Chag HaSukkos/Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah/Parshas Bereishis 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Oct 16, 2024
- 3 min read
עולו אושפיזין עלאין קדישין עולו אבהן עלאין קדישין ... (סדר אושפיזין)
We are obligated to convert our דירת ארעי, the sukkah, into a דירת קבע, a permanent dwelling, for the duration of the Yom Tov. The Duke of Mannheim once asked R’ Tzvi Berlin zt”l the following query. Why do we have the children asking the proverbial "מה נשתנה" onפסח , when it would seem more logical while eating outside of our comfortable homes on Sukkos? Reb Tzvi replied, “For a Yid to live in a ‘not so ideal’ environment isn’t a chiddush. However, seated like royalty, acting as dignitaries as we do on Pesach is, for a Jew, a stranger phenomenon. Hence they ask מה נשתנה.”
In a similar vein we can understand another interesting difference. On Sukkos we invite the heilige Ushpizin to join us. Wouldn’t it perhaps be more befitting to invite them to our spacious dining room table, comfortable chairs, large seforim shrank etc... than to our small crowded makeshift Sukkah? The answer is that although a Jewish home is sacred and pure, it pales in comparison to the mesiras nefesh of a Sukkah - devoid of excess gashmius. That is the environment in which the Ushpizin ultimately feel more comfortable.
Our fervent hope is that the holy aura we enjoy and revel in during our week-long Sukkah experience should accompany us back into our homes. And this “home improvement” should allow the Ushpizin to dwell with us year-round. Through that, may we very soon be zoche to replace the Iron Dome with "הפורש סכת שלום עלינו ועל כל עמו ישראל ועל ירושלים".
ויאמר לא ידעתי השמר אחי אנכי ... (בראשית ד-ט)
In Parshas Bereishis we encounter the tragic episode of Hevel’s demise, as he was killed by Kayin. Hashem called out to Kayin asking him, “Where is Hevel, your brother?” He responded with the famous words when he said, "השומר אחי אנכי" - “Am I my brother’s watchman?”
In the Medrash we find an elaboration on Kayin’s response. He said, “Hashem, You are the watchman of the world. Why are you asking me? The watchman clearly didn’t do His job.” Hashem responded, “You have said nothing.” The meforshim explain that Hashem was saying, “I wasn’t questioning where he is as I, of course, know that you killed him. Second of all, that’s why I created the world; to give people the power of bechira, free choice. And you chose to make the wrong decision.”
Earlier in the parsha we recount the unfortunate transgression of eating from the עץ הדעת. Hashem comes to Adam Harishon who responds it wasn’t my fault - "האשה אשר נתתה היא נתנה לי". Had he owned up, the future of the entire universe may have been different!
Two different episodes with a shared flaw, that although we cannot begin to fathom their greatness, we can take from them a lesson for life. It’s called accountability. Not making excuses, but taking the blame for doing something wrong; accepting to change and fix it. There’s a cute anecdote that accentuates this point. A man bumped into a peddler and exclaimed “It’s you! You’re still selling excuses”? The peddler replied with a most profound line. “You don’t get rich selling excuses!”
So as we begin this new year, perhaps it would behoove us to commit to a year of accountability, acceptance and change. And maybe, hopefully, as we accept the fact that we aren’t perfect, Hashem too, will accept us as we are, and bring Moshiach even if we aren’t deserving.