Before delving into the matters of the festival of Sukkot, I would like to preface with a brief introduction. We are in very special days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, in which, as Chazal teach us, the sins of Bnei Yisrael are not counted.
Regarding the taking of the Arba Minim – the four species, the Midrash says (Tanchuma, Emor 22): וֹם הָרִאשׁ וֹן וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּי – And you shall take for yourselves on the first day. But isn’t it really the fifteenth day of Tishrei? Rather, it is called “the first day” because it is רִאשׁ וֹן לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן עֲוֹנוֹת – the first day for the reckoning of sins.
The Midrash compares this to a province burdened by heavy taxes. When the king’s collectors came, the people could not pay. Finally, the king himself set out. First the leaders went to meet him, pleading for mercy, and he forgave half the debt. Then the strongmen came, and he forgave half of the remainder. Finally, all the townspeople came out together, and the king said: “For your sake, I forgive everything. But from now on, the accounting begins anew.”
The king is the King of Kings – Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The people of the province are Klal Yisrael, who accumulate sins all year long. What does Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He says to them: “Do Teshuva from Rosh Hashanah.” They then enter Yom Kippur, fast, it and do Teshuva, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives them. How does that play out? On Erev Rosh Hashanah, the gedolei hador – the great ones of the generation fast, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives them a third of their sins. From Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, select individuals fast, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives a third of their sins. And then on Yom Kippur, all of Klal Yisrael fast and seek mercy – men, women, and children – and Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives them for everything, as it says: וֹם הַזֶּה יְכַ כִּי בַּיפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם – For on this day He will atone for you.
What do Bnei Yisrael do next? They take their lulavim on the first day of Sukkot and praise and extol Hakadosh Baruch Hu; and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is appeased by them and forgives them and says: “I have forgiven you all your previous sins, but from now on it’s the beginning of a new accounting.” Therefore, it is written: וֹם הָרִאשׁ וֹן וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּי – And you shall take for yourselves on the first day – the first for the reckoning of sins.
If so, there are people who might imagine that they can just freely celebrate for four days – “put it on my account “– but of course, things are not like that at all, and the one who explains this is the Vilna Gaon.
The Vilna Gaon raises a striking question: what “reckoning of sins” can there be, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu has already forgiven all of Israel’s sins on Yom Kippur? The Mishnah teaches in Avot (3:1):
To avoid sin, Akaviah ben Mahalalel teaches us to contemplate three truths: Where you come from, where you are going, and before Whom you will one day give din v’cheshbon – judgment and reckoning. The Vilna Gaon explains that “din” refers to judgment for the sinful act itself, while “cheshbon” refers to the time spent committing that sin, during which one could have been performing a Mitzvah. In other words, “din” is for the negative commandment that was violated, while “cheshbon” is for the lost opportunity to fulfill a positive commandment.
This distinction illuminates the Yemei HaDin – the days of judgment. On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when a person repents out of fear (ִ רְ א ָ ה תּ ְ שׁ ו ּ ב ָ ה מִ י), even if his sins are forgiven, they are only reduced to the status of inadvertent sins (שׁ ְגָגָה). The “cheshbon” remains, for the time lost to sin could have been used for Mitzvot, and one remains accountable for those missed opportunities.
By contrast, on Sukkot, when a person is immersed in Mitzvot, filled with joy, and carries the lulav with love, his Teshuva flows not from fear but from love (תְּ שׁ וּבָה מֵ אַהֲבָה). Teshuva from love has the power to transform sins into merits. In this state, even the “cheshbon” is annulled, for the wasted time is now redeemed as positive merit.
This, then, is the meaning of רִאשׁ וֹן לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן עֲוֹנוֹת – the first for the reckoning of sins. After Yom Kippur, when the slate of sin itself has been cleared, there still remains the reckoning of missed Mitzvot. But on Sukkot, through Simcha and Teshuva Mi’Ahava, even that reckoning is transformed.
Another interpretation, according to Chazal based on the Midrash, concerns the tree in Gan Eden from which Adam and Chava ate (Bereshit Rabbah, 15:7):
What was the tree from which Adam and Eve ate? Rabbi Meir says it was wheat. When a person did not have knowledge, they would say that person had not eaten wheat bread all their days. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzchak asked Rabbi Zeira, "Could it have been wheat?" He replied, "Yes." He asked, "But it is written 'tree'?" He answered, "They were as tall as the cedars of Lebanon..." Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai said it was grapes, as it is written: "Their grapes are grapes of gall, clusters of bitterness for them." Those clusters brought bitterness to the world. Rabbi Abba of Akko said it was an etrog (citron), as it is written: "And the woman saw that the tree was good..." He said, "Go and see which tree's wood is eaten like its fruit, and you will find only the etrog." Rabbi Yose said it was figs.
According to the view of Rabbi Abba of Akko, who said that the Eitz HaDa’at, the Tree of Knowledge, was an etrog, the Torah therefore says: "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day" – the first for the reckoning of sins. What was the first sin of Adam HaRishon? Eating from the Eitz HaDa’at, which was an etrog!
The Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk says that on Yom HaDin, the Satan accuses Bnei Yisrael. However, on the other hand, the defenders – the סָ נֵ גו ֹרִ ים – present arguments in their favor, saying, "Ribbono Shel Olam, this Satan is an international deceiver, ensnaring Yisrael in his trap; he tells them that a transgression is a Mitzvah!" The Satan argues back, "Ribbono Shel Olam, I don't understand – in business, they check everything first; they’re the best merchants! So why don't they check first when it comes to transgressions? Why do they instantly rely on me?!" But when Sukkot arrives, Bnei Yisrael are busy purchasing the Arba Minim for hundreds of shekel. The defender says, "Ribbono Shel Olam, would a non-Jew be willing to spend so much money on this?! He buys a bouquet of roses for ten shekel!"
Thus, the very fact that Bnei Yisrael are willing to spend so much money on the Mitzvah of the Arba Minim serves as a defense for them. Therefore, it is says, "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day" – the first for the reckoning of sins. Why? Because the reckoning of sins begins only after seeing they are willing to pay so much for a Mitzvah!
On Sukkot, there are three central Mitzvot: The Mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah, the Mitzvah of the Arba Minim, and the Mitzvah of joy during the festival. The Zohar HaKadosh brings a wonderful insight about Sukkot that has no source in the Gemara or Midrashim. The Zohar writes:
At the time when a person sits in this dwelling – the צִ לּ ָ א דִּ מְ הֵ ימְ נוּתָ א, the shade of faith – the Shechinah spreads its wings over him from above, and Avraham and five other righteous ones make their dwelling with him. Rabbi Abba said, Avraham and five other righteous ones, and King David, make their dwelling with him. This is what is written, "In sukkot you shall dwell for seven days." It is written "seven days," and not "in seven days." In the same manner, it is written, "For six days Hashem made the heavens..." A person must rejoice every day with a radiant face with these guests who dwell with him.
The Zohar continues:
Rabbi Abba says that it is written, "In booths you shall dwell for seven days," and then it says, "dwell in booths." First, it says "dwell," and then again "dwell." The first is for the guests, and the second for the people of the world. The first is for the guests, as Rabbi Hamnuna Saba, when he would enter the sukkah, would rejoice and stand at the entrance of the sukkah and say: "Let us invite the guests. Arrange the table, stand on your feet, bless and say: 'In booths you shall dwell for seven days.' Sit, exalted guests, sit. Sit, guests of faith, sit." He would raise his hands and rejoice, saying: "Happy is our portion, happy is the portion of Yisrael, as it is written, 'For the portion of Hashem is His people...' and he would sit."
To understand the words of the Zohar, I would like to ask a question: Would it not have been better for the Ushpizin to come to us on Pesach?!
The Divrei Chaim of Sanz says, no. Because the only festival we can invite the Avot to is Sukkot, as on Pesach they will not come to us anyway – not because of kashrut, but the only time we can invite them is right after Yom Kippur, when we are clean from sins. As Chazal say, the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot are not counted for sins, therefore, we can invite the Ushpizin. But if we wait until Pesach, surely we’ll accumulate some sins along the way, and if there are sins, we can no longer invite the Ushpizin!
Rav Yechezkel of Kozmir brings a wonderful idea on the matter (Torat Yechezkel, Sukkot). He asks, what is the essence of the Ushpizin on Sukkot, and what is the essence of Simchat Torah immediately after Sukkot?
The matter can be explained through a parable. A man had a business and would travel to the big city to take merchandise on credit, promising to repay the merchant at an agreed time. When his business suffered losses and he could not pay, he went to the merchant in shame and pleaded for mercy. The merchant, in his kindness, reduced part of the debt and extended the time. Yet when the new deadline arrived, the man was still unable to pay. Again he returned, pouring out his heart and weeping bitterly. Once more the merchant lessened the debt and set another deadline. But when the final date drew near, the man saw his pockets were empty. In despair, he returned again, embarrassed and broken. The merchant, moved with compassion, forgave him everything. Still, the man felt no relief, for although his debt was erased, his credit was cut off – and without credit, how could he continue in business?
So, what did he do? He turned to his family, told them of his plight, and how he stood without merchandise and without means to continue. His relatives felt his pain, and each contributed according to his ability. Together they gathered the sum of the debt and paid the merchant in full. In this way, his good name was restored, his credit was renewed, and he was able to rebuild his business and stand secure once again.
So too is it with Yisrael. Even though Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives all our sins on Yom Kippur, one might still wonder: how can we go forward in our Avodah if our “credit” before Hakadosh Baruch Hu has been diminished? For this reason, during the days of Sukkot, Yisrael invite the Ushpizin – our holy forefathers and spiritual relatives – into the sukkah. On the first day, Avraham Avinu comes, bestowing his kindness (חֶ סֶד) upon us. Yitzchak Avinu contributes from his strength (גְּ בוּרָ ה), enabling us to overcome the Yetzer Hara. Yaakov Avinu adds from his splendor (תִּ פְ אֶ רֶ ת), and Moshe Rabbeinu, Aharon the Kohen, Yosef the righteous, and David HaMelech each offer from their unique merits and attributes. In this way, as each Ushpizin passes during the festival, their combined righteousness gathers to cover the full measure of our debt.
By the end of Sukkot, our account is not only forgiven but rebuilt, and with renewed standing we arrive at the climax of joy and thanksgiving – the celebration of Simchat Torah.
A Jew told me a very moving story on Erev Yom Kippur. There was a man in Bnei Brak named Dinin. A certain Gemach owner called him and said: "Listen, there's a Jew who learns with you in the kollel and he’s asking for a loan; do you know him?" "Yes, of course!" "Can I give him a loan – is he trustworthy?" "Yes, of course you can!" That Jew took a loan of several tens of thousands of shekels, and of course, after a short period, the checks started bouncing. The Gemach owner came to him and asked him about it, "What can I do, I have no money," he said. Afterwards, the Gemach owner went to that man named Dinin, who had given him the approval, and said, "You know, his checks bounced!" "So, what do you want from me?!" "What do you mean 'what do I want from you'? I called you, you said he is a trustworthy person, and based on your word, I gave him the loan!" "Mister, did I sign anything for you?! No. So, don't come to me with complaints!" The Gemach owner said to him: "True, you didn't sign, but you should know that I issued the loan based on what you said!" That man named Dinin went to Rav Shteinman and told him the story – "What does the Rav say, do I need to pay or not?" Rav Shteinman told him, “According to halacha – no. But you should know, a person should come to heaven without any questions on him – completely clean!" "But Rav, it's a huge sum! I live only on an old-age pension!" Rav Shteinman then told him: "Pay him a small amount every month. The main thing is to pay!" He accepted what the Rav said and went to the Gemach owner, "Please set up an automatic withdrawal for me; take 50 shekel every month." That man named Dinin managed to pay all the payments, and in the same month he made the final payment, he passed away to his eternal world!
