(Based in part on a short idea Rav Menachem Bentzion Zaks, in his Menachem Tziyon – Yerach Haeisanim)
The Gemara (Bava Basra 75a) writes: “And Rabbah says that Rabbi Yochanan says: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will prepare a succah for the righteous from the skin of the Livyasan.”
Based on this many have the custom to recite a short tefillah upon leaving the succah for the final time wherein we pray, that in the merit of this mitzvah, we should be privileged to sit in the succah of the skin of the Livyasan.
What connection might there be between our mitzvah of succah and the “succah” that Hashem will create from the Livyasans’ skin?
Perhaps more surprisingly is another reward promised to those who sit and fulfil the mitzvah of succah. The Pesikta D`Rav Kahana (201) cited by Rav Zaks (Pesikta Acharita D`Succos) writes: "Whoever fulfills the mitzvah of succah in this world – Hashem will, in the future, give him a share of the succah of Sodom."
Why do those who merit to fulfil the mitzvah of succah deserve to sit specifically in the succah of the Livyasan and the succah of Sodom?
Earlier (74b) the Gemara writes that Hashem created both a male and female Livyasan, as all creatures were created in pairs. Realizing that if they were to reproduce, their offspring would destroy the world, He castrated the male, killed the female and salted her meat to preserve it for the banquet for the righteous in the future. The Gemara later (75a) writes that when the Livyasan is hungry, the heat its mouth generates is enough to boil all the water on earth. And when thirsty, it could drink enough to cause channels to form in the oceans which would remain for 70 years. And if it did not place its head in Gan Eden, no creature could withstand his foul smell.
The image the Livyasan presents is of a hostile creature which cannot coexist with anyone or anything else. Had Hashem allowed the [pair of] Livyasan to reside on earth, it would become uninhabitable for all others. Its foul smell alone, absent the fragrant aroma of Gan Eden, would itself cause harm. Where the Livyasan lives, nothing else can survive. It is literally a case of “the world is not big enough for the both of us”.
Rav Zaks suggests this quality of the Livyasan as the point of connection – or, more accurately, the point of contrast – between the Livyasan and our mitzvah of succah.
Succah requires us to leave our sturdy homes with high fences and walls, and live outdoors, sheltered only by a flimsy insecure structure. It is precisely our secure homes that separate us from others; they are our reshus hayachid and private domain - wherein we build and live separate lives and apart from the rest of humanity. By definition, a bayis, a house, is an exclusionary zone. It establishes each person and his life as an independent entity, rather than part of Klal. On Succos we are told to leave our homes, venturing forth out of our self-made separation and seclusion. Kol H`Ezrach B`Yisroel Yeishvu B`Succos. Our moving outdoors and leaving our homes is a declaration and statement of our unity and association with all of Klal Yisroel. Although we do maintain and live independent lives within our homes, ultimately and with joy, we share the chag h`asif, the earth and its harvest with the rest of mankind.
This now explains why those who truly fulfill and internalize the mitzvah of succah are rewarded by sitting in the succah of the skin of the Livyasan.
The Livyasans` death and the harvest of its hides, speaks to a world which meant to be shared, not fought over. Those who internalize the message of the succah, the value of selflessness and sharing, in effect spend their lives in the succah of the skin of the Livyasan; they are the living examples of the antitheses of what the Livyasan represents. Through our observance of this mitzvah, we proclaim our desire to live peacefully and harmoniously together with others, rather than focus exclusively on our own private domains and our own selfish needs and interests.
We can now explain the Pesikta D`Rav Kahana (201): "Whoever fulfills the mitzvah of succah in this world – Hashem, in the future, give him a share of the succah of Sodom."
This Chazal likely relates to the notion of being mistapek b`muat – being content with whatever one has. The purpose of leaving one`s sturdy house and residing in a humble succah, perhaps serves – at least in part – as a lesson of placing wealth and prosperity into its proper outlook, ever reminding us of the secondary importance of material benefits. We are urged precisely at harvest –time, when ones` silos and accounts are flush, to leave the comfort and wealth of our home and feel content even with a little –such as in the humble succah. The mitzvah of simcha on specifically on Succos suggests the importance of experiencing genuine joy and satisfaction even when we must dwell in a "succah," when we cannot achieve the wealth we would ideally want.
The people and city of Sodom are infamously associated with selfish greed and ruthless aggression. Life in Sodom was characterized by the endless and unrelenting pursuit of wealth, without regard to any other values and with no concern for any other people. The Pesikta D`Rav Kahana therefore promises that one who fulfills the mitzvah of succah in this world, who internalizes the ideal of contentment and histapkus with whatever they have, will merit as reward in the next world by enjoying the succah, the luxury of Sodom. Even if it seems that in this world fortune is gained by aggression and cruelty, in the next world –the opposite is true. It is specifically those who understood and live the message of the succah, leaving their castles to share their bounty and succah with another - who will enjoy prosperity and fortune. {It likely goes without saying that the measure of fortune –in the next world- is governed by a completely different metric that in this world}
Given the nature of the Livyasan which had they reproduced, "they would have destroyed the entire world” this creature possibly parallels, in this sense, the nature of the cruel inhabitants of Sodom. Like the people in Sodom, this creature embodies the quality of ruthless aggression and greed that is unrestrained and knows no bounds. It threatens to consume the entire world in its wanton, uncontrolled pursuit of gratification. Slaughtering the Livyasan as the meal for the tzadikkim perhaps symbolizes the triumph of the restraint and discipline of the righteous over those with insatiable greed. It is those with faith and foresight who observe the mitzvah of succah, and whose lives reflect the model of contentment and histapkus and succeed in tempering the natural craving for wealth with humility, restraint and discipline, who have defeated the Livyasan and all that it represents. Such people will be rewarded with the pleasures and rewards of the world to come. (R’ Avraham Bukspan)
