The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do not Reply this message! Please send messages to kehilasmy@yahoo.com Cortesy of [ http://www.partnersintorah.org ] Partners-in-Torah Parsha Partner^(TM) Sukkos Sukkos Perspectives By Ozer Alport "You shall take for yourselves on the first day (of Sukkos) the fruit of a citron tree, the branches of date palms, twigs of a plaited tree, and brook willows, and you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d for a seven-day period." (Leviticus 23:40) During the Holiday of Sukkos, there is a special mitzvah to shake the four species: esrog (fruit of the citron tree), lulav (branches of date palms), hadas (leaves of the myrtle branch), and aravah (leaves of the willow branch). The Talmud rules that the four species may not be taken on Shabbos. The Rabbis made this enactment due to a fear that a Jew may be unfamiliar with the proper way to shake the four species. To learn how to do so, he may carry them to the house of a knowledgeable Rabbi, in the process violating the prohibition against carrying in the public domain on Shabbos. Although this would indeed be a tragedy, why did our Sages see fit to deny tens of thousands of people this tremendous mitzvah simply because a few Jews may unintentionally carry them to a Rabbi to learn how to shake them? The Medrash notes that while the citron has both a good taste and a pleasant smell, and the date palms and myrtle branch each have one of these good qualities, the leaves of the willow branch which we are commanded to take together with them has neither taste nor smell. Each of the species represents a different kind of Jew: some have both Torah and good deeds, some have one but not the other, and sadly there are Jews like the aravah who have neither. In a beautiful lesson about the importance of unity among the Jewish nation, Hashem says that they should all be taken together in order that they may atone for one another. The impending arrival of Sukkos is heralded by streets full of Jews purchasing the four species. Certainly when Sukkos arrives, everybody will be excited to bring his beautiful esrog and lulav to the synagogue to perform the mitzvah with great fervor. When the normal time for the taking of the species arrives on Shabbos but none are in sight, people will become curious about the omission. Upon asking, they will be told that it is because of the aforementioned fear of another Jew accidentally carrying them outside. The questioner will wonder which uneducated Jew we could possibly be concerned about, as anybody who grew up with a proper education will know how to shake the species and will certainly know that they may not be carried outside on Shabbos for any reason. The answer will be that we arent worried that a Jew in Jerusalem or Gateshead or Brooklyn would do such a thing, but there are Jews in Kansas City who may inadvertently transgress. The questioner will press on, challenging why the tens of thousands of learned Jews of Bnei Brak and London must lose out because of a few uneducated Jews in the Midwest? However, from the fact that the Rabbis nevertheless made this decree, we see that they understood that there is more to mitzvos than just looking after oneself to do them properly. As much as we think Hashem will be happy if we do what we are supposed to, we forget that He doesnt look at us as individuals but as part of the collective Jewish nation. If some of His children do His will with the greatest precision while a much larger group may not, due to lack of knowledge, the overall picture from His perspective is grim. The Sages appreciated that as much as Hashem would enjoy the taking of the four species by those who know how to do so, the pain caused by those who may accidentally transgress is so great that it outweighs the pleasure He would receive. Upon understanding this, the questioner will be left with a new appreciation of the sense of responsibility which we are required to feel toward our Jewish brethren. Hopefully, this new recognition will inspire him to a newfound commitment to reach out, educate, and draw near those uneducated and less fortunate Jews in a manner which taking the four species could never have accomplished! ------------------------------------------------ Sukkosh Talk Just Be Glad Dear Rabbi Meisels, In the Amidah prayer of Succos, there is a special paragraph in which we highlight the fact that G-d gave us the holiday. The term used in that prayer to describe the holiday of Succos is "Zman Simchaseinu," which I believe means, "a time of our rejoicing." I had always thought that there is a mitzvah to be joyful on all of the holidays. Why is Succos singled out as a special time of joy? Will M . Dear Will, You are certainly correct that there is a special mitzvah to be joyful on every Yom Tov, but there is an additional obligation to promote and experience joy and happiness on an even greater level on Succos. There are a number of verses in the Torah that reference this obligation. 1. "On the first day you shall take for yourself a fruit of the Esrog tree ... you shall rejoice before Hashem for seven days." VaYikra 23:40 2. "You shall rejoice on your festival [Succos] along with your son and daughter..." - Devarim 16:14 3. "Celebrate to Hashem your G-d, in the place that He shall choose...and you shall be completely happy." Devarim 16:15 There are many explanations offered by the commentaries for the added jubilation expected of us on Succos: 1. Following the intensely serious holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Torah requires that we celebrate Succos with an extra measure of joy, to demonstrate that ideally Hashem yearns for us to live cheerful and positive lives. The extra measures of seriousness and affliction demanded of us during the Days of Introspection serve a very useful purpose, but they should not be viewed as a model for how we are expected to live our lives. Once weve rededicated ourselves to serving Hashem we should strive to do so out of a sense of joy and happiness. Menoras HaMaor 146 2. Succos coincides with the harvest season, as it says in the verse, "When you bring in the products of your threshing floor and wine vat, you shall celebrate the festival of Succos for seven days." (Devarim 16:13) The knowledge that ones needs will be provided for throughout the upcoming winter resulted in great personal joy. However, the Torah desired that we rejoice over the spiritual aspects of the holiday as well, so it instructed us to be sure and generate an extra measure of joy in honor of the holiday. Binah Littim 1:4 Drush LShmini Atzeres 3. Succos has an abundance of special Mitzvos associated with the Yom Tov, which inspire tremendous joy within a person. The Mitzvos unique to the Yom Tov of Succos are: The Four Minim [species], dwelling in the Succah, the water libations, Aravah on Hoshanah Rabbah, and the extra measure of Simchah. Sefer HaTodaah Chapter 7 4. The fact that Succos follows the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur wherein we repented and atoned for our sins, causes us great relief and joy. This accounts for the extra measure of happiness that we celebrate on Succos. Yosher Divrei Emes 57, Shem MShmuel Chanukah 5. The Talmud [Tractate Succah 11a] explains that one of the reasons we sit in a Succah is to commemorate the Clouds of Glory that Hashem provided us during our sojourn in the desert. These Clouds of Glory protected us from the harsh elements of the desert and made it possible for us to survive all those years. When we sit in the Succah on Yom Tov, we remind ourselves of the special protection afforded us on account of our special relationship with Hashem and this inspires great joy and confidence within us. Mei HaShiloach Parshas Emor 6. The first place Succos is mentioned in any capacity in the Torah, is in the verse, "And Yaakov journeyed to Succos..." [Bereishis 33:17] This fact enlightens us to a possible connection between the Patriarch Yaakov and the holiday of Succos. Indeed, the commentators point out that each of the Sholosh Regalim [Three Festivals-Pesach, Shavuos and Succos] was granted to the Jewish people in the merit of one of the patriarchs: Pesach in the merit of Avraham, Shavuos in the merit of Yitzchak, and Succos in the merit of Yaakov. Interestingly, the numerical value of the name Yaakov when each letter of his name is spelled out in its entirety [Yud Ayin Kuf Veis] equals 748, which is the numerical equivalent of the word, "Tismach" which means, "you shall rejoice." Herein lies a mystical allusion to the mitzvah to rejoice on the Yom Tov that corresponds to Yaakov Avinu. Wishing you and your entire family a truly joyous holiday. Rabbi Elazar Meisels For discussion on the Yom Tov a) The blessing recited when taking the 4 species is al netilas lulav on taking the lulav. As the Torah equally commands us (Leviticus 23:40) to take all 4 species, why do we single out the lulav in the text of the blessing more than any of the other species? b) The Medrash teaches that the Greeks wanted to forbid the observance of Sukkos. In response, Hashem said that because they attempted to eliminate the 8-day holiday of Sukkos, Hashem would reward us with the 8-day festival of Chanuka. For what reason were the Greeks opposed to Sukkos more than to other mitzvos, and in what way is the holiday of Chanuka considered a measure-for-measure compensation for their attempt to eradicate Sukkos? c) The Vilna Gaon notes that dwelling in a sukkah is one of the few mitzvos which one may perform with his entire body. How many others can you think of? d) We refer to Sukkos in our prayers as zman simchasenu (the time of our happiness). How can it be that we are expected to reach the pinnacle of joy at a time when we are required to leave all of the security and familiarity of our comfortable homes and live in crowded, unfurnished, temporary dwellings for a week? (Darkei Mussar by Rabbi Yaakov Neiman, Rabbi Dovid Soloveitchik quoted in Meorei HaMoadim) e) Rashi explains (Leviticus 23:36) that the festival of Shemini Atzeres is Hashems way of saying that after we have spent so much time together with Him in the sukkah, it is difficult for Him to separate from us and He therefore asks us to linger one more day. How will this solve the problem of the painful separation, which will presumably only become more difficult after spending additional time together? (Darkei Mussar by Rabbi Yaakov Neiman, Tiferes Torah by Rabbi Shimshon Pinkus) f) Rashi explains (Genesis 1:1) that the Torah begins with the story of Creation so that if the non-Jews will accuse us of stealing the land of Israel from them, we will be able to answer them that Hashem created the entire world and is entitled to give any portion of it to whomever he chooses. What is the purpose in doing so, as no non-Jew will ever accept such an argument to our right to the land of Israel, as weve sadly witnessed in the past 60 years? g) When creating the birds, which did Hashem make first the chicken or the egg? (Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin Genesis 1:20) h) A man is legally allowed to rely on the food which is given to him by his wife, and to assume that it is kosher and permitted. Why was Adam punished for eating from the food given to him by his wife Eve when he was entitled to rely on her to give him only permissible food? (Ayeles HaShachar by Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman) Parsha Partner^(TM) is a publication of Partners in Torah a division of Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools Share the Gift of Jewish Wisdom with a Fellow Jew or get yourself a learning partner to gain some! 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