Chag HaSukkos/Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah/Parshas Bereishis 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Oct 16, 2024
- 3 min read
בסכות תשבו שבעת ימים - כל שבעת ימים צא מדירת קבע ושב בדירת עראי .... (סוכה ב.)
One of the most important messages from Chag HaSukkos is appreciation! We leave our comfortable and pleasant residences and move into our small makeshift homes for one week. Why? So that we may realize just how much we have and how thankful we must be for the bounty in our lives that we take for granted. R’ Avraham Hakohen Pam zt”l provides an extraordinary explanation for the permanent dwelling and the temporary dwelling. He says that the permanent dwelling of a person is his own thoughts which primarily revolve around himself. The temporary dwelling of a person is his thoughts about others. He visits that “place” from time to time but usually he is focused on his own needs.
The physical manifestation of the mitzvah of sukkah - to move into your temporary dwelling place and remain there for a full seven days - is equal to the spiritual comprehension of sukkah - to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about others! This is one of the ways to truly achieve the goal of Yom Tov: "ושמחת בחגך והיית אך שמח". One of the greatest ways to achieve real simcha in this world is by thinking about other people rather than thinking only about yourself!
There is a famous chazal that tells us: "בשבילי נברא העולם" - “The world was created for me.” This quote is often misinterpreted. It does not mean that the whole world was created just for ME and the world owes ME and should treat ME a certain way. That is the selfish interpretation. The selfless interpretation is that the whole world was created for me to make the world a better place! I was given unique talents and abilities that I must use to help others!
R’ Yissachar Frand shlit’a has a term he uses for the singleminded servicing of the self: I-DOLATRY! When life is all about the I. One of the main causes for depression is when people take themselves too seriously. When people are overly concerned about their honor, their money, their feelings and needs, they can never truly be happy. There is always going to be someone who steps on their toes. But if a person realizes that “it’s not about me - it’s about us,” then their proverbial “toes” - their needs, feelings and honor will not get easily stepped on, since they put others before themselves.
These are the KAVANOS (intentions) we must have as we hold the Arba Minim each day of Sukkos in our hands. They represent all types of Jews. There are the “Esrog Jews” who have a good taste and a good smell - the righteous Jews who contain both Torah and good deeds. But there are also the “Arava Jews” who have no taste and no smell. These people have no Torah and no good deeds. Then there are “Lulav Jews” and “Hadassim Jews” who represent all the various Jews in between.
On Sukkos, we hold all these Jews together and raise them up in the air, because all Jews are special and only with unity and love for one another, can we truly bring nachas to Hashem, and simcha to ourselves.
Just as the name of Hashem is made up of two yuds together, may the combined efforts of all Jews to tolerate, accept and truly love each other make this a special and unique time when we truly feel the Name of Hashem smiling down on His beloved children.
The sukkah also represents humility and the need for a person to be yielding and מוותר in the way he deals with others. From the halachic requirements of the sukkah, we can learn out the meaning of the sukkah. לכתחילה, one should have four walls. However, if he can’t manage that, it’s okay, no problem, three walls are okay too! And if he is unable to build three walls, that too, is not a problem! Even two walls and a tefach (handbreadth) is still kosher. It’s all about flexibility and compromise. As the Vilna Gaon zt”l famously writes, the "ס" of the word "סכה" represents all four walls. The "כ" comes second for this alludes to three walls. And the "ה" symbolizes the two walls and a piece!
May we take these lessons of thinking about others, of compromise and ותרנית, to heart and may the joy of this beautiful Yom Tov spill over into our entire lives.