HAAZINU
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOUR PARENTS LOVE YOU?
Have you ever noticed how many people today just do not “feel loved”? I always wondered as to exactly why humanity feels this way. A feeling that was never felt before to this degree. The Chida in Rosh David writes a beautiful explanation on the Sukkot Holiday that may just help us understand the unloved homo sapiens of today.
The Sukka that we eat and sleep in for a week’s time each year is a remembrance of the Clouds of Glory, or Sukkot, that G-d made for us in the dessert. The Chida asks: if we are meant to remember G-d’s concern over us in the desert, why do we not make a remembrance of the Manna or the Well of Miriam? Isn’t G-d’s concern for our food and drink in the desert worthy of mentioning once a year as well? Why do we commemorate only the shade and make a whole holiday of it, whereas we make no such commemoration for the other two expressions of G-d’s love for us?
There are a number of answers to this question. However, the Chida gives us an answer that is pertinent to our everyday living, and answered what I always wanted to know. The food and water in the desert were not luxury; rather, these are basic necessities without which one cannot get along. Portable shade, on the other hand , is a luxury for a traveler in the desert. This is something that G-d gave us, showing us that he is concerned not only with our survival, but also with our comfort. This shows, expresses and almost even shouts that He loves us. This is love that we felt. Of course, giving us food and water also shows us that he loves us. But the recipient of love does not feel loved when the one who is “responsible” for him takes care of needs. Only when they take care of the “wants” is the love felt. Sometimes , through this feeling of love, when the recipient gets his “wants”, it opens his eyes to the “needs” that he has received, and feelings of appreciation for them begin to surface, as well.
Another answer brought by the Chida is that we received the other two, the manna and the Well of Miriam, only after testing G-d. We received the shade, however, without asking, and when someone is thought about without having to ask or demand, he will often feel even more loved.
When talking to children ranging between the ages of 2 – 99, I have discovered that when I ask them if and when they felt their parents’ love, the answer would always relate to getting their “wants”. Whether the child says that he feels his parent loves him because he got a candy, or because the parent agreed to paying for his cigarettes as part of his allowance, or that the parent watched over his children – the answer always reflects being given something “extra.” For some reason, the answer is rarely, “I feel that my parents love me because they gave me food, clothes or shelter.” Love is felt in wants, and being that our generation has become a society in which so many wants have become needs, and the wants have reached such a high level on the expectation scale, people are not happy. They do not feel loved. Even if they are. So, we move into a Sukka, a temporary dwelling, to recognize how many things which we have in our possession that are really just bonuses for survival. Then, we can truly feel happy with what we have. And then, hopefully, we will appreciate G-d’s love to us in all that he has showered upon us.
This may be the difference in our prayers, morning and night, between the two blessings we bless before the Recital of Shma, the first for the sun, moon and Creation, the other we make a blessing for receiving the Torah. When we bless for the Torah, we mention and stress G-d’s love for us. In the blessing for the sun, stars and Creation, we do not make such mention about G-d’s love for us. The reason is the same: In regard to Creation, we need the Sun, Moon etc. for our survival, and it is almost understood that G-d “has” to provide us these things in order for humanity to exist. But in regard to the Torah, which is not needed for basic survival, we feel more love by receiving it from G-d. Being that we need the Creation for our existence, we do not feel the love of G-d through it, despite the fact that we received our existence only through G-d’s Will.
We would, of course, be much happier people if we were to realize that we are loved through being provided with our “needs”, as well.
(This article was inspired by the Parasha sheet on Sukkot this year of R’ Chrysler, former Rav of Johannesburg)
HUMILITY Written By Shloime Fogel
כי שם ה׳ אקרא הבו גודל לאלקינו It is precisely from this posuk, that we learn, that in the Bait Hamikdash we say ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד after every ברכה. R’ Shlomo Gantzfried, in his sefer אפריון, asks: wouldn’t it have been more fitting for the posuk to write הבו ברכה לאלקינו. Why is it that we use the word גודל?
The posuk in Tehillim (99,2) says: ה׳ בציון גדול ורם הוא בכל העמים. What’s the difference between גדול and רם? The אפיקי יהודה explains that the word רם is used when trying to describe something which is high above; however, גדול refers to something which stretches from down below and reaches great heights. Other nations make a mistake in believing that ה׳ is רם, distant. They don’t believe He is busy watching what happens on earth: it is, so to speak, “beneath His dignity.” He’s only in the Heavens. We, however, believe, thatה׳ is גדול, that He’s in the Heavens and the Earth.
The Seforim HaKdoshim explain that Hashem chose the letters which have the smallest גמטריא when written out in full (יוד=20 הא=6 וו=12) to make up His name. This, in a sense, demonstrates His humility. The Name itself shows us thatה׳ is in the heavens, in places far beyond anyone’s reach, but at the same time, He is close to us, down on earth.
With this, R’ Shlomo explains the posuk. כי שם ה׳ אקרא. When I pronounce the שם הוי״ה, through that, הבו גודל לאלקינו it’ll show thatה׳ is גדול, that He’s in the Heavens and the Earth.
Using this idea, the אפריון continues to explain the famous mishna: אמר ר׳ אלעזר אמר ר׳ חנינא ת״ח מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי ה׳ ורב שלום בניך. The question is obvious. Why does the posuk say למודי ה׳, as opposed to למודי תורת ה׳?
A Torah scholar is called a תלמיד חכם and not a חכם, as a true scholar knows that he must continue studying (ספר החיים לרבינו בצלאל ). For a scholar to constantly consider himself a student, he must display humility. And it’s through that very display of modesty that one spreads the shadow of peace. The posuk says למודי ה׳, as opposed to למודי תורת ה׳, as it’s the lesson learnt from ה׳’s Name, the lesson of humility, that he’s emulating.
The Talmud (.תענית ז) also tells us that Torah is compared to water. Just as water flows from high peaks down to the valleys, so too, does Torah travel away from the haughty and rest upon humble people. Modesty is talked about in Parashat Ekev. (Devorim 9,14-17), ורם לבבך ושכחת את ה׳… ואמרת בלבבך כחי ועצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה. And lest your hearts become haughty,and you forget Hashem…and you say in your heart, my strength and the might of my hand has brought me this success… “
The word ורם that is mentioned does not mean only that one is arrogant. Rather, as mentioned before, רם means exalted and distant. The person who feels that he is more important than others, the snob, is forgetting that G-d Himself, despite His exaltedness, relates to all humanity.
Everyone is “G-d’s gift to mankind”. A person must always say בשבילי נברא העולם, the entire world was created just for me. We must always remember that although we are G-d’s gift to mankind, G-d’s gift doesn’t come anywhere close to G-d himself. ה׳ is supreme, yet even He relates to everyone. Someone who is constantly aware ofה׳ in his life will be unable to say, “It was my lucky charm which helped me achieve all my successes”. Not only that, but he won’t even be able to say “It’s below my dignity to speak to you”, or the like. As with Hashem, there’s no such thing.
The Sukkot Festival – Zman Simchateinu
The Torah emphasizes that Sukkot is a joyous holiday. Indeed, it commands us not once, but twice, to be joyful on Sukkot: “Rejoice in your festival…and be totally joyous” –ושמחת בחגך…והיית אך שמח ; and “Rejoice before the Lord, your G-d, for seven days” – ושמחתם לפני ה’ אלוקיכם שבעת ימים (Devarim16:14-15 & Vayikra 23:40). Let us try to put our finger on the source of this joy, and explore together some classical insights into the Festival of Sukkot and the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah.
The Talmud (Sukkah 11b) records an interesting difference of opinion among our great Sages about what exactly the Torah means when it tells us why we are to dwell in the sukkah on Sukkot: For you should know throughout the generations that I placed the Jews in sukkot when I took them out of Egypt. (Vayikra 23:43). Rabbi Eliezer understood that the sukkot mentioned in the passuk refer to the Clouds of Glory that G-d sent to envelope and protect the Jews during their years in the desert. Rabbi Akiva, however, understood this literally as a reference to actual sukkot – similar to the temporary “huts” we use today. Although the accepted opinion is that of Rabbi Eliezer, the Pri Megadim writes that one should have the interpretations of both Sages in mind while fulfilling the mitzah of sukkah.
Now, we may find it a bit difficult to fully appreciate the opinion of Rabbi Akiva because the Torah itself tells us that G-d enveloped the Jews with miraculous Clouds of Glory. Why does Rabbi Akiva insist on a literal understanding?
The Chatam Sofer (דרשות נ”ג) clears up the mystery by explaining that among the Jewish people were lepers and other ritually impure individuals who were disqualified from dwelling in the confines of the camp. They were the ones who dwelt in actual sukkot outside of the Clouds of Glory. Thus, the Chatam Soferexplains, the two opinions of our Sages can be reconciled:
On the one hand, the righteous and pure merited the Clouds of Glory. On the other hand, the lepers and other impure individuals had to suffice with actual sukkot made for them by G-d.
If we think about it, this awareness can enhance our own fulfillment of the mitzvah of sukkah. Those of us who were worthy on Yom Kippur to be cleansed and inscribed in the Book of the Righteous can enjoy the sukkah as it is described in the Zohar: to be the shade of Emunah (faith and trust in G-d) , similar to the Clouds of Glory. But those who were less fortunate can also find joy and consolation in the sukkah. They can feel that leaving their comfortable houses and entering the sukkah is a kind of exile which will bring them the atonement that they did not merit on Yom Kippur. This is hinted at in the plural name of the festival – Sukkot – since the sukkah serves two different functions.
The Zohar notes that this temporary dwelling place which requires two walls and a bit of a third symbolizes an arm that is hugging(וימינו תחבקני) . It is, symbolically, the “Arm” of G-d – the “Arm” that continues to hug us in our exile. Whether we as individuals are in symbolic exile in the sukkah, or whether we as a nation are in exile and Diaspora, we still can bring G-d’s Glory into our lives. Indeed, G-d treasures our ability to remain joyous as we retain a permanent relationship with Him despite the constantly changing conditions and lack of permanence of Jewish life in Exile. G-d loves us as we project to ourselves and others that the Jew’s happiness is not due to wealth or material luxury. Rather, it is our ability to sit in the sukkah together with our ancestors, and connect to a pleasure in life that luxury cannot offer: the pleasure of being in G-d’s shade, and following Him throughout difficult times. It is no coincidence that in the end of days, G-d will refute the gentiles’ claim of loyalty to G-d by testing them specifically with the mitzvah of sukkah. For only a Jew has the ability to remain close to G-d despite difficulty and exile.
Under the leaves of the schach (sukkah roof) and the blue sky, the Jew can readily feel this pleasure of a relationship with his Creator. Out of his comfortable home, inside his humble sukkah abode, the Jew can tap into this unsurpassable pleasure which brings unlimited happiness. It is a relationship that even an exile of 2,000 years cannot diminish.
Inside the sukkah, we sense that we are in a different world. We are in a world where the pleasure of G-d’s presence is tangible, and can be felt as more pleasurable then all worldly possessions. We project this joy during the time of plenty and harvest, and thereby fortify ourselves for the upcoming journey through the long, cold winter ahead.
