Aseres Yemei Teshuva Questions

Questions on the Aseres Yemei Teshuva:

1. What are the Aseres Yemei Teshuva?
2. How can Rosh Hashana be counted as one of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva if we do not ask forgiveness like we do on all the other days?
3. We are told that there are forty days of Yimei Rotzoin from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur. How then are the Aseres Yemei Teshuva different to these other days?
4. What is the significance of them being for ten days?
5. Why do we change references in tefilla to Hamelech during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva?
6. In halacha we are told to be extra stringent in mitzvos during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. What is the point of being extra careful during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva knowing full well that after they have passed we might very well revert back to our previous lenient levels?
7. Why is the example of the stringency to do during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva is the bread of a non-Jewish baker chosen?
8. During these days is Tzom Gedalia. How does this fit in with the nature of the days of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva?
9. If the judgement is already decided on Rosh Hashana why then the need for addition days of teshuva?
10. These ten days are split into three and seven. Three being the two days of Rosh Hashana and the day of Yom Kippur, and seven being the rest. What is the significance of this?
11. Why have the Aseres Yemei Teshuva during this time of year?
12. Why do we add a kapital of Tehilim in davening before Yishtabach during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva?
13. Are all the ten days of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva the same spiritual level for teshuva?

Ideas for answers on the Aseres Yemei Teshuva:

1. The Aseres Yemei Teshuva means the ten days of repentance. They start from Rosh Hashana on the first of Tishrei and end with Yom Kippur on the tenth of Tishrei. They are a special time when teshuva is more readily accepted. This is why we say selichos and focus on additions to the davening in order to arouse us to repent during this time.
3. Perhaps in order to understand this we must address the question we posed when discussing the month of Elul. Why do the ימי רצון do – do they bring a person higher and closer to Hashem; or do they bring Hashem closer down to man; or do they remove the barriers that are usually blocking contact between us and Hashem? We can see from here that there are different levels of closeness possible. The first is to remove barriers, the second is to bring one closer to the other and here is it possible in either Hashem coming closer or the Jew comes closer. I would suggest that the Yemei Rotzoin of the month of Elul is certainly the first stage of removing the natural barriers to teshuva that exist and therefore this assists a person doing teshuva. In addition, there is also possible a person to come close to Hashem. This is seen in the allusion to the month of Elul – אלול ר”ת א’ני ל’דודי ו’דודי ל’י. The first stage mentioned here is for the person to draw close to Hashem and then in response Hashem will come close. The emphasis here is the person to do the first action. The Gemora in Rosh Hashana 18a brings that during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva – דרשו ה’ בהמצאו. This is where Hashem comes close to a person first. This makes it much easier for the person to now to teshuva that will be accepted.
5. The Gemora in Rosh Hashana 18a brings that during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva – דרשו ה’ בהמצאו. This means that Hashem comes down to be closer to a person and is more open to being revealed as King over the world. This is why we mention about HaMelech. We are also our recognition that Hashem is the real King of the world and we are expressing this desire for Moshiach and for the whole world to also recognise Hashem as King.
6. We mentioned when discussing Rosh Hashana that the judgement is on a person now if he is willing and fitting to be a servant to carry out the will of his Creator. Whenever someone starts something new it is usually with eagerness and they work extra, beyond the minimal requirement. Perhaps this is the idea here. Of course, these stringencies will not necessarily last. However, the doing of them shows a commitment by a person to try and be better. As to why only do them during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva this is because this is when Hashem is close to us. This also provides another explanation. We understand that a person acts differently when in the presence of the king and when he is not. During the Aseres Yemei Teshuva we are in the presence of the King and therefore out behaviour must be done with stringencies to show our awareness of this.
8. We mentioned when discussing the Fast of Gedalia the significance of it falling during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. Before Yom Kippur is a time for unity and forgiveness between man and his fellow since this is not forgiven on Yom Kippur. What happened on Tzom Gedalia was when the opposite of this happened with catastrophic consequences. Instead of unity, a fellow Jew killed Gedalia resulting in the Jews leaving Eretz Yisroel and spread out to different countries. This is a true reason to mourn and take a lesson from this during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva.
9. Even the judgement has taken place on Rosh Hashana, this is for tzadikim and reshoyim. However, the beinonim, their judgement is delayed until Yom Kippur. Because we do not necessarily know which category we fall in, therefore we act like the average middle category of Beinonim and enact the Aseres Yemei Teshuva in the hope of turning things to our advantage.
10. The Yaros Devash says that the seven days of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva that are not Yomim Toiyvim represent the new seven days of a week in the new year when we can do good things and rectify all the days of the week of the previous year. Perhaps it is reasonable to assume that this is for Beinonim. However, for the other people these days of the week come to set a precedent for emulating this goodness throughout all the other weeks of the new year.
11. The Aseres Yemei Teshuva are specifically during the beginning of the month of Elul since this is when man was created. Each year, we are like new creations and therefore we can rectify and properly fulfil what Hashen wants from man. Thus, these days are designated as the Aseres Yemei Teshuva to express this special time.

Chakires for the Aseres Yemei Teshuva:

• The Aseres Yemei Teshuva is a time for Beynonim to repent. Is it that their judgement has not yet happened and is postponed until Yom Kippur or is that their decree has been written only that they have been granted ten days to still change and tear up and rewrite a good decree?
• Are the Aseres Yemei Teshuva a preparation for Yom Kippur or are they a time to change and rectify a decree that was written on Rosh Hashana – is it to change the past or prepare for the future?