Starting fresh with Gd!

Hi,

“This may be compared to a nation which needs to appease its king. When the king arrives within ten mil, the leaders come out and praise him, and he forgives one third of their burden. When the king arrives within five mil, the average people come out and praise him, and he forgives another third. When he enters the land, everyone – men, women, children – comes out and praised him, and he forgives everything. He says to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“So on the eve of Rosh haShanah the leaders fast and Gd forgives one-third of their sins, and from Rosh haShanah to Yom Kippur individuals fast and Gd forgives one-third of their sins, and on Yom Kippur all of them – men, women and children – fast, and Gd says to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“From Yom Kippur to Succot all of Israel is involved in mitzvot – this one with his Succah, this one with his Lulav – and on the first day of Succot all of Israel stands before Gd with their lulavim and etrogim in Gd’s Name, and Gd says to them: What’s gone is gone; from here we will begin a new accounting.

“This is what Moshe meant when he told the Jews, ‘You shall take [the four species] for yourselves on the first day.’”

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Why do we say a complete Hallel on each day of Succot?

Hi,

"The reason why we complete [the entire] Hallel all eight days of Chanukah and nine days of Succot [outside Israel; in Israel it is eight days], and on Pesach  we only complete it on the first two days, and we don't complete it on Rosh Chodesh, is because:

"Each of the eight days of Chanukah has something new – an additional light. The eight [biblical] days of Succot each have different korbanot… And therefore we complete Hallel on those days. Each of the days of Chanukah and Succot is like its own holiday, distinct in its lights and korbanot respectively.

"But on the seven [biblical] days of Pesach and on Rosh Chodesh, there is no distinction between korbanot. All of them are identical. Therefore, we don't complete Hallel; we only complete it on the first two days [of Pesach]."

(Avudraham, Laws of Chanukah)

חג סוכות שמח,

Mordechai

Hosting guests

Hi,

[Note: In Talmudic times, poultry was more expensive than beef.]

“Why do the offerings of Succot decrease each day?

“The Torah taught you the way of the world, via those offerings. If a person goes to stay somewhere, and his friend receives him, then on the first day the friend will receive him well and feed him poultry, on the second day the friend will feed him beef, on the third day the friend will feed him fish, on the fourth day the friend will feed him vegetables, and so it will decrease until the friend feeds him beans.”

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:25)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Shemini Atzeret, the Jews and the Nations

Hi,

“’On the eighth day, you shall have a celebration’ – This is the meaning of Tehillim 109:4, ‘In return for my love they hate me, but I am entirely prayer.’

“On Succot Israel brings before You seventy bulls for the seventy nations. Israel declares: Master of the Universe, we bring before You seventy bulls for the nations, and they should love us, but instead they hate us – In return for my love, they hate me!

“Therefore, Gd said to them: Now bring for yourselves. ‘On the eighth day you shall have a celebration for yourselves…’"

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:24)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

The value of preparing for a mitzvah, Part II

Hi,

"The Tur cited a midrash [as we saw here yesterday] that between Yom Kippur and Succot we are invovled in mitzvot of Lulav and Succah and we do not sin, and Gd declares that what is gone is gone.

"The Taz asked: How could these days be greater than Succot itself, when we fulfill the actual mitzvah – and yet, he says that the first day of Succot is first for the year’s accounting of sins!

"But this is not unlikely, for there is greater strength and salvation in the preparation for a mitzvah than in the fulfillment itself:

"First, this is because fulfilling the mitzvah is for a moment and preparation is eternal. Regarding this it is said, ‘You shall guard and you shall fulfill’ – based on the way a person guards himself continually, in order to be prepared to fulfill the mitzvot of HaShem. Certainly, all of the work he does to guard himself from the empty elements of this world is needed so that he will be prepared to fulfill the mitzvot of HaShem, and his ability to fulfill the mitzvah will match his level of purity.

"Also, because of the way one guards himself he then merits to fulfill the mitzvah and be guarded from all harm, as it is written, ‘One who guards a mitzvah will know of nothing bad.’

"Further, who can fulfill a mitzvah according to all of its precepts? But the desire and preparation for a mitzvah is all in order to perform it according to Divine desire, and therefore that preparation and joy in arriving at the mitzvah opportunity is very important."

(Sfat Emet to Parshat Haazinu)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

The value of preparing for a mitzvah, Part I

Hi,

"Immediately after Yom Kippur people involve themselves in mitzvot of Succah and Lulav and do not perform transgressions. Therefore, the first day of Succot is identified as “First” in the Torah – because it is the first of the year’s accounting of sins."

(Tur Orach Chaim 581)

to be continued...

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Succot: Repentance generated by love

Hi,

"It appears correct to me that in the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur each person's eyes are open to examine his ways and return to Gd, each person according to his insight will be praised... and one who trembles at the word of Gd will act according to the heights of his insight to repair that which he had corrupted. This is repentance generated by awe.

"After Yom Kippur, when people become involved with succah and lulav and the four species... then this repentance is repentance generated by love."

(R' Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Kedushat Levi for Shabbat Shuvah)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

Succot as a time to draw closer to Gd

Hi,

"Parallel to the twenty-two days of bein hametzarim (a period of historic exile and destruction) is the period from Rosh haShanah to Shemini Atzeret."

(R' Tzaddok haKohen of Lublin, Tzidkat haTzaddik 171)

Moadim l'simcha,
Mordechai