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Succos With the approach of Succos some thoughts: The Succah is built as a temporary dwelling place. In many ways it reminds us of the transience of our stay through the many places of exile through which we have passed. The Arba Minim - four species - we take with us through the course of Succos, provides us reminders of the strengths we have, which allow us to survive despite the briefness of our sojourn in so many different places. Our Rabbis have taught: The Esrog is compared to the heart, the Lulav to the backbone, the Hadas to eyes and the Arovoh to lips. The Esrog reminds us of Avrohom, the Lulav - Yitzchak, the Hadas - Ya'acov and the Arovoh - Yoseph. Through taking these four species together we become filled with gladness and thanks to Hashem. Why? The Esrog which is compared to the heart reminds us of the "Jewish heart" to be found in ever member of our community. When 'the chips are down' the spark of Jewish commitment in every Jew has an opportunity to burst into flame. This spark unites us all and creates the sense of shared responsibility for one another. Wherever we have been through the ages, we have welcomed the refugee from other lands of exile in our midst and provided them with the wherewithal to rebuild their shattered lives. For this reason the Esrog reminds us of Avrohom who was outstanding in his traits of kindness and in providing a welcome for guests in his home. Just as Avrohom would welcome into his home wanderers and provide for them - giving them an opportunity to rest and give thanks to Hashem, so too, we have so done throughout the generations. The Lulav is compared to the backbone and no one has been able to break our spirit and commitment to one another and to our Torah. Hundreds have tried but none have succeeded. Our stubbornness has given the Jewish people the ability to continue as a separate people though a persecuted minority, A bent Lulav is not fit to be used. A Jew willing to bend to the mores and fashion of his time and unable to stand straight against the pressure for assimilation is a reflection of a lack of Jewish fitness. For this reason we associate the Lulav with Yitzchak. Yitzchak's commitment to the word of Hashem extended to his willingness to be sacrificed in fulfilment of His command. So too, we have been able to sacrifice our wealth and our lives in order to retain our identity and fulfil Hashem's commands. The Hadasim are the eyes. They remind us not to be overcome by the superficial values which may surround and entice us in the places of our exile. They remind us to see things with a Jewish eye - with a sight honed by the ages and the experience of having seen so many peoples and fashions blaze and then fade away to oblivion, while we have continued our journey with our identity intact. We have been taught to see things with eyes of spirit rather than eyes of flesh - to search for benefit of the spirit rather than the benefit of the flesh. The Torah, our traditions, our Shabbossos, our Yomim Tovim, give much greater and more lasting pleasure and satisfaction than the 'circuses and theatres of Rome'. They nourish our spirit and mind and allow us to see the worldly pleasures in their proper context. For this reason the Hadas is compared to Ya'acov who after having acquired great wealth was willing to leave it all behind the moment he saw spiritual dangers to his family. He was concerned about the real future of his children - the future of their heritage and tradition, rather than just their financial future. For their spiritual future he was willing to sacrifice all. The Arovos are shaped like lips and remind us of the power of our lips and speech. With our words we can welcome others or we can drive them away. One of the merits given for our redemption from Egypt was "we did not change our language." A Jew who speaks other languages but does not know our holy language is forever crippled. Despite the many works written over the ages in so many tongues, permanence for a Jew is only Loshon HaKodesh - the holy language. It is the language of our Torah and the language of our Teffilah. This is what has been on our lips for 3000 years. Without it we would be doomed. By itself it is insufficient - as we see tragically in our times of the many thousands who may know Hebrew but when immersed in the forces of exile - having abandoned the other traits needed - are swallowed in the swamps of our places of exile. However, bound to the other three items, our lips have provide a special bond between us. For this reason we associate the Arovos with Yoseph. While achieving the status of second to Pharaoh he did not forget his language and with it was able to identify himself to his brothers. If we take with us the Arba Minim with their profound messages we can be certain of ultimately achieving the greatest possible joy of being united as a community in our entire Land - the Land of Israel and serving Hashem in our eternal city - the city of Jerusalem in the Beis Hamikdash rebuilt and led by Moshiach Tzidkeinu. R' Simcha Bunim of Pshischa would say: The mitzvah of Sukah is a very great one, because we fulfil it with every part of our body. |
