HOLIDAYS AND PARASHOT
Another deep insight of Chasidut corresponds the first three Torah portions of Bereishit, Noach, and Lech Lecha to the three holidays in Tishrei: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.
Bereishit reflects Rosh HaShanah since Rosh HaShanah commemorates Creation in general and the creation of man in particular. Indeed, on Rosh HaShanah we recite in our prayers: “This is the day, the beginning of Your deeds, a remembrance of the first day.”
The portion of Noach corresponds to Yom Kippur since Noach literally means “rest,” and Yom Kippur is the day of ultimate rest. Not only do we rest from our weekday toil, as we do on Shabbat, but we completely rest from all our bodily needs on this holiest day of the year; we do not eat or drink, nor do we engage in any other physical pursuit. Noach’s name is mentioned twice in the first verse of Parashat Noach. The sages explain that the two instances of his name allude to two categories of rest known as “rest above [for the spiritual world]” and “rest below [for the mundane].” Yom Kippur is referred to in the Torah as “Shabbat Shabbaton,” which also means a double rest.
Finally, Parashat Lech Lecha corresponds to Sukkot, the “time of our joy.” Just as Abraham, the first Jew, the archetypal monotheist, and the spiritual leader of all believers brought so much light to a world then inundated with darkness. In the prayers of Yom Kippur, Abraham is described as a great light: “A unique individual—father of the multitudes—suddenly like a star shone from Ur Kassdim to illuminate the darkness.” Light throughout Jewish tradition is associated with joy. Revisiting the life of Abraham every year is a source of true joy, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote in the name of his father-in-law that the week of Parashat Lech Lecha is the first truly joyful week of the year.
There are two additional connections between Abraham and Sukkot. In Parashat Vayeira, the Torah relates how three angels came to inform Abraham and Sarah that they would finally have a child after a lifetime of barrenness. Abraham first mistook them for three simple wandering men. Nonetheless, he interrupted a revelation he was receiving from God to greet them and take care of their needs. He said to them, “My lords, if only I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant. Please let a little water be taken, and bathe your feet, and recline under the tree.” The sages relate that offering the three guests a place to rest under the tree served as a foreshadow for the future holiday of Sukkot. This is yet another example of the well-known dictum: “The deeds of the fathers are a sign for their children.” With this singular act of loving-kindness “under the tree,” Abraham opened the gates for the holiday of Sukkot to be revealed to all his descendants, who would also one day dwell under a roof of vegetation in the sukkah.
Another beautiful connection between Abraham and the dynamic of running and returning is found in the mitzvah of shaking the four species during Sukkot. Each day of Sukkot (except on Shabbat) we shake or wave them to the four directions, as well as above and below. When fulfilling the mitzvah, we hold the four species close to the heart and then shake them three times in each direction, each time returning them to the heart. This motion is a physical re-enactment of the dynamic of running and returning, but on a deeper level it is also a profound re-enactment of the first command from God to Abraham: lech lecha, go to yourself!
