The Dwellers Above With The Dwellers Below

On Yom Kippur, we say for every repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei the text of kedusha that is normally only recited in Mussaf of Shabbat and major holidays. An explanation that is frequently given for this is that on Yom Kippur, we, the people of Israel, are elevated to the level of malachim (angels). On the surface this stems from the fact that our core kedusha text comes from the songs of malachim that we learn from the nevi’im (prophets), and that by adding our song – the Shema – we are drawing a comparison between us and them. This assertion warrants further investigation and a deeper dive into the substance of these “competing” texts, the kedusha of the malachim and the kedusha of Israel.

Rav Kook, in his commentary on the siddur called Olat Reiya, reflects on the different versions of the introductory text recited by Ashkenazim and Sefardim before the Mussaf kedusha and on the unique text used for Mussaf on the High Holidays. Rav Kook explains that the malachim have a unique perspective on Hashem’s majesty, given their greater proximity (figuratively) to the source of His Emanation, but lacking in free will they are also not granted “permission” to praise Him until Israel has praised Him below. Thus the true understanding of the meaning of the praises of the malachim is concealed in the present state of our world – concealed from them, but also concealed from us. Yet we understand the limits of our understanding and recognize a great secret hidden in this message, which we vocalize in the introduction to the Mussaf Shemoneh Esrei.

In their introduction, the Ashkenazim always say “We will glorify and sanctify Him” (in the future), while the Sefardim say “They will give you a crown,” referring explicitly to the masses above (the malachim) and the groups below (minyanim of Jews). In this way we allude to the hidden meaning that is yet to be revealed and that we are reaching for in the Mussaf prayers of our greatest holidays; otherwise we content ourselves with the recitation of the kedusha of the malachim in its hiddenness, as a ritual we must perform so that the malachim can begin their choruses in the heavens above.

On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, however, the introduction to the Mussaf kedusha is more explicit, referencing the dwellers above and the dwellers below who together call out in triple triplets sanctifying that which is sanctified. Rav Kook emphasizes that in the present state of the world, all we can do is be sensible to the mystery without understanding it. Nevertheless, when we speak of this great mystery in Mussaf, we join our Shema with the kedusha of the malachim, as noted. This is an enhancement we are making, an elaboration of the point still not fully demonstrated but better developed than is possible for us except in these moments of our greatest joy and inspiration. On Yom Kippur this is all day long. At every moment on Yom Kippur, we feel that we are getting closer to understanding the hidden aspects of Hashem’s mastery of His universe, so that on each occasion when we recite kedusha we join the Shema to the songs of the malachim. But this still doesn’t explain what it is that has been discovered, what is being added.

The Vilna Gaon speaks at length of the kedusha of the malachim in his commentary on the siddur. He explains that the malachim don’t wait for Israel to finish our kedusha below out of respect for us but because they have no right to attest to the glory of Hashem until they hear our mouths doing it – as they have no awareness of any other possible state of affairs. In other words, they aren’t free to praise Hashem because they know nothing but the glory of Hashem so they can’t speak to an alternative. Nevertheless, when prompted by us to begin to sing His praises, the text they recite wonders about the origin of His Glory. Three times reciting that He is kadosh, separated from everything He created, and the world is full of His Glory. But the text we recite on Mussaf – and all day on Yom Kippur – proceeds to say that they ask where is the place of His Glory.

The Vilna Gaon explains that it is easy to perceive the greatness of Hashem in the world among its denizens, all of whom are doomed to die while only He endures – but it’s another matter entirely to understand His greatness in His celestial realms where time and death hold no dominion. For He is so far elevated above even His most majestic creations that they can only speak of His greatness below and wonder where He might reside above. This is the simple meaning of the second phrase of the kedusha of the malachim – “Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place.” Again, meaning “We the malachim are here, and He is…where?”

This is where our Shema comes in – to fill in the blanks, if only we or the malachim could understand its significance. This too, introduces another notable difference between the liturgy of Yom Kippur and of every other day of the year. Normally when we recite the phrase following the Shema – “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His majesty forever,” we do so silently. On Yom Kippur we pronounce these words out loud. Also, the expression translated here as “forever” literally means for the universe and on, because from an infinite perspective space and time are continuous, undifferentiated and absorbed into a greater unified whole. This is the unity we are striving towards on Yom Kippur and which the malachim are incapable of achieving, or even perceiving without us and our Shema.

This in turn raises the question of what is the Shema – what is its deeper meaning? This is a topic that we can only begin to scratch the surface of here. It bears mentioning in passing that the Arizal taught, based on a more ancient tradition, that the words of the three chapters of Shema correspond numerologically to three names of Hashem. The three names and the three paragraphs form a pattern that recalls the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashana. The two outside sections represent Divine mercy and they frame a section expressing Divine justice. If we look closely, we will see the same pattern repeated in the text of the first verse of Shema that is also recited in our kedusha alongside the praise of the malachim. There we see a triplet – three names of Hashem where the name representing mercy appears on either side of the name representing judgment. From this we are meant to learn a metaphysical truth, an insight into the mechanism by which Hashem governs our universe. Everything conforms to the Divine judgment, but it is also constrained and ruled over by His mercy.

This is a message particularly meaningful to us on Yom Kippur, especially in times such as these we are living through. The world is filled with His glory, but it is hidden even from His closest servants. It is only the denizens of this world who can behold the judgment and recognize the mercy and proclaim, “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His majesty!” May it be His will to let His judgment be ruled by His mercy and decree for us and all of Israel a year of emerging goodness that is without end.

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