Chag HaSukkos/Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah/Parshas Bereishis 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Oct 16, 2024
- 3 min read
ולא יכלו הכהנים לעמד לשרת מפני הענן כי מלא כבוד ה' את בית ה' ... (מלכים א ח-יא) - הפטרה ליום שני של סוכות
On the second day of Sukkos, the Haftorah depicts the great Sukkos celebration during the times of Shlomo HaMelech. The Navi tells us: “And the Kohanim were not able to remain and perform the service because of the cloud - for the presence of Hashem filled the House of G-D.” Interestingly, Chazal question this and say that the kohanim were always performing the service with the Almighty present; why now were they unable to do the avodah?
The Biala Rebbe, R’ Menachem Mendel Landau zt”l explains that a Yid must always strive to raise his standards to new levels. When one is on a high spiritual plane, he may “get accustomed” and wish to stay there out of comfort. However, he must realize that he must continue to strive for higher standards. Prior to the Bais Hamikdash being built, there was a permeated feeling of kedusha in the very land of Eretz Yisroel. During construction, the level escalated, and the very walls became infused with a superior level of kedusha, holiness - which was felt even by the builders. Upon completion, the level of holiness escalated exponentially, and it took a bit of time for the kohanim themselves to adjust to the new level of holiness. At this moment in time, when Shlomo HaMelech was celebrating the new building and welcoming Hashem into His new home, the level of kedusha peaked and even the kohanim were unable to withstand it. However, as time wore on, the kohanim, slowly but surely, began to adjust to the heightened level of holiness and were thus able to perform the avodah correctly and properly.
The trick says the Biala Rebbe is to never remain on one level, for as we climb the ladder of holiness, our tolerance grows, and our standards are raised, thereby bringing us to levels of kedusha and tahara considered out of reach before. This is part of the avodah of the Yom Tov of Sukkos.
משה עבדי מת ועתה קום עבר את הירדן הזה ... (יהושע א-ב - הפטרה לשמחת תורה)
In the beginning of Sefer Yehoshua, Hashem instructs Yehoshua Bin Nun saying; “My servant Moshe has died. Prepare to cross the Yarden, together with the nation ...” While context is important, the very posuk before tells us that this message from Hashem came after the death of Moshe Rabbeinu. So, why does Hashem deem it necessary to tell Yehoshua that Moshe Rabbeinu had passed?
Chazal tell us how the very purpose of Hashem creating the world was so that the Jewish people would learn Torah. Based on this, Chazal say that the survival of the holy Torah is paramount. As such, the concept of a “mesorah” becomes extremely important and must be passed down from generation to generation in order to preserve the Torah in all its intricacies and minute detail.
Thus, we can safely say that even though the Navi informed us that Moshe Rabbeinu had passed, Hashem deemed it extremely necessary to implicitly inform Yehoshua that Moshe had passed, stressing the importance of his connection to Moshe Rabbeinu as an anchor for Klal Yisroel’s new leg in their long journey through history. May we all cling to our mesoros, for that is how Klal Yisroel maintains their link to previous generations all the way back to Moshe at Har Sinai.