Withstanding Prevailing Winds

The Kotzker Rebbe, zy”a, said that the end of each masechta in Shas is a summary of the entire volume. However, if we look at the episode that closes Maseches Sukkah, we seem faced with a problem.

The Gemara relates the episode of Miriam bas Bilgah and the family of Kohanim from which she was descended. Miriam lived in the times of the Chashmona’im and became infatuated with Greek culture and society. R”l, she left her faith completely and married a Greek officer. When troops invaded the Beis Hamikdash, she followed. She removed her sandal and banged it on the Mizbei’ach, shouting insults about the holy Mizbei’ach and degrading the entire avodah.

When the Chachamim heard of the incident they enacted two punishments on the house of Bilgah. Each mishmar of Kohanim (clan of priestly families who made up rotating watches in the Beis Hamikdash) had its own metallic ring in which it placed the heads of animals that were to be slaughtered for sacrifice. Bilgah’s ring was pinned to the floor from both sides, rendering it unusable. They also sealed shut the window associated with the family that had produced this shameful woman.

Of all the exciting and inspirational teachings of Maseches Sukkah, why does it conclude with such a depressing story? What message is being conveyed? How does the dismal episode of Miriam bas Bilgah connect in any way to the joyous mitzvah of sukkah? Additionally, why did the Sages block and seal the window of Bilgah? Making the ring immovable was degrading. By permanently affixing it to the ground, the Kohanim of Bilgah lost their sense of identity. They had to constantly use the ring of another mishmar of Kohanim. But why seal their window?

Chazal refer to the sukkah’s shade as tzila d’Kudsha Brich Hu, the shade of Hashem, and as tzila d’meheimenusah, shade of faith. When a Jew sits in his sukkah he is enveloped by the Shechinah, the very Presence of Hashem. He is seated in the shade of the Holy One. This faith in Hashem was certainly sorely lacking in Miriam bas Bilgah. She had assimilated into Grecian culture and even married a Greek officer. So low did Miram bas Bilgah fall that she would eventually publicly degrade the holy Mizbei’ach.

Yet there is another valuable and positive lesson to be derived from Miriam bas Bilgah.

On the one hand, halachah mandates that a sukkah be a temporary structure. For this reason the sukkah cannot be higher than 20 amos (approximately 30 feet). Building higher than that would require a permanent foundation to support it. On the other hand, however, halachah also requires that a sukkah be self-supporting. The litmus test of this condition is that it must be able to withstand a ruach metzuyah, a prevailing wind.

There are many “winds” blowing throughout the world at any given time. One can easily be influenced by the so-called modern “progressive” breezes that dictate our speech, thought, lifestyles, and even clothing fashions. There are also constant winds that challenge the very basic tenets of our Torah faith. The Yom Tov of Sukkos teaches a lesson in facing these winds, and how a Jew can go against them.

This is, perhaps, why Sukkos immediately follows the Yamim Nora’im. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prepare the individual, conceptually, to withstand the force of the prevalent winds of his time. Loyal Jews stand in shul and accept the sovereignty of Hashem with sincere thoughts of teshuvah. But this is all, so to speak, “in theory.” We are not yet prepared to bring these noble thoughts into our everyday lives.

Sukkos conditions us to bring theory into practice. The mitzvos and message of the Yom Tov take what we have conceptually committed ourselves to and translate it into action.

How do we do this? The Torah tells us to erect simple walls that can withstand the wind of a regular day. In doing so, we absorb the message that we, too, must be able to withstand the countervailing winds of an often alien culture and the challenges of everyday life with our faith in Hashem and loyalty to His Torah intact.

This is the essence of the Beis Hamikdash, as well, our central source of strength and inspiration that stood and insulated Klal Yisrael against the constant winds of immorality and change that sweep the world. Thus, if there was even one mishmar, one Kohanic watch, with a “window” to the outside world that cannot withstand a ruach metzuyah, the winds of the world, those Kohanim become hazardous to the spiritual well-being of the entire Jewish People. Its ill-suited window must be blocked and sealed shut to prevent any of the negative and destructive outside forces from entering and corrupting our sanctuary, chas v’shalom.

However, no structure can permanently seal all of its windows. They are needed for circulation; without them, we suffocate. A spiritual window, under carefully controlled conditions, is necessary and beneficial. As Torah-observant Jews, we must be able to take the Torah, its laws and hashkafah wherever we might go. It must be with us in the workplace just as it is in the beis medrash.

The Kohanim of Bilgah, unfortunately, were infected by the atmosphere of the outside environment. They were not strong enough to withstand the power and allure of outside influences. Therefore, their window to the outside world had to be sealed. This, indeed, is the lesson of Maseches Sukkah, teaching us a deeper understanding of the Yom Tov and its signature mitzvah.

A Jew must be willing and able to withstand the winds and forces that confront him. Our Yiddishkeit must be so deeply rooted in each and every one of us that our commitment to Torah and mitzvos remains unchallenged, under all circumstances. This is the essence of our tefillah each Yom Tov: “V’hasi’einu Hashem Elokeinu es birkas mo’adecha — Bestow upon us, Hashem, the blessings of Your festivals.” Allow us to take the lessons of Sukkos with us and to apply them during the course of the entire year.

As we emerge from our sukkos, let us be reinforced with the strength to withstand every ruach metzuyah and let us be able to carry the Torah with us in all of our endeavors, influencing others with the goodness of its way.

This article appeared in print in the September 24th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.