דברי תורה לכבוד חג הסוכות - זמן שמחתנו

Before Ne'ila of Yom Kippur תש"ן, Moreinu Rav Elya Svei Zatza”l gave his yearly shmuez and he said over a Mahara"l, which we would like to share. The Mishna at the end of Maseches Yomah tells how fortunate we are: אשריכם ישראל לפני מי אתם מטהרים ומי מטהר אתכם - fortunate are the Yidden, in front of whom do you become tahor and who makes you tahor? And the Mishna answers אביכם שבשמים - your Father in heaven, Hashem. The Mishna concludes just as a mikva purifies those who are tamei, אף הקדוש ברוך הוא מטהר את ישראל - also Hashem purifies the Yidden. The Mahara”l asks, what is the comparison of Hashem to a Mikva? He answers that we have to understand how a mikva works. He explains that a mikva is a place which is free of tumah; it is a haven of purity. When a person totally immerses himself into the mikva, he also becomes tahor. The place has an effect and influence on the person. The same is with Hashem; when a person totally dedicates and devotes himself to Hashem, the Source of all purity, he becomes enveloped and sheltered in Hashem's shadow. This is how Hashem purifies a person. In essence this is our avodah of Yom Kippur; we are like angels and totally ignore our physical needs and rest and harbor ourselves in Hashem's Presence.

The Vilna Gaon says that there are two Mitzvos which a person does with his whole body - living in Eretz Yisroel and sitting in a Sukka. This is hinted to in the Possuk of וַיְהִי בְשָׁלֵם סֶכּוֹ וּמְעָוֹנָתְוֹ בְצִיּוֹן )תהלים ע"ו(. In the Tefilla which some people say when entering the Sukka, we ask that in the zechus of the Mitzva of Sukka, we should be able to live in Eretz Yisroel. The Meforshim explain the connection according to the words of the Vilna Gaon. Sitting in the Sukka is truly very similar to living in Eretz Yisroel. May we indeed be zoche to sit in the Sukka surrounded with the kedusha and to live in Eretz Yisroel with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu Bimheira Beyamaeinu Amen.

There are two famous Halachos brought down in the Ram"a. One is in Siman תרכ"ד at the end of Hilchos Yom Kippur, and the other is in Siman תרכ"ה in the beginning of Hilchos Sukka. The two Halachos seem to be almost identical. The first one says as follows: וסמדקדקיס מתחיליס מיך במונחי י"כ כעסיית ססוכס כדי לנחת ממלוס סל מלוס. And the second one says: ומלוס לתקן ססוכס מיך לחסל יוס כפול למלוס סכלס לידו חל יסמילנס. The Mishna Berura is already involved in this question. He says that the first Halacha is speaking about starting the Sukka at night, and the second Halacha is speaking about finishing it up the next morning. This question has been asked by the Meforshim for years and years, almost from the beginning of time. The most famous answer after the Mishna Berura is that indeed there are two separate Dinim - two separate Halachos. As our esteemed Rebbi in twelfth grade, Rav Leib Taub Shlit”a would say, we need to take a very sharp knife and cut the Halachos into two - מען נעמט א שארפער מעסער און מען שנייט די הלכה צו צוויי. The two Halachos are as follows - one is a Halacha pertaining to Yom Kippur and the second is a Halacha pertaining to Sukka. The Halacha pertaining to Yom Kippur is that we want to take our high level gained on Yom Kippur and put it to use. We want to continue the momentum and go from one Mitzva to another. It a way to keep Yom Kippur active and alive. It is for the benefit of our Yom Kippur. The second Halacha is for the benefit of the Sukka. We do not want the Sukka to become Chometz, Chas Veshalom. If we connect the Sukka to Yom Kippur, there will be more Kedusha in the Sukka. Until now we thought that only Matza can become Chometz. The Ram"a here is telling us that the Sukka can also become Chometz if it is not made with Zrizus soon after Yom Kippur. These are the two Halachos. And Yehi Ratzon that we should indeed fulfil both of these Halachos completely and fully.

Many years ago the Garfinkel family lived in Monticello, NY, in the mountains. Rebbe's Great-Grandfather, Reb Dovid Binyomin Garfinkel Zatza"l moved there in 1928 because the clean air was better for his health, and he lived there with his family for many years. For many years the family had a farm and they used the trees on the farm to supply the Yidden of that area with S'chach for their Sukkas. The family also had a truck on the farm. Reb Dovid Binyomin's children would cut the S'chach from the trees and the grandchildren would sit in the back of the truck and deliver the branches. It was a great Mitzva and also a lot of fun.

Rebbe's grandfather, Reb Chaim Meir A"H, whose Yahrzeit is Erev Sukkos, related that before they would cut the branches, his father, Reb Dovid Binyomin would instruct them to take branches from all the trees; every tree should have a share in the Mitzva and there should not be any tree left out. This was a feeling which came from an extreme sense of sensitivity which is beyond standard comprehension. There was a certain Yid who recently became familiar with Yiddishkeit and started doing Mitzvos who heard this story and he was amazed and awed at this thought of including all the trees in the Mitzva. The truth is that this story should inspire every person.

What indeed is the reason to include all the trees in the Mitzva? One reason is that a person should use all his possessions for serving Hashem and doing Mitzvos; the main purpose for everything we have is to do Mitzvos and serve Hashem. The second reason is that the trees themselves were created to bring honor to Hashem and this is the way for them to reach their goal and earn their existence. Everything in the world, even a דומם, an inanimate object and the צומח the plants that grow were created to bring honor to Hashem's Name. Can you imagine, if some trees were left out from this Mitzva, how they would feel!

The Possuk in Tehillim says that לעתיד לבא all the trees of the forest will sing songs to Hashem: אז ירננו כל עצי יער. Why will the trees be singing? When the Glory of Hashem will be revealed to the whole world, the entire world even the דומם וצומח will be able to express their feelings. We will be able to see how everything brings honor to Hashem's Name.

Perhaps, we find this idea of an inanimate object having feelings in Sefer Yonah which we lained on Yom Kippur at Mincha. The Possuk says that the boat which was carrying Yonah חשבה להשבר - was thinking about breaking because of Yonah.

When we speak about having feelings, it would be a zechus and blessing to remember that this was something which was very special to Moreinu Harav Nosson Tzvi Finkel Zatza”l and he often related that Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz Zatza”l also felt this way. They had an unbelievable הַארץ and sense of caring for others. They actually felt other people's feelings, whether it was their joy or Rachmana Litzlan, their pain. And they also felt for regular people who were not in joy or pain. They felt a closeness and caring for every single person.

Sukkos is a very opportune time for a person to think about others. We leave our comfortable homes, Boruch Hashem and move outside into our humble Sukkos for seven days. It is the perfect time to think how others manage with their humble belongings throughout the year. In some areas of Lakewood there was a blackout for the last few hours of Rosh Hashana this year. Someone pointed out that this was indeed a big Bracha. It was a time for a person to reflect and think about all the Yidden who are suffering and living in darkness the entire year. Can there be a greater zechus than this to usher in the New Year. Of course it was also a reminder to appreciate all the good which we have, Boruch Hashem. ויה"ר that we should experience and feel the זמן שמחתינו of ourselves and that of all of Klal Yisroel.

The Tur in Siman תי״ז says that the three Moadim, Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos correspond to the three Avos, Avrohom Yitzchok and Yaakov. Pesach is כנגד Avrohom Avinu as the Possuk says לושי ועשי עוגות and this occurred on Pesach. Shavuos is כנגד Yitzchok Avinu because the Shofar used at Mattan Torah was from the ram of Yitzchok Avinu. And Sukkos is כנגד Yaakov Avinu as the Possuk says ולמקנהו עשה סוכות.

On Shabbos we celebrate three different times. On Friday Night we celebrate Brias Ha'olam - Shabbos Bereishis. On Shabbos Day, we celebrate the Shabbos of Mattan Torah and at Mincha we talk about the Shabbos of לעתיד לבא. These are three main events of the world. According to many Meforshim, Yetzias Mitzrayim was a renewal of Brias Ha'olam. Rav Uren Reich Shlit”a explains that the world was recreated when Hashem chose Klal Yisroel as His Nation.

Perhaps we can now say that the three Regalim and the Avos correspond to these three events of the world. Avrohom Avinu and Pesach are כנגד Brias Ha'olam. Avrohom Avinu was the one who introduced Hashem as Creator and Master of the world. And Pesach is the time when we were chosen as the עם הנבחר, which recreated the world. Yitzchok Avinu and Shavuos are כנגד Mattan Torah, and Yaakov Avinu and Sukkos are כנגד the future Geula and לעתיד לבא.

Since we are about to celebrate the Yom Tov of Sukkos, let us talk about Sukkos and Yaakov Avinu.

Towards the end of Birchas Krias Shma at Maariv, after השם ימלוך לעולם ועד, we say as follows: ונאמר כי פדה השם את יעקב וגאלו מיד חזק ממנו. We mention a Possuk from Sefer Yeshaya, which we happen to lain on the second day of Rosh Hashana, and talks about Geula and Yaakov Avinu. What connection does this Possuk have to השם ימלוך לעולם ועד or anything else we just said? Why do we say it here? The Meforshim explain that the Possuk השם ימלוך לעולם ועד which Klal Yisroel said at the Yam Suf refers to the Geula Shelaima of לעתיד לבא. The Meforshim say that when Yaakov Avinu said ברוך שם כבוד מלכות לעולם ועד he was also speaking about the Geula of לעתיד לבא. It is therefore appropriate to mention this Possuk of כי פדה השם את יעקב וגאלו מיד חזק ממנו after the Possuk of השם ימלוך לעולם ועד. It is a direct continuation. (In the morning, at Shacharis, we do the same thing by saying the paragraph of צור ישראל right after השם ימלוך לעולם ועד.( Also, Chaza”l tell us that Yaakov Avinu wanted to reveal the קץ to his children, but it was hidden from him. Here too we see that Yaakov Avinu had a connection to the future Geula.

According to this introduction, we can perhaps understand that Sukkos is a מעין of לעתיד לבא. First of all, we leave our comfortable homes, which symbolize עולם הזה to go to a different world. This is a hint to the עתיד לבא. Second, one of the main Tefillos and themes of Sukkos is הנופלת, הרחמן הוא יקים לנו את סוכת דוד which refers to rebuilding the Bais Hamikdash. What connection is there between the Sukka and the Bais Hamikdash besides the same word Sukka? According to what we are saying, our Sukka itself is a miniature model of the עתיד לבא. It is therefore very befitting to ask for the Bais Hamikdash. [We have written down that the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yerucham Olshin Shlit”a said in the name of Rav Shlomo Kluger that the Sukka is actually a miniature Bais Hamikdash.]

Another question which some ask is that if the Simchas Bais Hashoʼeva is a Zecher for the Bais Hamikdash, then it should be sad. How is it possible to make a Zecher for the Bais Hamikdash the greatest and happiest time of the year? According to what we are saying it is very simple. The Simchas Bais Hashoʼeva is not a Zecher of the Bais Hamikdash that was destroyed. Just the opposite, it is a Zecher for the future Bais Hamikdash, which should be rebuilt speedily in our days and bring the greatest happiness possible.

When the first day of Sukkos falls out on Shabbos, we do not take or shake the Lulav and Esrog, even though according to the Torah we are obligated to. This is because of the גזירה דרבה - the decree of Rabbah, who was concerned that someone might carry it ד' אמות in רשות הרבים. The same applies to the Shofar of Rosh Hashana and the מצוה דרבנן of Megilla on Purim. In these three instances we do not perform the Mitzva because of our fear that someone might desecrate the Shabbos. Rav Getzel Fried Shlit”a sent Rebbi a beautiful Rosh Hashana card and he included three רמזים נפלאים for this Halacha of Rabbah. The first one is based on Rabbah's words of שמא יעבירנו - maybe he will carry it; the word שמא stands for the three words of שופר מגילה and ארבע מינים. The second hint is from the Possuk ויבא יעקב שלם and the word שלם stands for שופר לולב מגילה. The third hint is that the last letter of the words שופר לולב מגילה make up the name רבה.

It says in the Possuk ...בַּסְכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ - you should sit in sukkos, כִּי בַּסוּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם. We are מקיים the מצוה of סוכה in order to remember the נס that Hashem placed the בני ישראל in סוכות when they went out of מצרים. There is a famous קשיא that the טוּר asks: Why is סוכות in תשרי why is it not in ניסן the time when the בני ישראל went out of מצרים?

One תירוץ is that ניסן is in the spring, the weather is nice and it is normal for people to sit outside. In תשרי it starts getting cold and people do not sit outside. Therefore, we go out from our houses to the סוכה in Tishrei, fall-time, to show that we are doing this only for the מצוה and not because it is comfortable.

2) The ווילנא גאון says another תירוץ. When the בני ישראל made the עגל the עַנַנֵי הַכָּבוֹד )which protected them( went away. The ענני הכבוד did not come back until the בני ישראל started building the משכן. When did they start building the משכן? This is the חשבון: משה רבינו came down from הר סיני with the second לוחות on יום כפור which is י' תשרי. The next day, משה רבינו, יא תשרי told the בני ישראל to bring the תרומה for the משכן. The next day was שבת. The next two days יג and יד of תשרי the בני ישראל brought the תרומה and it was counted. They started building the משכן on טו תשרי which brought back the ענני הכבוד. To also remember the return of the ענני הכבוד, we celebrate סוכות in תשרי.

3) The חִידוּשֵׁי הָרִי"ם gives a third תירוץ: The תורה says ...לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דוֹרוֹתֵיכֶם כִי בַסְכֹת הוּשַׁבְתִי - we must have דעת complete understanding of the נס. Until יום כפור we have עבירות and our דעת is contaminated as חז"ל say אֵין אָדָם חוּטֵא אֶלָא אִם כן נִכְנֵס בּוֹ רוּחַ שְׁטות - a person only does an עבירה if he has a רוח שטות- a silly spirit. Therefore we wait until after יום כפור and now that we have no more עבירות, we can be מקיים the מצוה of סוכה with clear דעת.

Perhaps we can illustrate this p'shat with the following incident. One Erev Yom Kippur was a very warm day and upon entering his house, Rebbi noticed that it was unusually hot inside. The thermostat was set to seventy three and it was close to eighty degrees in the house. Rebbi then remembered that the filter was not cleaned in a while and it had really been due for a change before Rosh Hashana. Rebbi went to the basement and removed the filter. It was totally black and the air-flow must have been completely blocked. This is why the air-conditioner was not working. The filter was changed and Boruch Hashem the system began working. This is analogous to what happens on Yom Kippur to our Neshama. Our pure Neshama, which has become soiled and unclean from aveiros throughout the year, becomes clean, pure and fresh again. Only after Yom Kippur are we ready to celebrate the Yom Tov of Sukkos.

Twice a day until שמיני עצרת, we say the קאפיטל of לדוד ה' אורי וישעי. It says in the Possuk כי יצפנני בסכה "Hashem hides me in his סוכה". The Meforshim say that this is a רמז to סוכות. The word בְסְכֹּה is spelled with a "ה" as if it should be read בְסוּכָה in a סוכה. We read it as if it was spelled with a "vov", בְסוּכוֹ which means His סוכה. What is the פשט in this? The Artscroll Siddur brings a beautiful explanation from Rav Avrohom Chaim Feuer שליט"א. Many times a person is in a מצב which is very difficult רחמנא ליצלן and suddenly the problem is solved. It sometimes looks as if "it just happened that I was saved" - "it was by chance that I got the help I needed". That is the way it may look, but we know that the truth is that Hashem brought about the ישועה. The סוכה is the סימן for our protection the whole year. We look at it and we spell it as if it was an ordinary סוכה - but we read it and we know and feel that בסוּכוֹ, it is Hashem's סוכה and it is Hashem who is always helping, protecting and saving us.

On the Yom Tov of Sukkos, the Mussaf Korbanos consisted of פרים אילים and כבשים. [The פרים are for the 70 nations which will become fewer and fewer just as their Korban was smaller and smaller each day. The first day had 13, the second day 12, the third day 11 until the seventh day had 7 and brought the total to 70.] The כבשים, the שעפסעלאך, are brought for the Yidden who are compared to a sheep. There were fourteen כבשים brought every day of Sukkos and all together it equals 98. Rash"i in פרשת פנחס says that these 98 כבשים were to counteract and destroy the 98 קללות in ספר דברים. What is the פשט? What is the connection? How will the Korbanos of Sukkos overpower all those קללות? Reb Levi Langer שליט"א heard from Rav Ruderman זצ"ל the following answer: The Korbanos of Sukkos come with a lot of Simcha and that the פסוק says תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָבַדְתָּ אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְטְוּב לֵבָב. The קללות come because of not serving Hashem with enough joy and happiness. Our שמחת המצוות on Sukkos is very powerful, ויה"ר that it should remain with us throughout the year and it should be מְבַטֵל all bad גזירות, רחמנא ליצלן.

It says in the Possuk אֵלֶּה הֶם מוֹעַדִי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת שַׁבָּתוֹן, in the פרשה of the ימים טובים which we lain on סוכות, the תורה starts off saying “These are my Yomim Tovim” and then tells us about שבת. Why is this so, what is the P'shat? The ווילנא גאון answers that the שבת here is not referring to שבת that we have every seventh day. The ווילנא גאון says that ששת ימים תֵעָשֶׂה מלאכה is going on the six days of יום טוב that it is מותר to do מלאכה to prepare food. These six days are the first and last day of פסח, one day of שבועות, one day of ראש השנה and the first and last day of סוכות )These are the only ימים טובים from the תורה(. When the תורה says וביום השביעי שבת שבתון it is going on יום כפור which is also a יום טוב, but it is אסור to do any מלאכה.

The Possuk says in וחג הָאָסִיף פרשת משפטים - and the Yom Tov of Sukkos, you should celebrate, בְּאָספְךָ את מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מן השדה - when you gather in your work from the field. This Possuk calls for a דְרָשָׁה. Perhaps we can say as follows: From the beginning of אלול, through the ימים נוראים, we were actively reviewing our actions and behavior and preparing for the יום הדין. We had done עבירות we felt very bad and did תשובה. What should we do now? The answer is simple, באספך את מעשיך - gather in all your מעשים טובים. Take inventory of all your good deeds and Mitzvos. Now is the time to look back and count all our מעלות So that we can build on them and continue our עבודת השם.

It says in the Possuk regarding the יום טוב of Sukkos, וּשְׁמַחְתֶם לִפְנֵי ד' אֱלוֹקֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים - You should be happy in front of Hashem for seven days. The גמרא in מסכת סוכה says that at the time of the שמחת בית השואבה, לא רָאִינוּ שֵׁינָה בְּעֵינֵינוּ - we did not see sleep with our eyes. What does this mean? The חתם סופר explains this with the חז"ל that יּוֹשֵׁב וּבָטֵל a person who sits and wastes time is בְּיָשֵׁן דָמִי as if he is sleeping. The חתם סופר says that the גמרא is telling us that at the time of the שמחת בית השואבה, everyone was so busy and happy with the שמחה, that no one wasted time with anything else. לא ראינו שינה we were not בְּיָשֵׁן like a sleeping person. Every second of Sukkos is so full of מצוות, exciting and happy that we become truly awake and enjoy every second with שמחה של מצוה.

We lain Koheles on Shabbos Chol Hamoʼed, and the Sefer concludes with the Possuk סוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלקים ירא ואת מצותיו שמר כי זה כל האדם - fearing Hashem and keeping the Mitzvos is the entire person. What does this mean? Rav Elchonon Wasserman Zatza”l says that we see from here that it is only with Yiras Shamayim that a person will have the status of man. Without it, a person is considered like a simple בעל חי. Rav Elchonon bases this on a Zohar in Parshas Breishis. Before creating man, Hashem said נעשה אדם let us make man. Who is “Us”? Rash”i says that Hashem consulted with the angels before creating man. The Zohar says that Hashem took כוחות from all the creations and created man. Man is a conglomerate of all species in the world, and empowered with the strengths and inclinations of all the animals in the world. With these כוחות together with דעת, man would be the most dangerous creation! How is it possible for a person to act human and the way Hashem wants? The answer is with Yiras Shamayim. Rav Elchonon says that Yiras Shamayim is the chain and leash which keeps a person on the right track.

Rav Chaim Leib Epstein Zatza"l spoke on Shabbos Chol Hamo'ed in the West Gate Shul and said over this Rav Elchonon. He added that according to this we can better understand the Mishna of Yehuda Ben Taima which says that a person should be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer and strong as a lion to serve Hashem. The question is, how can a person be like these animals? Where should a person find this strength to be like a lion and swift as a deer? Based on the Zohar, the answer is that all these strengths are built-in. Hashem created us with all these tremendous strengths and powers; and we have to channel them and use them for serving Hashem.

Every day of זמן שמחתנו we said the entire הלל, which includes the paragraph of אהבתי כי ישמע ה' את קולי תחנונים - I love when Hashem listens to the voice of my supplications. Why is the term אהבתי used here? What exactly do I love when Hashem hears my tefillos? The Meforshim say that I love Hashem when He hears my voice. There still may be room for an explanation why the term אהבתי is used here. How does Hashem listening to my tefillos bring me to love Hashem? Perhaps the answer is that Hashem wants to hear my tefillos and Hashem wants to hear my voice; this is what brings me to love Hashem. Normally, if I ask a person for something, even if he is very kind and wants to help, he still would have preferred that I did not need the help. Hashem is different because He wants to hear us. Not only that, but Hashem makes us need things in order for us to daven. Hashem loves to hear us, which brings us to אהבת השם. It is a midda which we can learn from Hashem; we should want to listen to other people. כי הטה אזנו לי - Hashem bends His ear to me. We should also bend and lend our ears to listen to other people. This will make them feel good, and will create love and good feelings among us.

During the Hakafos one year, a very choshuv'e person came over and told Rebbi that he grew up in England and lived directly across the street from Der Zaydeh, Rav Mordechai Menachem Schwab Zatza"l's, parents. This person had davened together with Der Zaydeh's father החבר ר' יהודה זצ"ל and described his Simchas Torah. Rebbi was expecting to hear about dancing long Hakafos with התלהבות. However, this person said that it looked like the most simple and perfect Hakafos possible. Each Hakafa, Rav Yehuda walked around one time and said the אנא ה' הושיעה נא. This person was showing Rebbi that not always is everything the way it looks. Rav Yehuda may have looked like a simple Yid, and he surely served Hashem without fanfare, but he was zoche to a very special family, בלי עין הרע. Rebbi related this to another choshuv'e person who answered that he also remembers watching great Tzaddikim dancing the Hakafos the same way that Der Elter Zaydeh, Rav Yehuda Schwab, used to.

The Ramba"m at the end of Hilchos Lulav (printed on page 35 of this קונטרס) describes the tremendous Simcha which took place in the Bais Hamikdash. The Ramba”m reminds us of David Hamelech's dancing in front of Hashem. Either way, whether we make the Hakafos long and geshmak or short and sweet, they should be לשם שמים and a source of chizuk, which will inspire us and add to our שמחת תורה throughout the year.

It is very hard to leave the Sukka and it is very hard to leave the Yom Tov of Sukkos. The Yom Tov of Zman Simchaseinu is especially close to every Yid because every Yid wants to serve Hashem with Simcha and on Sukkos it comes so naturally. It is built-in to the Yom Tov. How can we carry the Yom Tov with us the whole year? We were zoche to speak to Rav Getzel Fried Shlit”a and he told us that the Roshei Teivos of the words Basukkos Teishvu Shivas Yomim - ב, ת, ש, י when they are switched around is Shivti. This is a hint to שבתי בבית השם כל ימי חיי. When we sit in the Bais Medrash or Cheder and learn Torah we are continuing the Kedusha and Simcha of Sukkos.

Rav Getzel Shlit”a also related that the Roshei Teivos of the words ויאמר השם סלחתי כדברך is Sukka. This is a hint that the Sukka is a special present from Hashem because Hashem cleansed us from all our Aveiros and was Mochel us.

There is a famous Machlokes in the Gemara if the words בסוכות הושבתי refer to the Ananei Hakavod or actual Sukkos. The Aruch Hashulchan in Siman תרכ"ה asks that according to the one who holds that they were actual Sukkos, what was the great miracle and why is it a reason to celebrate the whole Yom Tov? He answers that indeed we are not celebrating any great miracle according this מאן דאמר. Rather, Hashem wants us to celebrate in order to remember the greatness of Klal Yisroel that they went into the Midbar - לכתך אחרי במדבר בארץ לא זרועה. This is the purpose of the Yom Tov and the Mitzva of Sukka. Hashem gave us the Mitzva in our honor and as a Chizuk for us.

We are all familiar with the Tefilla of הרחמן הוא יקים לנו את סוכת דוד הנופלת, which we add to our Birchas Hamazon on Sukkos. This Tefilla is based on a Possuk in Sefer Amos )ט', י"א( which says as follows: בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָקֵים אֶת־סְכַּת דָּוִיד הַנּפֶלֶת. What exactly is the Sukkas Dovid? According to the Meforshim there are four different meanings to these words. According to Rash"i and the Targum, this is referring to Malchus Bais Dovid. According to the Peirush of the Mincha Gedola, it is referring to The Shechina. According to the Mar”i Kra, it is referring to the Bais Hamikdash. [Our dear Father-in -law, Rav Nosson Weissman Shlit”a mentioned to us that if we really want to have a lot of הנאה we should take a look in the Brisker Rav on the Torah (Page 106) where he tells how Malchus Bais Dovid is intrinsically connected to the Bais Hamikdash.]

And according to the Gemara in Maseches Sanhedrin (on Daf צ"ו( it is referring to Mashiach. The Gemara relates that Rav Nachman asked Rav Yitzchok, “Do you know when Bar Nafli is coming?” Rav Yitzchok responded, “Who is Bar Nafli?” Rav Nachman said that he is Mashiach. Rav Yitzchok then asked him why he is referring to Mashiach this way, and Rav Nachman answered that the Possuk calls him this name as it says בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָקִים אֶת־סְכַּת דָּוִיד הַנּפֶלֶת. So we have four different meanings for these words; ויה"ר that they should all be fulfilled speedily in our days.

The Possuk in Koheles says as follows: אַל־תֹּאמַר מֶה הָיָה שֶׁהַיָּמִים הָרָאשׁנִים הָיָוּ טוֹבִים מֵאֵלֶּה כִּי לֹא מֵחָכְמָה שָׁאַלְתָּ עַל־זֶה - Do not say, "What happened that the earlier days were better than these days?” because it is not an intelligent question. Rash”i says that one should not wonder why the earlier days like the generations of the דור המדבר, Yehoshua and Dovid had so much good. The reason they had so much good was because they deserved this good; it goes according to the Zechusim of the generation. The Targum explains that the Possuk is referring to times of Tzaros, Rachmana Litzlan and the Possuk is saying that the people should not ask why the earlier generations had better times. It is because they acted better.

The Nachal Eshkol from the Malbi”m brings a very interesting P'shat for this Possuk. He says from the earlier Meforshim that the entire population of the world comes from Adam Harishon. This is simple. The Chiddush is that the Neshamos of all the people ever created were included in Adam Harishon. The earlier generations came from the head of Adam Harishon and then later generations came from his hands and arms and the last generation will come from his legs and feet. Because of this the earlier generations were much smarter in many ways. Chaza"l (in Maseches Eiruvin on Daf נ"ג( say that the hearts of the earlier generations were open like the size of the אולם - a great large room and the hearts of the later generations are small like the eye of a needle. The Malbi”m says that this is due to the fact that the earlier generations came from a higher place in Adam Harishon.

The Malbi”m then points out a few other reasons why there are such great differences between the earlier generations and the later generations. He points out that the earlier generations were so great that even a small action was able to accomplish so much. In our days even if a person would fast for many days and try so hard, he would not even accomplish a thousandth of what the earlier Tzaddikim would have accomplished. One reason is, as we mentioned, that their Neshamos were greater. Another reason is that in the earlier days all the learning was by heart and a person who wanted to become a Talmid Chochom had to be totally devoted by day and by night. This brought him to higher levels of Kedusha and Dveikus, it kept him separated from worldly pleasures and it protected him from the Yetzer Harah. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. Another difference, a third reason is that in those days they had the ashes of the Parah Adumah and this made them Tahor; and Tahara brings to Kedusha. This is why they were greater. And the fourth reason is that these days the Yetzer Harah is working extra hard to bring challenges and difficulties in the way of serving Hashem. This is very easy to understand as we see it with our eyes in so many ways.

So we see from this Possuk and the way the Meforshim explain it that these days are not the same as the earlier days. Perhaps a lesson for us would be to try to look back and connect with our earlier generations as much as we can: מתי יגיעו מעשי למעשי אבותי.

Our dear friend Rabbi Yehuda Singer shared with us a very beautiful thought about the Haddasim. We all know that one of the main Halachos of the Haddasim is that there must be three leaves on each level of the stem. The question is that Chaza”l tell us that the Haddas leaves are supposed to look like eyes. If this is so, why must there be three, why is two not enough since each person only has two eyes? He answered that besides for the two eyes that every person has, there is another eye - the עין השכל - the eye of the mind. This is why we need three Haddas leaves on each level.

Perhaps this is also why it is called a הדס שוטה when one of the leaves are not in the right place. This is because the leaf for the עין השכל is missing. This could also be the meaning of the Possuk ונראה עין בעין בשוב השם ציון when Moshiach comes the eye of the Seichel and the human eye will meet. There will be no separation between the eyes and the Seichel; everything will be crystal clear.

There are two main Mitzvos for the Yom Tov of Sukkos. One is sitting in the Sukka and the second is the Daled Minim. We have been wondering for a long time if there is any connection between these two Mitzvos. It happens to be that there is an interesting Shitta in the Gemara that holds that you must use the Daled Minim for the S'chach. But what is the connection between these two Mitzvos. The Meshech Chochmah says something very beautiful and perhaps he is coming to answer this question. The Meshech Chochmah says that there are two types of Mitzvos. One type fits in with the nature of people and the other goes against the nature of people. He says that after a whole season in the field and after a person brought in all his produce, he is ready for going into his house and resting comfortably. Instead, the Torah tells us to leave our homes and live outside in our Sukkos. This is against human nature. The other Mitzva is the Daled Minim. This is very according to human nature. It is very appropriate to take some of the produce and celebrate with it. It is a way to thank Hashem for all of our produce and Parnasa for the whole year. Perhaps this is why the two Mitzvos are connected. We are showing that we serve Hashem in every way possible, whether it is according to our nature or against it. Our goal is to serve Hashem in the way that Hashem commands. That is our goal - to serve Hashem.

It says in the Possuk in פרשת ראה, which we lain on Shmini Atzeres, כִּי פָּתֹחַ תִּפְתַּח את יָדְךְ לוֹ - you should open up your hand to give him צדקה. The גמרא in בבא בתרא tells a story about רב פפא. רַב פָּפָא was once climbing up a ladder and a rung from the ladder slipped out and רב פפא was in danger, a big סכנה. Why did רב פפא deserve this punishment? רַב חִיָיא בַּר רַב told רב פפא that maybe it happened because of not giving צדקה to an עני. Why did רב חייא בר רב suggest this to be the reason for the punishment? The ווילנא גאון says that these words פָּתְחַ תִּפְתַּח which speak about giving צדקה have the טראפ )trop) which is called דַרְנָא תְבִיר which means broken rung, therefore it is probable that this is the cause for such a punishment.

On שמחת תורה after we finish וזאת הברכה - the whole תורה, and start laining the beginning of בראשית and the קרבן מוסף we lain the הפטורה. The הפטורה for שמחת תורה is the first פרק of יהושע. There are two reasons for this. One is because it is, in a way, a continuation of וזאת הברכה where משה רבינו was נפטר and in this הפטורה Hashem tells יהושע that he will take over. The second reason is because Hashem tells יהושע to חַזַק וְאֶמָץ מאד, be very strong in Torah learning וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וְלַיְלָה and learn תורה day and night, and then you will be מצליח. When we finish the תורה, right away we strengthen ourselves and start again with great חשק so that בעזרת השם we will be Zocheh to an abundance of הצלחה and סייעתא דשמיא.

Have a gutten, zeesen and freilechen Yom Tov,

a gutten Kvittel and a gut gebentcht'e Yohr,

רג' לארסנקf