The Era of Gog and Magog: The Inner Meaning of Sukkos in Light of Chassidus

00:00 On Sukkos, we deal a great deal with the nations of the world. It’s very interesting. The question is why. Today, in this class, we’ll discuss that. We find that Sukkos involves a striking amount of attention to what is happening with the nations of the world, including the war of Gog and Magog, a fascinating subject in its own right. And what exactly is its connection to Sukkos? Of course, this subject is especially relevant in our times, when we are living through a momentous period and feel that we are on the threshold of the Geulah. The prophecies we read on these very days—both in the haftarah of the first day of Sukkos and on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos—tell us there is something to this. There is a particular connection between Sukkos, of all festivals, the nations of the world, and the days of Moshiach. How does it all fit together? First, let’s note some details: what do we see on Sukkos regarding the nations of the world? Then we’ll try to understand the root of it, the reason, the connection, the deeper meaning—and, of course, the practical implications. What do we, as Jews, need to learn and understand from this? In particular, what is the work incumbent upon us in these days of preparation for the imminent Geulah? What does this tell us? A Jew always wants to know what something means for him and how we can use all this to enter the atmosphere of the Geulah and begin living with the Geulah in everyday life. So, the first thing we see is in the festival offerings. On Sukkos, an unusually large number of offerings were brought in the Beis Hamikdash. Throughout Sukkos, from the first day through the seventh, they brought a great many offerings—something quite unusual. Pesach, too, lasts a whole week, but when you look at the passage describing the offerings of

02:33 Pesach, things are fairly ordinary. It is specifically on Sukkos that we find such a large number of offerings. One thing that stands out is the bulls. Each day they had to bring a very large number of bulls. A bull is a full-grown ox, and a bull offering was part of the order of offerings. Here we see something remarkable and interesting: on the first day they brought thirteen bulls; on the second day of Sukkos, twelve bulls; then eleven, ten, nine, eight, and seven. They went down from thirteen to seven. On each of the seven days of the festival, they brought one fewer bull. What is the meaning of this number? If we add them up, we get seventy. Thirteen plus twelve plus eleven plus ten, nine, eight, and seven comes to seventy bulls altogether. The Gemara in tractate Sukkah tells us that these seventy bulls correspond to the seventy nations of the world. When we look in Parshas Noach at the descendants of Noach—Shem, Cham, and Yefes—and the Torah describes how each had children after they left the ark, it enumerates seventy nations. These are what we know as the seventy nations of the world. So the Gemara in tractate Sukkah says that the total of seventy bulls brought over the seven days of Sukkos corresponds to the seventy nations of the world. And why begin with thirteen and go down to seven? The Gemara says, “They progressively diminish.” Here we see something puzzling. On the one hand, if we take “they progressively diminish” at face value, it seems to be saying something negative: that the nations of the world progressively diminish. On the other hand, the Midrash says that if the nations of the world knew what the Beis Hamikdash did for them, they would

04:51 station guards around the Beis Hamikdash to protect it. For the Beis Hamikdash is the source of life, sustenance, and blessing for all the nations of the world. So here we see a remarkable contradiction. On the one hand, we emphasize that the festival offerings on Sukkos progressively diminish. On the other hand, we are told the opposite: that the offerings the Jewish people bring during the festival are what give the nations strength, sustenance, and life. If they knew this, they would protect the Beis Hamikdash; they certainly would not, G-d forbid, destroy it. What, then, do these two sides of the festival offerings mean? Of course, sadly, we do not have the Beis Hamikdash today. May the Third Beis Hamikdash be built speedily in our days, and then we will bring the offerings. But we say, “We will offer the bulls of our lips”: in the Musaf prayer that a Jew recites on Sukkos today, we recount the festival offerings each day. We also read the details of the festival offerings in the Torah reading on Sukkos, because “We will offer the bulls of our lips.” Today, when a Jew recites the passages about the festival offerings in the Torah reading and in Musaf, it is considered as though he actually brought the offerings. So these things happen today, too, through reciting the verses. The question is: how do we understand this? And, as we asked, what is the connection to Sukkos? Then there is the Hallel prayer. On Sukkos we recite the full Hallel every day, and the Shulchan Aruch explains that this is connected to the festival offerings. Because the offerings differed each day, the Hallel, too, is complete. On Pesach we do not recite the full Hallel; we recite only half Hallel. That is, we omit two sections of the Hallel, shortening it. The reason given in halachah is that the offerings are the same

06:56 offerings every day, with no difference, so nothing new is introduced. Therefore, they recite the full Hallel only on the first day—or, outside the Land of Israel, on the first two days—and then continue with half Hallel. But on Sukkos, because the offerings number differently each day, the Hallel is also the full Hallel. So there is a particular connection between the Hallel prayer and Sukkos, tied to the offerings. What does that have to do with our subject, the nations of the world? At the heart of Hallel is a short chapter—the shortest chapter in the entire Book of Tehillim. Chapter 117 says: “Praise Hashem, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples. For His kindness has prevailed over us, and the truth of Hashem is forever. Hallelujah.” Here we see something remarkable. It is a short chapter, just two verses, at the heart of Hallel. What is it about? The nations of the world. It tells us what will happen when Moshiach comes. What is the great news this verse brings us? The chapter tells us: know that when Moshiach comes, the nations of the world will offer praise. “Praise Hashem, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples. For His kindness has prevailed over us.” What will they praise Him for? For the kindness Hashem has shown us. So there are two questions here. First, why does it matter to us that the nations praise and laud Him? Second, why would they praise and laud Him because “His kindness has prevailed over us”—because of the kindness Hashem does for us? And again, what does this have to do with Sukkos? Let’s go on. A third point: we’ve spoken about the festival offerings and about Hallel on Sukkos; now let’s turn to the haftarah. As we mentioned at the beginning, the haftarah of the first day of Sukkos is a remarkable passage from the Book of Zechariah that speaks about the era of the Geulah, and specifically about the wars with the nations,

09:02 It speaks about retribution against the nations of the world, and about everything that will happen in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel at the time of the Geulah. “And at evening time there will be light.” These are deeply moving verses. If we read the verses of the haftarah for the first day of Sukkos in light of what has been happening these days, during this period, over the past year, they are especially moving. We can see the prophecy beginning to come true. The verse tells us, “At evening time there will be light”—there will be a kind of mixture of light and darkness. At the end of the exile, on one hand it will be evening, and on the other hand there will be light. We will see shadows: darkness on one hand, and light, miracles, and wonders on the other. And when? During Sukkos. The verses there describe what is going to happen. They speak about the nations of the world: those that help the Jewish people and come up to celebrate Sukkos with them will receive a special reward. Those that do not come up with the Jewish people and do not come to celebrate will suffer defeat and retribution. These are very difficult things. And if that is not enough, we continue with the haftarah for Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos—another remarkable haftarah, from Yechezkel, the well-known chapter about the war of Gog and Magog. “And it shall be on the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel.” Who are Gog and Magog? What are Gog and Magog? If we look at Parshas Noach, as we mentioned earlier, the name Magog appears among the sons of Yefes. So we understand that this is one of the nations mentioned in the Torah. But why Gog and Magog? Why is so much made of Gog and Magog in particular, as the ones who will come? There is something remarkable here. What is the story? How will the nations of the world gather in the mountains of Israel, the mountains of Jerusalem, for an extremely difficult war? And afterward, how will Hakadosh Boruch Hu exact retribution from all the nations fighting the Jewish people? This, too, is a deeply moving haftarah.

11:14 On the other hand, it is also extremely difficult. Who wants wars? Who wants all the nations of the world against us? Why do we need all this turmoil? Why do we need this whole headache? But that is the story written in the haftarah: “I will show My greatness and My holiness before the eyes of all the nations,” says the prophet Yechezkel. In those days, in that period, “I will show My greatness and My holiness before the eyes of all the nations.” There will be a “May His great name be exalted and sanctified”—those words are rooted in these verses. That is what will happen in those days, the days of the Geulah that we are all awaiting. So first, let’s explain a few things simply, as we said we want to understand them, and take them in order. First let’s try to understand the connection to Sukkos, and afterward we’ll talk a little about who Gog and Magog are. And as we asked, what are the implications of all this for us? There is a Midrash on Parshas Emor. The Midrash begins with Rosh Hashanah. It says that Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, when the Jewish people and the nations of the world stand in judgment, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu sits on the throne of judgment and judges His people. When the Jewish people blow the shofar, “G-d ascends amid the blast; Hashem, amid the sound of the shofar.” Elokim is the Divine name associated with the attribute of judgment. When the Jewish people blow the shofar and pray on Rosh Hashanah, Hakadosh Boruch Hu rises from the throne of judgment, sits on the throne of mercy, and drives away the Satan, who comes to accuse the Jewish people, seeking out their faults and negative qualities. He drives him away completely. In the words of the beautiful verse in the Torah, which we always read close to Rosh Hashanah: “But Hashem your G-d did not wish to listen to Bilam.” Bilam represents the accuser, the Satan who seeks to see what is negative in the Jewish people. Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not listen to him. “And Hashem your G-d transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because Hashem

13:33 your G-d loved you.” It begins on Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment. The Midrash says: This is the day of the trial. On that day, Hakadosh Boruch Hu decrees blessing for the Jewish people and grants them victory. But on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is still concealed. The analogy is a court case taking place inside a courtroom: only the people being judged are there. Outside, in the street, in the world, no one knows who won. The victory has already been determined on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “On Rosh Hashanah they are inscribed, and on the fast day of Yom Kippur they are sealed.” The Jewish people’s victory has already been decided. “You are standing today”—all of you stand firm and prevail in judgment. But until Sukkos, these things are not visible to the world. This is the well-known verse in Tehillim: “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the concealed time, for our festival day.” The Gemara in tractate Rosh Hashanah, and the Midrash too, ask: What is the day on which the new moon is concealed, when the moon cannot be seen? Rosh Hashanah is the only festival in the Torah that falls on Rosh Chodesh. There is no visible moon; the moon is concealed. “At the concealed time, for our festival day”—Sukkos. In other words, on Rosh Hashanah, when the moon is concealed, the judgment is also concealed. We do not see the results, even though the outcome has already been determined on Rosh Hashanah. It is still concealed. That is why there are the Ten Days of Teshuvah and Yom Kippur. Then, once the final judgment and the sealing of the victory have taken place on Yom Kippur, preparations for Sukkos begin. On the first day of Sukkos, says the Midrash, when the Jewish people go out into the streets carrying a lulav, an esrog, aravos, hadassim—the four species—as they walk around, that is the sign by which the whole world sees that we, the Jewish people, won. That was the custom in the past. The Midrash says that when two people had a case before a court and people wanted to know whom the judge had ruled in favor of—who had won the case—the person who came outside holding

15:57 some kind of plant, as was the custom then, something in his hand—a plant, a branch, something—was known to be the winner. So when the Jewish people come out with the four species, with the aravos and a lulav in hand, it is a sign that the Jewish people have won. What is the deeper meaning of this analogy? What is the deeper meaning of this story? It tells us, as we said earlier, that there is the first part of Tishrei, with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the days of judgment; and there is the second part of Tishrei, Sukkos and Simchas Torah, the days of love and joy. The trial has already ended on Rosh Hashanah and, in fact, the verdict has already been sealed on Yom Kippur. But it is concealed, hidden in the higher worlds, on the inside. On Sukkos, the fifteenth of Tishrei, the moon is full and shines in its fullness. We all know that the moon symbolizes the Jewish people: “They are destined to be renewed like it,” and “the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun.” When Moshiach comes, the great light of the Jewish people will shine in its fullness. So when we speak about the moon, we are speaking about the collective soul of the Jewish people. That is what is meant by the moon being full on “our festival day.” Things come out into the open; they are revealed, and then the whole world sees the victory of the Jewish people. So we understand that Sukkos is a revelation, not something new. It is the revelation of the victory that already took place on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That revelation happens on Sukkos. And what does “revelation” mean? It means that the victory of the Jewish people is seen throughout the world—that the world will experience it, see it, help bring it about, and be part of it. That is why Sukkos comes immediately after Yom Kippur. A Jew brings offerings, and with those offerings he has the seventy nations of the world in mind. What does that mean? What exactly is our role in relation to the nations of the world, and how do we fulfill it? And what is the connection

18:14 With Sukkos, as we said? The explanation is what Rashi says at the beginning of the Chumash. Soon we’ll be reading Parshas Bereishis again, and Rashi tells us at the very beginning: “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” What does “in the beginning” mean? For the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people. In other words, all of creation, the entire world, all the nations, and everything that exists in the world, is there so that a Jew can fulfill mitzvos, study Torah, and crown Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King. What does this mean in relation to the days of Tishrei? As we discussed, Rosh Hashanah is the day when the Jewish people crown Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King. Crowning Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King—which is really the inner essence of Rosh Hashanah—means crowning Him King over the Jewish people and, through the Jewish people, over the entire world. For the sake of the Torah, for the sake of the Jewish people. That is, the Jewish people are not something separate from the world, as though they were two unrelated things. The Jewish people are the inner dimension, the soul of the world. When the Jewish people study Torah and crown Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King, when on Rosh Hashanah a Jew stands with the shofar before the King of kings, Hakadosh Boruch Hu, he says: “He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Yaakov, whom He loves forever.” I am connected to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu is connected to us, because we are Your people and You are our Father; because we are Your children and You are—We are Your people and You are our G-d; we are Your children and You are our Father. On Rosh Hashanah, a Jew gives himself over to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and crowns Him King over the Jewish people. Hakadosh Boruch Hu thus becomes King over the Jewish people, and through that, King over the entire world. That is what brings influence and vitality to the Jewish people. And a Jew has the mission of being a light to the nations. A Jew has

20:20 the mission of bringing the Divine light to all of creation. Through his conduct, with the pride of Yaakov, with the strength of a Jew who is not ashamed and not afraid, who stands firm in his Judaism, firm in his faith and firm in his trust in Hakadosh Boruch Hu, a Jew also affects the entire world, making it a more refined world, a cleaner world, a more G-dly world—a world of peace, tranquility, harmony, and kindness. And that is the role of every Jew. This is what the Rambam says in his book of halachah: Hakadosh Boruch Hu commanded Moshe Rabbeinu at Mount Sinai that one of the responsibilities of Jews is to bring the message of the Seven Noahide Laws to the nations of the world. In other words, a Jew’s role is not only to be a good Jew himself and observe Torah and mitzvos. He must also serve as an example to the nations of the world and teach them the Seven Noahide Laws: how to make our world more spiritual, more refined, more gentle, without wars or all kinds of negative things—a beautiful, refined, pure world. That is a Jew’s role, part of the mission we received at the Giving of the Torah. So when Sukkos arrives, after a Jew has crowned Hakadosh Boruch Hu King over His people—over the Jewish people—with the sounding of the shofar on Yom Kippur, when we spend most of the day in shul, then Sukkos arrives and we go out with the lulav. That means our role now is to have an influence and bring Divine holiness to the entire world. As we say in every blessing: “Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the world.” First “our G-d,” and then “King of the world.” He is our G-d,

22:34 my King, and from me that influence spreads and extends to the entire world. This explains the whole idea of the mitzvah of the Four Species. The Midrash says that the Four Species proclaim the victory to the entire world. What do we do when we take the lulav, the Four Species, in our hands? What does halachah say? We wave them. And where do we wave them? In every direction. This means that a Jew brings the message of oneness to every part of creation—the oneness of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” On Yom Kippur, at the end of the day, at the close of Ne’ilah, in every shul, Jews cry out the verses proclaiming G-d’s oneness with all their heart and soul: “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One.” Then we say “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever” three times, and then “Hashem is G-d” seven times. These are the verses proclaiming His oneness. A Jew crowns Hakadosh Boruch Hu as King, but that cannot remain only in shul. We have to bring it into the world: the Divine oneness, the reality that “Hashem is One and His name is One,” that “Hashem is G-d.” All of nature—Elokim has the same numerical value as hateva, “nature”—the nature of the world, the entire reality of the world, is all the name Havayah; it is all G-dliness. We proclaim this and bring it into the world through the mitzvah of the sukkah. That is why we wave the Four Species toward all four directions and then toward the heart. In other words, from the Jew’s heart to the world, and from the world back again. That is the whole process of the mitzvah of the Four Species: bringing Divine oneness into creation and into every part of creation. If we think about it, we’ll see that this is also why each of the Four Species symbolizes unity. The lulav must be joined together, its leaves all united. They are separate leaves, but they are united and held closely together. The hadassim must have their leaves arranged like a chain: three leaves growing from the same point, not

24:53 one higher and one lower. It is a symbol of unity amid separateness. The Gemara says that the aravos grow in groups, in fellowship. And the esrog endures every kind of climate and every season of the year—summer, winter, cold, and heat—and it grows precisely through that. There is a symbol of unity in each of the Four Species, and we take all four together: “May they all become one united group to do the will of Your Father in Heaven.” This is really the whole message of Sukkos: “Spread over us Your sukkah of peace,” a sukkah of life and peace. It is the Divine oneness that shines into and permeates every part of reality. And that is the connection between Sukkos and its influence on the nations of the world. Now, since a Jew’s role is to be a light to the nations and bring the light of holiness into the world, this is where the question begins of how we influence the nations of the world. The fact is that there are two kinds. There are two kinds among the nations of the world. Some are willing to recognize this Divine truth. As we know from our history, in every generation and right up to our own day, there have always been two kinds among the nations. There are those who seek the truth, recognize it, and are willing to accept the Divine light and Divine oneness, and to live in peace and harmony. And sadly, there are those who have chosen the other side: hatred, jealousy, evil, and destruction. So there are two ways we must deal with the nations of the world. There is the aspect of evil that we must break and nullify, and there is the aspect of evil that can be elevated and uplifted. In Kabbalah, this is an entire subject. In the Kabbalah of the Arizal, it is called the refinement of the sparks. There are the sparks of holiness, the Divine light. Already at the beginning of creation, “the spirit of G-d hovered over the surface of the waters.” There are Divine sparks that fell into the kelipos and sitra achra. And the role of

27:12 A Jew’s task is to seek out the Divine spark, lift it up, and bring it back. These sparks are found among all the nations of the world, so the number of nations is no coincidence. The seventy nations correspond to the seventy souls of the Jewish people. The Jewish people, too, began with the number seventy. In Parshas Shemos we read that our ancestors—Yaakov and his children—went down to Egypt as seventy souls. That is how we went down to Egypt. Later we became six hundred thousand, but the foundation is seventy. There are seventy nations because the seventy of the Jewish people must refine, purify, and elevate the seventy nations. That is the significance of the number. This is connected with a profound concept in Kabbalah. The number seven refers to the seven middos, and each middah includes ten. That is why the number is seventy, and those are the nations we must refine and elevate. But as we said, one part is elevated and purified, while another falls away and is nullified. If it is not lifted up and elevated, it loses its Divine spark and becomes nothing—zero. And that is what is meant when we say there are two kinds of nations. Even when Moshiach comes, there will be two kinds among the nations of the world. In several verses of Tanach we find, “All the nations will stream to him.” The nations will come running; there will be a mass movement toward King Moshiach to learn from his wisdom. The prophet Yeshayahu speaks about this. Many among the nations will come, as it says, with “a pure offering to Hashem,” bringing all kinds of gifts and other things to the Jewish people. Among the nations, “Kings will be your foster fathers, and their princesses your nursing mothers.” Even rulers from the nations of the world will come to help the Jewish people. And as the prophet Zechariah says, then “I will transform the peoples to a pure language, so that they may serve Him with one accord.” These are the peoples who will be ready

29:25 to accept the yoke of Heaven. On the other hand, there are nations about whom it is said that they will fall and be shattered: “Babylon has fallen and been broken,” and so on. There are other harsh prophecies about those nations—the enemies of the Jewish people, those who opposed and oppressed them. No remnant or survivor will remain of them. This is what the war of Gog and Magog is about. The sparks that can be elevated will become part of holiness and part of the whole Divine purpose in the future. Even when Moshiach comes, there will be nations of the world, but they will recognize their true role: to serve Him together, with one accord. The enemies of the Jewish people, on the other hand, will become nothing and zero. This is described in the haftaros we read now, on Sukkos. The Shulchan Aruch cites Rav Hai Gaon as saying that we read these haftaros on Sukkos because there is a tradition that this prophecy will be fulfilled at this time. We hope it happens in our days. Now, the Arizal says that if we calculate the numerical value of the words “Gog and Magog,” we find that together they equal seventy. So the number seventy is no coincidence: the name Gog and Magog represents the seventy nations. What does that tell us? The Arizal says that although the verse speaks of Gog and Magog, it is alluding to all seventy nations. All seventy will be involved—some on our side, some against us. How true and how relevant we see this is today. Gog and Magog encompasses all seventy nations. It tells us that at that time, during Sukkos, Gog and Magog will involve all seventy nations, and it will be an immense test. But what is the great message of hope? The Arizal puts it this way: In every exile, there was one nation. We were in Babylon, we were in Persia, we were in Media, we were in Edom; we were here and we were there. The Jewish people lived among one

31:36 nation at a time. There was always one nation among whom the Jewish people lived, and Jews served Hakadosh Boruch Hu in the country where they were. Take Spain, for example. When the Jewish people lived and served Hashem in Spain, it was a golden age. They performed mitzvos and studied Torah there, and as long as the people of Spain stood with the Jewish people, the country flourished materially as well. The moment they began to persecute the Jewish people—deciding to expel them, wanting, G-d forbid, to force them to abandon their faith, and so on, with the whole well-known story of the Inquisition—it all came to nothing. And so it was with nation after nation. The Arizal says: Each time, one nation rises and another falls; one falls and another rises. It goes on and on. But when Moshiach comes, when the process of refinement reaches its conclusion and fulfillment, all the nations must gather together. We no longer go from one nation to the next. Instead, this must bring about the complete conclusion of the process and the beginning of the complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu. That is why it will encompass all seventy nations of the world. Then some nations will rise and others will fall. And that is the meaning of what we discussed from the Midrashim and the Gemara about the offerings of the festival. The festival offerings give the nations their life-force; that is the part that undergoes refinement. After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, after the prayers and after receiving the blessing for a good and blessed year, a Jew knows: What is my task? Yom Kippur is over. I should not stay in shul all day and all night. My task is to go out into the world and have an impact in the street and among the nations, so that they recognize Divine justice, Divine integrity, peace and tranquility, and love; to bring people together, to unite them, to teach the whole world the Seven Noahide Laws, and to perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty.

33:36 That is our task after Yom Kippur, and so on Sukkos we must also work with the nations of the world. But as we said, on the one hand, this is what gives them sustenance. On the other hand, those who are unwilling to recognize this truth lose their life-force. If you are not connected to your purpose, you have no right to exist, and so those who have no part in all this diminish and disappear. This explains the verse, “Praise Hashem, all nations; extol Him, all peoples.” After Yom Kippur, the truth is revealed in the world, and then Sukkos arrives. The truth shines in every corner of the world when a Jew takes up this task with full strength. Then it becomes evident in the world that “Praise Hashem, all nations; extol Him, all peoples”—the nations, too, recognize this truth. And not only that. What do they recognize? Not only do they recognize the Divine truth and praise and extol Hakadosh Boruch Hu; they praise and extol Him “for His kindness has prevailed over us.” They recognize the truth that the Jewish people are the purpose of creation, its ultimate goal. “For His kindness has prevailed over us”: the whole purpose is for the Jewish people, through the Torah, to connect with Hakadosh Boruch Hu and bring Divine light into this world. Because “His kindness has prevailed over us,” they too receive the Divine light and life-force. They too have the peace, unity, love, and all the harmony we hope to see very soon in our days, amen. Based on what we have just said, we can also understand one of the verses we say in the Hoshanos each day of Sukkos. We say the verse, “So that all the peoples of the earth may know that

35:38 “Hashem is G-d; there is none else.” We say this verse each day during the Hoshanos circuits. “So that all the peoples of the earth may know.” Chassidus points out something interesting: the word daas has two meanings. The familiar meaning is to know, to recognize, to connect, to form a bond. But daas can also mean breaking. We find the word used in that sense in the verse in Shoftim, “And he punished the men of Sukkos with them.” So there are two possibilities, as we said. There are those who must be broken, those who are not receptive: the nations that hate and oppose us. And there are nations prepared to know and recognize the Divine truth—that Hashem is G-d; there is none else. Now let’s come back to this: what inner work does this actually demand of each of us? In addition to what we discussed earlier—that our role is to influence others and set an example. When a Jew simply lives as a Jew, with strong faith, with trust in Hashem, with Jewish pride, and is not ashamed to say the truth—that the Jewish people and the Land of Israel belong together—and to quote the verses of Tanach: “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” As Rashi says at the beginning of Bereishis, the land is ours because Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave it to us. That itself has an impact, as does spreading the Seven Noahide Laws. That is one aspect. But there is also inner work for each of us. This demands that we address the “nations of the world” within our own service of Hashem. Chassidus explains that each of us has an inner non-Jew in our heart: our negative character traits. We need to work on those too. Here there are two approaches. There are negative traits—pride, hatred, and certain other things—that we need to break, nullify, and remove

37:57 entirely, such as anger and the like. There are other traits we need to refine and use, but use properly, in the service of Heaven. So there are two aspects. Some parts of our animal soul, of our character traits, can be worked with and corrected, and used in serving Hashem. But the parts that need to be removed must be removed completely. When we take on this task during Sukkos, then, with Hashem’s help, we will help bring this about now, in our time, in this year, 5785. May we merit to see all the prophecies of Zechariah and Yechezkel fulfilled, and may the verse we read in the haftorah on the first day of Sukkos come to pass: “Hashem will be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be one and His name one.” And the verse from Yechezkel that we read on Shabbos: “I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known before the eyes of many nations, and they will know that I am Hashem.” As we said, both meanings of “they will know.” May it all happen with kindness and mercy; may all pain and grief come to an end; may the war already be won completely. May the Torah’s promises be fulfilled: “You will lie down with none to frighten you,” everywhere, and “I will grant peace in the land.” May what happened last Sukkos be transformed, so that this year we see the great light of the complete Geulah. May we all merit to sit in the sukkah made from the skin of the Leviathan with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily in our days. Amen.