Simchah - ושמחת בחגך

ושמחת בחגך - Simchah

The Rambam writes, "There is a mitzvah to be happy on all holidays, but it is especially important to be happy on Succos, as it states (Vayikra 23) 'ושמחת לפני ה' אלקיך שבעת ימים rejoice before Hashem your G-d for seven days'". Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 529:2) states, "A person is obligated to be happy and in a good mood on Yom Tov together with his wife and children. How does he make the family happy? He should give children nuts and roasted grains [and other foods children enjoy], and for women, he should buy them clothing and jewelry, according to his abilities."17

We take the four minim every day of Succos (aside from on Shabbos); however, for most of the days, the obligation is d'Rabbanan. From the Torah, the mitzvah of lulav is only on the first day of Succos. The mitzvah of simchah, to be happy on the holiday, is for all eight days of Succos. The Imrei Noam zt'l says that this tells us the importance of happiness on Yom Tov. Hashem loves it when His nation is happy.18

Sfas Emes (תרמ"ג ד"ה ימי) zt'l writes, "When the Jewish nation becomes pure from all their aveiros on Yom Kippur, there is immense joy in heaven. We should join Hashem in His happiness."

The Alshich (Emor) writes, "From the day the world was created, Hashem was never as happy with His creation as the day the Mishkan was built. And in every generation, Hashem is extremely happy on Succos, for then Bnei Yisrael are cleansed from their sins. The succah is our sign that we attained this purity."

The Shlah HaKadosh (סוכה נר מצוה סוף אות ט) writes, "A person must be happy every day of Succos. His face should be beaming with joy because the holy Ushpizin dwell with him."

In Hilchos Lulav (8:15), the Rambam writes, "The joy that one has when he performs mitzvos is a great service, and whoever refrains from that joy deserves to be punished."

Reb Chaim Vital (Hakdamah l'Shaar HaMitzvos) zt'l writes, "Do not view mitzvos as a burden, as something you wish to quickly 'get over with them.' Instead, think that you will earn many thousands of gold coins with every mitzvah you perform. With this thought, you will have boundless joy when you perform the mitzvos, as happy as someone who received millions of gold coins..."19

It states (Avos 2:15) ובעל הבית דוחק, "The baal habayis is pushing..." We can explain these words with a mashal: Customers trying on shoes in the shoe store often have difficulty returning the shoes to the box. When they try putting the shoes in side by side, they find the box isn't wide enough. When they try placing one on the other, the box isn't tall enough. But the baal habayis of the store can slip the shoes into the box with ease. The baal habayis knows how to push the shoes together in a way that they fit perfectly into the box. The nimshal is that we are the baal habayis over our joy; therefore, בעל הבית דוחק the baal habayis knows how to push simchah into his life. Chazal say, הבא לטהר מסייעין אותו, when a person desires to be pure, Heaven helps him. Similarly, when one tries to be happy, Hashem will help him succeed.

Chazal (Succah 48.) say that we must also be happy on the final night of Yom Tov (the night of Shemini Atzeres). The Sfas Emes taught that "the final night" hints at the hardships of the dark galus, in the final generation. Even during these challenging times, we are obligated to be happy.

A man once shared his troubles with Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt'l. Reb Shlomo Zalman assured him that despite his problems, happiness was within reach. The man replied, "It is impossible for a person who suffers as much as I do to be happy."

Reb Shlomo Zalman replied, "I know someone who is a widower, deaf in one ear, and three of his children are childless. Nevertheless, he is always happy."

The man said, "It can't be. How can he be happy? The story can't be true."

Upon that, Reb Shlomo Zalman releaved that he was referring to himself.

The Alter of Slabodka, zt'l, taught: When the Rambam omits a halachah from his sefer, talmidei chachamim don't assume that the Rambam accidentally overlooked this halachah and forgot to put it in. They are certain that the Rambam intentionally left out the halachah, and they study the topic in depth to understand the reason the Rambam omitted it. So, when something is lacking and missing in your life, why do you think it happened by chance or by accident? Everything is from Hashem, and if you lack something, there is a reason for it, and it is for your good.

The Yiddish expression מיטן פיטום אראפ"with the pitom facing down," is said when one suffers a lot, and everything seems to be going in the wrong direction. But notice that we make the brachah on an esrog specifically when it is מיטן פיטם אראפ,the pittim facing downwards. This is a reminder that we should praise Hashem in all situations because everything is for the good.

Reb Mordechai of Chernobyl zy'a said that Succos is called זמן שמחתינו because זמן means prepare (להזמין to prepare, to order). On Succos, we prepare and store up simchah for the entire year (see Magen Avraham, Trisk, Shabbos Chol HaMoed Succos).

Rebbe Shmuel of Lubavitch (The Maharash Maamarim, 5655) teaches, "Joy [throughout the year] comes from our happiness on Succos."

It states ושמחת בחגיך... והיית אך שמח. The Abarbanel writes, "This pasuk is a guarantee that if you will be happy on Succos, you will be happy the entire year." Similarly, the Ibn Ezra on the pasuk ושמחת בחגיך (Devarim 16: 14-16) writes that if we are happy on Succos, we are blessed to be happy forever.

Pele Yoetz zt'l writes, "We are commanded to be happy, and this becomes a good omen (siman) for the entire year. The Arizal's students write that someone who is joyous and has a happy heart, without any distress, on this holy holiday, it is certain that he will have a good and happy year."20

Rashi (Bamidbar 29:18) teaches that ninety-eight sheep were sacrificed on Succos.21 The 98 sheep annul the 98 curses written in parashas Ki Savo.

Avnei Nezer says that we serve Hashem with joy on Succos, and this annuls the klalos, curses, written in parashas Ki Savo, which come because (Devarim 28:47) תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלקיך בשמחה, "you didn't serve Hashem with joy."

Beis Aharon (p.156.) writes, "During the yomim nora'im [Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur], we draw down the bounty with fear, and on Succos, we open the treasuries of bounty with our joy."22

The Chozeh of Lublin zt'l was at a chasunah, performing the mitzvah of simchas chasan v'kalah. Someone asked him, "No one is happier than a chassan and kallah. Wouldn't you use your time more wisely if you brought joy to those who are suffering? Why do you bring simchah to the chassan and kalah, who are anyway happy?"

The Chozeh answered that Chazal (see Yerushalmi Bikurim 3:3) say that all one's aveiros are forgiven on the day of his chasunah. The chassan and kallah are concerned: They are pure now, but how can they be sure they will remain pure and clean from sin for the rest of their lives? This is the reason we dance before them. We are telling them, "If you are happy, you will remain clean from sin. Your joy will protect you from falling into sin." This can be one of the reasons we have a mitzvah to be happy on Succos. It helps us maintain our purity, which we attained on Yom Kippur, throughout the year.

One counsel for attaining happiness (taught by the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, zt'l) is to daven for it. This is what Dovid HaMelech did, as it states (Tehillim 86:4) שמח נפש עבדך, "Gladden Your servant's soul."

Another counsel is to believe that everything that happens to you is from Hashem and for your benefit. When one believes this, he will be happy in any situation. This might be the reason there is a special mitzvah to be happy on Succos. When we sit in Succah, we remember Hashem, and we remember the miracles Hashem performed for us in the desert. As it states (Vayikra 23:42-43) בסוכות תשבו שבעת ימים למען ידעו דרתיכם כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל בהוציאי אותם מארץ מצרים אני ה' אלקיכם, "You should dwell in succahs for seven days... so you will know that I had Bnei Yisrael dwell in succahs when I took them from the land of Mitzrayim, I am Hashem, your G-d." When we know Hashem and His wonders and His hashgachah pratis, we will always be happy with our lot.23

Footnotes

1. Pele Yoetz (Chol HaMoed) writes, "Chazal (Yerushalmi Shabbos 15:3) say לא נתנו שבתות וימים טובים לישראל אלא לעסוק בתורה Hashem gave Shabbos and Yom Tov to Yisrael so they could study Torah. Some people say they can't learn Torah because they are busy earning a living. If such a person uses his time well on chol hamoed, as well as the other times when he is off from work, and devotes himself to studying Torah, he will receive reward even for the times he was working. [Because by studying at every free moment and every opportunity he proves that if he didn't have to work, he would study Torah then as well.] He should be especially cautious to study Torah on chol hamoed, because chol hamoed are days of judgment. On Pesach, there is a judgment on the תבואה the grain crop, and on Succos the judgment is for water (see Rosh Hashanah 16a), and the gmar din is on Hoshana Rabba..."
2. On the weeks leading up to Succos, someone in Yerushalayim opened a four-minim store right next door to a jewelry shop. A talmid chacham entered the jewelry store, and a simple Yid went to the four-minim shop. They met outside, each holding in their hands their purchases. The simple person commented, "My purchase is superior to yours because I bought a mitzvah. I bought the four minim!" The scholar responded, "You bought a mitzvah דרבנן (that year, the first day of Succos fell on Shabbos) and I bought a mitzvah דאורייתא. I purchased jewelry for my wife, fulfilling the Torah's obligation to bring happiness to one's wife on Yom Tov."
3. Think about how much you are ready to invest to purchase a kosher set of the four-minim. That should help you understand how much effort you should invest in being happy on Succos.
4. In military training, soldiers do not use real bullets and live ammunition. It would be a waste of money
5. About Yom Kippur it states (Vayikra 23:27) ...אך בעשר לחודש השביעי יום הכפורים הוא. The word אך is also mentioned in reference to Succos, as it states (ibid. 23:39) 'אך בחמשה עשר יום לחודש השביעי... תחוגו את חג ה. The Meshech Chachmah (אמור ד"ה אך) explains that אך can be translated as "even so." If one didn't do teshuvah, perhaps he shouldn't fast on Yom Kippur? The Torah tells us that, even so, he must fast. Succos, we celebrate the atonement. But what if he didn't do teshuvah and didn't achieve atonement? Perhaps he shouldn't keep Succos? So the Torah writes, אך that even so, he should rejoice on Succos.
6. (Bamidbar 29:13-32) כבשים בני שנה ארבע עשר תמימים יהיו "Sheep within the first year, fourteen perfect ones they shall be." This was brought all seven days of Succos. 7 x 14 = 98.
7. Once, during Succos, Reb Meir of Premishlan zt'l was informed that a close relative of his was sick and his life was in danger. Reb Meir replied, "Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded us to blow shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and Meir'l did so. Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded us to fast on Yom Kippur, and Meir'l did so. Hakadosh Baruch Hu requires us to be happy on Succos, and I want to do so. But Chazal say אין מערבין שמחה בשמחה, one mustn't mix two joys. [On Yom Tov, we are happy because it is Yom Tov, ושמחת בחגך, and we shouldn't be happy for other reasons.] If something bad happens, I will be required to accept the sad news with joy, as Chazal say, that one must bless Hashem with joy for bad tidings, and then I will have another joy in addition to the joy of Yom Tov. We mustn't mix two joys. Therefore, I request Hashem that my relative remain alive, so I will be able to focus my joy on the Yom Tov alone."
8. Rebbe Hirsh Riminover zt'l said that the schach hints that Hashem watches over us with hashgachah pratis. He watches over us through the cracks in the schach. Perhaps this is alluded to in the pasuk (Shir HaShirim 2:9) משגיח מן החלונות, מציץ מן החרכים, "Observing through the windows, peering through the lattices." We are constantly under Hashem's protection.