So what are we doing?
First we are showing G-d how much we rejoice in the infinite kindness of His providing us with water =Tractate Succah “Mee shelo ra’ah Simkhat Beit HaSho’eivah-lo ra’ah Simkha b’yamav”whosoever did not see the rejoicing at the ceremony of ‘The Drawing of the Water’did not understand the meaning of true joy.
But then we show G-d we don’t take the granting of Water for granted.For the supplication of Hosha’anot we employ the aravot, the willows that are all-dependent on the most basic need -water.
The willows also represent the most common denominator of humankind -that deep down we all share a basic humanity before we account for any ornamentation, whether it be our actions or connection to Torah.
On Hosha’ana Raba we are turning to G-d and beseeching “Master of the World, please please please, let me connect with You on the most elemental level, as an Aravah yid among Amcha Yisrael.Mat we all be privileged to make each other sweeter (Areivim)and be like the water where each drop makes space for the other drops.

On Succos now is the time to pour the water on the Mizbeach , we are ready to transform ourselves into a Mizbeach where a strong Esh Tamid (our desire for dveykus) is burning and on which the Water, the Shefa of Bracha will be evaporated and send a Reach Nichoach l’Hashem.

The Fire needs to be strong enough so that it doesn’t become extinguish by the water.
Therefore we need trumendous Joy which makes the heat of the fire become non-extinguishable.
This is maybe the teachings we can grasp from this spiritual practice, to remind ourselves that to be a Keli for intense blessing ,one needs to be intensly active and ready to receive with strength.

This way we can experience SHAMAYIM = ESH+MAYIM, we are reuniting the lower waters to it’s source.
We reunite the fire in our heart,and the water/chesed we receive in this world to the intense fire in heaven,the Torah, which is also described as water and fire.

And indeed this is maybe what Simcha Torah is: a dance with the tool that provide us with Fire and Water, the tool that bring us back to Shamayim, to the Source of all blessing, to Hashem (a burning fire)…

And as My Rebbe taught me, the Love and Awe of Hashem is not a Love or Awe that I know, it’s not from this world, it is much more intense.
How do I know I will be able to handle it ?!
It’s a gift, just like the Torah, the Torah was our first gift and it enable us to experience the unknown (gifts)without too much fear…
Hopefully after dancing and becoming one with the Torah, I will have the courage to say : Hashem ! I am ready ! pour it into me !

On the Hoshanah Rabbah video, Reb Shlomo ztllh’h can be seen & heard as follows:

1. Sometimes we don’t have the vessels to receive the blessings G-d wishes to bestow upon us, so what does G-d do? On Hoshanah Rabbah the Master of the Universe gives us the five aravot – five extra fingers – as an extra hand with which to receive them.

2. As Reb Moshe explained, Reb Shlomo succinctly states: “The way you bring the Aravot from above down to earth indicates the way you wish to receive your blessings from G-d in during the year.” i.e., the two are mystically connected: do you want the blessings to smash down on you from Heaven?

Personally I follow the example of a former neighbor, a Ba’alat Teshuvah and extraordinary woman & mother. I’ll never forget how she held the aravot and let them ascend, slowly, slowly, up to the highest she could reach… and then, she let her arm holding the aravot float down to the ground and *caressed* the ground as a mother caresses a newborn baby, so tenderly, so lovingly, each of the five times. I’ll never forget the chill I felt and the overwhelming emotion that washes over me to this day at the memory. I had brought her the aravot to perform the ceremony, but she became my teacher when she demonstrated Reb Shlomo’s teaching par excellence.

We are actually bringing the aravot from on high down and striking the Earth. Do you know how much chessed the Earth is doing? It let’s all of creation step on it, walk all over.

What are we actually doing when we bring the aravot arcing downwards from the Heavens and touching the ground? We are bringing down all the abundance that G-d has in store for us and transferring it, as you will,from the Heavens to the Earth below.

That being the case why would you smash your conducting wand?

R’Shlomo instructed us to raise the aravot to our greatest reach and then to bring them down LIGHTLY and tap the ground GENTLY with the aravot, so as to bring the ’shefa’ – the abundance, down, in as gentle a manner as possible.