The Secret of the Sealing of the Tzaddikim on Rosh Hashanah and the Fate of the Nation

Class No. 497 | Tuesday, Parashas Nitzavim-Vayeilech, 19 Elul 5766 - General Class Part 2

According to the teachings of Kabbalah, completely righteous individuals (tzaddikim gemurim) are sealed for life already on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. However, the Rav explains why this sealing does not protect them from suffering when the simple people are in distress, as reflected in the tribulations of the Torah leaders of Israel during the Holocaust.

According to what is explained in Shaar HaKavanos, three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah: one for the completely righteous, one for the completely wicked, and one for the intermediate individuals. From this, we learn that there is already a sealing on Rosh Hashanah. Therefore, we must ask: "May you be remembered, written, and sealed in the book of true tzaddikim."

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says that he already transfers (to a good judgment) those who come to him in Uman on the first night of Rosh Hashanah. All the true tzaddikim—the Baal Shem Tov, the holy Arizal, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai—already complete the tikkun (rectification) of their followers on Rosh Hashanah. Whoever belongs to Rashbi and learns the Zohar, Rashbi transfers him; whoever learns Eitz Chaim, the Arizal transfers him; and whoever learns Likutey Moharan, the Rebbe transfers him.

The Three Times of Sealing

"For there are three times when a person is judged: on Rosh Hashanah, at the Ne'ilah (closing) prayer of Yom Kippur, and on the night of Hoshana Rabbah."

The intermediate individuals are written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed on Yom Kippur, which is why on Rosh Hashanah we say "write us for life," and during Ne'ilah we say "seal us for life." The third and final seal, in which even the completely wicked are sealed, is given on Hoshana Rabbah. However, the completely righteous are sealed for life already on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, even though it is a day of "Dina Kashya" (harsh judgment) on which it is forbidden to speak mundane talk.

However, a tremendous principle is revealed here: As long as the simple people are not sealed for a good life, the sealing of the tzaddikim does not help them escape the distress of the collective. If, Heaven forbid, there is a decree upon the nation, such as a war or a Holocaust, even the true tzaddikim will be forced to suffer and flee along with everyone else.

The Tribulations of the Tzaddikim in the Years of Wrath

We saw this tangibly during the Holocaust. Awesome tzaddikim and giants of the world, such as the Imrei Emes of Ger, the Amshinover Rebbe, and the Tchebiner Rav, endured terrible tribulations. They were forced to flee, traveling for long weeks on trains and rickety ships where the water reached the deck, until they arrived in Shanghai. There, they lived in unbearably harsh conditions, in 45-degree (Celsius) heat, literally like inside an oven, without proper clothing and lacking basic necessities.

It is told that when the war broke out, the Amshinover Rebbe and the Tchebiner Rav were staying in the resort town of Ostrovtza. This was exactly on Rosh Hashanah of the year 5700 (1939). On that very day, they made a decision that they had to flee immediately. The Amshinover Rebbe met the Tchebiner Rav and asked him: "Tell me, have you already blown the shofar?" The Tchebiner Rav answered him: "I blew the shofar immediately at dawn! I am not waiting for a miracle. I have already finished the Shacharis prayer, I am going to say Mussaf, and I am starting to flee." And indeed, each of them fled on his own path—the Amshinover managed to reach Shanghai, and the Tchebiner reached Siberia and Tashkent.

Fleeing with the Gemara

During World War I as well, tzaddikim like Reb Chaim of Brisk were forced to flee from city to city for four years. Reb Chaim was shining like the sun; he never looked at newspapers at all and did not know where the Germans were. Nothing of worldly matters interested him; he only knew that they needed to flee, and he continued walking with his Gemara.

The conclusion that arises from this is clear: If there is no seal for the simple people, the seal of the tzaddikim will not help. True, the tzaddikim will survive the war and remain alive, but these are not lives of tranquility; rather, they are lives of wandering, fleeing, and suffering in the forests and streets. Therefore, the main spiritual work on Rosh Hashanah is to beg for mercy that all of the Jewish people, down to the very last of the simple people, will be sealed for a good life and for peace.

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