Parashat Shavua

Hemdat Yamim sucot

Hemdat Yamim Sukkot **************************************************** The entire Eretz Hemdah family offers its deepest condolences to Mr. Isaac Moinester, chairman of the Greater NY chapter of American Friends of Eretz Hemdah, on the loss of his beloved wife, Doris, in the tragic terrorist attack in NY. May he be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. **************************************************** The Joy of Internal Unity / Harav Moshe Ehrenreich Sukkot is the holiday during which joy is most stressed (Devarim 16:14). However, the Torah tries to put this joy in the proper perspective, as it says: "and you shall rejoice before Hashem for seven days" (Vayikra 23:41). Is the qualification that the joy be before Hashem a geographic or a qualitative one, and what does it come to teach us? Kli Yakar (ad loc.) brings a statement of Chazal on the pasuk: "Ki v'simcha teitzei'u u-v'shalom tuvalun, he-harim v'hag'vaot yiftzichu lifneichem rina v'chol atzei hasadeh yimcha-u chaf"- "For in joy you shall leave and in peace shall you be brought; the mountains and the hills will break forth before you in song and all of the trees of the field shall clap hands" (Yeshaya 55:12). Chazal explain that if you spend your holidays in a joy which is devoid of spiritual intention and content, you will leave the Land and go to exile. On the other hand, if the happiness is accompanied by peace, then you will brought back to the Land. Thus "joy before Hashem", the proper type of joy, is parallel to the peace described by Yeshaya. What is meant by peace, in this context, and in what way is it parallel to "before Hashem?" The physical side of our existence yearns for physical pleasure and joy. Our spiritual side seeks spiritual fulfillment. Through much of life, the two sides struggle one against the other, with one or the other gaining the upper hand at any given moment. Yom Kippur is certainly a day when we need to separate the physical from the spiritual and allow our spiritual side to dominate. But there are holy days which have the power to unite our physical and spiritual sides, and then the happiness of enjoying physical bounty can be done before and for Hashem. This is the power of Sukkot. When we are able, on these days, to bring peace between the struggling elements of our persona and unite them, we are fit for redemption, as Chazal hinted. Indeed, Chazal in another place relate Yeshaya's words, "v'chol atzei hasadeh yimcha-u chaf" )and all of the trees of the field shall clap hands) to the mitzva of lulav and etrog, which is described in our pasuk of joy before Hashem (Vayikra 23:41). Sukkot is also the time of nisuch hamayim (water libations). During the festivities of Simchat Beit Hashoeiva, the levi'im descended the 15 steps from the Ezrat Nashim to the Ezrat Yisrael, while singing the 15 psalms of Shir Hama'alot. The Maharal points out that the number 15 has a very special significance here. 15 is the sum of the numerical values of the letters "Yud" and "Heh". Not only do these letters form one of the names of Hashem, but they are the letters with which He created this world and the world-to-come. Indeed, when the physical gifts of this world are celebrated in the Beit Hamikdash, in a way in which their spiritual content and potential are uncovered, the "Yud" and the "Heh" (and the worlds they represent) can be united. ******************************************* Moreshet Shaul (from the works of Hagaon Harav Shaul Yisraeli zt"l) "And You Shall Rejoice on Your Festival" (Sukkot 5724 - courtesy of R. Yisrael Sharir) The joy of the days of the Sukkot festival serves as a test of the level of purity which we attained during the Days of Judgment and Mercy. The goal of these days, which open the Jewish new year, is to shake people from the complacency which grips most people throughout the year. Complacency is, in effect, "shutting of the eyes," in which one purposely ignores thinking about where he came from and where he will eventually end up. Man acts in this way out of fear that such serious and morbid thoughts will not allow him to enjoy the pleasures of life. During the days of transition from year to year, the complacency is shaken to a certain degree. We learn to recognize in a very real way that the great gift of life, a "bundle" we receive at birth and carry along with us throughout our lives, is slowly but surely dwindling. Another year slips away and turns into the past. From time to time, a decade's passing is noticed, and what's left from it all is a faint memory However, the point of the Days of Judgment is not to leave us in a depressed state of mind, but to teach us to build our world in a way that our toil leaves everlasting fruits. "'What is the value for man with all of the toil which he toils under the sun'- there is no value from that which is under the sun, but from that which is above the sun (the spiritual), there is value" (Kohelet Rabba 1). If we succeed in filling our lives with the true content of mitzvot, then our achievements are eternal, and they enrich us yearly. This is where the mitzva of the sukka comes in. We leave our permanent structure, the dwelling which we considered permanent, which we tried to beautify and perfect and thought was the center of our life's content, and enter a temporary dwelling. The idea is to recognize and remember the real situation and beautify and adorn the temporary dwelling by fulfilling: "live in it as you do in your regular home." Use the temporary dwelling as a preparation for the eternal life [of the world-to-come]. Along with the mitzva of sukka comes the mitzva of rejoicing. This is to teach us that the Torah is not coming to deprive us of anything (like living in our house), but to give us something. The joy of the festival is not one which comes from ignoring the realities of life, but one which comes from knowledge and memory. It is not light-headed happiness, but the joy of removing doubts, of seriousness, of holiness- the simcha of doing mitzvot. *************************************************** Ask the Rabbi Question: We are planning to make aliyah during Chol Hamoed. Are there issues related to the official aliyah process which are problematic on Chol Hamoed? Also, is it possible to keep two days of Yom Tov in the beginning of the chag and only one at its conclusion? Answer: Regarding the aliyah process, papers will have to be filled out. Writing is permitted on Chol Hamoed for needs of the Chag or for a mitzva (Rama, Orach Chayim 545:1). It is a tremendous mitzva to make aliyah, and the sooner it can be done the better. However, when the official papers are complete is not necessarily an issue of mitzva. If one feels that taking care of the paper work immediately will play a role in turning the move into a permanent one, then the process would be a mitzva and permitted for that reason. One should make sure not to write in very exact print, because that could be a ma'aseh uman (the work of an expert), which is usually not permitted for regular needs. The forms may require clear print, but it need not be pretty. If a somewhat significant loss of time or money or a bureaucratic headache will be caused by delaying the official aliyah until after the chagim, then the leniency of davar ha'aveid (matter of loss) applies. The main limitation of that leniency is that one cannot deliberately wait for the chag (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 539:6). Thus, it applies only if there is a reason why aliyah before the chag is more difficult. You can judge what your status is in these regards. Regarding people whose status (of Eretz Yisrael or Diaspora Jews) changes during the chag, there is much discussion among poskim. One could advance arguments that at least regarding some halachot, the entire chag is one unit, and one cannot change one's minhagim on those matters in the middle. However, the poskim raise the issue of one vs. two days only when the change of status occurs on Yom Tov (first or second day) itself. This can occur if one arrives by ship or decides on Yom Tov to stay permanently where he is. It would seem most logical that one who decides clearly on the first day of Yom Tov (of either set) to stay permanently in Israel would not keep the second day. However, once he ushered in the second day, it is far less clear that he can suddenly stop the laws of the sanctity of Yom Tov which restrict his actions on that day (see discussions of the matter in Yom Tov Sheni K'hilchato 4:6; Minchat Yitzchak IV:4; B'er Moshe VII:p.292). In your case, you can enjoy your status of "Bnei Eretz Yisrael" upon your arrival. May Hashem grant you must pleasure from this fortunate and blessed status for many years to come. We pray that you will be joined by all our brethren bimheira b'yameinu. ******************************************************* Join us each week as we take a Glimpse Into The Parasha, Study a Q&A from The Global Ask The Rabbi Project, Take a Gander at a P'ninat Mishpat (Jewish Civil Law) and study a portion of Hemdat Shaul, From The Teachings of HaRav Shaul Yisraeli ZT"L *************************************************** For direct questions or comments regarding this publication please write to Eretz Hemdah

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