The Thirteenth Gate

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In this week's parsha, Vayelech, it says that Moshe commanded the people of the tribe of Levi, who carry the Aron, "Take this Torah scroll and place it alongside the (tablets of the Ten Commandments that were in the) Ark of the Covenant." 

The Midrash tells us, that Moshe wrote Thirteen Torahs, one for each of the twelve tribes, and the thirteenth was to be put in to the Ark of the Covenant, that if an issue arises with any of the Torahs, they will be able to check the thirteenth, and clarify the issue. 

Parshas Vayelech is always read either on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, or between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Shaloh Hakadosh tells us that the parsha is connected to the time of year that it is read. That means that Vayelech is connected to Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the Ten Days of Teshuva. 

What does this idea of the thirteenth Torah have to do with the High Holidays? 

The twelve tribes each had a Torah of their own, this symbolized that every tribe, had their own path in Torah. That is why there are different customs in different areas, and one should follow the law according to the opinion of the Rabbi of his or her city, because both "These and these are the words of the Living G-d." This is because every one of our souls come down a certain path, and we connect through our path. 

This is also true when it comes to our personal relationship with Hashem, our love and fear of Him, every one of us our different. Each of us is at a different level and we have a unique way of connecting to Him. That is the way it is supposed to be. 

These differences are in the details, each community and person has different details that they highlight. However in the general aspects of Judaism we are all the same. 

This is expressed by the idea of a thirteenth Torah, there is a point where we are all the same and included in one Torah, which can never change. The deeper one delves into Torah, especially the esoteric, and into our neshamas essence, the more we are the same and those details become irrelevant. 

The same thing is taught about the different nusachs - prayer systems - they are based on the "thirteen times they would prostrate, which is for the thirteen gates in the third Temple." 

Every tribe has a gate from which to enter, and then there is the thirteenth, all inclusive gate, that everyone can enter. Now that most of us don't know which tribe we are from, we would all enter the thirteenth gate. The nusach that the Arizal made is all inclusive, it is the thirteenth gate, that all of us can go through. 

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the Alter Rebbe), was the first Rebbe of Chabad. Everything he did was to make things in a way that it will be all inclusive, that any Jewish person could do it that way and it would be good for his or her neshama. 

When the Alter Rebbe made the siddur that Chabad uses, he had sixty nusachs of the siddur in front of him to reference. He winnowed and sifted it out, until it was refined and good for every neshama. 

The same is true for the Shulchan Aruch that he wrote, known as the Shulchan Aruch Harav, and with the chasidus that he wrote, the Tanya and more. He didn't write it specifically for his chasidim, rather that it should be all inclusive, for any neshama. 

Now we can understand why the teaching of the thirteenth Torah, that Moshe had them put into the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies, is read this time of year. Everyone comes to shul this time of year, the most observant of the Jewish people to the least. It has to be a time of love and inclusiveness between the Jewish people, we don't have to focus on our differences, we have to look deeper into the essence of who we are, until we see that we are all the same, we all learn from the thirteenth Torah and enter the thirteenth gate. It is this love for each other that is the foundation and the starting point for everything we do this time of year. Because, how can we return to Hashem with teshuva, and how can we ask Hashem to grant us our needs, when we are at odds with his beloved children? 

Through our love for every neshama, we will come closer to Hashem, He will surely grant us all our needs, and we will certainly have a sweet year. 

If we act with love for one another, we will soon merit to enter the thirteenth gate, together with all of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and see the third and final Temple, with the coming of Moshiach. May he come soon.