Sukkos

The Tur begins his Hilchos Sukkah with the following:


"Sukkos are a remembrance of the ananei hakovod ( the clouds that protected the Yidden as they left Egypt). And why, therefore, do we not celebrate this holiday in the springtime - the season that we in fact left Egypt? Because when one leaves his home and enters the Sukkah in the spring it is NOT APPARENT that he does this as a mitzvah- but rather for pleasure.

The Vilna Gaon in his peirush to Shir Hashirim (Ch.3) gives a different answer to the Tur's question of why Sukkos is in the Fall. The Bnei Yisroel sinned by making the "golden calf"and Moshe Rabeinu broke the Luchos in response. This took place on the 17th of Tammuz in the first year of the Exodus from Egypt. On the first of Elul Moshe Ascended the mountain to receive a new set of Luchos. 40 days later he returned with the new set and Hashem's forgiveness. That was on Yom Kippur.

The command to build a Mishkan followed immediately and funds were collected for four days. On the 15th of Tishrei all the materials were in place and work was ready to commence.

A marvelous thing happened on that day. According to the Gaon's interpetation of Shir Hashirim the "clouds of glory" which had been a source of protection to the Yidden had not been visible since the act of making the golden calf. They were there, but were only visible to the most righteous individuals.Now as a sign of His forgiveness, Hashem made the clouds, the magnificent source and symbol of His love and guidance of the Jewish people, reappear for all to see.

Now we understand why on the 15th of Tishrei we celebrate Sukkos as a remembrance of these clouds. Because Sukkos brought the return of the clouds.

This said it, suddenly seems that the Tur's reason for sukkos in the fall is a very practical reason (that the Sukkah shouldn't seem like a pleasure outing) but doesn't tell the whole story!

In truth though the Tur and the Gaon are saying the same thing. That is, the Tur said that 1) Sukkos is in remembrance of the Clouds.2) Sukkos is not in the spring because then it wouldn't be NOTICEABLE.

If we connect the two statements we can understand that only because it is a remembrance of the clouds does it need to be noticeable. Had it been a remembrance to the huts of the Jews in the wilderness it could have been in the spring!

The idea here is simple. We are not only celebrating Hashem's constant protection and love for us, but the fact that he demonstrates that love for all to see. And so we go out to the Sukkah at a time when it is APPARENT that we are doing a mitzvah. We are celebrating the supernatural, and so we too go the extra mile. And since we are celebrating the inner-connection between Hashem and His people we celebrate it in Tishrei when we have been saved from the accusatory angels of the nations and blessed with a bright new year.

Good Yom Tov!

{M.M.}

Aseres Yimei Teshuvah

Chazal, in mesechta megillah (6a) and in a number of other places, praise even the simple unaccomplished Jew by comparing him to ………. a pomegranate. “Even the empty amongst them are filled with mitzvos like a pomegranate.”

We may ask why if they are so full of mitzvos do we call them empty? Secondly, aren’t  there plenty of items in nature that are ‘full’ enough to represent someone who is full of mitzvos?

The mishnah in pirkei avos (3:17 in most prints) compares one who has many deeds but less wisdom to a tree of many roots and few branches. Come what may, the tree will stand strong. It always bothered me why ma’asim – deeds were looked upon as roots which are the beginning of the tree. Aren’t ma’asim - the goal and end product - more similar to the fruit sprouting from the end of the branches?

Rabeinu Yonah asks another question. How is it possible to have more deeds than wisdom; it is only through the knowledge one has that he can perform the mitzvos at all ?!

Rabeinu Yonah presents a profound answer which he re-iterates in his sefer Sharei Teshuvah as well. The ‘deeds’ that were compared to roots in the mishnah above does not refer to the fulfillment of mitzvos or bringing one’s learning to fruition in action. Rather it is referring to a person who is committed to act and do in accordance with his instructions regardless of what the forthcoming instructions may be. This commitment is reminiscent of Klal Yisrael’s acceptance of the Torah with Na’aseh V’nishmah – ‘we will do, let us just hear what’. This readiness itself grants one the merit of the performance even before the person has the knowledge of what to do! This potential energy waiting to explode in action can certainly be viewed as the root and base of the tree, which, together with the eventual knowledge, can finally  produce beautiful fruit – the performance of the deeds themselves.

Perhaps this is the empty yet full Jew we mentioned above. The pomegranate is quite empty of the true flesh of fruit that other fruits contain. Its sweet edible part is only on its seeds - the part of the fruit which represents its potential. Even those Jews who were empty on a practical level, were full of readiness and potential, to do whatever they were taught.

I believe this is the intent of the ‘simna milsa’ we perform with the pomegranate on Rosh Hashanah eve. “May we increase in merit like the Pomegranate!” we exclaim. But how can this be done in one night and why specifically like a pomegranate? In this proclamation, we apply the secret of Na’aseh V’nishmah. On Rosh Hashanah and on the following days, we strive to fully commit ourselves to do whatever G-D dictates, similar to a soldier just waiting for orders. This commitment instantly gives us the many merits of all the actions yet to follow.

[For a reference to a pomegranate being the symbol of ‘na’aseh’, see Baal HaTurim parshas Tetzaveh 28:35.]

Let us proclaim “NA’ASEH!” and may we have the many merits needed for a wonderful sweet year!

G’mar Chasimah Tovah!