and it is He who will make us whole again.”

When an individual takes stock of his actions during the previous year he will realize how the time was spent: He will become aware that he failed to take time out for communal prayer and Torah study; he failed to perform the practical mitzvos with inner life and enthusiasm. Furthermore, he will realize that he was distracted by mundane affairs, striving to amass ever more riches.

The person may think that he merely exchanged established times of communal prayer and Torah study for financial benefit.

This is not so. A person alone accomplishes nothing. Only “G-d’s blessing brings wealth,”6 and it is G-d’s blessing that brings success. However, man is able to fool himself exceedingly well, especially an individual who is cool to the concept of communal prayer. Such a person becomes distant from the warm and illuminating environment of [a minyan, about which it is said that] “Upon every assembly of 10 [Jews] the Divine Presence rests.”7

An individual who throughout the week fails to hear and respond to the kedushah and Borchu recited during communal prayer becomes [spiritually] frigid and sinks ever lower. This is especially true regarding those who fail to establish set times for Torah study. Such people become ignoramuses, and cease feeling the shame that such a state should engender. We observe that there are certain individuals who, when told that their minds are impermeable to matters requiring high intelligence, become incensed, for they feel insulted. But when these individuals are told they are ignorant of Torah, it elicits no shame at all. Many are so coarsened that not only are they not embarrassed, but they profess that their minds are simply incapable of Torah matters.

Indeed this is not so. Even such individuals would surely be able to understand when Chumash, Mishnah or Aggadah is being taught. It is only that they lack the desire to comprehend these matters, and are satisfied with the excuse [that their minds are incapable], squandering the time meant for Torah study in pursuit of worldly pleasures. This, in turn, coarsens them to an even greater degree. Eventually Heaven forbid they reach the nadir of coarseness, wildly indulging in whatever their heart desires, without considering whether it is kosher or non-kosher, permitted or forbidden.

Much of this [type of behavior] is due to one’s environment, for: “Much [evil behavior] is a result of evil friends.”8 When9 a person finds himself among Torah scholars, then the sacred illumination of Torah affects him so that he changes for the better. However, when one finds himself around coarse and lustful people who constantly pursue the dictates of their hearts, then one becomes so drawn [to their lifestyle] Heaven forbid that he becomes desensitized, and is unaware that he is becoming a “fallen individual.”

But “everything has its time,”10 there is a time limit to all matters: When parents observe that their child is becoming more ill every day G-d forbid they do all they can to save him. The verse states:11 “You are children unto the L-rd, your G-d.” We Jews are His children. When G-d observes a Jew straying from the “straight path” of Torah and mitzvos, He [initially] allows him to drift, for a person is free to choose his own path. But when He observes that the individual has fallen so low that he has become mired in his own sins and cannot extricate himself, he is helped from Above to do teshuvah.

In summary: The “two days” are the days of Rosh HaShanah; the “third day” is Yom Kippur. “He vitalizes ” etc., is a continuation of the previous verse “Come let us return….” Every Jew must make an honest accounting of how the year has been spent. He will find he was suffering from a form of mental unbalance in his obsessive quest for wealth, neglecting the times for communal prayer and Torah study. He will then realize that he has become coarse. Much depends on the environment. If a person does not awaken a feeling of teshuvah within himself , then he is aroused to teshuvah from Above.