 Torah Thoughts
We have recently emerged from the
High Holy Days. We are preparing to celebrate the festival of Sukkot which
begins on Friday evening. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah conclude this
holiday season next Saturday and Sunday.
Sukkot appears to belong to two distinct cycles of
festivals.
It is the last of the "pilgrimage festivals"-
Passover, Shavuot & Sukkot. These holidays commemorate historical
milestones marking the beginnings of our national
journey. They also celebrate transitions in the agricultural
seasons. Sukkot, for example, is also referred to in the Torah as "Chag
Ha'Asif"- the festival of the ingathering of the crops (the conclusion
of the agricultural cycle).
Sukkot is also the last of what appears to be a
triad of holidays in the "seventh month"- Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur
& Sukkot- the season of introspection and spiritual perfection.
What is it about Sukkot that makes it the link which
connects these disparate festival cycles?
The ingathering of the crops at the end of the season is
certainly a time of joy. The farmer reflects on a year of sweat and toil.
He is satisfied with the fruits of his labor. There is a danger
that the human will be so delighted with his produce that he will forget the
true Benefactor. When one is sated, it may be easy to forget the Source of
the bounty, without Whose blessing it would not exist.
The Sukkah (hut), a flimsy temporary structure
becomes our dwelling place toward the onset of the rainy season. This is a
time when we should be reveling in the security of our warm and
sturdy houses. Instead we remind ourselves of the transitory nature of
this world and its delights. We see the heavens through the s'chach (greenery
used as the “roof” of the Sukkah-hut) and are reminded that it is
ultimately G-d who is our sustainer and protector. Our effort allows the
blessing to be bestowed in a natural manner, but it is not its source.
In ancient times after judgment was
pronounced in court, the vindicated party raised his spear expressing
his victory. So too, the Midrash declares, the Jewish People lift
the lulav, which resembles a spear, after emerging victorious from the
Days of Judgment. Sukkot is a celebration of the fruits of our spiritual
efforts in attaining forgiveness and achieving atonement. Once again, the
celebration of our success, even in the spiritual realm, may lead to a sense
of smugness and self-congratulation. Our spiritual victory is expressed
precisely in the form of the mitzvah of the four species (Citron, date
palm, myrtle, willow- see below) which are all extremely dependant on water-
the universal symbol of Torah. Our spiritual attainments can only flourish
through submission to the Torah. The species are waived in all directions
recognizing G-d's Omnipresence. True spiritual achievements are only
possible by a constant awareness of G-d's Presence.
The sublime joy we experience on Sukkot, a time of
celebrating our temporal and spiritual successes, is rooted not in a sense of
achievement, but rather in the knowledge that G-d is in control of the
machinations of our complex world and that He provides all that we need to
serve Him. There can be no greater happiness than that.
SUKKOT: A Few Laws & Customs
SUKKAH: The festival of Sukkot commemorates the
period when the Jewish People wandered in the desert after the exodus from Egypt.
For forty years our ancestors dwelt in makeshift huts (Sukkot); trusting
completely in G-d’s providence. To this very day we, their descendants,
demonstrate that same faith by symbolically dwelling in our Sukkot-booths
during this festival. All meals during the holiday are eaten in the Sukkah
(except when the weather is inclement), and those who are able, sleep there
too. Since the Sukkah is an object of a mitzvah & it becomes our
temporary home, there is a beautiful custom for children (& adults) to
decorate the Sukkah. Whenever one eats bread or cake (a meal/significant
snack) in the Sukkah, the following blessing is recited (immediately after
the blessing on the food):
(1) "Baruch atah ado-nay, Elo-hainu, Melech
Ha’olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav V’tzivanu laishave BaSukkah"
If it is your first time doing it this holiday recite
the following blessing as well:
(2) "Baruch atah ado-noy, Elo-hainu, Melech
Ha’olam, she’hecheyanu v’kiyemanu v’higi’anu laz’man hazeh"
LULAV & ETROG: The mitzvah of "taking
the four species" is performed during the first seven days of the
holiday (except on Shabbat).How to do it: Take base of the lulav in your
right hand (reverse for lefties) with the spine facing you. The three
hadassim (myrtle twigs) should be on your right & the two aravot (willow
twigs) should be towards your left. When taking the etrog (citron) in your
left hand (various customs) – recite the following blessing:
"Baruch atah ado-nay, Elo-hainu, Melech Ha’olam,
Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav V’tzivanu al netilat lulav".
It is your first time doing it this holiday recite the
blessing (2) shown above as well.
ETROG (citron), Heart-shaped to show that our
emotions should be used to serve G-d. Possesses good taste & fragrance
representing the Jew who is learned (self-focus) & performs good deeds (other-focus).
LULAV (date-palm), Spine-shaped to show that our
physical frame should always be subservient to G-d. It bears tasty fruit but
has no fragrance, representing the Jew who is learned, but does not perform
good deeds for others.
HADAS (myrtle): Eye-shaped to remind us to direct
our vision away from negative distractions and focus on the positive things
in this world. It has fragrance but no taste- representing the Jew who helps
others but is unlearned.
ARAVAH (WILLOW):
Lip-shaped to remind us to use our faculty of speech for holy purposes, not
to slander others. The willow has neither fragrance nor tasty fruit-
representing the Jew who neither performs good deeds nor studies the Torah.
We bring the four species together to symbolize the
complete subservience of our bodies to G-d; and the fact that every single
Jew, no matter how far removed from Judaism, is an indispensable part of the
Jewish People.
Rabbi Baruch Price
Technical
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