Volume One • Letter 14

A good final sealing [גמר חתימה טובה — "a good final sealing." The greeting of the Ten Days of Teshuvah between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: on Rosh Hashana one is inscribed in the Book of Life, and on Yom Kippur the inscription is finally sealed and confirmed. The greeting during this period asks specifically for a good final sealing of the judgment. גמר = completion, finalization — the same root as in "Gmar Chatimah Tovah."] and a good and sweet new year and all good things, forever — to his honor, my beloved, my dear, the honored and the exalted — the veteran and the pious — who yearns for the service of Hashem in truth — his honor, his splendor, and his glory, our master our teacher our Rabbi [כמוהר"ר = כבוד מורינו הרב רבי — "the honor of our master, our teacher, our Rabbi." A full and elaborate honorific: kavod (honor / dignity) + morenu (our master / our teacher) + harav (the Rabbi) + Rabbi. More complete than the מ' הר' of Letter 12 — the fullest form of the salutatory honorific in the correspondence so far.] Avraham Yakovitch, may his light shine, may he live long, may G-d protect him — and his precious wife, who is modest and fears sin, may she live — [הצוה"ח שתחי' = הצנועה היראת חטא שתחי' — "the modest one who fears sin, may she live." An honorific for a respected woman: tzanua (modest / refined) + yir'as chet (one who fears sin / scrupulously morally cautious). שתחי' = שתחיה = "may she live." The first time the recipient's wife receives her own blessing directly in the salutation.] and all his household, may they live. [וכב"ב שיחיו = וכל בני ביתו שיחיו — "and all his household, may they live." The standard family blessing-abbreviation: kol bnei beiso (all the members of his house) + sheyichyu (may they live).]

After inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love — [אחדשה"ט באה"ר = אחר דרישת שלומכם הטוב באהבה רבה — "after inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love." The full standard opening formula compressed into two abbreviations: achar drishas shlomchem hatov (after inquiring after your precious wellbeing) + b'ahavah rabbah (with great love). Both are standard components of the formal opening that have appeared in various forms throughout the letters.] as for our own wellbeing — thanks be to Hashem. I have indeed received his letter from the eve of the holy Shabbos [מעש"ק = מערב שבת קודש — "from the eve of the holy Shabbos." The standard abbreviation for erev Shabbos kodesh — the Friday before Shabbos. The letter from the recipient arrived on the Friday of Parshas Teitzei week — just before Rosh Hashana, which falls shortly after Parshas Teitzei is read in late Elul.] of [Parshas] Teitzei together with 24 dollars — and many thanks to you. May Hashem give you life just as you have given us life — and may you be blessed with all the blessings written in the Torah. So may it be His will. Amen.

Teaching on the Ten Days of Teshuvah — from the Writings of the Arizal Now are the Ten Days of Teshuvah [עשי"ת = עשרת ימי תשובה — "the Ten Days of Teshuvah." The ten days from Rosh Hashana (1 Tishrei) through Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei) — the most intense period of teshuvah in the Jewish calendar. The abbreviation appears three times in this letter.] — which can rectify the entire year — and even all the years. As explained in the writings of the Arizal: that on each day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah — one can rectify all the corresponding days of all the years. That is: for example — on the first day of the week within the Ten Days of Teshuvah — one can rectify all the first days of the week of all the years. And on the second day of the week within the Ten Days of Teshuvah — one can rectify all the second days of the week of all the years. And so for every day of the week. [The Arizal's teaching: each of the ten days contains the rectifying power for the corresponding day of every week of every year. Sunday within the Ten Days = every Sunday of all years; Monday = every Monday; and so on. Since the ten days span from Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur and cover all seven days of the week at least once (and some twice, depending on which day Rosh Hashana falls), together they encompass rectifying power for the entire temporal year. Through teshuvah during these ten days, a person can address the spiritual arrears of a lifetime.] It thus emerges that through the Ten Days of Teshuvah — one can rectify all the days of all the years — through teshuvah, and so on.

Teaching on Yom Kippur — The Ten Confessions and the Seven Beggars And on Yom Kippur — which includes all the days of the year — as it is written: "Days were formed — and His is the one among them" [Psalms 139:16. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 29:8) expounds: "days were formed" — all the days of the year were made; "and to Him is the one among them" (ולו א' בהם) — this unique day belongs to Him, to G-d alone — this is Yom Kippur. The aleph (א') signals the one singular day that encompasses and is set apart as wholly G-d's.] — this is Yom Kippur, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. And one must confess ten confessions in the five prayers. [עשרה וידויים בחמשה התפילות — "ten confessions in the five prayers." On Yom Kippur there are five prayer services: Ma'ariv (evening), Shacharit (morning), Musaf (additional), Minchah (afternoon), and Neilah (closing). The confession (vidui) is recited twice per service — once in the silent Amidah and once in the cantor's repetition — yielding exactly ten confessions across the day.] [Once [פ"א = פעם אחת — "one time / once." The standard abbreviation for pa'am achas.] in the whispered prayer of the Shemoneh Esrei, [שמ"ע = שמונה עשרה — "Shemoneh Esrei" — literally "eighteen" — the eighteen (now nineteen) blessings of the Amidah prayer. The central standing prayer of every Jewish service, recited in silence. On Yom Kippur, the Vidui (confession) is inserted into the Amidah at the blessing of Slach Lanu ("Forgive us").] and a second time together with the prayer leader [הש"צ = השליח ציבור — "the emissary / representative of the congregation." The prayer leader — the cantor — who repeats the Amidah aloud on behalf of the congregation. Shaliach (emissary) + tzibur (congregation/public): the person appointed to carry the congregation's prayers before G-d. After everyone recites the silent Amidah, the shaliach tzibur repeats it aloud so that those who cannot pray themselves can fulfill their obligation by listening.] who repeats the prayer aloud — with striking upon the chest.] To extract all ten types of arrows that were shot at the Shechinah and the Jewish soul through the sins of the entire year. See in Sipurey Ma'asiyos — the Seven Beggars — from the story of the Sixth Day — regarding the ten types of musical instruments through which one heals the King's Daughter — [who is the Jewish soul specifically and the Community of Israel [כנס"י = כנסת ישראל — "the Community / Assembly of Israel." The collective entity of the entire Jewish people — also identified in Kabbalah with the Shechinah in her aspect as the divine bride, the communal soul of Israel. The King's Daughter in the story represents both the individual Jewish soul (nefesh hayisraelit) and the collective Community of Israel as a whole.] generally] — from the illness of the ten types of arrows.

Shmuel Horwitz

Teaching on Sukkos — Encompassing Kindnesses and the Four Species And afterward — Sukkos — the encompassing kindnesses. For from Yom Kippur [מיו"כ = מיום כיפור — "from Yom Kippur." The standard abbreviation for Yom Kippur: yud-kuf = Yom Kippur.] until Sukkos — these are plain, simple kindnesses. [חסדים סתם — "plain / simple / undifferentiated kindnesses." Stam (סתם) means plain, ordinary, unspecified — not a particular elevated type. The kindnesses that flow from Yom Kippur's atonement to the eve of Sukkos are genuine chesed — divine goodness freely given — but they are the straightforward, accessible type: divine good-will that enters and is contained within ordinary human experience. They are not yet the encompassing, transcendent kindnesses of Sukkos itself.] And Sukkos is the encompassing kindnesses — in the aspect of the Sukkah: the holy spirit, great wisdom and attainments above the mind — which cannot enter the mind. And the lulav and esrog and all the four species — they are kindnesses that restore the Divine Presence and rectify it. And therefore Tishrei is called "the month of the mighty ones — mighty in commandments." And the four species is the commandment that raises the Shechinah — which is in the aspect of the letter dalet — to the light of the face [לאור הפנים — "to the light of the face / the facial light." Ohr happanim — the innermost, most intimate divine light — the direct light of the divine "face" (panim — also meaning "inner"). This is the highest light the Shechinah can receive: the direct, face-to-face illumination from the divine presence itself. The four species, by raising the Shechinah from the aspect of dalet (the fourth letter, associated with poverty and lack) toward this light, complete the process of rectification that Yom Kippur began.] — which is the Sukkah — the mother who overspreads her children of Hashem. [אימא דמסככת על בנין — Aramaic: "the mother who spreads her covering / her shade over her children." The Sukkah is identified with Binah (Understanding) — the supernal mother (Imma Ila'ah) — who spreads her wings of encompassing lovingkindness over her children Israel, like a bird covering her young. The root סכך (to cover / to spread shade) is the same root as סוכה (Sukkah) — the covering structure. Sitting within the Sukkah is being enveloped in the divine mother's embrace.] May Hashem grant us merit to observe the commandments with great joy — for that is the essential thing — and with ardor and divine vitality. So may it be His will. Amen. His friend who seeks his wellbeing [דו"ש = דורש ומבקש שלומו — "who seeks and requests his wellbeing." A shorter sign-off abbreviation than the דושה"ט (doresh shlomam b'tamidus = who constantly seeks their wellbeing) used in earlier letters. Here: doresh u'mevakesh shlomo — who actively seeks and requests his wellbeing.] — and wishes him a good final sealing and a good and sweet new year — a year of truly serving Hashem — that we should merit what one must merit in each and every year. So may it be His will. Amen. Shmuel Horovitz Postscript — From Miron Because of the busyness of the time I am cutting this short. And I am praying here at the holy grave on his behalf and on behalf of his household, may they live. And I will remain here, with G-d's help, until after the festival — and will return, with G-d's help, to Jerusalem, the holy city. [עיה"ק = עיר הקודש — "the holy city." The standard abbreviation for Jerusalem as the holy city: ir hakodesh. The author is at Miron in the Galilee and will return to his home in Jerusalem after Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah — another two to three weeks from the time of writing.]