Divrei Hitoreruit - Yomim Noraim Edition 2023

Table of Contents

RABBI ARYEH LEBOWITZ, PAGE 9

The Purpose of “Agitation”

RABBI JOSEPH SCHREIBER , PAGE 13

“Our Father our King, inscribe us in the book of merits”

MRS. BETH RABINOVITCH ‘13, PAGE 16

Recognizing HaShem

MRS. TALI HALPERN ‘19, PAGE 18

“Yonah’s Reluctance, Moshe’s Love: A Tale of Two Prophets”

MRS. RACHEL MARGOLIES ‘99, PAGE 20

הליענ-Are You In or Are You Out?

RAV NACHUM SAUER, PAGE 22

The Mitzvos of Succah and Arba Minim

RAV YITZCHAK ETSHALOM, PAGE 26

Celebrating The Past, Anticipating The Future

Sukkot: The Janus Holiday

RABBI SHIMON ABRAMCZIK, PAGE 29

Sukkos- Zman Simchasaynu

Dear YULA Family,

Dear YULA Family,

I am excited to share with you the Yomim Noraim and Sukkot Edition of Divrei Hitorirut – Words of Inspiration . This publication showcases the inspiring and spiritually uplifting environment that defines YULA, including meaningful and engaging Divrei Torah from our YULA rebbeim, students, and alumni.

The start of the school year has demonstrated how special our educators and YULA community is! Being part of a Yeshiva community that makes no excuses and goes lifnim mishurat hadin to ensure we maximize Torah study and inspiration is having a transformative impact on our talmidim and talmidot.

On Rosh Hashanah, we will read about Akeidat Yitzchak . When it came to the Akeidah , the Torah tells us that Avraham waited three days. When it came to Lech Lecha M’artzecha – he got up and left immediately. Suddenly, he delays G-d’s clear-cut commandment? Is Avraham perhaps starting to reconsider this whole movement? Is he giving up? What is going on? Rav Yehuda Amital explains that Avraham had to teach future generations a profound and important message, which often gets lost in the 21st century. The fact that he performed [the akeida ] three days after he had received the commandment, proves the value of thought, proper consideration, and careful examination is an important part of our Avodat Hashem . In other words, our yiddishkeit is a lifetime commitment and journey that requires continuous growth and development, with the realization it is a gradual and thoughtful process. As the Gemarah tells us, “Tofasta Merubah Lo Tofasta, Tofasta Mu’at Tofasta - If you have seized a too much, you have not seized. If you have seized a little, you have seized.”

The same is true with Teshuva , let us all remember that successful teshuva requires thought, introspection, and reflection. Dont try to accomplish everything at once, rather take it one step at a time, and you will see that over time you will be more successful in getting closer to Hashem.

Wishing the entire YULA family and community a Ke’tiva V’chatima Tova and Chag Sameach!

Rabbi Arye Sufrin, Head of School

The Purpose of “Agitation”

Research shows that when we are hungry we find it more difficult to concentrate, we lose patience more easily and are generally more irritable. There is even a word for the mood we are in, when we are food deprived - hangry. Jewish people of all backgrounds and beliefs almost universally recognize Yom Kippur as the most important day of the year. Everybody seems to take it seriously, and even people who observe little else, will fast on Yom Kippur. The stringency of this fast is significant. Only a הנכס וב שיש הלוח - a person who can literally DIE from fasting, is permitted to break the fast. It seems strange, though, that considering the amount of concentration necessary to focus on our תוליפת and pray for our lives, that Hashem would have us food deprived and dehydrated, which has a very negative affect onour ability to concentrate. Not only that, but the entire concept of םיוניע seems counter to the Medrash that we so proudly tout on הנשה שאר about how our great confidence allows us to enter the ןידה םוי while bathed, well groomed and well dressed. Yet, on רופיכ םוי there is no bathing , no anointing, no shoes, and we are wearing shrouds. Where did all of that confidence go?

The ל”זירא famously comments that רופיכ םוי is related to Purim, that it is a םירופ-כ םוי. There are a million vorts about the oddity of this comparison, because it defies simple explanation. How can we compare the somber and serious nature of today to the whimsical light hearted nature of Purim?

Finally, while the Kabbalah associates Yom Kippur with Purim, the שמוח associates it more strongly with a different day - Shabbos. Yom Kippur is a ןותבש תבש - a form of super shabbos. What makes Yom Kippur more of a shabbos than Shabbos is?

Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein, in his sefer “Teshuva” has a beautiful insight into the mood that is generated on Yom Kippur. The insight is based on one of the most basic halachos of theday - the prohibition to eat and drink. Whereas normally when we are prohibited to eat or drink something, the shiur is a תיזכ and תיעיבר, when it comes to Yom

Kippur the shiur is a הסגה תבתוכ - the volume of a date for eating, and a וימגול אלמ, a cheekful for drinking. The gemara in (ט״ע ףד( אמוי explains that unlike other הליכא ירוסיא which are dependant on the halachic definition of הליכא, on רופיכ םוי what we are trying to avoid is םדא לש היתעד יבותי - settling a person’s mind. Apparently, the goal of םוי רופיכ is to avoid תעד יבותי, or as the Torah calls it - יוניע. This means to say that on רופיכ םוי one is SUPPOSED to be a bit agitated. What is the purpose of this “agitation”?

Rav Bernstein suggests that the goal is to take us out of our normal habits and patterns. It is difficult to really self assess and to make the necessary changes when we are going about business as usual. An upsetting of our equilibrium, a recalibration of how we operate, avoiding business as usual, affords us the opportunity to do serious

When we are agitated, and we remove our normal complacency, we are a bit out of sorts. We lack the patience and the will to present our best selves, or the facade that we normally put forward for everybody to see. Meaningful teshuva requires introspection, and introspection often requires a change of the status quo and taking us out of our routines. Yom Kippur is a giant disruption of our routines.

This explains the connection to Purim. While the goal is accomplished in different ways, both Purim and רופיכ םוי take us out of our routines and allow our true selves to come out. While some feel that on Purim they are dressing like something that they are not, and on Yom Kippur we are also presenting ourselves as angels which is a level that does not accurately depict the way we live our lives, the truth is that our true selves are expressed a bit more freely on both Purim and Yom Kippur. On Purim דוס אצי ןיי סנכנ - our deep thoughts and feelings, that etiquette doesn’t allow us to normally express, find their expression.

On רופיכ םוי the ability to cry and shout during our conversations with Hashem, very publicly, which would normally be a terrible breach of etiquette and would ruin our well coiffed images, becomes the norm.

Shabbos is a time of החונמ while רופיכ םוי is a time of יוניע. However, in both cases, there is a disruption to our lives. There is a break

from the norm and an opportunity to see the world differently than we normally do. While Shabbos is a disruption of our routines that becomes part of our routine, Yom Kippur is a complete disruption, in the best possible way.

So, this Yom Kippur, while we may be hungry, or even hangry, we are also free to let our guards down. We are experiencing the opposite of היתעד יבותי. Those who are not normally so intense in their tefilah can feel comfortable getting intense, those who are normally intense find that extra gear, those who don’t normally sing will belt out the nigunim along with our רוביצ יחילש.

RABBI ARYEH LEBOWITZ

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz is the director of Semikhah at RIETS as well as the Mara D’atra of Beis Haknesses of North Woodmere. He was previously a rebbe at Lander’s College for Men and an eleventh grade Rebbe at the DRS Yeshiva High School (HALB).

Father our King, inscribe us in the book of merits”

Each year during the Yomim Noraim and Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, we beseech Hashem to inscribe us for a good year, by making a variety of short requests in the added tefillah of Avinu Malkeinu. The shortest of these requests is ״ תויוכז רפסב ונבתכ וניכלמ וניבא ,״ “Our Father our King, inscribe us in the book of merits.” Rav Doniel Movshovitz, hy”d, the Rosh Yeshivah of Kelm, pointed out that this request is rather puzzling: If we have done good deeds and are deserving of merit, then this has already been recorded and inscribed, so this request is unnecessary. But if we have not performed any meritorious deeds, how can we possibly request that they be inscribed and recorded?

Rav Doniel Movshovitz, hy”d, explains that the request we are making is not about past deeds, but rather for the future. We are in essence saying to Hashem that if there is ever an opportunity to do something meritorious, please grant us that opportunity. If there is ever a holy mission or praiseworthy task that requires a shaliach (messenger), please allow us to be that “agent of change,” and let us accrue more merit.

Rav Matisyahu Solomon, shlit”ah, points out that we must understand and realize that we should be requesting opportunities for value and merit that are both big and small. We must recognize that every time we are presented with a “mitzvah opportunity,” we are being given another occasion to receive merit. Each mitzvah is in reality just Hashem in His abundant kindness presenting us with yet another chance to accumulate and gain. With this insight and perspective, this “shortest of requests” ״ תויוכז רפסב ונבתכ וניכלמ וניבא״ suddenly becomes perhaps the most important of all of the requests. We are in essence entreating Hashem to inscribe us so that we will be granted time and time again the prospects of meritorious deeds, for what is the purpose of our lives and existence without such deeds and opportunities.

“Our

As we know, each of the םילגר שלש, Three Festivals, are called by several other names. Pesach is understandably described as ןמז,״ ״ונתורח ” the time of our freedom”; Shavuos is logically named ןמז,״ ״ונתרות ןתמ “the time of the giving of our Torah”; Succos is referred to as״ונתחמש ןמז,״ “the time of our joy.” Naturally, all Three Festivals are extremely joyous, but what is so distinctive about Succos is that it is specifically named “the time of our joy.”

Perhaps one could explain that unlike Pesach and Shavuos, during the holiday of Succos, Hashem presents us with myriad mitzvos and occasions for merit. Succos is fittingly named ״ונתחמש ןמז,״ “the time of our joy,” because Hashem has provided so many opportunities for merit. He has heeded our shortest but possibly most important request: ״ תויוכז רפסב ונבתכ וניכלמ וניבא״ - “Our Father our King, inscribe us in the book of merits’’ - By giving us the abundant opportunity to perform good deeds, Hashem grants us the joy that comes with fulfilling the purpose of our lives.

RABBI JOSEPH SCHREIBER

Rabbi Joseph Schreiber has been involved in Jewish education for over 45 years, He is the Principal of YULA High School Boys Division and 9th Grade Rebbe in the Baum Family AGT. He also teaches Nach at YULA High School Girls Division.

תוררועתה ירבד

Recognizing HaShem

During Maariv of Rosh Hashana, we add 4 extra paragraphs into the הכרב of ”שודק התא”.

The first of the additional paragraphs is “...ךדחפ ןת ןכבו”. This paragraph beseeches Hashem to incorporate fear into the hearts of the entire world; that all of creation should fear Hashem. The words “דחפ” and “המיא” in this paragraph are translated as “fear” and “terror”, respectively. Later in the paragraph, as well as in subsequent paragraphs, we see the word “ארי” which is translated as “awe”. What is the difference between these terms and why do we start with fear/ terror, and then move to awe? Rav Soloveitchik ל״צז explains that all year we walk around in a spiritual slumber. We don’t make Hashem the center of our lives and the center of everything. When a person is fast asleep, a gentle shake or nudge isn’t going to wake them. When we are in a state of spiritual slumber, ארי isn’t enough to wake us up, rather we need דחפ. However, דחפ is not the goal, we don’t want to be afraid of Hashem; we want to be in a state of ארי, to be in awe of Him.

The second paragraph we add is “...דובכ ןת ןכבו”, in which we daven that לארשי ינב will realize their destiny in seeking out Hashem and seeing Him in all they do. This recognition of all the Hashem does for his people will help bring דובכ to לארשי ינב - a feeling of pride and comfort in knowing that we are Hashem’s chosen people. The next paragraph we add is

“...וחמשיו וארי םיקידצ ןכבו” which describes the םיקידצ rejoicing in Hashem’s light. Their whole lives will be justified, and the evil in the world will disappear. The final additional paragraph is “...התא ךלמתו ךדבל ׳ה” in which we describe Hashem ruling over the entire world forever.

These four paragraphs progressively transition from the universal to a narrowing focus on the particular; a fundamental characteristic of Jewish thought. The initial paragraph describes all of humanity recognizing and establishing the Hashem’s dominion. The second

paragraph narrows our focus and hones in on specifically the Jewish people recognizing Hashem. We then move to the third paragraph further narrowing our perspective to focus on the םיקידצ rejoicing in Hashem’s kingship. The final paragraph zooms out and broadens our perspective in recognition of Hashem’s everlasting rulership.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ל״צז compares the progression from a broad to a narrow perspective to the stories of תישארב . תישארב begins with the story םדא and הוח (the parents of all humanity), continues through םהרבא’s descendents (who were not all part of the Jewish people),and concludes with the children of בקעי (who are all part of לארשי ללכ). He explains that ןוזמה תכרב is formatted in the same way. We start with the world in the first הכרב, then we move to the land of Israel in the second הכרב, and to םילשורי in the third הכרב. Rabbi Sacks states, “In Judaism, what is precious to G-d is our particularity, our uniqueness”.

On this Rosh Hashana, we should all be awakened from our spiritual slumber, move through fear and terror toward awe of Hashem, and recognize Hashem’s greatness on a universal scale, a national scale, and also in our own individual lives.

MRS. BETH RABINOVITCH ‘13

Mrs. Bethia (Gindi) Rabinovitch, YULA, ‘13 is thrilled to have joined the YULA faculty family this year. She teaches Chumash, Halacha, and is a 9th Grade Mechanechet. Mrs. Rabinovitch has been connecting with and inspiring the girls the way she herself was inspired at YULA.

“Yonah’s Reluctance, Moshe’s Love: A Tale of Two Prophets”

In Sefer Yonah, the prophet Yonah is told by Hashem that he must warn the people of Nineveh that if, within forty days, they do not repent from their sinful ways, their city will be destroyed. The king of Nineveh issues a decree that the entire city must fast, mourn and repent. When Hashem sees the sincerity of their הבושת, He decides not to destroy the city.

Surprisingly, rather than rejoicing at the success of his mission and the salvation of the people of Nineveh, we are told, in Sefer Yonah, that “this displeased Yonah greatly, and he was grieved” (Yonah, 4:1). A few םיקוספ later, Yonah goes as far as saying that he is so upset with the outcome of his mission, that he begs Hashem, “take my life, for I would rather die than live” (Yonah, 4:3).

I would like to compare and contrast Yonah’s response in this forty day episode to the response of another Navi in another forty day episode in which a different nation not only did not do הבושת - on the contrary, they committed the greatest sin in the history of that nation. Of course, the איבנ is Moshe, and the forty day episode I’m referencing is the forty days subsequent to הרות ןתמ, culminating with לגעה אטח.

Yonah’s forty day mission was profoundly successful. Nineveh performed sincere and unequivocal הבושת. Although the םישרפמ provide justifications for Yonah’s surprising response, the טשפ is clear - Yonah was so disappointed that he “would rather die than live”.

Compare this to וניבר השמ’s 40 day mission. Moshe descended from יניס רה, in what he assumed would be the culmination of the most glorious forty days in the history of his nation. Instead, he observes a nation performing the most egregious of sins - לגעה אטח. Moshe, like Yonah, expresses a fatalistic response. He asks Hashem to “erase me from the record which You have written” (Shemos, 32:32). However, whereas Yonah wanted to die because he was so disappointed that

Hashem had forgiven Nineveh, Moshe wanted to give up his own life if Hashem did not forgive Bnei Yisrael.

The Sforno explains that Moshe asked for his name to be erased from the record and begged Hashem to transfer to Bnei Yisrael all the merit that he had earned in his entire life. Never does Moshe’s humility, selflessness, altruism, and love for Bnei Yisrael shine through more profoundly than in this powerful and touching episode.

It is this moving event that sets the stage for the 13 םימחרה תודימ, which we read about in the Torah shortly after the story of לגעה אטח, and which are, of course, the core refrain in our תוליפת during תוחילס and the םיארונ םימי. (Not coincidentally, it is these same 13 תודימintentionally, without reference to the תמאה תדימ, truth - that Yonah invokes in his reaction to Hashem’s forgiveness of Nineveh.)

None of us can be a וניבר השמ. However, let us strive to emulate him to the best of our ability, let us strive to be as unselfish as we can, let us strive to be as humble as we can, as altruistic as possible. And, in the merit of such וניבר השמ- esque behavior, may we all be הכוז to a הבוט המיתחו הביתכ, and the most wonderful, meaningful year. May this year, 5784, םירבד יאלפ תנש היהת - may it be a year of wondrous things!

MRS. TALI HALPERN ‘19

Mrs. Tali (Gershov) Halpern, ‘19 and her husband are thrilled to have moved back from the east coast to LA. She is currently working toward her MS in Jewish Education from Azrieli School of Jewish Education and Administration. Mrs. Halpern is the Director of YULA L’eila,a 9th grade Mechanechet, and teaches Torah She b’al Peh, Chumash, and Machshava. We are so happy Mrs. Halpern is teaching at her beloved alma mater.

הליענ-Are You In or Are You Out?

The Amshinover Rebbe is famously known for living outside the confines of the world of time. He davens תירחש when it is time for בירעמ and יברעמ when it is time for תירחש. The Rebbe often keeps Shabbos until Tuesday. One year before Yom Kippur, the Rebbe was eating his תקספמה תדועס and it was getting closer and closer to Yom Tov. One of the older םידיסח finally approached the Rebbe and, pointing to his watch, said, “Rebbe, it is getting late.” The Amshinover smiled at the chassid and replied, “A person must always wear two watches. One that says it is getting late and another that says there is still time.”

I think there is no moment on Yom Kippur that symbolizes this idea better than the moment Neilah begins. After the culmination of the reading of the Yona story, in which we experience with Yona his feelings vascillating between moments of life and death, running from Hashem, following Hashem’s instructions, and wanting to rejoice and yet, wanting to end his life. Yona’s constantly shifting mood sets the stage for the final moments of Yom Kippur and the dichotomy of having time and yet, time fleeting. The Mishnah Berurah explains that Yom Kippur is the pinnacle of the Aseres Yemei Tesuva and that Neilah is the pinnacle of Yom Kippur. As we stand there (and the Mishnah Berura adds that we should save our strength all day in order to be able to stand during Neilah) specifically as the sun is setting (םויה

הנפי) we can’t help but wonder- are we in or are we out? Did we do enough self-introspection and הבושת in the last forty days beginning since לולא שדח שאר? Will we be given a smooth year or a bumpy year? Are we too late or do we still have time?

The word Neilah means “locked”. We tend to think of this special הליפת as the time when the gates of our access to Hashem are closing and being locked with us on the outside leading us to perhaps feel alone, afraid, rushed, and anxious. I’d like to share an idea that has changed my Neilah. Menachem Mendel Torem of Rimanov (1745–May 29, 1815), a famous Chassidic Rebbe, explains that the gates at the time of Neilah are closing and we are now alone WITH the ונובר

םלוע לש. No one else may enter. This poignant image of being LOCKED IN rather than LOCKED OUT should help us feel much more secure. Just imagine: private time with Hashem. What a comforting thought. What a loving thought. Instead of only sensing the fear and dread of not getting in, we can try to feel His intense love at this powerful and potent time.

As the sun sets this year on Yom Kippur, whether you are able to participate in shul and hear the רפוש blowing, or you are sitting on the floor at home with your young children singing “םילשוריב האבה הנשל”, hold your רוזחמ in your hands close to your heart and picture yourself in a private audience with the King. Just you and Him. Pour your heart out to Him with all the requests big and small, significant and petty. It’s just you and Him. And as you escort Him back to His throne with each “םיקלאה אוה ׳ה” remember how lucky we are to have that relationship with the King of Kings- the Creator of the world.

MRS. RACHEL MARGOLIES ‘99

Mrs. Rachel Margolies, YULA ‘99 has been a beloved teacher of Tanach and Machshava since 2008 and is a consistent inspirational mechanechet for our 11th graders.

The Mitzvos of Succah and Arba Minim

The Yom Tov of Succos has two main Mitzvos- תעבש ובשת תוכוסב םימי, the mitzvah of sitting in the Succah and the mitzvah of the arba minim, taking the Lulav, esrog, hadassim and aravos. Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk in his sefer Meshech Chochmah explains that there is a fundamental difference between these two mitzvos. There are two types of mitzvos in the Torah. There are mitzvos that guide a person to go against עבט, nature,and there are Mitzvos that conform to nature, but refine and elevate the עבט. The Mitzvah of Succah is of the first category. After a person has labored in his fields for months, plowing and planting and finally harvesting his crops and storing them in the barn, his natural inclination would be to rest comfortably in the shade of his home with feelings of content over his accomplishment. However the Torah says -תרידב בשו עבק תרידמ אצ יערא-Leave your permanent home and sit in a temporary dwelling, the succah. The purpose of this mitzvah is to teach a person to rise above his natural feelings and inclinations in his avodas HaShem. Since the Mitzvah of Succah represents transcending our nature, the Halacha is that the Succah has Kedushah from the Torah. Chazal learn this from thepassuk- לעכ הכוסה

הגיגחה. Just as the name of HaShem is upon a Korban Chagigah and instills in it sanctity , so too the Schach and walls of the Succha have sanctity and one cannot derive benefit from outside the context of the mitzvah.This is because Succah transcends Nature and therefore is imbued with Kedusha, since Kedusha exists when one rises above nature.

However, the Mitzvah of Arba Minim serves HaShem through nature, but elevates the עבט. It is natural in all agricultural societies to rejoice at the time of the harvest with the produce of the land, indicating a person’s feelings of accomplishment. The Torah however tells us to express this simcha specifically with the four minim and and express it before HaShem ,םימי תעבש םשה ינפל םתחמשו. These natural feelings that we demonstrate using the arba minim ,should be elevated and channeled into avodas HaShem with joy. But, in contrast to Succah, they do not oppose one’s natural inclinations. Therefore, says the

תוררועתה ירבד

Meshech Chochmah, the arba minim do not have a status of Kedusha from the Torah during Succos, as the Succah does. They only have a status of Mukzta which is a din Derabbanan.

There is another Halachic difference based on this distinction between Succah and arba minim. A Mitzvah which goes against nature requires much more preparation and effort since one must overcome natural tendencies. Therefore the Mitzvah of building a Succah has a Halacha of יושעה ןמ אלו השעת. This means that one must do a positive action in placing the Schach on the Succah in order for it to be kosher.If a person would carve out a hole in a pile of hay, the succah would not be kosher, because he did not do a השעמ to place the Schach. It happened by itself. However the arba minim, which conforms to nature, does not require the same degree of preparation. Therefore there is no Halacha of יושעה ןמ אלו השעת concerning the tying of the four minim together.That’s why the Torah uses the term השעת by Succah, but does not use this term by arba minim, just the word םתחקלו and you shall take.

Perhaps this can give us an insight into the very common minhag to shake the arba minim in the Succah. These are two unrelated mitzvos , so why the custom to shake the arba minim in the succah? According to the Meshech Chochma these two Mitzvos represent two different ways of serving HaShem- with Mitzvos that go against nature and with mitzvos that conform to nature. On Succos we want to combine both methods of avodas HaShem to serve HaShem with a shleimus, so we fulfill both mitzvos together by taking the arba minim in the Succah.

RAV NACHUM SAUER

Rabbi Nachum Sauer has been a Rebbe in YULA High School Boys Division since 1979. He is currently the 12th grade Baum Family Advanced Gemara Track Rebbe. He also serves as a Dayan on the Beis Din of the Rabbinical Council of California.

Celebrating The Past, Anticipating The Future Sukkot: The Janus Holiday

As Jews, we live in a state of perpetual memory. Every week we celebrate creation, the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai. On Purim, we relive God’s salvation of His people as if we were right there, in 5th century BCE Persia. On Tishah b’Av, we sit on the ground, mourning the loss of Jerusalem as if it had just happened to us. The granddaddy of all “living memory” is the Pesach Seder, when we declare that every person is obligated to view himself as if he - himself! - had just been redeemed. Although we are tempted to think of Rosh haShanah and Yom haKippurim in different terms – as essentially focused upon the coming year – the liturgy of these days, known as the “High Holidays,” indicates that they too are celebrations of the past, albeit in a different vein. Rosh haShanah is celebrated as the day of creation, with an additional evocation of the salvation of Noach, the Shofar sounded at Sinai, and Akedat Yitzhak. Similarly, one of the central motifs in our Yom Kippur davening is the Seder Avodah, where we retell, in exacting detail, the Kohen Gadol’s service on that day.

Unlike Rosh haShanah and Yom haKippurim, Sukkot seems to be an automatic candidate for “commemorative festival”. The Torah tells us that we are commanded to live in the Sukkah “in order that your generations shall know that I caused you to dwell in Sukkot as I took you out of Egypt…” Whether we understand this reference to “Sukkot” as referring to huts, clouds of protection or the town of Sukkot – all proposals made in our traditional literature – it seems to be about an event in our past. Yet a careful look at Sukkot, in the Torah, in our liturgy, and as it is practiced, reveals a more textured and nuanced celebration.

We start with the Torah. An area of Torah legislation that we instinctively avoid considering as relevant is the order of offerings to be brought in the Mikdash. These offerings have not been practiced

in almost 2000 years, and we have a tendency to elide these sections of Vayyikra and Bamidbar in our study. However, moot though the offerings may be in practice, they bear the gravitas of Devar Hashem. The laws of Korbanot have great import, if not for what they direct us to do, then for the messages that they convey. The Gemara, for instance, derives the laws of which days one is obligated to recite Hallel based on the nature of the offering brought on that day. With regard to Sukkot as well, the particular offerings brought may be significant in understanding the significance of the holiday.

On most festivals, the Torah commands us to bring one or two bulls, one ram, and seven lambs. On Sukkot, however, the Torah commands us to bring a greater number of bulls (beginning with thirteen and reducing by one each day; this unusual sequence is a study in and of itself), two rams, and fourteen lambs – in other words, besides the inordinate amount of bulls, twice as many rams and lambs as usual. What is the Torah communicating with this doubling?

The other primary focus of the Torah with regard to each of the holidays concerns one specific Mitzvah that defines it. Pesach has Matza, Rosh haShanah has Shofar, Yom Kippur has Vidui – but Sukkot seems to have two equally vital rituals – Sukkah and Lulav. Again –doubling.

Our liturgy also seems to express mixed (and double) messages about Sukkot. Whereas the mood of Pesach is completely festive and that of Rosh haShanah and Yom haKippurim is both somber and reflective, Sukkot is at once joyous yet pensive. The holiday is called, in our Kiddush and Tefillah, Zeman Simhateinu, the time of our rejoicing. Yet, the single word that is said more than any other over these seven days is Hoshanah – “save us now.” This desperate cry for salvation is an expression of anxiety and trepidation – hardly reflective of Zeman Simhateinu. Why is Sukkot the “double” holiday and a “Janus (twofaced)” holiday to boot?

The answer relates to the fact that our nation is, at its root, anchored to our Land. Our calendar is an agricultural one and our most festive days are essentially related to planting and reaping. It is hard for most

of us, urban and post-industrial people, to relate to this – but even a cursory look at the Torah bears this out. The festival of Pesach corresponds to the beginning of the harvest period (hence the Omer of barley brought on the second day of Pesach), Shavuot corresponds to the beginning of the more significant wheat harvest (hence the two wheat loaves brought to the Mikdash as part of the offering for Shavuot), and Sukkot is the harvest festival that corresponds to the conclusion of the harvest period, where we rejoice with God’s blessings realized during the summer harvest. On Sukkot, we not only live in farmers’ huts (Sukkot), but also decorate them with symbols of the bounty (the Gemara describes using fresh, edible foods as Sukkah decorations). Yet when the Torah defines Sukkot, it refers to it as taking place biTekufat haShanah – literally “at the turn of the year.” The end of one harvest season, a time for celebrating, is at the same time the beginning of the next planting season, a time for concern about next year’s bounty. This becomes most prominent in the raindependent clime of Eretz Yisrael; if it rains during the key late fall and early winter months – we are nearly assured of plenty. If, on the other hand, the rains do not come (we Californians know what that’s like!) then we run the very real risk of financial ruin and famine. Sukkot is truly at the “bend of the year”, the end of a successful and blessed (we hope) season but the beginning of the next one.

For this reason, the Torah provides us with two central Mitzvot to fulfill on Sukkot, each of which reflects one of these themes. When we dwell in the Sukkah, we are surrounded by the bounty of the past year. At the same time, we take four species that represent the four climes of Eretz Yisrael (Lulav: desert, Hadas: mountains, Aravah: coastal plains and the Jordan valley, and Etrog: lowlands).1 We shake them in six directions before and during the recitation of Hallel to invoke God’s blessing for a nourishing winter and healthy amounts of rain, and we also punctuate these requests, made during the recitation of Hoshanot, with the refrain “save us” (Hoshana). The

1. For a more detailed discussion of this idea, see Zohar Amar, Arba’at HaMinim (Heb.), Tel Aviv 5770.

reason for this is that we recognize that without God’s blessing, all of this plenty that surrounds us could quickly become a wistful memory and a tragic piece of nostalgia.

The offerings on Sukkot are doubled because Sukkot is indeed a “double-holiday”. As one of the three harvest festivals, it is a time of celebration - the Matza of Pesach is the Sukkah of Sukkot. Yet as part of the Rosh haShanah-Yom haKippurim-Sukkot continuum, it is a time of reflection and anxiety about the coming year. This anxiety could be debilitating were the Torah not to direct us to simultaneously celebrate and know that if our celebration is marked by a true sense of gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam for all of the great gifts with which He has blessed us, we will have another blessed year.

At this time of taking stock of all the beautiful berakhot of this past year, we ought to remind ourselves of the source of those blessings –the Creator – and beseech Him, for our families, for our community, for all of Klal Yisrael, and for the world around us, to bless us with a healthy, prosperous year of peace.

RAV YITZCHAK ETSHALOM

Rav YItzchak Etshalom has been a Rebbe at YULA for 27 years years. An internationally renowned Tanakh teacher, he chairs the YULA Tanakh Masters Program.

Sukkos- Zman Simchasaynu

Looking at the Yom Tov of Sukkos there are two questions that we can ask. Firstly, by all the different Yamim Tovim, there is a reference to the specific nuance of that Yom Tov, whether it be within the davening or in the kiddush of the meals. By Pesach we say וניתורח ןמז, the time of redemption. By תועובש we say וניתרות ןתמ ןמז , the time of the giving of the Torah. By Sukkos we say וניתחמש ןמז, the time of joy. It’s understandable why Pesach is the time of redemption because that is the time when the םלוע לש ונובר took us out of Mitzrayim. By Shavuos, we received the Torah on Har Sinai, so it makes sense for it to be referred to as וניתרות ןתמ ןמז. But why on Sukkos do we say ןמז

וניתחמש? What special simcha do we experience on Sukkos that we do not experience on Pesach or Shavuos? Is there any greater simcha in the realm of the physical then being freed from bondage after 210 years of ךרפ תדובע- hard, crushing labor? Is there any greater simcha in the spiritual realm then receiving the Torah – the source of all ruchnius? Why is it that Sukkos gets this special title of וניתחמש ןמז?

We can also ask why is Sukkos at this time of the year, right after the םיארונ םימי? The 1269-1343( רוט) in ה”כרת ןמיס asks: Why is Sukkos not in the month of Nissan if the Yom Tov is commemorating the Sukkos, the tents that Hashem sheltered us with in the Midbar, right after we left Mitzrayim in the month of Nissan?

Why is Sukkos specifically in the month of Tishrei?

To answer these questions, we must first understand what the word “simcha” means. In Lashon Hakodesh, we have ten terms for the word simcha:

תוערו םולש הוחא הבהא הודח הציד הניר הליג החמש ןושש

Each one of these words has a different nuance in which we must appreciate. So, what does the word “simcha” mean to us over here?

Rav Shimshon Pinkus 1944-2001) ל’צז) explains, that the וניתחמש ןמז of Sukkos is the time to take from our ”תורצוא” which is our inner storehouses. On Rosh Hashana, we put all our energy into being

ה”בקה ךילממ, making HaShem our King and accepting the תוכלמ לוע םימש. On Yom Kippur we do teshuva. We have regret on all of the sins we’ve done in the past and we take it upon ourselves that we will not stumble again, and we will try our hardest to serve HaShem. What we are doing over the Yamim Noraim is building internally, and storing in our storehouses, our תורצוא. We are saying words and making commitments that only our actions will prove. This is what Sukkos is for. A chance to prove that everything we have said over the Yamim Noraim is true and real. On Sukkos we go out of our homes and live in a יארע תריד, a temporary dwelling place. Over these seven days of Sukkos, our entire lives and beings are involved in this mitzvah. In fact, Sukkah is one of the only mitzvos that we can do with our entire body: sleeping, eating, talking, living, entertaining, learning etc.

This is why Sukkos is specifically called וניתחמש ןמז. Of course, there is an incredible joy in receiving the Torah, and being redeemed from slavery, but the nuance of simcha that we are talking about here is taking something from within you and bringing it out into action –לעפה לא חכהמ and this is simcha!

May we all merit this upcoming chag of Sukkos to experience the true simcha of these special days.

RABBI SHIMON ABRAMCZIK

Rabbi Abramczik has been a Rebbe at YULA since 2007 and is currently the Dean of Students. He is also the Israel Guidance Counselor, the Rebbe for the Masmidim Program and teaches Halacha at the Girls Division.

Candle Lighting for Yom Tov

ROSH HASHANAH Friday, September 15..........

Shabbos, September 16 .....

Sunday, September 17 .......

Candle Lighting 6:42pm

Candle Lighting after 7:44pm

Havdalah 7:42pm

YOM KIPPUR Sunday, September 24 .......

Candle Lighting 6:29pm

Monday, September 25 ...... Havdalah 7:31pm

SUKKOT Friday, September 29..........

Shabbos, September 30 .....

Candle Lighting 6:22pm

Candle Lighting after 7:24pm

Sunday, October 1 .............. Havdalah 7:23pm

SHMINI ATZERET Friday, October 6 .................

SIMCHAT TORAH Shabbos, October 7 ............

Candle Lighting 6:12pm

Candle Lighting after 7:15pm

Sunday, October 8 .............. Havdalah 7:13pm

Times Listed are for Los Angeles, California

The artwork in this edition was created by YULA Art Program