Sukkos 5781, Rabbi David Mahler

The (Berachos 48a) records an incident which occurred when both of the great Amoraim, and were very young children. Upon hearing their responses to the question, “where does G-d dwell?”, the elder Rabbah was moved to declare that they would both grow up to be great rabbis.

What was it in their pointing heavenward that foretold to Rabbah the greatness they would one day attain?

The Tzitz Eliezer (18:63) shares a beautiful insight that he heard from his great teacher, Zvi Pesach Frank, the Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim, during the last Sukkos of his life. He writes that surely many children point upward when asked to show where Hashem lives. The sign of Abaye and Rava’s future greatness lay in how they chose to point heavenward. Rava pointed to the ceiling of the house. Abaye made a point to leave the house and point directly to heaven.

Each child pointed in a way that reflected the circumstances of his particular upbringing. Like most children, Rava was brought up by his parents. Abaye, however, never knew his father or mother. His father died before he was born and his mother died shortly after childbirth. When asked where Hashem lives, the young Rava pointed to the ceiling of his home, indicating that while Hashem is the source of all blessings and the object of his gratitude, the bracha bestowed on him was conveyed through the conduit of his parents. Everything comes from heaven but via the roof of his parental home.

The orphaned Abaye had no parental home. Whose roof could he point to? Instead, he walked outside and pointed directly to the skies, as if to say though my father and mother have left me, Hashem will gather me in, love me and protect me.

Young children with such keen awareness would certainly grow up to be the greatest of rabbis.

Sukkos is the time of contemplating our belief in and awareness of Hashem in our world. Many of us have been nourished by our parents and have been educated by their strong commitments to Him like Rava, while others have carved out a relationship with Hashem by themselves as Abaye did.

On each day of chag, we recite Hallel and in Perek 116 of Tehillim, we will declare the phrase “He’emanti Ki Adaber”. Many of the great Chassidic masters

1 explained this phrase homiletically, I believed (He’emanti) because I spoke about Him (Ki Adaber). We should find moments where we experience the goodness Hashem has blessed us with and audible express that this was orchestrated by G-d. The more we speak about what Hashem does for us, the more our belief in Him will be strengthened.

Furthermore, the Gemara (Arachin 15) states that we recite a full Hallel each day of Sukkos because each day has a new and unique mussaf. On Pesach, however, only a half Hallel is recited during the final six days of the chag as the korban offered each day was identical to the previous day. Why is there this distinction between the two holidays? Perhaps the idea is that Pesach commemorates an event that happened only once and will never happen again. It was a one time period in history where Hashem extricated Am Yisrael from the clutches of the Egyptians. Sukkos, on the other hand, celebrates 40 of experiences and all of the miracles associated with the desert experience. We sing an unabridged Hallel each day because Sukkos celebrates our recognition of Hashem’s constant relevance, benelovance and ever-present presence in our lives for 40 years thousands of years ago as well as every single day since. Each day is a new chag.

Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, the Kotzker , offered a different answer than both Rava and Abaye to a student’s query of where is G-D? The rebbe quickly responded – Wherever you let him in.

May Hashem’s light, love and blessing shine through the small openings in our schach for the next week and through the windows of our homes always.

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