BY RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS “For seven days you shall dwell in Sukkot… This is so that future generations will know Sukkot in the Torah that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt.” ּדַ ּבֵר ֶאל ּבְנֵי יִ ְש ׂרָ ֵאל לֵ ֹאמר ּ ַב ֲח ִמ ּׁ ָשה עָ ָש ׂר יוֹם לַ ֹחדֶשׁ ַה ּׁ ְש ִב ִיעי ַה ּזֶה ַחג ַה ּסֻכּוֹת Rabbi Eliezer holds that these booths were the Clouds of Glory which encircled ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים לַ ֹידוָד: ּ ַביּוֹם ָהרִאשׁוֹן ִמ ְקרָא ֹקדֶשׁ ּכָל ְמלֶאכֶת עֲ ֹבדָה ֹלא ַתעֲשׂוּ: and protected us throughout our stay in ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּ ַת ְקרִיבוּ ִא ּׁ ֶשה לַ ֹידוָד ּ ַביּוֹם ַה ּׁ ְש ִמינִי ִמ ְקרָא ֹקדֶשׁ יִ ְהיֶה לָכֶם the desert. Rabbi Akiva explains that the verse refers to the actual tents in which וְ ִה ְקרַבְ ּ ֶתם ִא ּׁ ֶשה לַ ֹידוָד עֲצֶרֶת ִהוא ּכָל ְמלֶאכֶת עֲ ֹבדָה ֹלא ַתעֲשׂוּ: ֵא ּלֶה מוֹעֲדֵי .we lived while sojourning the desert יְ ֹדוָד ֲא ׁ ֶשר ּ ִת ְקרְאוּ ֹא ָתם ִמ ְקרָ ֵאי ֹקדֶשׁ לְ ַה ְקרִיב ִא ׁ ֶשּה לַ ֹידוָד ֹעלָה ִוּמנְ ָחה זֶ ַבח Talmud, Tractate Sukkah 11b וּנְ ָס ִכים ּדְ ַבר יוֹם ּבְיוֹמוֹ: ִמ ּלְ ַבד ׁ ַש ּבְ ֹתת יְ ֹדוָד ִוּמ ּלְ ַבד ַמ ּ ְת ֵנוֹתיכֶם ִוּמ ּלְ ַבד ּכָל What is the significance of the tents נִדְרֵיכֶם ִוּמ ּלְ ַבד ּכָל נִדְ ֹב ֵתיכֶם ֲא ׁ ֶשר ּ ִת ּ ְתנוּ לַ ֹידוָד: ַאךְ ּ ַב ֲח ִמ ּׁ ָשה עָ ָש ׂר יוֹם לַ ֹחדֶשׁ in the desert that they deserve such a serious commemoration? The Sukkah ַה ּׁ ְש ִב ִיעי ּבְ ָא ְס ּפְכֶם ֶאת ּ ְת ַבוּאת ָה ָארֶץ ּ ָת ֹחגּוּ ֶאת ַחג יְ ֹדוָד ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּ ַביּוֹם reminds us of the great faith of the Jewish ָהרִאשׁוֹן ׁ ַש ּ ָבתוֹן ַוּביּוֹם ַה ּׁ ְש ִמינִי ׁ ַש ּ ָבתוֹן: וּלְ ַק ְח ּ ֶתם לָכֶם ּ ַביּוֹם ָהרִאשׁוֹן ּפְרִי עֵץ people, who followed G-d’s command, traveling into the uninhabitable ָהדָר ּכַ ּ ֹפת ּ ְת ָמרִים וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָ ֹבת וְעַרְבֵי נָ ַחל ְוּש ׂ ַמ ְח ּ ֶתם לִפְנֵי יְ ֹדוָד ֱא- ֹל ֵקיכֶם .desert and living in makeshift booths ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים: וְ ַח ֹּג ֶתם ֹאתוֹ ַחג לַ ֹידוָד ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּ ַב ּׁ ָשנָה חֻ ּ ַקת עוֹלָם לְ ֹד ֹר ֵתיכֶם They trusted wholeheartedly that He would care for their every need in the ּ ַב ֹחדֶשׁ ַה ּׁ ְש ִב ִיעי ּ ָת ֹחגּוּ ֹאתוֹ: ּ ַב ּסֻ ּ ֹכת ּ ֵת ׁ ְשבוּ ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּכָל ָה ֶאזְרָח ּבְיִ ְש ׂרָ ֵאל יֵ ׁ ְשבוּ .wilderness ּ ַב ּסֻ ּ ֹכת: לְ ַמעַן יֵדְעוּ ֹד ֹר ֵתיכֶם ּ ִכי ַב ּסֻכּוֹת ׁ ַהוֹשבְ ּ ִתי ֶאת ּבְנֵי יִ ְש ׂרָ ֵאל ּבְ ִהוֹצ ִיאי ָאוֹתם Aruch HaShulchan ֵמ ֶארֶץ ִמצְרָיִם ֲאנִי יְ ֹדוָד ֱא- ֹל ֵקיכֶם: ויקרא פרק כג:לג-מג And G-d spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites, From the Chassidic Masters saying: The 15th of this seventh month shall be the festival of Sukkot is also known as the Season of our Rejoicing, because of the special Sukkot to G-d, lasting seven days. The first day shall be a sacred obligation to rejoice during this time. holiday when you may not do any service work. For seven days True happiness derives from being then, you shall present a fire-offering to G-d. The eighth day is a satisfied with one’s lot, regardless of sacred holiday to you when you shall bring a fire-offering to God. how materially wealthy one is. When we leave our comfortable homes and sit It is a day of convocation when you may do no service work. in the impermanent Sukkot, we remind The above are God's special times which you must keep as ourselves that physical comforts cannot sacred holidays. Times when you must present to G-d a provide true happiness. We thus ingrain burnt-offering, a meal-offering, a sacrifice and libations, each in our hearts and minds the importance of being satisfied depending on the particular day. [This, in addition to] G-d's with whatever G-d Sabbath sacrificial offerings, the gifts and the specific and grants us. general pledges that you offer to G-d. On the 15th of the seventh Olelos Ephraim month, when you harvest the land's grain, you shall celebrate a festival to G-d for seven days. The first day shall be a day of rest, and the eighth day shall be a day of rest. On the first day, you must take for yourself a fruit of the citron tree, an unopened palm frond, myrtle branches, and willows of the brook. You It is told that someone once asked the Gaon of Vilna which mitzvah shall rejoice before G-d for seven days. During these seven days he considers to be the most difficult of all the 613 mitzvot. The Gaon each year, you shall celebrate to G-d. It is an eternal law for did not immediately respond. After all generations that you celebrate [this festival] in the seventh contemplating the matter, he answered month. For seven days you shall dwell in Sukkot. Everyone in that the mitzvah to rejoice for the entire Israel must live in such thatched huts. This is so that future eight days of Sukkot is the most difficult to fulfill. After all, he explained, the generations will know that I had the Israelites live in huts when mitzvah obligates us to lay aside all our I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your G-d. worries and fears and embrace a positive Leviticus 23:33-43 and joyous state of mind for eight ַחג ַה ּסֻ ּ ֹכת ּ ַתעֲ ֶש ׂה לְךָ ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּבְ ָא ְס ּפְךָ ִמ ּגָרְנְךָ ִוּמ ּיִ ְקבֶךָ: וְ ָש ׂ ַמ ְח ּ ָת ּבְ ַח ּגֶךָ complete days! While not impossible, this is surely a difficult feat to accomplish. ַא ּ ָתה ִוּבנְךָ ִוּב ּ ֶתךָ וְעַבְ ּדְךָ וַ ֲא ָמ ֶתךָ וְ ַה ּלֵוִי וְ ַה ּגֵר וְ ַה ּיָתוֹם וְ ָה ַאלְ ָמנָה ֲא ׁ ֶשר ּ ִב ׁ ְשעָרֶיךָ: ׁ ִשבְעַת יָ ִמים ּ ָת ֹחג לַ ֹידוָד ֱא- ֹל ֶקיךָ ּ ַב ּ ָמקוֹם ֲא ׁ ֶשר יִבְ ַחר יְ ֹדוָד ּ ִכי יְ ָברֶכְךָ יְ ֹדוָד ֱא- ֹל ֶקיךָ ּבְכָל ּ ְת ָבוּא ְתךָ וּבְ ֹכל ַמעֲ ֵש ׂה יָדֶיךָ וְ ָהיִ ָית ַאךְ ָש ׂ ֵמ ַח: From the Mystics דברים פרק טז:יג-טו Peleh Yoetz quotes Ariza”l, who says that one must make a great effort to rejoice during this holiday; if he succeeds in this, When you bring in the products of your threshing floor and he is assured of having a similarly joyous wine press, you shall celebrate the festival of Sukkot for seven and positive year. days. You shall rejoice on your festival along with your son and daughter, your male and female servants, the Levite, proselyte, orphan and widow from your cities. Celebrate to G-d your Lord While fulfilling the mitzvah to be joyous, for seven days in the place that G-d will choose, for G-d will one should not close his door and celebrate with only his family members, then bless you in all your agricultural and other endeavors, so for that is not joy that emanates from that you will be pure happiness. a mitzvah, but an act that borders on Deuteronomy 16:13-15 self-interest. Rather, true joy is achieved when one invites needy people into his home and enables them to partake of the Names of the Holiday special holiday feeling. Kad HaKemach THE HOLIDAY HAS FOUR NAMES: 1. Sukkot — Booths: Referring to the temporary booths in which we dwelled in the desert. 2. Chag HaAssif — Festival of the Harvest: Referring to the fact that this holiday was celebrated at the conclusion of the harvest season. 3. Z’man Simchoteinu — Season of our Rejoicing: Referring to the special obligation to rejoice during these festive days. 4. HaChag — The Festival: With the close of the harvest season, this was the farmer’s first occasion to relax and rejoice. Unique Features of Sukkot ukkot is the only holiday that really encompasses two holidays: S Seven days of Sukkot and one day of Shemini Atzeret [upon which we celebrate Simchat Torah]. Sukkot begins just five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot has the greatest number of unique mitzvot to fulfill on the holiday: PARTNERS IN TORAH HOLIDAY ENCOUNTER | 2 The word Sukkah in Hebrew is spelled 1. Lulav [palm frond] with the letters, samech, kof, hey. Each letter symbolizes another possible 2. Etrog [citron] configuration for a kosher Sukkah. is comprised of four lines [ס] Samech 3. Aravah [willow] in a box-like shape, which represents 4. Hadass [myrtle] a Sukkah of four complete walls. Kof is comprised of three lines in the [כ] 5. Water libations on the Altar shape of a semi-circle and represents a Sukkah of three complete walls. Heh is comprised of two straight lines [ה] Holding the Aravah on Hoshanah Rabbah [the 7th day .6 of Sukkot] that form a right angle and a third partial line opposite the vertical line. 7. The obligation to rejoice These represent a Sukkah that has two complete walls and part of a third which Building a Sukkah is also acceptable.