| T.R | Title | User | Personal
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| 985.1 | Sukkot -- The Root of All Things | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Anacronym: an outdated acronym | Wed Oct 10 1990 17:09 | 138 |
| SHABBAT SHALOM
Sukkot -- The Root of All Things
by Shlomo Riskin
Efrat, Israel -- There has been barely a chance to catch our
breaths after the last blast of the shofar at the end of Yom
Kippur and we're already pulling out the hammers, saws, and nails
in order to construct the fragile walls of the sukkah. There are
various explanations as to why these two festivals, which seem so
radically different on the surface, appear back-to-back; I'd like
to touch on several.
The Midrash draws our attention to an implicit moral in the
very fact that only 96 hours separate ascetic, meditative Yom
Kippur from earthy, physical Sukkot. When the Book of Judgement
is opened on Rosh Hashana, the righteous are judged to life and
the wicked judged to death. Those in the middle, the vast
majority, receive a reprieve of ten days of repentance
culminating in the judgement of Yom Kippur.
Given this scenario, we imagine a defendant leaving the
courtroom in a state of shock, lips sealed as he steals into some
quiet corner to await the verdict. In a similar vein, we could
reasonably expect the mood of Yom Kippur to end with a silent
slipping-away so as not to spotlight the sins of the nation.
Instead, the Jews leave the courtroom with the stride of victory
in their step. For the next few days, excitement reigns. The
air is alive with the aromas of the etrog, myrtle and willow
branches as well as the palm fronds that will be held aloft as
the worshippers chant the daily Hallel service. Holding the palm
fronds as a banner of victory expresses a clear belief that their
sins have been absolved and forgiven, with faith in G-d that the
verdict is life. This blaze of certainty, the Midrash teaches,
is at the heart of the transition between one festival and the
next.
The Midrash also speaks of the sukkah -- this temporary
dwelling we're commanded to remain in for seven days -- as a
manifestation of the "clouds of glory" which accompanied the
wandering Jews in the desert after they were absolved for the sin
of the golden calf. Since this took place right after Yom
Kippur, entering the sukkah connects us to the theme of
forgiveness and the bliss inherent in feeling protected on all
sides by the "clouds of glory": the sukkah's walls may be
ephemeral but its essence is eternal, like the clouds of glory.
A third insight sees the proximity of Yom Kippur and Sukkot
as underscoring a profound dialogue between the spiritual and the
physical. Yom Kippur is a day when even the simplest Jew,
merging with G-d, begins to support angelic wings as he lives for
25 hours in a state of spiritual intensity. Not only do we avoid
food and drink, devoting the entire day to prayer, but there is
even a custom to stay up all night studying the Yom Kippur temple
services or simply reciting Psalms in the synagogue.
However, a surge of spiritual energy without proper grounding
could cause a shock to the Jewish eco-system. This is what
Sukkot is all about -- the grounding of spiritual energy awakened
on Yom Kippur. It provides the pure spirituality of Yom Kippur
as a conduit by which to transform the physical world.
Everything about Yom Kippur is spirit, everything about Sukkot is
physical. Sukkot is rooted in the real world, the realms where
life is actually lived, a world of touch, taste, sense, and
smell. In other words, the energy of Yom Kippur -- with its wise
strategy for intensifying the relationship between G-d and man by
forbidding the world of the senses -- would dissipate if not for
the four species we pluck from the earth and the physical sukkah
covered by harvested vegetation in which we live for seven days.
The Kohelet Rabbah (Ch. 7:32) suggests yet another connection
when it describes, in allegoric fashion, a group of bandits
locked in jail. Devising an escape route, all manage to flee
except one prisoner who opted to remain. The next day the prison
guards surround the remaining prisoner and, instead of praising
his good behavior for not crawling out with the others, he is
beaten mercilessly. "Fool, why didn't you escape when you had
the chance?" And the text concludes that G-d will eventually
address all the wicked similarly: "The escape route was before
you -- the possibility of repentance laid out -- so why didn't
you return to Me when you had the chance?"
If we think about it, the prisoner must have grown so
comfortable in jail that he'd forgotten he was still behind bars.
Being human means adjusting to the most extreme conditions in
order to survive; being cursed means that after adjusting we
totally forget what life before imprisonment was like. "Oh G-d,
don't test me to see how much I can get used to" are the words of
an old Yiddish prayer.
Taking the analogy of the prisoners a step further, we
realize that often our daily lives are self-created prisons
resulting from being locked into negative, destructive
relationships with those closest to us -- parents, children,
friends. Opportunities to break free from our self-imposed
prisons find us indifferent; the tragic irony is that there is an
escape route which manifests itself most clearly during the time
of year dedicated to repentance.
In his Laws of Repentance, Chapter 2, Halacha 4, Maimonides
describes specific actions required for the repentance process.
We're familiar with the process of keeping away from what
initially caused us to sin, but Maimonides also suggests that the
penitent change his name (as if he's no longer the same person
who committed the sins) and exile himself, exchanging his own
familiar four walls for another home.
These latter suggestions parallel what occurs during Sukkot.
The underlying character of this festival is the act of leaving
your home and becoming another person for seven days --
literally, figuratively, psychologically. When we enter the
sukkah, old habits are checked at the door, and we see things
afresh. The weeks prior to Sukkot have provided us with the maps
and codewords necessary for escape (repentance), and as we sit
inside its walls, everything about this temporary, fragile abode
makes us feel different; we look at people differently, we
respond differently, even familiar food tastes differently.
Thus, a simple act of entering the sukkah makes it possible to
escape our predictable way of thinking about the world. By the
festival's end, we are no longer who we were when we first walked
inside; if this results in a substantial change in our
relationships with our spouses, children, parents and friends --
or enemies -- then our repentance has taken root.
If Sukkot did not arrive when it did, the morning after Yom
Kippur, we'd probably sense something missing from our lives as
we went about our daily routines; an anti-climatic feeling, maybe
even a bout of post-kippur blues. Sukkot is, quite simply, the
physical vessel to harness the purity of Yom Kippur, radiating
its light throughout the entire year.
SHABBAT SHALOM and Chag Sameach!
Copyright Ohr Torah 1989.
This essay is distributed by Kesher --the Jewish Network. For information
regarding its use, contact the Kesher BBS at 312-940-1696.
For more information, call (212)496-1618.
--
Alan Lustiger
|_ | | AT&T Engineering Research Center
/ |( Princeton, NJ
attmail!alustiger or att!pruxc!alu
|
| 985.2 | | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Anacronym: an outdated acronym | Wed Oct 10 1990 17:13 | 131 |
| Article 11565 of soc.culture.jewish
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From: [email protected] (Micha Berger)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Succos
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 11 Oct 89 14:35:13 GMT
Reply-To: [email protected] (Micha Berger)
Organization: AishDas Society: 73-32 173 St, Hillcrest NY 11366 (718)380-7572
Lines: 117
References:
There are many mitzvos that are specific to Succos.
Aside from the mitzvos we can observe today, Succah,
Hakafos, and the Four Species, there are also a number that
can only be kept in the Beis HaMikdosh, including the 70
Musaph cows, and Nisuch Hamayim followed by Simchas Beis
HaShoevah. The Yom Tov has several names: In tefillah it is
called Chag HaSuccos and Z'man Simchaseinu (the time of our
joy), in Talmud it is simply Chag, "Festival", and in a more
agricultural vein it is also referred to as Chag Ha'asif -
the Harvest Festival. One would like to have an
understanding of how this diverse jumble of facts combine to
make one holiday, and what this festival is supposed to
represent.
The Mishna (Pirke Avos 4:1) states "Who is rich? One
who is "sameiach" with his lot." It seems from here that
Rabbinically "simcha" is contentment, satisfaction. Not just
joy, as one would feel at particular occasions, but
happiness as a general state of mind. We say in davening
"Yismichu Hashamayim Visagel Haaretz", "the Heaven will be
'sameiach' and the earth will "gilah". Simcha is reserved
for the immutable heavens, whereas gilah refers to the
transitory earth, even though both words are normally
translated as happiness.
Using this we can understand a couple of the references
we listed above. Succos is called "Z'man Simchaseinu" a time
to feel simcha, contentment with our lot. Succos is to
celebrate how Hashem protected us and fed us during our
journey in the desert (Mishna Berura 625:1). It is thus a
symbol of how He sustains us throughout all time. This is
our lot, with this we should be happy. The Holiday is simply
"Chag", "Festival", as its existence as a time for rejoicing
is significant.
Succos is also Chag HaAsiph - the time for gathering
the grain. Winter is beginning, and we thank Hashem for
giving us the food to survive it. Thus Succos had to be in
the Winter, when we feel the need for Divine aid more.
This is the joy of Simchas Beis Hashoevah. Rav S. R.
Hirsch, in his commentary on Chumash (Bamidbar 29:19)
describes Nissuch HaMayim, the special water libations as
"pouring every drop of his joy in life into the foundations
of the Altar of G-d's Torah, signifying it as coming from
Him". Again, the key to Succos is found to be Simcha in the
portion G-d has allotted us.
We remarked that over Succos and Shemini Atseres
seventy Musaph offerings were brought. We are told that
these 70 sacrifices correspond to the seventy nations of the
world. "Poseiach es Yadecha, umasbiah lichol chai ratson" -
"You open Your Hand, and feed every living thing what it
desires" (Tehillim 145:16) Divine Aid in sustenance is a
universal theme, and all seventy nations must give thanks.
The special mitsvos of Succos are limited today to the
taking of the Four Species, and the living in the Succah.
These mitsvos are awesome in scope, the span the extremes of
history. According to one opinion in the talmud when Adam
ate from the Tree of Knowledge he picked an esrog. After the
final battle before the reign of the Mashiach, the War of
Gog and Magog, Yechezkel tells us that the nations of the
world will demand to receive the Torah, so that they to can
receive Israels lot. The prophet tells that Hashem will
prevent them with the mitsvah of Succah, and that the one
mitsvah alone will be to much for them.
There is another connection between the esrog and
creation of the world. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 5:2)
relates that in the original plans for the creation of the
world the wood of each tree would taste like its fruit. The
angels in charge of each tree refused to obey, as they were
afraid that animals would eat the wood along with the fruit,
and lead to the extinction of the species. One type of tree
did obey Hashem's wishes. The Gemara (Succah 35a) explains
that when the pasuk asks for a "Pri etz hadar", "A beautiful
fruit of a tree" it means the esrog, for it is a fruit that
is of the tree, the tree and the fruit have the same taste.
It trusted in Hashem for its existence. Hashem protected it
by prohibiting even the eating of the fruit of tree. It was
the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil" it knew that
trusting in G-d was good. Thus, when we are told to
celebrate Hashem's Sustenance, we honor the Esrog as a
simple of simcha with what Hashem gives us.
There are two reasons one would need a building: for
privacy, and for protection from the elements. The Succah
has no restrictions on building its walls, only one the
sichach, the ceiling. We move into the Succah not to
diminish our privacy, but rather to diminish the man made
protection from the elements. Only things fit to be utensils
can become tamei. Thus, the sichach must not be of things
that can become tamei. Those are things which are man's
making, the goal of the succah is to show we trust in Hashem
for sustenance. Thus, the mitsvah of Succah is meaningful
only in winter, when it is not the norm to be sustained in a
hut.
At the end of days, the mighty nations will be faced
with a test; can they rely on Hashem for their existence.
This mitsvah is a fair test, as we said above Divine
Sustenance is universal. At the first discomfort, they will
fail. Without this key principle, they can not be a Chosen
Nation. The giving of the Torah is likened to a marriage,
with G-d The Groom presenting His bride Israel, with His
ring, the Torah. A marriage requires mutual trust. Gog and
Magog, without the ability to trust in the Lord, can not
hope to maintain the special relationship the Jewish people
have with the Almighty.
--
Micha Berger
...cucard!dasys1!aj-mberg
Imitatio Dei means never having to say "I'm sorry."
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| 985.3 | The four species, Tikunei HaZohar | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Anacronym: an outdated acronym | Wed Oct 10 1990 17:15 | 116 |
| Article 11598 of soc.culture.jewish
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From: [email protected] (Len Moskowitz)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: Succot
Keywords: The four species, Tikunei HaZohar
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 13 Oct 89 13:58:49 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 103
B"H
Last night, at our yeshiva's shiyur, we learned a portion of the
Tikunei Zohar (authored by the saintly tanna, Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai
ztz"l) that dealt with the upcoming Succot holiday. I enjoyed it so
much that I asked my Rav (Rav Gideon Lipovsky shlita) if I might share
it with my friends at home and on the computer network, for everyone's
enjoyment before the holiday. He agreed.
So here is part of Tikun 13. All mistakes in translation,
reproduction, and transliteration are my own. I've enclosed
definitions, the Rav's comments, and other remarks in square brackets.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Rav Ha-Mekubal Gideon
Lipovsky's office at (718) 388-9529 or write Yeshivat Ha-Mekubalim of
New York at 70 Clymer Street, Suite 12J, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (Att: Rosh
Yeshivah).
May it bring you, as it did me, deeper understanding of the holiday's
rituals.
Chag Sameyach!
Len Moskowitz
-----
Rabbi Elazar [Rabbi Shimon's son] rose and said: "Father, father.
Why is it said in connection with the first day of Succot: 'And
you shall take for yourselves on the first day fruit of a goodly
tree...' ? "
He said to him: "My son, the implements of war are in the right hand,
and with these implements of war Israel is identified and overcomes
judgement. It is similar to a king who had a judgement and a battle
with 70 nations. No one knew who would win the judgement. It was
said: look at those who are identified by the implements of war in
their hands. Then you will know who will overcome judgement."
"Pri etz hadar" ["the fruit of a goodly tree"] is the etrog, that is
the Shechinah, the heart ["lev"] that is the core [the center, the
most important part] of all the parts of the body. The body is the
three myrtle branches, the lulav, and the two willow branches. The
heart is in the middle and the other parts surround her. And
therefore the etrog is the Shechinah [the Holy Presence]. And the
Masters of the Mishnah explained that if the pitom [the point on the
top of the etrog] is broken or if the etrog is mostly blemished, it is
not fit for use [pasul] because it is like and stands for the
Shechinah of whom it is written "kulach yaffa ra-ayati ve-mum ain
bach" ["You are altogether beautiful my beloved and in you there is no
blemish" - Song of Songs].
"Kapot temarim" ["the leaves of the date palm"] is the lulav. And
about it is said "if it is spread [split], it is unfit for use." This
cuts the growing things. This lulav ties [binds] and unifies all the
rest. With it we bless on the first day of Succot because it ties and
unifies the 18 worlds that are the 18 vertebra of the spine. Because
of this, the Masters of the Mishnah explained that the lulav is like
the spine. And the secret of the lulav is "Tzadik ka-tamar yiphrach"
[the pious like the palm shall flower -- Tzadik is the sefira of
Yesod] and this is "Ki chol ba-shamayim u-va-aretz" [because all is in
the heaven and the earth -- "Chol" is another name for Yesod.
Shamayim is a name for Zer Anpin, the Kadosh Baruch Hu, the Holy One
Blessed Be He. Aretz is another name for Malchut, the Queen, the
Shechinah, the Holy Presence.] And Onkelos translated it as "unifying
heaven and earth." [The Yesod -- the lulav -- unifies the Kadosh
Baruch Hu and the Shechinah.] And we have to shake the 18 shakes to
the six directions [three in each direction], that is, first toward
the East [Zer Anpin faces the East while Malchut faces the West] with
the [3 letter name of the Kadosh Baruch Hu] YK"V and so on with the
six names of G-d that have in them a total of 18 letters [6 times 3].
And all are hinted at in Sefer Yetzirah in the six directions [sides,
parts]. And this is how the Masters of the Mishnah explained "lead
and bring it to its four directions, raise it up and bring it down, to
its heaven and Earth."
The three hadassim [myrtle branches] are a body and two arms, and its
leaves are an eye and the two eyelids; all parts of a body in general.
The two aravot [willow branches] are two legs, and the leaves are two
lips. And they are all one unit [bound together] with the lulav that
is the spine. And what is said "Amarti ah-aleh ba-tamar" ["I said I
will rise in the palm" -- "I will rise" is written as Alef, Ayin,
Lamed, Heh.] Alef is for etrog. Ayin is for aravah. Lamed is for
lulav. Heh is for hadas. All are made to represent the four minim
[classes, kinds] of the merkavah [the chariot], upon which He rides.
And they must be arranged around each other ["be-hakafah"] just as the
sacrificial altar is a merkavah. The altar is like a garden ["Gan"]
in which are planted trees. And the secret of the sentence "Nekaivah
te-sovaiv gever" ["female encircles male"] is that the Nun in
"nekaivah" [female] is from the word "gan"; the gimel in "gever"
[male] is from "gan". [Gan is the unification of male and female.]
Gan includes the 53 sedarim of the written Torah. [The gematriah of
"gan" is 53. The written Torah is Zer Anpin.] Add the seven days of
Succot and there are 60 that are the 60 masechtot of the Mishnah
[Mishnah is Oral Torah. Oral Torah is Malchut, the Shechinah.]
Shemini Atzeret is a holiday unto itself. In this holiday, the
wellspring of Torah waters the tree [Zer Anpin, the Tree of Life] that
is planted in the garden. And its roots and leaves encircle the earth
[Malchut] which all the holidays celebrate.
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| 985.4 | Hoshana Rabba question | DECSIM::GROSS | The bug stops here | Wed Oct 10 1990 20:42 | 3 |
| Why is the calendar set up so that Hoshana Rabba never falls on Saturday?
Dave
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| 985.5 | pragmatism: | LASSIE::OFSEVIT | card-carrying member | Tue Oct 16 1990 16:26 | 12 |
| .4> Why is the calendar set up so that Hoshana Rabba never falls on Saturday?
It's a byproduct of the calendar being set up so that Sukkot (along
with all other major holidays, i.e., Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach,
and Shavuot) does not begin on Sunday. If any of those holidays were
to begin on Sunday, they would begin immediately upon the end of
Shabbat, and it would be impossible to prepare properly for the
holiday. Therefore, the extra days that are inserted in the calendar
help to make this adjustment as well as to keep the lunar calendar
synchronized with the solar.
David
|
| 985.6 | Yom Tovvim can fall on Sunday | GRANPA::AFRYDMAN | | Tue Oct 16 1990 17:22 | 13 |
| re: .5
Pesach can begin on a Sunday and since one can cook on a Yom Tov
(Yontiff) the Shabbos preparations for a Sunday holiday are not needed.
In the Galut, the second day of Yom tov often is a Sunday.
I believe that Hoshanna Rabbah is set so that it wouldn't fall on
Shabbos because one is required to circuit the bimah seven times
holding your lulav and estorg and then perform the "hoshanna" beating
ritual. Each of these things would not be allowed on a Shabbos.
Can anyone else add to this?
___Av
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| 985.7 | Good question! | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Anacronym: an outdated acronym | Tue Oct 16 1990 19:54 | 22 |
|
Re: .4
Avi's reason is given by the _Biur_Halacha_ in the last _siman_
in the forth volume of the _Mishna_Berura_. However, this raises
another question, namely, why did the Talmud not see fit to arrange
the calendar to avoid Rosh Hashana and/or Sukkot occurring on
Shabbat as well (both shofar blowing and the blessing over the
lulav were forbidden by the Talmud to avoid desecration of the
Sabbath)?
First of all, both of these rituals were observed in the Temple in
Jerusalem, even when the Yom Tov fell on Shabbat. Second, both
shofar and lulav could be observed on subsequent days (although
not biblically ordained in some cases), whereas the hoshanna ritual
(instituted by the prophets) would be discarded altogether were it to
fall on Shabbat.
Sorry you asked? :-)
Jem
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