Chapter Six
And there is to say to add and explain, that what we say the quality of the day of Yom Kippur is, that it is a day that it is obligated in five prayers which indicates how the essence of the G-dly soul is revealed into all the five levels of the soul.
Though seemingly the day of Yom Kippur itself is higher than it being a day that is obligated in five prayers, for it is a day that (the revelation of the inherent bond of the essence of the G-dly soul with the Essence of G-d which is being revealed, and this is what brings the actual atonement).
And it, the manifestation of the essential bond with G-d and the soul is seemingly higher than it being a day that is obligated in five prayers (which is the revelation of the essence of the G-dly soul into the particular levels of the soul in each of the five prayers).
This is, because the essence of the G-dly soul that is revealed in the particular levels of itself has an added quality, which through this is the atonement in the place/level which in it was first the defect and yet the essence of the G-dly soul is able to affect atonement in that place.
There is in this that the atonement is occurring in the level where there is the defect, a quality, an advantage compared to the level of the essence of the G-dly soul being revealed in its source alone. For though that in the categories of Na”Ran, the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama of the soul that are enclothed in the body and particularly in the category of Nefesh the lowest of them. (As they are due to themselves being enclothed into the body) it is associated with defects, nevertheless they become atoned due the revelation of the G-dly Essence even into them.
[And even more than this that there is atonement even in the levels of the soul were the defect occurred but, that the atonement that is due to the day itself, is in a mode that it is now revealed in the innermost levels of Na”Ran there was not in them in the Na”Ran any defect from the start as explained above]. For the essence of Na”Ran and the essence of Chai and Yechida are all the same essence, the G-dly Essence that is revealed into them.
And on the same path of understanding the novelty in this it is also in the concept of the atonement itself, that the principal novelty that is in atonement is in atonement that is upon sin in its literal sense. For the atonement upon the sins found in the righteous, as in the concept of “there is a whom that loves G-d”, the sin of feeling “self”, even when it is a “self” that loves G-d, when in reality only G-d exist and no feeling of self should exist at all and the like that compared to their level, the level of the righteous it is like the throwing off of the yoke of G-d. For any feeling of self indicates a lack of total nullification to Him and His true all-encompassing being. Yet since upon these sins of the righteous i.e. the feeling of self it is not associated to say upon it that they are the opposite of the will of the Holy one blessed is He.
[For this feeling of self-existence is due to the nature that was imbued by that the Holy one blessed is He. The created existence by its very nature and definition is that it feels itself to be. Thus this feeling of self is created by G-d and not a rebellious feeling going against G-d’s will.)
Therefore, the atonement that is upon this feeling of self is not that much of an innovation to say G-d forgives this. For, G-d made the creation with this feeling of self, and thus, it is not the "throwing off of the yoke of G-d” i.e. a rebellious act that needs to be atoned. And rather the main innovation in this is that G-d forgives and atones and (in effect) the quality in the concept of atonement is in the atonement from G-d upon sins as they are in its literal sense, i.e. a rebellious act against G-d and yet G-d is able and does forgive it.
For in this G-d’s atonement upon sins in the literal sense reveals the unlimited strength/power of the bond of Yisroel the Jewish People and the Holy one blessed is He. That also when they have done the opposite of the will of G-d in the literal sense through choosing to oppose G-d’s will nevertheless, (Through the return/repentance of the Jew and the atonement which G-d grants) they are desirable before Him the blessed one as if they had not ever sinned before.
And this is what the Sages of blessed memory said: “That in the place/level that the Ba'al Teshuva stands, it is not in the ability of the completely righteous to be able to stand in it, and there is to say, to explain that this saying, this teaching of the Sages does not leave its literal meaning, and the principle quality of the Ba'al Teshuva is in the Ba'al Teshuva in its literal sense. That it refers to one who actually sinned against G-d and repents. And it does not refer to the sins of the righteous, that are not sins in the literal sense.
And according to this it is understood what is brought by the Tzemach Tzedek (From the Sefer of Tami Hamitzvos to the Rabbi Chaim Vital the primary student of the Arizal) that this that the Arizal was accustomed to say the particular details of sin in the confessions though he was completely righteous and holy and did not sin in any way G-d forbid. This is because all Yisroel—the Jewish People are one body-unit, for seemingly it is possible to say that the confession of the Arizal was upon matters that are in the absolute refined level that were associated with him. That perhaps his confession was indeed for himself, said upon “sins” on his level and not for the sins of others.
[And as upon the same path as explained above in the concept of the created being feeling self, which for the righteous it is of the feeling that they are a “there is a one that loves” G-d. Thus perhaps, the confession of the Arizal was that he was “repenting” for the “sin” of feeling himself as self that loves G-d instead of absolute nullification]
And this which we explain that the confessions of the Arizal was (also) upon sin as they are in their literal sense; this is due to that all Yisroel the Jewish People are one body-unit and not due to his own “sin” on his level nor of him feeling himself. And indeed there is to say that according to this explanation that the Arizal’s confession was upon actual sins of the Jewish People is understood that the Arizal also had the quality of the Ba'al Teshuva in its literal sense. Hence, though the Arizal had no sins of his own, through his unity with all Jews he achieved the advantage of a Teshuva that comes after doing Teshuva for actual sins. The Teshuva which reveals the essential bond of the Jewish People and G-d, where no sin or separation is possible from the start.
