The Parsha we’ll read this Shabbat, B’ezrat Hashem, is Parshat Ha’azinu. We are still standing in the immediate aftermath of Yom Kippur – just hours after we experienced the awe of the day which passed over us l’tova. A shiur that comes immediately after Yom Kippur holds special weight, for just a short time ago, we cried out with all our strength: “חָ תְ מֵ נוּ – seal us!” Wherever the text had previously said “כָ תְ בֵ נוּ – inscribe us,” in Ne’ilah, we switched to חָ תְ מֵ נוּ.
It was ִים וְכָתְ בֵנוּ בְּ סֵפֶר הַחַי ִים מֶ לֶך חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים, and we concluded by saying ִים וְחָתְ מֵ נוּ בְּ סֵפֶר הַחַי. At the end of the Amidah, instead of ִים טוֹבִים וּכְתֹב לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים, we said ִים טוֹבִים וַחֲתוֹם לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים. Finally, in the paragraph of ִים בְּרָכָה וְשָׁלוֹם בְּסֵפֶר חַים, we changed נִזָּכֵר וְנִכָּתֵב to נִזָּכֵר וְנֵחָתֵם. Even in Avinu Malkeinu, we repeated again and again the same request: חָ תְ מֵ נוּ , חָ תְ מֵ נוּ , חָ תְ מֵ נוּ – seal us, seal us, seal us. Among Bnei Ashkenaz, we repeat this five times, among Sephardim six times, and among Yemenite Jews four times. Everything is centered around this theme of sealing.
The Zohar HaKadosh
The Zohar HaKadosh, however, points to a deeper dimension, commenting on the Pasuk in Shir HaShirim (8:6):
שִׂ ימֵ נִי כַחוֹתָ ם עַל־לִבֶּךָ כַּחוֹתָ ם עַל־זְרוֹעֶךָ
Let me be a seal upon your heart, Like the seal upon your hand.
The Zohar explains that חוֹתָ ם, a seal, refers to כּוֹחַ תָּם – the power of תָּם. And who is called תָּם? וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים – Yaakov was a wholesome man, dwelling in tents. Avraham Avinu represents חֶסֶד – kindness, Yitzchak represents גְּבוּרָה – strength, but Yaakov embodies תִּפְאֶרֶת – splendor, the attribute of the Torah. The Zohar therefore teaches: with what power can we ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu to seal us for good? With the power of תָּם – with the merit of Yaakov Avinu; with the power of Torah! That is the yesod of our requests of חָ תְ מֵ נוּ throughout the Tefillah of Neilah.
This brings us to a new understanding of words we recite three times each:
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ אָבִינוּ לְתוֹרָתֶךָ וְקָרְבֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתֶךָ וְהַחֲזִירֵנוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ בָּרוּךְ ה' הָרוֹצֶה בִּתְשׁוּבָה:
Return us, our Father, to Your Torah, and draw us near, our King, to Your service. Cause us to return to You in perfect repentance before Your face. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who desires repentance.
The Tur writes that this Bracha contains a total of ten words, corresponding to the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. Of note, in Nusach Sephard, Nusach Ashkenaz, Nusach Eidot HaMizrach – the Bracha always has ten words.
These ten words correspond to the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, with the final word being לְפָנֶיךָ – before You, corresponding to Yom Kippur itself. For on Yom Kippur we are truly לִפְנֵי – standing before Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And how do we merit to stand לִפְנֵי ה'? Through Torah. הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ אָבִינוּ לְתוֹרָתֶךָ – that is both the beginning of Teshuva, and the conclusion of Yom Kippur, when we ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu to seal us for good, through the power of Torah, through the seal of תָּם.
