Thirteen Inspiring Sukah Insights

1 The Alshich, zt”l, gives a profound explanation of the mitzvah of sukkah. “Sukkah alludes to the material world. It must have three walls, and they allude to children, life and livelihood. One must beg Hashem for all of these, but should focus most on life and children. Although it is best to at least have three walls, if one has two and tzuras hapesach, at least a tefach which is placed slightly less than three tefachim away from the wall, it forms a third wall which counts like four tefachim. This constitutes the majority of seven tefachim, a minimum sized sukkah. This minimal sukkah represents a person who has full measure of two out of three of his minimum requirements: children and life. His livelihood, however, is tight. One in this situation should not feel too bad. He should recall that this world is merely a tzuras hapesach, portal to the next world. Let him focus most on doing whatever he can to acquire a good life there.” The Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, would say that one can tell about his portion in the next world from how he feels on Shabbos. The most sublime moment of his Shabbos gives him a taste of his world to come. We see that focus on the next world should spill over into one’s life while he is here in the material world. Talmidei chachomim should feel a sublime feeling during the week as well, since for them the week is like Shabbos. Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin, zt”l, stressed this point. “In the Zohar we find many examples of people entering into the lower Gan Eden. It is clear from the context that this does not refer to a place. It is a state of mind which we must strive to attain. We must strive to feel Gan Eden during our lifetime.” [Toras Moshe, Vayikra 23; Ruzhiner heard from Rav Yitzchak Moshe Erlanger, shlit"a] 2 The Bnei Yissochor, zt”l, offers a characteristically insightful explanation. “It is surely remarkable that this holiday is called Chag Hasukkos in the Torah (Vayikra, 23:34). It would seem more reasonable for it to be called Chag Hasukkah, since one requires only one sukkah. We understand why Pesach is knows as Chag Hamatzos. The obligation to eat matzah on leil haseder combined with the lechem mishneh that one must have on Shabbos and Yom Tov (as we find in Tosefos on Pesachim 116) surely requires matzos, plural. Shavuos also must be plural since it denotes the seven weeks between Pesach until Shavuos, which we count with longing. But why is Sukkos plural? “The answer is that we learn various halachos of Sukkah from the three times it says sukkos in the Torah, as we find on Sukkah 6. The holiday is called chag hasukkos after these verses.” The Pardes Menachem, zt”l, explains why we learn these halachos in this manner. “I believe that the threefold sukkos in the verse allude to the three Batei Mikdash. We daven on Sukkos that Hashem establish ‘Sukkas Dovid hanofales’—the Beis Hamikdash—since our sukkah alludes to the light of the Beis Hamikdash which fills our lives during this auspicious time. “This explains why two of the three sukkos are written samech chaf mem, without a vav. These allude to the first two batei mikdash which were destroyed due to our many sins. The third time is written malei with a vav because it alludes to the third mikdash which will not be destroyed. Let it be rebuilt speedily, in our days!” 3 Rav Shlomo Leib of Luntshneh, zt”l, pointed out the greatness of the sukkah. “The sukkah surrounds one's entire self by its very nature. What an exceptional mitzvah! The Arizal explains the walls and sechach of the sukkah draw down the light of Divine Names that embrace and care for us the entire year. The longer one spends in a sukkah the more this Divine flow reaches him. “Yet, even so, keeping Shabbos is greater than sukkah. Sukkah accesses light only when one is in the structure. The radiance of Shabbos—which the Zohar calls Hashem’s Name—fills a person throughout the entire day.” If we see Rosh Hashonoh and Yom Kippur as leading up to Sukkos, there are only three major rectifications wrought by all yomim tovim. The Rashash explains that, like a three-legged table that was common in the times of chazal, the entire world rests on this triad. Every mitzvah done during these days affects the entire year. Nevertheless, keeping Shabbos is what generates the next six days of the week—including Yom Tov—as we find in the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh. [Divrei Shmuel, Likutim p. 183; Nahar Shalom; Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh] 4 Rav Moshe of Kovrin, zt”l, had a devoted disciple with profound yiras shamayim. Yet he was often pained by a feeling that his mitzvos were not done correctly. He was always worrying over some detail; always bitter, never happy in his avodah. Although being careful to fulfill the details of halochah is so very important, once one has done his best he shouldn’t fret. In this instance the deficiencies were largely imagined yet his face was always clouded with his pervasive doubts. When Sukkos approached the Kovriner felt it was time to help this man see how this attitude negatively affected everyone around him. He summoned him and said, “I think you should go home for the holiday.” The chossid was devastated. How could he spend yom tov away from his teacher? Why was he banished for the festival? “I want to stay here with the Rebbe,” he burst out. “I want to experience the elevation available in Kovrin during the chag!” “I see that you are a sincere oved Hashem. But what can I do? For some reason, you are always preoccupied with reasons to be sad. This depression shows on your face at all times. During the holiday, zeman simchaseinu, we receive the ushpizin each day. They only remain if one receives them joyously, with a shining countenance. If they see a depressed person in the sukkah they immediately depart. “I enjoy having you here with us, as you well know. But I value the ushpizin more—they are irreplaceable! If you can overcome your sadness for yom tov you are welcome to remain. If not, you must go home so that the ushpizin can join me in the sukkah!” [Ner Hachaim, p. 202] 5 Regarding Sukkah we find the halochah l’Moshe M’Sinai known as lavud. Any space which is less than three tefochim wide is considered closed for halachic purposes. One yeshivah student first encountered this principle when he noticed a large, but strange sukkah. The walls were made entirely of wooden slats. Surprisingly, its walls were no more than a picket fence with relatively large gaps between the slats. The lad wondered: “Could this sukkah be acceptable? There is more space than structure!” When he presented this question to his teacher he leaned something new. “When the gaps are less than three tefachim wide the walls are considered whole due to lavud.” The Arizal explains that lavud is also true spiritually. Sometimes a teacher can be so close to his student that they feel like one. The student can yearn so strongly to be one with his teacher that he virtually receives a small spark of his mentor’s soul while the teacher is still alive. And this is certainly true after the teacher leaves the world. [Otzros Chaim, Sha’ar Hanekudim; Sha’ar HaGilgulim] 6 The Noverminsker Rebbe, zt”l, learned an insightful lesson from a well-known halochah. “On Sukkah 22 we find that, although one should see the stars through his sechach, if the sechach is so thick that he can’t see the sky it is still valid. This means the person who is so occluded with materialism that he can’t see the stars—doesn’t feel connected to Hashem in the sukkah— but feels exactly as he does at home, is also kosher. Why? Because, despite what he is feeling, it is impossible for a Jew to sit in the sukkah to fulfill this precious mitzvah, without it penetrating to his deepest self.” The Kaf Hachaim, zt”l, brings another explanation why one must see through the stars through his sechach. “The sukkah represents the clouds of glory which surrounded us in the desert. It is important that the stars are visible since this represents the Shechinah which is watching and protecting us, just like the clouds of glory in the desert.” [Otzar Meforshei HaTalmud, Sukkah, Introduction; Kaf HaCchaim] 7 Rav Shlomo of Zvhil, zt”l, once gave a beautiful talk about the greatness of the sukkah. “Although when looking at the sukkah it appears to be a few boards and some shrubbery on the roof, its inner content is very exalted. The floor of a sukkah alludes to certain Divine Names and the walls represent other Names. The sechach protects us from all bad and impurity like a mother protects her children. “Did you ever see a mother bird with her chicks? She spreads her wings over them to protect them. Hashem in His great holiness and endless mercy spreads His protecting wings over us, like a mother over her young.” He turned to Rav Elya Roth, zt”l, his faithful shamash, “Do you feel this closeness when you enter the sukkah? If you do, how is it possible to leave it? How can one spend an instant outside of this blissful space?” When Rav Elya—who had a very modest sukkah—recounted this experience, he added, “Let us recall that the sukkah is called tzilah d’meheimnusa, the shade of emunah. One must be very careful not to speak mundane words in the sukkah unless he has a very good reason. He must certainly guard his sukkah from forbidden speech: lashon hara, lies or other forbidden words should not be countenanced. We should work to spend as much time as possible intoning holy words in our sukkah. Let us learn and daven as much as we can while we are in its unique shadow.” [Ish Chossid Hayoh, p. 340] 8 Once, Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin, zt”l, was sitting in the sukkah, regal and meditative as usual, when he suddenly broke into loud laughter. His chassidim wondered at this, since the rebbe was famous for his composure and rarely had such outbursts. When the rebbe relaxed, they asked what had amused him. “In the middle of my meditation, I saw something a ways off that amused me. There was a simple Jew who was walking on the road when he suddenly felt famished. He was about to eat but remembered from his father’s house that one doesn’t eat anything outside a sukkah on Sukkos. “After a moment’s thought he took off his broad hat and cut off its top. After putting twigs and the like on the space he put the hat back on and began to eat. “I saw that the entire heavenly retinue was very joyous at this simple man’s temimus. Is it any surprise that I laughed?” [B’Pikudechah Asichah, Part II:111] 9 The Alshich, zt”l, learns a deep message from a statement of our sages. “In Sukkah 17 we find that three tefachim of invalid sechach nullifies one’s sukkah. We can explain that sechach alludes to one’s merits which protect him from harm. Each tefach alludes to a sin. One who commits one or two transgressions has not perforated his protection. This is clear from the gemora in Rosh Hashanah 17, that Hashem is ma’avir rishon rishon--He removes the first two sins since one is not yet used to the sin. But three tefachim annuls the protection. Three times it feels like it is permitted and becomes very difficult to overcome.” The Kedushas Levi, zt”l, provides a practical message for what one should do so that Hashem will “carry”—and overlook—his sins. “One who wishes Hashem to forgive his sins should overlook when his friend wrongs him. He should reason that since he is asking Hashem to forgive his sins, surely he should be as generous with his friend. This is the best way to get through the yomim noraim, or any time that one requires a Divine repreive.” The Imrei Emes, zt”l, recommended this piece during Elul as proper preparation for the yomim noraim. [Alshich, Parshas Emor; Kedushas Levi, Nitzavim; Imrei Emes, ad loc.] 10 The Zer Zahav, zt”l, offered a very powerful lesson about the greatness of sukkah. “On Sukkah 25 we find that a mourner is obligated in the mitzvah of sukkah since he can settle his understanding and achieve serenity in the sukkah despite his pain. We see that one can achieve mental tranquility for any purpose in the sukkah. It is important to fulfill this mitzvah with yishuv hada'as. In the merit of this mitzvah one can come to the level where he fulfills one mitzvah after the other with that same degree of composure and serenity. “The power to settle oneself in this mitzvah is derived from Avrohom Avinu. Even when he was in terrible pain he ran to take care of his guests.” Rav Eliezer Tzvi of Komarna, zt”l, explains the greatness of mental serenity. “When the yetzer hora accosts a person, tempting him to sin or act improperly, one’s immediate reaction should be that he needs to settle his mind before acting. If one refrains from acting impulsively and takes a moment to consider in this manner, his yetzer hora will immediately flee him. The nature of evil is to grab a person and push him to act without thinking. It cannot bear yishuv hada'as. “It is well known that the wicked would be swept away by the yetzer, acting without honest, patient deliberation. This is the meaning of the verse, ‘The wise man’s eyes are in his head but the fool walks in darkness.’ A wise man has yishuv hada'as. A fool rushes and regrets.” [Zer Zahav, Sukkos; Ohr Einayim, Kelalim Nechutzim l’Avodas Hashem] 11 The Beis Yisrael of Gur, zt”l, was walking in the early morning, as was his wont. It was the first day of Sukkos. He approached the sukkah of Rabbi Yaakov Klapholtz, zt”l, who was very ill but learned Torah with abundant self-sacrifice and love. After the Beis Yisrael listened to the host’s birchas haTorah from outside, he sent his companion in to ask if he could enter. When the host affirmed he could, the rebbe strolled in. He looked around at the very big sukkah. “The halochah is that one should live in the sukkah like he lives in his home. But this sukkah is larger than your modest home!” He lived in an apartment of one and half rooms where he raised his large family. The rebbe made another comment. “The Zohar writes that matzah heals. Since Sukkos is connected to Pesach in the words of our sages, it seems clear to me that sitting in the sukkah also has the power to heal.” As he walked home the rebbe kept repeating this last word, clearly trying to help Rabbi Klapholtz. Interestingly, the Sabba Kadisha of Slonim, zt”l, taught a similar teaching. “It says in the verse, Machatzti v’ani arpeh’—‘I have struck and I will heal.’ The word machatzti can also be understood to mean 'my mechitzos.' In this context the meaning is: I have granted the mechitzos of Sukkah, and I heal those who sit in it.” [Pe’er Yisrael, Part II, p. 222; Toras Avos, Ha’azinu] 12 The Shem Mi’Shmuel, zt”l, provides an inspiring explanation of the why each person must take his own lulav, as we find in Sukkah 41. “Our sages explain that the four species allude to the four letters of Hashem’s Name. They also parallel the limbs of every Jew. Our esrog symbolizes the heart; the lulav is like the spine; hadasim are compared to the eyes; and aravos parallel the lips. The lesson here is that Hashem places His Name on every single Jew, not only upon the community as a whole. “This is why one cannot discharge his obligation with the lulav of his friend on the first day of Sukkos. After the heart-wrenching, self-searching teshuvah of Yom Kippur—the main element of our many viduim is our shame for having sinned—we are granted this special gift. In merit of our intense struggle, Hashem’s Name shines upon every single Jew and we are filled with the exuberance and deep joy of zeman simchaseinu.” [Shem M’Shmuel, Sukkos] 13 Our sages tell us that sometimes the walls of the sukkah are extended until four amos beyond their position. This principle is known as dofen akumah, literally a crooked wall. The Divrei Yechezkel of Shinova, zt”l, applies this principle to everyday life. “We can learn a lesson from this that applies other mitzvos. It is best if a Jew does a mitzvah exactly as it should be performed according to halochah. Pressing circumstances can sometimes be an exception to this rule, however. How can one tell? If what he does is at least within the daled amos of halochah--even if it is not the most preferred opinion--this is acceptable. Acting in accordance with one of the gedoeli haposkim—not a rejected opinion—has a source in holiness. But if it is a da'as yochid or rejected opinion, this is outside the four amos of halochah, and has no source in holiness. Even though the dofen, which also means the situation, is akum, crooked--i.e., unusually difficult--one may not follow such an opinion.” When someone asked Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt”l, the purpose of the many likutim, the sources that list many halachic opinions, that have been published over the years, he replied along a similar vein. “Although one may not pick and choose in general, if he is under duress, it is sometimes permitted to rely on an alternate opinion of one of the great poskim. Therefore such works are worthy even though they do not take one path in halochah.” [Divrei Yechezkel, Sukkos, p. 65; Chiko Mamtakim, Part II]