Are You Comfortable In This World?
We celebrated Yom-Tov of Sukkos by performing many different mitzvos. We sit in the sukkah, and we shake the lulav and esrog. In the Beis Hamikdash, there was a unique offering of the nisuch hamayim, pouring water on the mizbeiach. Yet, the Yom-Tov is named after only one of them – the mitzva of sukkah. Why is this considered the primary mitzvah of the Yom-Tov?
The Alshich Hakadosh explains that the sukkah represents the transitory nature of Olam Hazeh. No matter how settled we become in our lives, whether establishing a family, building a home, or earning a living, we must remember that we are only here for a short while. Compared to the eternity of Creation, the mere seventy or eighty years that we live in this world is barely a fleeting moment.
The Chasam Sofer explains that the seven days of Sukkos correspond to the seven decades of a person’s life. Thus, the message of Sukkos should be carried over into one’s everyday life, specifically the halacha of tzei m’diras keva v’lech l’diras aray. On Sukkos, one leaves his regular home and stays in a temporary dwelling. This impresses upon him that his so-called permanent residence is anything but long-lasting. This is the main message of the Yom-Tov, and its very name should remind us of this important lesson.
We can learn a method of developing this mindset by considering the halachos of lo sikom and lo sitor. The Torah forbids us to take revenge or bear a grudge to someone who harmed you in any way. Many of us struggle with these halachos, as they seem to negate our real feelings in a basic way. “I am angry! I am upset! He was wrong!” Aren’t we justified in feeling this way? However, there are several strategies to better understand these mitzvos and fulfill them easily.
Firstly, if we would view the world with deep, rock-solid Emunah, the entire problem would fall away. A Yid knows that everything that happens in this world is min hashamayim, and it could not happen against Hashem’s will. If someone hurts you, there was a reason why you deserved it. Of course, that does not excuse the perpetrator in the slightest, and Hashem will deal with him accordingly. However, the two aspects of the story – his doing something wrong, and you getting hurt - are completely unrelated. He will get punished for his crime, but the fact that he was successful in carrying out his plan means you were supposed to experience that difficulty. If we saw things this way, there would be no reason to take revenge, because it would have happened to you one way or another.
How does a real mai’min react when he is hurt? There was once a Yid who was struck by a car and needed an extended hospital visit. After he recovered, he was summoned to court to testify about the accident. After verifying his identity, the judge began to question him about the particulars of the case. Did it happen on this date? Was it this type of vehicle? After he confirmed all the details, the judge asked him, “Was the defendant the one who hit you?” To everyone’s surprise, the fellow shook his head, and said it was not him. “Well, then,” asked the judge, “who hit you?” The Yid answered that it was a Heavenly decree that made it happen. The judge grew irate, and repeated the question, but the Yid refused to blame the accident on the driver. The judge threatened to hold him in contempt if he continued to make a mockery of the court, but the Yid remained steadfast.
“I am not trying to be difficult,” he said. “But this is what I believe, and I cannot testify otherwise. You don’t blame the stick, but rather, the person wielding it. Similarly, I recognize that I cannot blame him for what happened to me. He will have to answer to Hashem for his actions, but he is not the cause of my problems.”
There is another way of approaching this issue. Imagine some children fighting over some triviality. “It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!” The adults standing nearby find the entire incident amusing, since the item in question is simply not worth the effort. From a child’s perspective, however, this can be a traumatic ordeal. They might take it very seriously, and they are unable to see things for how they really stand.
In a similar vein, if we keep a clear head, we won’t get upset if we are somewhat shortchanged in our experience in Olam Hazeh. If we remember its real importance, or better said, lack of importance, then we can smile and shrug it off. We can tell ourselves, “Really? For this I’m getting upset? Am I so small that such a thing carries so much importance to me?”
To help us develop this attitude, the Torah tells us kol ha’ezrach b’yisroel yeishvu b’sukos. Who is an ezrach? Rav Yonasan Eibshitz explains that this refers to those who emulate Avraham Avinu, who the Torah refers to as eisan haezrachi. Such people ‘sit in the sukkah’ the entire year. They understand that this world is arai, this world is temporary, and their every action is guided by this principle.
There was a Yid who did not have means to purchase a home. However, he desired to fulfill the mitzvah of yishuv eretz yisroel, of settling in Eretz Yisroel, and so he saved whatever money he could, secured a loan, and bought a house. Once the sale went through, and he made the necessary repairs, his family anticipated the day when they will finally move in. To their surprise, he informed them that they would be renting a nearby house to live in, and he explained his decision. “I only bought the house for the mitzva,” he explained. “If I actually live in my own home, I will begin to view my position in Olam Hazeh differently. I would rather be at the mercy of a landlord. If I know that I can be thrown out of my home at any time, I will always remember that this world is only temporary. This way, I manage to stay focused on what is truly important – doing mitzvos and fighting the yetzer hara.”
Rav Michal Yehuda Lefkowitz planted an esrog tree in his backyard, using an esrog he received from the Chazon Ish. Every year, he would supply the Steipler with an esrog from his tree. One year, the Steipler chose his esrog, and then handed him a large sum of money to pay for it, way above the going rate. Rav Michal Yehuda protested, but the Steipler insisted on paying the full sum. “You gave me the means to perform a mitzva,” he explained. “And what am I giving you in return? Money. Just money! Money is absolutely worthless compared to the value of a mitzva.” This is how Yidden act when they live with the awareness of our true standing in this world.
There will come a time when we all will recognize the relative value of gashmius vs. ruchniyos, but at that point, it will be too late to do anything about it.
Someone boarded a plane to travel to Eretz Yisroel for the first time. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get comfortable in the narrow seats. His elbow kept on bumping into his neighbor, and his feet were squeezed between several pieces of hand luggage. When he got up to stretch his legs, he noticed the second floor. Peeking inside, he stared enviously at the people reclining on their comfortable seats. He tried to take a seat for himself, but an attendant noticed and blocked his way. “Why can’t I come in,” he asked? “I see there are extra seats. I also paid for a ticket!” The attendant explained to him that these seats costs more than double the standard fare. At this point, the man was desperate, so he pulled out his wallet, and offered to pay the full amount on the spot. “I’m sorry,” he was told. “We don’t sell tickets here. Once you board the plane, you are limited by whatever you paid previously.”
We are only in the proizdor, the antechamber, waiting to enter the main hall. Yet this is the only place to earn our spot in Olam Haba. After one hundred twenty years, we will all recognize the futility of chasing the pleasures of Olam Hazeh. We will wish to acquire more, but at that point it will be too late.
The Yom-Tov of Sukkos is Zman Simchaseinu, a time of celebration and happiness. Let’s realize the special opportunity each mitzva affords us, and perform them with heart and with joy.
