A Time and Place for Simchah

Chacham Yosef Harari-Raful, shlita, Rosh Yeshivat Ateret Torah, explains the joy of the sukkah

Adapted by Rabbi Binyomin Zev Karman

וַתִּתֵּן לָנוּ ה’ אֱלֹקֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה מוֹעֲדִים לְשִׂמְחָה חַגִים וּזְמַנִים לְשָֹשֹוֹן אֶת יוֹם חַג הַסֻכּוֹת הַזֶ
אֶת יוֹם (טוֹב) מִקְרָא קֹדֶש הַזֶה זְמַן שִׂמְחָתֵּנוּ

Vatitein lanu Hashem Elokeinu b’ahavah mo’adim lesimchah chagim uzemanim lesasson et yom Chag haSuccot hazeh, et Yom (Tov) mikra kodesh hazeh, zman simchateinu b’ahavah mikra kodesh…

Sukkot is a special time for simchah — zman simchateinu. What exactly is simchah? When is a person same’ach, happy and joyful?

When Kayin killed his brother Hevel, the passuk states, “Kol demei ahicha tzo’akim elai min ha’adamah — the sound of your brother’s blood is screaming to Me from the ground” (Bereishit 4:10). Hakadosh Baruch Hu then cursed him and said, “Ki ta’avod et ha’adamah lo tosif teit kochah lach, na vanad tiyiyeh ba’aretz — When you work the land, it will no longer give you its strength. You will forever be moving and wandering in the land” (ibid, 12).

Because of his sin, Kayin no longer had any place on the land. The ultimate punishment possible is that a person no longer has his place.

Kayin did teshuvah and made a compromise with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, as the Midrash says, “Asiti teshuvah ve’nitpasharti — I repented and compromised.” In response, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “Lachein kol horeig Kayin shivasayim yukam” (ibid 15). For seven generations, he was granted a reprieve.

The Sfat Emet tells us that in the parashah of galut and arei miklat, the passuk tells us, “Vesamti lecha makom asher yanus shamah — I will give you a place that he shall flee there” (Shemot 21:13). In reality, a person who murders by accident should have no makom; like with Kayin, he should have no place in this world. However, the Torah tells us that Hashem in His generosity will create a new place for the murderer to exist.

The true goal of a person in his life is to find his place. The Mekubalim formulated for us special tefillot to recite before performing mitzvot. We say L’Sheim Yihud Kudsha Berich Hu uShechintei … This is a L’Sheim Yihud that just about everybody knows.

However, we find another tefillah which we say after Shir Hashirim. In this tefillah, we mention that we read the pesukim, the letters and the nekudot, the ta’amim, the names of Hakadosh Baruch Hu and secrets. What is the tachlit, the goal of it? We beseech of Hashem, “Venizkeh l’Makom shehanefashot vehaneshamot veharuchot nechesavot misham — we should merit to (be in) the place from which where the spirits and the souls were excavated.” This is our tachlit, our ultimate goal in life — that our nefesh, our neshamah and our ruach should reach the place from where they originated. The greatest satisfaction a person can have is that he finds his true place. The maximum onesh (punishment) that a person can possibly have is not to have a place, like Kayin was told.

When a person is in his place, he is happy. When a person gets engaged and finds his proper shidduch, he is full of joy because he has found his place in life. Therefore, a person should always pray to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that he should be able to find and remain in his proper place.

When a person who is a ben Torah and yerei Shamayim enters the sukkah, he automatically is filled with simchah. Why is this so? The reason is that deep down, our neshamah realizes that we do not come from this mundane world. The place from which we were nechtzav, where we were excavated, is not this world. Year in and year out, each and every week, our neshamah tells us, “Get out of this mundane world.” When our entire body is enveloped in the sukkah, our neshamah receives satisfaction because it has arrived in its proper place. The sukkah is tzilah d’hemnuta, the shade of emunah, and in this place the neshamah feels at home and the person is filled with simchah, happiness and joy. Although the sukkah is a dirat arai, a transient dwelling, that is only in relation to the mundane world. However, in the true sense, it is actually our enduring home because it is a place of kedushah and emunah.

At times, a person may err and think that this is his place or that is his place. Nevertheless, something is bothering him. Why is that? Because truthfully, he is not in his proper place. He will only be completely happy and satisfied when he arrives where he really belongs. A person has great satisfaction when he learns well. Why is that? Because he has reached his place.

When we enter the sukkah, we are awakened a bit from and realize that all those other places are not where we belong. We have arrived! We have achieved our ultimate goal! Venizkeh l’Makom shehanefashot vehaneshamot veharuchot nechetzavot misham — we should merit to (be in) the place from which the spirits and the souls are excavated.

The Mishnah at the end of Yoma (85b) states, “Amar Rabi Akiva, ashreichem Yisrael, mah mikveh metaher et hatemei’im af Hakadosh Baruch Hu metaher et Yisrael — Rabi Akivah said, ‘Just as a mikveh purifies the impure, so, too, Hakadosh Baruch Hu purifies Klal Yisrael.’”

Rabi Akiva is telling us that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the one who purifies us. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is called Mekomo Shel Olam, the Place of the World. Kevodo malei olam — His Honor fills the world. Ayei mekom kevodo leha’aritzo — Where is the place to revere Him? If you reach your proper place, you are in the makom, the place, of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. If we arrive properly, we are in the makom of the Shechinah together with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, in the tzilah d’heimnuta.

In this sukkah, we are visited by the seven Ushpizin ila’in. All the seven Ushpizin reached their proper place, as it says, “Vayar et hamakom meirachok” (Bereishit 22:4), “Vayifga bamakom” (ibid, 28:11).

This brings us to true simchah.

This article originally appeared in Hamodia’s Sefardic Heritage in America – Succos Supplement