Succos – The Message of the Succah
“The greatest distance in the world is that between the mind and heart.”
– Rav Yisroel Salanter
The Mesilas Yesharim, in his introduction, sets forth a concept that explains one of the natural pitfalls of mankind, which he uses to justify the writing of his sefer. He says:
“I have composed this work not to teach people that which they do not know, but to remind them of what they already know, and which is very familiar to them… but according to their familiarity and to the extent that their truth is evident to all, so too is their neglect very prevalent and forgetfulness of them very great.”
The Mesilas Yesharim therefore explains that:
“The benefit to be gleaned from this book is from review and diligent study. For [then] he will be reminded of these things which, by nature, people tend to forget, and he will put to heart his duties which he hides from.”
The Balei Mussar further explain that reviewing the information over and over isn’t always enough, and that sometimes we need symbolism or a physical charade to help us drive the concepts deeper into our thick hearts.
One such example is the semicha procedure performed while bringing a korban, where the makriv would press his hands on the head of the animal being sacrificed. The mefarshim explain that the reason for this procedure is to help the makrivfully understand that his sin is being removed. Although he knows the truth, as is clear from the fact that he has invested money, time, and effort into bringing the korban, its effect isn’t full until he sees that the animal, onto which the aveirahas been “placed,” has been sacrificed in his stead.
Rav Moshe Feinstein similarly explains that sitting in the sukkah is also supposed to be a charade to help us drive home one of the most basic realities of life. He says that although we know with clarity and have zero doubt that we will die, we nevertheless live life almost completely forgetful of this reality.
Using a mashal, Rav Moshe brings to life what real appreciation would look like:
A man goes to a doctor and is told that based on his situation, he only has another year to live. Do you think that he will have any desire to pursue worldly pleasures? Surely not! In that one moment, a layer of fog will be lifted from his vision, and he will see with ultimate clarity what is really important. That’s real clarity!
Therefore, explains Rav Moshe, Hashem commanded us to move out of our strong, permanent residences into our flimsy, temporary sukkahs to help us drill home the message that we are just passing through.
If you find yourself running after money, honor, or pleasure, it must be that there is more work to do.
We should all be zoche to gain this inspiration over our time in the sukkah and learn to chase the real pleasures of this world!
Chag Kasher V’sameach!
Rabbi Anton
Download the PDF -> Succos.pdf