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

How Shmini Atzeret was born

Hi,

[The following is based on part of Yeshayah 26:15, rendered in this midrash as, ‘You have added for the nation; You have added for the nation, and You have been honored.’ The purpose is to explain how the 7-day holiday of Succot gained an eighth day.]

“The Jewish people declared before Gd: Master of the Universe! It is Your responsibility to provide us with festivals [literally: appointed times], and it is our responsibility to bring appropriate offerings to You. ‘You have been honored.’ You gave us Rosh Chodesh, and we bring offerings before You; on Pesach we brought offerings to You; on Rosh haShanah we brought offerings to You; on Yom Kippur we brought offerings to You; and the same was true for Succot. We have not abandoned a single festival!

“And so the Jewish people declared before Gd: It is for You to add festivals for us, and it is our responsibility to bring offerings before You and honor You. ‘You have added for the nattion, and You have been honored’ – HaShem said to them, ‘By your lives, I will not remove festivals from you, but rather I will add times for you to rejoice.’ And so it is written, ‘On the eighth day, you shall have a celebration.’”

(Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah 21:23)

Moadim l'simchah,
Mordechai

HaShem and the Four Species

Hi,

"[Describing the Etrog, the Torah says] 'The beautiful fruit of a tree' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'You are clothed in glory and beauty.'

"[Describing the Lulav, the Torah says] 'Palms of dates' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'The Righteous will flower like a date.'

"[Describing the Hadas, the Torah says] 'Braided branch' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'He stands among the Hadasim.'

"[Describing the Aravah, the Torah says] 'Willows of the stream' - This is Gd, regarding Whom it is written, 'Praise the One who rides among Aravot; Gd is His Name.'"

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30:9)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

Starting the accounting anew on Succot

Hi,

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

“So on the eve of osh haShanah the leaders fast and Gd forgives one-third of their sins, and from Rosh haShanah to Yom Kippur individuals fast and Gd forgivens 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 for yourselves on the first day.’”

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

The reward for the expensive lulav

Hi,

"Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: From the reward for ‘taking’ you may deduce the reward for ‘taking.’ In Egypt Gd said, ‘You shall take a bundle of hyssop.’ How much is it worth? Four coins. And that mitzvah caused Israel to receive the spoils at the Sea, the spoils of Sichon and Og, and the spoils of 31 kings. Lulav costs a person more money, and includes more mitzvot, how much more so will be the reward!

"Therefore Moshe warned Israel, “Take for yourselves on the first day.”"

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 30)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The First

Hi,

“It is written: ‘And the first one [Esav] emerged.’

"Rabbi Chaggai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: In the merit of ‘And you shall take for yourself on the first day [the mitzvah of the Arba Minim]’:

"I, the First, am revealed to you, as it is written (Yeshayah 44), ‘I am the first and I am the last.’

"I will punish the First [Esav] for you, as it is written, ‘And the first one emerged.’

"I will build the First for you, meaning the Beit haMikdash, as it is written, ‘The throne of honor, elevated from the first.’

"I will bring you the First, meaning Mashiach, as it is written, ‘Behold, here, the first for Zion.’"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 63:8)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai