Archive for ‘Sukkos | Sukkot | סוכּות’

October 18, 2011

The Great Supplication

by Digital Maggid

הושענא !

Hoshana!

 ”אנא ה’” — איך בעט דיך רבש”ע, “הושיעה נא” העלף איך בעט דיך,
אז איך זאל דיך קענען בעטען. (ר’ מאיר שלום פּאריסאָווער)

“Ana Hashem” — ikh bet dikh ribono shel oylam, “hoshi’ah na”
helf ich bet dikh,

az ikh zol dikh kenen beten. (R’ Meir Sholem Parisover)

 ”Ana Hashem” — I beg you, Master of the Universe, “hoshi’ah na” help me, I pray, that I may know how to pray to you.

Rebbe Nachman taught that we should pray to Gd the same way that we would talk to our closest friend and confidant. Tomorrow is Hoshana Rabba (Great Supplication), the seventh day of Sukkos, and the last and final day of the Judgment period that began on Rosh Hashana. If you haven’t done so yet, it might be a good time to take a few moments and have a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart with Hashem Yisboroch (Gd).

“A guten kvittl” (a good note) to everyone for a positive verdict. And may Hashem bless all of us with the ability to simply chat with our Maker.

October 17, 2011

In a leather sukkah?

by Digital Maggid

כל האזרח בישראל ישבו בסוכת
all citizens of Israel shall dwell in sukkahs

אפילו דער איד וואס איז ניט מדקדק במצוות נאָר איז מקבל אויף זיך אז
מהיום והלאה וועט ער דינען השי”ת בכל לבבו ובכל נפשו,
זאָגט אים צו דער פסוק “ישבו בסוכות” — ער וועט זוכה זײַן צו זיצען בסוכות עורו של לויתן.
(ר’ צבי פּאָריסאָבער)

Even the Jew who is not punctilious about mitzvahs but who takes
upon himself, from now on, to serve the Holy Blessed One with
all his heart and with all his soul, of him the verse says:
“shall dwell in sukkahs” — he will surely sit in the leviathan-skin sukkahs.
(R’ Tzvi Porisover)

So what’s the deal with leviathan-skin sukkahs? Well, I don’t know a lot about it but I have heard that in the world to come, the sukkahs will be made from leviathan skins. No doubt an honor and a privilege.

October 14, 2011

Someone’s in the Sukkah with R’ Naftali

by Digital Maggid

On the first day of Sukkos a rumor was circulating amongst the Hasids of Ropshitz that Rebbe Naftali had revealed Elijah on the first night of Sukkos (the night before).

When the rumor reached Rebbe Naftali, he was highly indignant. Since he was a man of truth, he could not suffer (the notion that) such fantastic fabrications were circulating around the Hasidic world. So from mincha to ma’ariv he called a number his associates and said to them: “You should know that the rumor that has been circulating amongst the Hasids that I revealed Elijah on the first night of Sukkos is a total falsehood. First of all, what makes me worthy of revealing Elijah? Second, how can any of you believe such a thing of me?”

“It means, Rebbe,” one of them replied, “that there was obviously a witness who was standing under your sukkah and heard you chatting with someone, but since you were alone in the sukkah, with whom could you have been talking but with Elijah the Prophet?”

“Fools!” Rebbe Naftali replied with a smile. “The night was frosty and I was shivering the whole time with the cold. I was only talking to myself. ‘Naftali, how can you lie down to sleep here? You could just freeze!’ And you call that “revealing Elijah?”

October 13, 2011

The Sukka’s Gift

by Digital Maggid

post #180 !!!!

ושמחת בחגך
you shall rejoice in your feast

אפילו בעת צרה זאלסטו יום טוב מקבל זיין בשמחת ובאהבה און זיך משחה זיין.

Even in times of trouble, you should receive the holy days
with joy and love and be happy. (R’ Aharon Karliner)

✡   ✡   ✡   ✡   ✡

.גרויס איז מצווה סוכה, ווייל זי איז א שמירה פאר א גאנץ יאָר
Great is the mitzvah of Sukkah because it is a guard for the whole year.
(R’ Wolf Strikover)

October 13, 2011

Run Back in Love

by Digital Maggid

ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון — ראשון לחשבון עונות

and you shall take on the first day — first accounting of iniquities

אויב אין די ימים נוראים קען זיין אז די תשובה פון אידען איז מיראה, אז ס’קומט סוכות און אידען לויפען מקיים זיין מצוות סוכה, זעט מען אז די תשובה איז מאהבה און ביי תשובה מאהבה זאָגן די חז”ל ווערן די פריערדיק עבירות פאררעכענט פאר זכיות, ממילא חשבונ’ט מען איבער די עונות אויף זכיות.

IF… during the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe, i.e, High Holy Days) the tshuvah (returning) of the Jews can be (done) out of awe that Sukkos is coming and the Jews run to keep the mitzvah of sukkah, one can see that this tshuva is (done) out of love. Concerning tshuva from love our Talmudic sages say the prior offenses get reckoned toward (the side of) merit, automatically accounting (our) iniquities on (the side of) merit. (Berditchever)

October 12, 2011

Exempt

by Digital Maggid

This one took some noodling.

המצטער פטור מן הסוכה

one who is in discomfort is exempt from the sukkah
(Tractate Sukkah 25b)

כידוע איז סוכה אן ענין ביטול. דער מענש איז זיך מבטל, פארלאָזט זײַן דירת קבע, און מבטל אלא באקוועמליכקייטען ציט זיך אריין אין דער דירת עראי מקיים צו זײַן מצוות סוכה. דער מענש אבער וואס איז א מצטער, איז דאך א סימן אז ער באזיצט ניט אין זיך דעם כח הביטול ווייל ווען ער וואלט זיך מבטל געווען, וואלט ער דאך ניט געווען קיין מצטער, איז דארום אזא מענש פטור מין הסוכה.

As everyone knows, Sukkah is a matter of nullification. The person is nullified, (he) forsakes his permanent residence and eliminates all his creature comforts to dwell in the temporary residence in fulfillment of the mitzvah of sukkah. The person, however, who is in discomfort, it’s a sign that he does not possess the power for nullification, because when he would (try to) nullify himself, he would nonetheless still be in discomfort. Such a person is exempt from the sukkah. (Kotsker Rebbe)

There is a lengthy discussion in Tractate Sukkah about who is exempt from the mitzvah of sukkah. It is not merely a matter of taking a meal or two in the sukkah during the week, but rather the commandment is to dwell in it. To actually reside in it for the whole week. Because of this, some people are exempt. People in physical pain are exempt and invalids and their attendants are exempt. People who work nights are exempt at night but not during the day. People who work days are exempt during the day but not at night. Likewise with night and day travelers, respectively. Those who work or travel day and night are exempt altogether. It goes on and on.

In reading over the tractate, I was surprised to find that bridegrooms and their attendants are exempt. The reason being that the wedding party is under another mitzvah obligation, namely that of rejoicing under the wedding canopy. The Talmud speaks of a wedding feast that lasted a whole week, and therefore, the wedding party was exempt from the obligation to dwell in the sukkah, specifically because proper rejoicing as required of the wedding party is not possible in the sukkah. It seems if one is under any other mitzvah obligation that would preclude one from dwelling in a sukkah, this exempts one from fulfilling the obligation of sukkah.

Another discussion that is quite interesting is whether mourners should be exempt or not. Some of our sages argued that they should be exempt because they are in discomfort. But the consensus came down differently. The Talmud states:

R. Abba b. Zabda said in the name of Rab that he who is in discomfort is free from the obligation of Sukkah, this [mourner should be exempt] since he also is in discomfort, therefore he informs us that this applies only to discomfort over which one has no control, but [not to that experienced by a mourner]; since it is he himself who is the cause of his discomfort, it is incumbent upon him to compose his mind. (Sukkah 25b)

I might frame it somewhat differently. If the purpose of the sukkah is to temporarily get out of your comfort zone and place yourself in a strange, temporary habitat that is not as safe and secure as you’re used to, isn’t the mourner already in such a dwelling place? On the other hand, the festival of sukkos is “…so that you will remember that I made the children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” so perhaps the main point is to remember that when we are “on the lam” after whatever narrow escape we’ve just made, Hashem provides us with makeshift shelters until we can get reestablished. In which case, it seems the mourner should dwell in the sukkah to receive the comfort inherent therein.

October 11, 2011

Don’t Just Sit There

by Digital Maggid

בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל-הָאֶזְרָח, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, יֵשְׁבוּ, בַּסֻּכֹּת.
לְמַעַן, יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם, כִּי בַסֻּכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם:

Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all the citizens of Israel shall dwell in booths;
that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: (V’yikra (Lev.) 23:42,3)

 דאס וואס מיר זיצען אין סוכה אין חודש תשרי לזכר יציאת מצרים און מיט אין ניסן, איז געדרונגען פונ’ם אויבענדערמאָנטען פּסוק.

That we dwell in the sukkah during the month of Tishri and not during Nissan* is deduced from the above-mentioned verse.

פון דעם פּסוק זעהען מיר, אז זיצען אין סוכה דארף מען האָנען דעת, ניט סתם זיצען, נאָר וויסען און באדייטונג פון “לישב בסוכה.” ניסן צייט איז דאס אונמעגליך. מען דארף צוגרייטען פאר פּסח, דער קאָפּ איז פשרדרעהט, מען איז פאריאָגט, פשרהאוועט און ווי דער שטייגער איז געלאָף פונ’ם לעבען זינדיגט מעו “ואין אדם חוטא אלא אם נכנס בו רוח שטות” איז דאָך שוין ניט מעגליך קיין דעת.

From this verse we see that one must be mindful while dwelling in the sukkah, and not just sit there, but rather, to grasp the significance of “you shall dwell in sukkahs.” During Nissan this is impossible. One must be preparing for Pesach, the mind is cluttered, people are busy and preoccupied, as is the custom, and subject to the sins of living, “no man sins unless a spirit of folly enters into him” (Resh Lakish, Sotah 3a) so obviously it is not possible to be mindful then.

נאָך יום כּפּוּר אָבער ווען אונזערע עונות ווערען פארגעבען, דער קאָפּ איז קלאָר, די מחשבות לויטער ריין, דאמאָלט האָבען מיר דעת און היות סוכות איז “ראשון לחשבון עונות” באגרייפען מיר די גרויסע באדייטונג פון דער מצוה לישה בסוכה, האָט דערפאר די תורה געהייסען אונז מאכען סוכות אף בזמנו.

After Yom Kippur, however, when our sins have been forgiven, the head is clear, the mind is pure,  so then we can be mindful and since sukkos is “the first accounting of sins” we grasp the greater significance of the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah, and therefore the Torah orders us to make sukkos at this time. — Chidushei Harim

*Nissan is the month on the Hebrew calendar in which Pesach (Passover) — the Exodus from Egypt — occurs.

October 9, 2011

Fifty Guilders

by Digital Maggid

Once, upon the conclusion of the High Holy Days, Rebbe Mordechai Nishkhizer set out for Bord to secure an esrog for himself. Along the way, he ran into a Jew standing beside an empty wagon, crying.

“Reb Yid, why are you crying?” asked the Nishkhizer.
“My horse, my livelihood, unbeknownst to me, he just disappeared down the road!”
“How much would it cost to buy another horse?”
“Fifty guilders.”
“Here. Here’s fifty guilders, go buy another horse and don’t cry.”
“But Rabbi, are you nuts? If you give away this money, how will you buy your esrog?”
“Silly Yid,” replied the Rebbe with a smile. “Don’t you know that the mitzvah of tzedaka is more important than the mitzvah of “take the fruit of the Hadar tree?”

October 9, 2011

Of Pride and Citrus

by Digital Maggid

אַל-תְּבוֹאֵנִי, רֶגֶל גַּאֲוָה

al-t’vo’eini regel ga’aveh
let not the foot of pride overtake me
(Psalms 36:12)

די ראשי תיבות פון דעם פסוק מאכן “אתרוג.” דער אתרוג העט בײַ גאָט ער זאָל ניט ארײַנפאלען אין אזעלכע הענט, וואָס קויפען אים ניט לשם מצוה, נאָר כדי צו בארימען זיך, אז אויך זיי זענען פון די “מהדרין”. (רמ’ל סאפּיווער)

The initials (letters) of this verse spell “esrog.”* The esrog asked G-d that he not fall into such-like hands as of one who buys him, not just for the sake of (fulling) the mitzvah, but rather to brag that he is a “Mehadrin.”** (R’ ML Sapiver)

*Esrog (Yiddish) or Etrog (Hebrew) – a citrus fruit used in the ritual of waving the lulav during the festival of Sukkos (Sukkot).

**Mehadrin – (a person who keeps) the most stringent level of kosher.

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