Hoshana Raba-The Arava: Paying LIP Service

Hoshana Raba 5782: Paying forward with Tefilla

Torah Psych101

Dr. Jonathan M. Lasson

What is Hoshana Rabba all about? The rest of Sukkos we take all 4 species which we know all represent the different types of Jews. On Hoshana Raba we take the least significant of the four, which is the species that has no taste or smell (representative of someone who lacks Torah and good deeds)? Yet Hoshana Raba is supposed to be a final day of atonement? What is going on? Why do we take this seemingly insignificant Arava?

The Sfas Emes tells us that each of the four species represents a different part of the human body. The Aravah, represents the lips. When a Jew is feeling alienated and disenfranchised, he can fall to an all-time low. He feels like he has nothing to offer. However, when the going gets rough, the downtrodden start speaking. We hear many stories about people who were just not cut out for the academic rigor of Torah study or performance of Mitzvos. Instead, they see Torah and Mitzvos as a burden.

The Arava represents the lips which signify prayer. We tell our students and children that the gates of heaven never close for prayer, no matter what your state of mind is. You can speak to Hashem in whatever language you want. This is why we take the Arava by itself. It is in fact a day of atonement. Many people I speak with after Yom Kippur tell me that they feel no change as a result of the Yom Kippur services. I tell them to focus more on your spoken and unspoken words with Hashem through your lips. Sometimes your lips are open and sometimes they are closed. We are paying lip service at times to Hashem but it does count!

It has always intrigued me why we use the language of paying lip service to Hashem. What are we exactly paying for? Perhaps I have found my answer in this short vort. When we pay for something, we are sacrificing something and we never know how far that sacrifice extends. We never know the power of our prayers that we perform with our lips. Let us all reach out to Hashem on this final day where the gates are really closing up to our Teshuva and connect with Hashem through the power of Tefilla.