Description: Maamar Hachochmah 03
Maamar Hachochmah
03
The Ramchal continues to explain the tefillah of V’chein Tain Pachdechah. As we explained, everything good in this world and everything bad, depends on the level of giluy – how much Hashem reveals Himself, and hester, how much Hashem hides Himself. If Hashem’s presence is revealed, there is hashra’as ha’shechinah and then Klal Yisrael is powerful and rules over the world, and isn’t subservient to the nations. But if Hashem hides His presence, then the opposite occurs.
On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem as the Master of the World, relates to the world in His aspect of King, and therefore it is the opportune time to daven that He should totally reveal Himself and His rule should reign over the whole world. This will bring the world to its ultimate perfection, tikkun hagumur. This is the basis of the tefillah of v’chain tain pachdechah. It begins, during Chazaras Hashatz, with the Chazzan saying, u’vchein yiskadesh shimechah, meaning that Hashem’s presence and His rule should be known in the world and be revealed, and how will that happen? Through strengthening Klal Yisrael, and they demonstrating Hashem’s reign, and therefore it continues, ‘al Yisrael amechah.’
Sefer Biurei Chochmah explains, that the concept that Hashem relates to the world as King during Rosh Hashanah has a few layers to it. First, Rosh Hashanah was the day that Adam Harishon was created. The world began on the 25th of Elul, and on Rosh Hashanah Adam was formed. Until that day, there was no being in this physical world who had a neshamah who could appreciate and acknowledge Hashem’s greatness, and accept His rule as God. When Adam was created, he opened his eyes and perceived a perfect world, and was overcome with wonder and awe, and he said the pasuk which we say in Malchiyos: Hashem Malach Gai’us lavaish. It was only at that point that Hashem became a king, as the seforim explain, ‘ain melech bi’lo am,’ a king by definition is one who rules over people that accept him as king, and without a nation, you can’t be referred to as a king. Likewise, Hashem doesn’t receive anything chas vi’shalom from us, and He doesn’t need anything, but the title of king is only because mankind accepts Hashem as God. Thus, on Rosh Hashanah, Hashem became King for the first time.
Every year, through our avodah, and Klal Yisrael acknowledging and accepting Hashem as king, that aspect of Hashem’s relationship with the world is strengthened. As the Ramchal explains in Derech Hashem, a part we haven’t learned yet, the time of year when a certain light was introduced and revealed in the world, such as the power of cheirus on Pesach, is the time when that light is once again strengthened and revealed some more, each year, depending on how much we put into it.


During this time of year, when the reign of Hashem is reintroduced into the world, if we don’t accept it upon ourselves, and don’t prepare ourselves to crown Hashem as king, we would be effectively rejecting Hashem chas vi’shalom! The Meiri writes that it is imperative that everyone start thinking and have some hisori’rus of teshuvah during these days, for that reason.