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Shabbat Shalom
Chat Sameach
Volume 25, # 51 / Special Issue for Shabbat Chol Hamoed Succot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah / 5779 - B”H
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Shabbat Shalom: Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
What is the true symbolism of the succa? The Talmud (B.T. Succa 11b) cites a difference of opinion between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer as to whether the succa commemorates the actual huts in which the Israelites dwelt in the desert, or the “clouds of glory” which encompassed us as a sign of Divine protection.
Leviticus chapter 23 catalogs all the holy days of the Hebrew calendar, beginning with the Sabbath and concluding with Succot. The 33rd verse begins a description of Succot:
“The 15th day of the seventh month shall be the festival of Succot (Booths), seven days for the Lord; the first day shall be a holy convocation, when you may not perform creative work…”
The text goes on to mention the festival of the Eighth Day of Assembly (Shmini Atzeret), and then seemingly concludes the entire calendar sequence with the words: “These are the special appointed times of the Lord” (23:37).
But just as we thought the description of the festivals was complete, the narrative inexplicably reverts to the festival of Succot. This time, however, the Bible stresses the connection to the Land of Israel, and the agricultural cycle:
“But on the 15th day of the seventh month, when you harvest the grain of the land, you shall celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days, with the first day being a day of rest and the eighth day being a day of rest” (23:39).
Another curious feature of this second account is that having repeated the command to observe Succot in the context of the farmers’ request, the Bible now introduces other crucial themes of the festival, including the command to take up four species of plant indigenous to Israel (citron, palm frond, myrtle branch and willow), and rejoice on our holy days, wrapping up its description with a repetition of the command to dwell in booths, this time stressing the historical aspects of the festival:
“You shall dwell in booths for seven days, so that your generations shall know that I caused the Israelites to live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (23: 42-43).
It seems that the Bible is making a clear distinction between the significance of the Succot Festival before the Israelites entered the Land and the nature of the festival once we were living in Israel. How so?
Outside Israel, the hut-like booths symbolized our temporary dwellings while we wandered across the desert and, by extension, throughout our long exile when we were a people without a homeland. Once we entered the Land of Israel, however and harvested the grain of the land,” we could celebrate the harvest with special blessings and rituals involving the four species – vegetation unavailable in the desert.
In the Promised Land, the entire festival and even the symbolism of the succah itself assumed a heightened significance. Now, the shabby, makeshift desert huts came to represent the sheltering wings of the Divine Presence, the clouds of glory with which God protected us so that we’d be able to fulfill our mission as His divine ambassadors. When we are living in the Diaspora, the succa can only teach us to be grateful to the Lord who preserves us under difficult and dangerous conditions; whereas living in Israel, we understand that as the people of God’s covenant, no matter how flimsy the walls of our temporary homes may seem, we constantly live under His protective grace, with the borders of our homeland for protection and the food provided by our land for life-giving sustenance.
This essential difference in the significance of the succa prior to our inhabiting the Land of Israel and afterwards could also be seen when we returned to the Land after our Babylonian exile. Then, Ezra exhorted us to dwell in booths during the Festival of the Seventh Month, and to make our booths with “olive leaves and olive branches, with myrtles, psalms and willows” (Nehemiah 8:15). In the Land of Israel, the succa is adorned and enhanced by the local vegetation, the special fragrance of which symbolizes God’s shelter and fulfillment of the Divine covenant. Seen in this light, as the Vilna Gaon noted, Succot is the festival which celebrates our entry into the Land of Israel!
God’s revelation and gift of forgiveness (initially for the sin of the Golden Calf) took place on the 10th of Tishrei, Yom Kippur. The following day, He commanded the building of the Sanctuary; and the Israelites collected materials for the next two days.
Then, on the 15th of Tishrei, the work of building the Sanctuary began, marking the restoration of the relationship between God and the Jews. This is noted by the Ramban, who explains that this is why the Book of Exodus is indeed the Book of Redemption.
“Then the Holy One Blessed be He returned and rested His Divine Presence among them and they returned to the exalted level of the patriarchs, which was the secret of God, with Clouds of Glory upon their tents, and they were considered to be redeemed. And so the Book of Exodus ends with the completion of the Sanctuary and with the Glory of God filling it always.” (Ramban – Introduction to Book of Exodus).
Hence the succa in Israel became clouds of divine glory, symbolizing the Sanctuary and the Holy Temple in Jerusalem – which will eventually bring the entire world to peace and redemption. And indeed He has begun the process in our generation, when He brought us home to Israel thereby restoring and uplifting the fallen Succah of David, which has now become – after 2000 years of Exile – clouds of Divine Glory presaging the Third Santuary and World peace. (Isaiah 2)
Dvar Torah
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
The day on which rain falls is as great as the day on which the Torah was given. This astonishing statement was made by Rabbi Yehuda in the Gemara in Masechet Taanit (Daf Zayin Amud Alef). He declared, “Gadol Yom Hagshamim K’Yom Shenitnah B’Torah – The day of rainfall is as great as the day on which Torah was given.”
He relies on a source in Parashat Haazinu which we recently read. “Yaarof K’Matar Likchi – (Hashem says) Let my doctrine, (which is the Torah) come down like the rain.” The Maharsha gives a beautiful ‘peirush’. He says that water is the most important element of matter which fills our universe and in the same way, Torah is the key ingredient of all spirituality. Rain in Hebrew – ‘Geshem’ – is the root for ‘Gashmiut’ which is materialism. And therefore, you have the material world and the spiritual world matching each other.
In the Gemara, Rava goes one step further. He says “Gadol Yom Hagshamim M’Yom Shenitnah B’Torah – The day of rain fall is greater than the day on which Torah was given. He learns this from the very same verse” Yaarof K’matar Likchi – (Hashem says) Let my doctrine, the Torah, fall like rain.” This means that the Torah is compared to rain, indicating that rain is even greater.
It is a bit like if I were to give a compliment to a musician by saying, “You’re just as great as Beethoven was.” Well that means that I really consider Beethoven to have been greater. But if I would say that ‘Beethoven was as great as you are’, that suggests you are greater.
Here the Torah is being compared to rain, suggesting that the day on which rain falls is greater than the day on which Torah was given. Once again the Maharsha helps us, and explains that when rain falls, it affects everybody. However, when Torah is given it doesn’t affect everybody, it only positively affects the lives of those who embrace it, who take hold of the opportunities that it presents to have their lives enhanced through the study of Torah and through the practise of its Mitzvot. Therefore, unfortunately, realistically, in terms of impact, a day of rainfall is greater than the day on which the Torah is given.
Over the two concluding days of this festive period we actually have rainfall and Torah celebration merging together through the festivals of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. On Shemini Atzeret we pray for rain and on Simchat Torah we rejoice in the Torah.
I believe that our tradition here throws out a challenge to us. We need to strive to ensure that the giving of Torah has the same impact as the fall of rain. In order that we can engage in Torah, embrace its values and perform its Mitzvot to enable us to have truly fulfilling and life enhancing experiences.
Let us therefore ensure this year that we have a true Simchat Torah that we celebrate not only the Torah that Hashem gave us but the extent to which we all wish to receive it.
Parsha to the Point:
Rabbi David Stav
Finishing the Torah with a Bang
It is interesting to note that Hashem chose to end His Torah, “And there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, as manifested by all the signs and wonders, which the Lord had sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and all his servants, and to all his land, and all the strong hand, and all the great awe that Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel.” (Devarim / Deuteronomy 34:10-12)
This conclusion focuses on three aspects of Moshe Rabbenu’s greatness. The first concerns prophecy. There had never been, nor will there ever be, a prophet as great as Moshe. This declaration ostensibly serves to warn the nation and prepare it for the challenges it is destined to face later in its history, which include frequent encounters with false prophets who emerged both from within the Jewish people, and from without.
The second aspect of Moshe’s greatness was the magnitude of the events in which he was a part. These verses stress the fact that this was a man who was involved in the performance of the greatest miracles in the history of mankind. Far from being quaint, simple folk tales, these events set in motion dramatic changes in the annals of the nations of the world. Some of these great miracles were witnessed by the entire nation, and the other nations were also involved in what had transpired.
The third aspect is less clear. How can the words “and all the great awe that Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel” be understood? Is God hinting to a regime of terror, God forbid, or to a specific event? And if a specific event is being referred to, what is it? The rabbis grappled with this verse, and Rashi interpreted them as follows:
This expression alludes to the incident where his heart stirred him up to smash the tablets before their eyes, as it is said, “and I shattered them before your eyes” (Deut. 9:17). – And the Holy One Blessed is He gave His approval, as Scripture states, “ which you shattered” (Exod. 34:1); “Well done for shattering them!” (Rashi on Devarim 24:12, based on Tractate Shabbat 87a)
In other words, the Torah is reminding us here that Moshe broke the Luhot Habrit, the Tablets of the Covenant, which were given by God after the sin of the golden calf.
This explanation, however, does not sit well with us. Moshe had led the people through the desert for forty years, and the one event he chooses to emphasize as he finishes delivering his message to the Jewish people is the breaking of the Tablets of the Covenant? What is so unique about this event? Why was this event so important that it should conclude the Torah?
The rabbinical interpretation of the verse might be expressing a basic principle used to understand the essence of the Torah and distinguish between Torah study, in contrast to studying any other book. When we finish reading the Torah, we should ask ourselves what our takeaway is from the experience.
Was this just a nice book that occasionally made us reflect, or perhaps even inspired us at times, only to be buried in the recesses of our memories as we went back to our daily routines? Or did this book truly leave a lasting impression on us, one that would change us from within, and even lead to a major change in our actions?
At the very beginning of the relationship between the Nation of Israel and the Torah, at Mount Sinai, when they went hand in hand, a formative event occurred, one that would serve as the basis for the Jewish people’s relationship with the Torah. Yet just forty days after receiving the Torah, after the Jewish people famously exclaimed “we shall do, and we shall listen” and in so doing took on the prohibition against idol worship and prostrating before statues, the very same nation bowed down to a golden calf.
Moshe’s immediate and severe reaction was that if this travesty occurred, the Torah does not exist. The Torah can’t be simply tucked away in our bookshelves. It needs to cause a serious change within us. If we only notice it with passing glances, if it doesn’t truly leave a deep impression on our perceptions, we might as well have never received it to begin with.
As the Torah draws to a close, people need to ask themselves the tough questions. Without them, Torah study is worthless. It isn’t just about what we learned in the Torah, but also what the Torah has taught us, and what it has planted deep within us.
Bar Ilan University: Dvar Torah
Moses as a Spiritual Leader
By Nathan Aviezer
The last three weekly readings of Deuteronomy deal with Moses’ farewell to the Israelites prior to his death. What Moses says in this week’s reading, Ha’azinu, is important in illuminating his figure as the leader of the Israelites for forty years, from the time they left Egypt until they reached the borders of the land of Israel. But first we must clarify what Moses’ role was as leader of the Israelites.
In those days the principle functions of the leaders of other nations was to see to the people’s security, to win their battles, and to provide the people basic needs, including water, food, and clothing. With the Israelites in the wilderness, however, these functions were all performed by the Holy One, blessed be He.
Battles and Security - Scripture says of the battle against Pharaoh and his hosts at the time of the exodus from Egypt: “The Lord will battle for you; you hold your peace!” (Ex. 14:13).
Regarding the battle of Amalek, it says: “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Ex. 17:11).
Of the battles against Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, it says: “King Og of Bashan, with all his people, came out to Edrei to engage them in battle. But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Do not fear him, for I give him and all his people and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon’” (Num. 21:33-34).
As for the people’s safety and security in the course of their trek through the wilderness, it says, “The Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people” (Ex. 13:21-22).
Providing the people’s needs - About food, it says: “‘By evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I the Lord am your Gd.’ In the evening quail appeared and covered the camp; in the morning there was a fall of dew about the camp” (Ex. 16:12-13).
As for a supply of water, it says: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘…Strike the rock and water will issue from it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel” (Ex. 17:5-6).
Regarding clothing, it says: “I led you through the wilderness forty years; the clothes on your back did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet” (Deut. 29:4).
It turns out that Moses in no way needed to see to the security or bodily needs of the Israelites. That being so, what role did he play as leader of the people? The answer is that his function was to serve as the people’s spiritual leader, drawing them close to the Holy One, blessed be He, teaching them to perform His commandments, and to trust in the Lord and rely on His might.
Having been slaves in Egypt, the Israelites found it difficult to rise all at once from the low spiritual level of slavery to the elevated station where they could acknowledge the Holy One, blessed be He, trust in Him, and obey His commandments. Therefore, as Maimonides said (Guide for the Perplexed, Part II, chapter 32), the Holy One, blessed be He, set a period of transition to enable them to form the mentality of free men, ready to trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, as Scripture says: “Gd did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for Gd said, ‘The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So Gd led the people roundabout, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds” (Ex. 13:17-18).