Reasons for the Customs of Sukkos and Simchas Torah - Rabbi Shmuel Mekamel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of the Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 As Sukkos approaches, today we’ll discuss the meaning of several customs and laws of the holiday. Sukkos has a number of names. The most familiar, of course, is Chag HaSukkos, named for the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah. It reminds us, “For I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I brought them out of the land of Egypt,” as we’ll discuss later. It is also called Chag HaAsif, the Festival of Ingathering, because this is when the harvest is finished, and that is a time of joy. And when our Sages refer to this festival simply as “the festival”—as in “from Atzeres until the festival”—they mean Sukkos. Of course, in our prayers we call it “the season of our rejoicing.” We know that in Parshas Re’eh, the Torah mentions rejoicing three times in connection with Sukkos, and that is why this time is called the season of our rejoicing. The rabbi explains that the joy of the festival is also a special joy because it is the time of ingathering. In our service of Hashem, gathering the harvest means connecting the physical with the spiritual: gathering all our thoughts and words, and bringing together all the deeds we performed throughout the year. So, after the work of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we reach the culmination of that work on Sukkos, and the joy is very great. That joy, in turn, has the power to bring about the gathering of the entire Jewish people, the ingathering of the exiles in the true and complete Geulah. On Sukkos, the Torah commands us to dwell in a sukkah for seven days. Explaining the reason for this mitzvah, the Torah says, “For I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkos when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that your generations will know.” We need to know and remember this. Having in mind that the mitzvah commemorates the Exodus from Egypt is part of the mitzvah. In practice

02:33 Speaker 2 there is a major question about exactly how the Children of Israel fulfilled the mitzvah of sukkah when they left Egypt. The straightforward explanation is that the sukkah commemorates the Clouds of Glory with which Hakadosh Boruch Hu surrounded the Jewish people so that the scorching heat would not strike us. He sheltered and protected us with those Clouds of Glory, and the mitzvah of sukkah commemorates that. Besides, when the Children of Israel were in the desert, trees were very hard to find. Where would they have obtained wood and branches for the s’chach? But there is an interesting story in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Sefer HaSichos. Rabbi Tzvi Yair Damasmat [?] asked the Frierdiker Rebbe how the Children of Israel fulfilled the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah while they were under the Clouds of Glory. The Frierdiker Rebbe told him about the holy Rabbi Meir of Premishlan, who went out with his followers to sanctify the moon, but the moon was covered by clouds. He then raised a question: What did the Children of Israel do in the desert, surrounded by the Clouds of Glory? How could they sanctify the moon when the clouds sheltered them? How could they see the moon? They did not know what to answer, so he said, “I’ll answer you. When they needed to sanctify the moon, Moshe Rabbeinu would take a handkerchief out of his pocket and wave it back and forth, moving the clouds aside until the moon appeared.” As Rabbi Meir of Premishlan demonstrated this, that is just what happened: the moon appeared. That was the answer the Frierdiker Rebbe gave Rabbi Tzvi Yair Damasmat [?] about how the Jewish people fulfilled the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah when the Clouds of Glory covered them from above as well. It is an interesting story that shows us another aspect of the miracle of

04:49 Speaker 2 the Clouds of Glory. In any event, we know that the Exodus from Egypt is the source and basis of the mitzvah: dwelling in a sukkah commemorates the Exodus. There are opinions that say the Torah means actual sukkos that Hakadosh Boruch Hu made, as suggested by the account of the Children of Israel’s journeys, which says that they traveled from Sukkos. These were sukkos the Children of Israel had when they left Egypt. But the straightforward ruling, as the Alter Rebbe writes at the beginning of the laws of sukkah, is that the reference is to the Clouds of Glory. When sitting in the sukkah, one should have in mind that it commemorates the Clouds of Glory with which Hakadosh Boruch Hu surrounded us when we left the land of Egypt. Since dwelling in a sukkah commemorates the Exodus, and the Exodus took place in the spring, why was Sukkos established at the beginning of the winter season? The explanation given is that this shows the Jewish people’s devotion to Hashem’s will. Even if Hashem tells them to go outside when the air is beginning to cool and it is becoming cold and uncomfortable to sit outdoors, they do so. In spring, it is very pleasant to sit outside. But when we sit in the sukkah at the beginning of the winter season, at Sukkos, even as the air grows chilly, we do it only because Hashem commanded us. This reveals another aspect of the Jewish people’s greatness and virtue: how devoted they are to Hashem’s will. It is clear that they are not sitting there for their own comfort, but to fulfill a mitzvah and Hashem’s will. The festival is named specifically for the sukkah, even though it includes several mitzvos, most notably taking the Four Species. Yet it is called Chag HaSukkos, after the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah. First, that is because the mitzvah of sukkah is the first mitzvah we encounter on the festival. As soon as the festival begins, we are obligated to dwell in the sukkah, whereas taking the Four Species is only the following morning. But there is another explanation for why

06:55 Speaker 2 the festival is named for the sukkah. Regarding the Four Species, the Torah says, “You shall take for yourselves.” One may not fulfill the mitzvah with Four Species that do not belong to oneself. There is such a thing as a gift on condition that it be returned, but they must be given as a gift so that they are considered one’s own. With a sukkah, by contrast, anyone can fulfill the mitzvah in a borrowed sukkah. You can go to a sukkah that is not yours and fulfill your obligation there. There is also a reason for each family to have its own sukkah, but in principle, one can fulfill the obligation in a borrowed sukkah, whereas borrowed Four Species do not fulfill the obligation. The Rebbe explains the reason: the sukkah expresses the unity of the Jewish people, so even another person’s sukkah is considered one’s own. The Four Species do symbolize unity, as we’ll see later, but even when they are brought together, their differences remain apparent. In the mitzvah of dwelling in a sukkah, by contrast, the entire Jewish people are like one entity. That is why one can fulfill the obligation even in a borrowed sukkah, and why this festival, whose theme is the unity of the Jewish people, is named specifically for the mitzvah of sukkah: Chag HaSukkos. It is written, “This is my G-d and I will beautify Him, the G-d of my father and I will exalt Him.” There is a principle that mitzvos should be performed beautifully and splendidly—that we should beautify the mitzvos before Him. One of the most prominent examples is what our Sages call sukkah decorations. This is mentioned in halacha, and the halachic authorities write about the importance of making the sukkah beautiful. In practice, though, we know that our custom is not to use sukkah decorations. We do not decorate the sukkah. The Rebbe explains that this is because we want the sukkah’s beauty to come from the mitzvah itself. The mitzvah itself is beautiful; we do not need to beautify it with external things. Although those things

09:00 Speaker 2 These external decorations, by the way, are also considered part of the sanctity of the sukkah. During the festival, sukkah decorations have sanctity, and one may not use them for ordinary purposes in a disrespectful way. One may not use them for other purposes unless one stipulated in advance that one would be able to do so. So the sanctity extends to the sukkah decorations as well. But in practice, they are something external that we use to beautify the sukkah, whereas we want the beauty to come from the sukkah itself. The mitzvah itself is beautiful. The Frierdiker Rebbe said that once, a magnificent bunch of grapes was brought from Moscow to hang in the sukkah and beautify it, but they did not hang it. The Frierdiker Rebbe said that in Lubavitch, it was not customary to put up sukkah decorations of any kind—not on the walls and not beneath the schach. He said that for the Rebbe Rashab, his sukkah decorations were the kabbolas ol of accepting the kingship of Heaven on Rosh Hashanah, the avodah of Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur, and the joy of Sukkos. These were experiences of the innermost soul, and those were the decorations hanging in his sukkah. But the Rebbe says that, nevertheless, we see that the Gemara does discuss sukkah decorations. It was accepted and customary in those days to decorate the sukkah. How, then, can we disregard something stated explicitly in the Gemara? The Rebbe explained that in the time of our Sages, in earlier generations, when people did not attach importance to material things, they could use sukkah decorations without the material objects becoming important in their own right. Everything was completely subordinate to the essence of the sukkah. But in these generations, when people may see the beauty of the sukkah and that beauty may become an end in itself, it is better not to put up decorations.

11:16 Speaker 2 As part of the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah, we should do in the sukkah everything we normally do at home during the year: eating, drinking, and learning Torah. In practice, if one can truly learn there with the proper peace of mind, it is a mitzvah to do so in the sukkah. Everything we normally do at home during the year, we do in the sukkah. This includes an entire body of halachos concerning sleeping in the sukkah. Our Sages obligated us to do so; in fact, it is part of the Torah’s mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah. As we all know, though, the well-known Chabad custom is not to sleep in the sukkah. The Rebbe explains that the Mitteler Rebbe once said, “How can one sleep in the sukkah when the transcendent lights of Binah shine there?” The Rebbe says that our Rebbeim followed this practice because they themselves could not sleep in the sukkah. But the Mitteler Rebbe’s words were also addressed to chassidim who did not feel that experience. The expectation was that the very fact that they did not feel it would itself cause them distress. And we know that one who is distressed is exempt from the sukkah. The Rebbe says that chassidim long to follow the example of their Rebbeim, and their inability to do as our Rebbeim did causes them distress. Since one who is distressed is exempt from the sukkah, this is why, in practice, the Chabad custom is not to sleep there. During Sukkos, special guests come to us. As the holy Zohar says, the ushpizin come to us: the shepherds Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and Dovid. In fact, all the ushpizin come each day, but each day the ushpiz associated with that day comes at their head.

13:48 Speaker 2 Our Rebbeim revealed that, in addition to the ushpizin listed in the Zohar, the Chassidic ushpizin also come to us: the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab. The Rebbe says there is also a source for an ushpiz on Shemini Atzeres: King Shlomo. That day corresponds to the Frierdiker Rebbe. And there is the last day, Simchas Torah—the final day of the festival outside Eretz Yisroel—which chassidim traditionally associate with the Rebbe. It is the Rebbe’s day. Why do the ushpizin come to us specifically on Sukkos, and not on Pesach? Because on Sukkos we begin the avodah of winter, days of darkness and concealment. The ushpizin come to strengthen us and give us the strength for that avodah. When the Beis Hamikdash stood, there was a great celebration during Sukkos: Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. Throughout the year, wine was poured as a libation on the altar, whereas on Sukkos, water was poured. This was derived from the verses concerning the festival offerings, where the extra letters mem, yud, and mem spell mayim, “water.” From this the Sages learned that water was to be poured on the altar during Sukkos, and this was accompanied by tremendous rejoicing in the Beis Hamikdash. All night long, on the night they went to draw the water, people danced and rejoiced. This was called Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. The joy was great because we are among the faithful Jewish people who follow our Sages, unlike the Sadducees, who did not believe in the Oral Torah. They did not accept this derivation, since the water libation is not stated explicitly in the Torah but was derived by the Sages from the verses.

16:01 Speaker 2 To show our joy in the true Torah, the Torah taught by our Sages of blessed memory, we rejoice with genuine joy, the joy of a mitzvah: Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. We know that people would draw ruach hakodesh from this celebration. In practice, the celebration did not override Shabbos, and it involved musical instruments. The Rebbe says that Simchas Beis Hashoeivah applies today as well, and we do not have to wait until the night after the first day of the festival to begin. We can start on the very first night, as soon as the festival begins. On the contrary, because we do not have the Beis Hamikdash and its particular mitzvos, there are fewer limitations on how we celebrate. We can rejoice without musical instruments, and we can hold the celebration even on Yom Tov and Shabbos. The joy should grow stronger every night. The Rebbe says that the ushpizin are there, dancing with us at Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. Everyone should make an effort to rejoice more each night and not listen to the yetzer hara’s suggestion that they are tired. The Rebbe cites our Sages’ statement that when the Beis Hamikdash stood, the people “did not taste sleep.” They would sleep [?]—just doze when they needed a nap—but they did not truly sleep throughout the seven days of the festival. In the earlier years, the Rebbe held farbrengens for Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. In later years, on every day of the festival, the Rebbe delivered a sicha connecting that day’s particular ushpizin with Simchas Beis Hashoeivah. The Rebbe began this in the year [unclear][?], 5741, and so

17:59 Speaker 2 This practice continued year after year. The Rebbe devoted a special sicha to each night of the festival. On Sukkos we were commanded to perform the precious mitzvah of taking the Four Species, as it says: “On the first day you shall take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, boughs of a leafy tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d for seven days.” This mitzvah is connected with Sukkos, the season of gathering in the harvest. We take from the new produce—the esrog and the lulav—and rejoice before Hashem with the new produce we have. It also expresses the Jewish people’s victory in judgment. After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we rejoice over that victory. As we know, when two people enter a contest and we do not know who won, we know the winner when one of them comes out holding his weapon aloft. So too, all the nations of the world come before Hashem for judgment on Rosh Hashanah, and we do not know who has prevailed. But when the Jewish people come out holding their lulavim and esrogim, we know that they have prevailed in judgment, and the nations of the world rejoice with them as well. During the festival, we offer sacrifices on behalf of the nations of the world: seventy bulls corresponding to the seventy nations. The Four Species we use for this mitzvah express the unity of the Jewish people. The esrog remains on its tree from one year to the next, enduring all the changes in the weather. The lulav must be bound together—its leaves must not spread apart. The hadas must be covered with leaves, with three leaves emerging from a single point. And the aravah, called [unclear], alludes

20:23 Speaker 2 to unity through the way it grows: you can see how the willows grow together. All four species symbolize unity. Beyond that, each of the Four Species represents a particular kind of Jew. Some have both taste and fragrance, like the esrog. Taste represents Torah study, and fragrance represents good deeds. Some have taste but no fragrance: they have Torah but lack good deeds. Others have fragrance, like the hadas—they have good deeds but no taste, because they lack Torah. And some have neither taste nor fragrance, corresponding to the aravos. Each of these four species represents a group within the Jewish people, and the goal is to take them all and unite them, so that they all become one bond. If even one is missing—even the aravah, which has neither taste nor fragrance—we cannot fulfill the mitzvah. So too, there must be unity among every part of the Jewish people. As for the esrog, our custom is to take Yanover [unclear] esrogim, which come from Calabria in Italy. We know that an esrog must have an established tradition. With birds, too, there must be a tradition that a species may be slaughtered and eaten. Even if it has signs indicating that it is kosher, we need an established tradition that people do indeed eat that bird. The same applies to esrogim: there must be a tradition that they are used for the mitzvah. The esrogim from Calabria have a particularly distinguished lineage and an established tradition. The Alter Rebbe related a tradition that when Hashem said, “You shall take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree,” Moshe Rabbeinu actually took an esrog from Calabria, Italy.

22:22 Speaker 2 The Rebbe made another point. People asked the Rebbe why we do not take other esrogim, and why we insist specifically on esrogim from there. The Rebbe said that in the army, when something concerns the country’s defense and the safety of its citizens, there is no compromising. Even if the equipment comes from abroad, if it is stronger, more reliable, and safer, that is what is used, because defense is at stake. The same applies to the esrog, which is needed to fulfill the mitzvah. This mitzvah brings about unity and draws down blessing for the entire Jewish people, so we do not compromise; we take the finest esrog, with the most distinguished tradition. Before fulfilling the mitzvah of the Four Species, we recite the blessing “al netilas lulav”—“concerning the taking of the lulav.” Why is the blessing specifically about the lulav rather than one of the other species? Because the lulav is the tallest of the Four Species, and because it represents those who study Torah. As we said, the date palm has taste, and so it symbolizes Torah students. First and foremost, we must draw our strength from the Torah. Torah must be the foundation of everything. That is why the blessing was instituted over the lulav: everything begins with Torah; it is the foundation of it all. To fulfill the mitzvah, we take the lulav. But our Sages taught us to wave it in the four directions and upward and downward, expressing our faith that the whole world belongs to Hashem. In this way, Hashem will protect us from harmful winds and harmful dews. There is also a deeper meaning to waving the lulav. Since the lulav represents Torah students, it reflects the way a person sways while learning Torah, as the Zohar says.

24:48 Speaker 2 We know that it says, “The soul of man is Hashem’s candle.” The soul is like a candle: its flame flickers because it longs to return to its source. So too, a person’s soul moves when they study Torah, and that is why we sway during Torah study. We likewise wave the lulav, which represents Torah students. In addition to waving the lulav when we take it, we wave it during Hallel. We learn this from the verse, “Then the trees of the forest will sing,” which is followed by “Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting,” and “Say: Save us, G-d of our salvation.” The singing of the forest trees—the rejoicing and waving of the Four Species, which come from trees and plants—takes place when we say “Give thanks” and “Save us,” meaning during Hallel. But we wave the lulav only at certain points. We do not wave it while saying Hashem’s name. For example, when we say, “Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good,” we wave it at “Give thanks” and at “for He is good,” but not at Hashem’s name. That is because we must concentrate when saying Hashem’s name, and if we are occupied with waving the lulav, it will distract us from that concentration. There is another reason: the verse says, “Then the trees of the forest will sing before Hashem.” This is the source for waving the lulav during Hallel. Since the verse says “before Hashem,” it implies that we wave it before saying Hashem’s name, but not while saying it. The day of Hoshana Rabbah is so called because we say many Hoshanos on that day. On each day of the festival, we say Hoshanos after Hallel and circle the Torah-reading platform with the Four Species. We do this in remembrance of the Beis Hamikdash, where every day they would

26:59 Speaker 2 We circle once, whereas on Hoshana Rabbah, on the sixth day of the festival—on the seventh day of the festival—we circle seven times. And in general, Hoshana Rabbah was a day when many offerings were brought in the Beis Hamikdash. Anyone who had vowed to bring an offering had to bring it by Hoshana Rabbah, because that was the last day for making up those offerings. So many people brought offerings that day. The purpose of the day is that we ask Hashem not to hold back the heavens, but to bring us rain and give us life for the coming year. Just as we did not hold back what we owed and brought our offerings, we ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu not to hold back the heavens, but to bring us water. That is how it was in the Beis Hamikdash. There is another reason for the custom of Hoshana Rabbah. In the Beis Hamikdash, they would take a willow branch and stand it beside the altar. A willow lives on water. It needs a great deal of water to survive. Just as we bring the willow, whose vitality depends on water, so too Hakadosh Boruch Hu will care for us and bring us water. We know many things that have been said about this day. For example, it is said that Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu, “I am one, and you are one. I will make a day for your children on which all their sins will be atoned for. If they do not attain repentance and atonement on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they will attain it on Hoshana Rabbah.” That is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Avraham Avinu: this is a day of atonement for the Jewish people. On the night of Hoshana Rabbah, we stay awake all night and recite Tikkun Leil Hoshana Rabbah, and this night has special significance. We know that the final sealing takes place on Hoshana Rabbah, and just as, before the envelopes are sealed

29:11 Speaker 2 and the documents have gone out, it is still possible to change something, so too on this night it is still possible to correct and complete what we did not manage to do during the Days of Awe. What we have not accomplished until now—this is the time to change and improve the final sealing. That is why we stay awake on this night. We use it to recite the Book of Devarim, which is called Mishneh Torah. As we know, there is the whole Torah, and then there is the Book of Devarim, which repeats the Torah—the four books that came before it. So too, there was a sealing on Yom Kippur, but there is a second sealing on Hoshana Rabbah. In addition, we recite the entire Book of Tehillim. The Rebbe says that this night is closely connected with Dovid Hamelech, because the ushpizin guest of Hoshana Rabbah is Dovid Hamelech. Throughout the year, we need to say, “May it be Your will that the recitation of Tehillim be considered as though Dovid, King of Israel, had recited them himself.” But on Hoshana Rabbah, we are actually reciting Tehillim when Dovid Hamelech is the ushpizin guest of that day, and so it is easier to accomplish everything than it is during the rest of the year. When the Beis Hamikdash stood, they would circle the altar once each day, whereas on Hoshana Rabbah they would circle the altar seven times. This commemorates the miracle at Yericho, when they circled its wall seven times and the wall fell. The circling of the city of Yericho and the great miracle that took place then are closely connected with the request we make on Hoshana Rabbah. We know that when the Jewish people entered the Land and experienced the great miracles of their entry, the wall of Yericho fell and the city was destroyed. Yehoshua bin Nun then decreed that the city should never be rebuilt, and that whoever rebuilt it would, may it never happen to us, lose

31:28 Speaker 2 his sons. For many, many years, that decree was observed. Everyone feared Yehoshua bin Nun’s curse. Then Chiel of Beis El came along, in the time of Achav and Eliyahu Hanavi. He was one of those close to the royal court, and he took it upon himself to rebuild the wall and the city of Yericho. He built it, and his sons did indeed begin to die, may it never happen to us. By the time Eliyahu Hanavi came to him, his last son had already died, exactly as Yehoshua bin Nun had warned. Eliyahu Hanavi came to comfort him out of respect for the king, and thought that perhaps this was the time to bring him back and stir him to teshuvah. But Chiel would not accept it. He did not see the connection between his sons’ deaths and Yehoshua’s curse, even though it was very, very clear. He said, “How could the student’s curse come true when the teacher’s curse did not?” What was the teacher’s curse? Moshe Rabbeinu was Yehoshua bin Nun’s teacher, and he had said that when the Jewish people worship idols, the heavens would be held back and there would be no rain. Yet in Achav’s time, the Jewish people worshipped idols extensively, and there was no shortage of rain. If Moshe Rabbeinu’s curse had not come true, then surely Yehoshua’s curse had not come true either. That was how Chiel explained it to himself. So he saw no connection between his sons’ deaths and Yehoshua’s curse: it could not be that the teacher’s curse would fail to come true while the student’s curse would come true. Eliyahu Hanavi was zealous for Hashem’s honor. He wanted to show that the matters really were connected, and he said that there would be neither dew nor rain except at his word. He wanted to prove that

33:24 Speaker 2 the matters were connected and that Yehoshua bin Nun’s curse had indeed come true. Then the well-known drought began in the time of Eliyahu—in the time of the wicked Achav—and the rains were indeed held back. So we see that the withholding of rain is connected with the city of Yericho. They circled Yericho seven times, and after Yericho fell, they did not rebuild it. When they did rebuild it, the rains were held back. In commemoration of this, when Hoshana Rabbah comes—a day especially associated with praying for rain—we ask Hashem to bring us rain, not to hold back the heavens, and to give us rain and blessing for the coming year. And just as the miracle of Yericho came about by circling the city seven times, so too on Hoshana Rabbah, when we pray for rain, we circle seven times. On each day of Sukkos, we take the lulav with a blessing before davening. We also shake the lulav while reciting Hallel, as we said. The lulav is bound together. There are the three lower bindings that hold the lulav together with the hadassim and aravos. Above the hadassim and aravos, on the lulav itself, there are two more bindings. Their purpose is to keep the lulav closed, so that it looks properly bound and closed. But before Hallel on Hoshana Rabbah, we remove the two upper bindings, leaving the lulav less tightly bound. Several reasons have been given for this custom of removing the bindings on Hoshana Rabbah. The Torah says of the lulav, “kapos temarim,” branches of date palms. The word “kapos” is written in the Torah without a vav, alluding to the fact that it should be bound for only six days, but on the seventh day it should no longer be bound. That is why we remove the bindings.

35:38 Speaker 2 There is another reason: the whole purpose of binding the lulav is to keep it together and prevent its leaves from spreading apart, so it will not sway too much. But on the seventh day, when we need to wave it joyfully—the culmination of “the season of our rejoicing”—we remove the bindings. On the contrary, we want to wave the lulav vigorously and joyfully. When the Beis Hamikdash stood, aravos were placed at the corners of the altar each day, and the altar was circled once; on the seventh day, it was circled seven times. In remembrance of this, we make the circuits on Hoshana Rabbah. The custom of the later prophets was to take an aravah and beat it on the ground. After the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, it was instituted that the aravah be taken on the seventh day, rather than on all seven days of the festival. So today, in remembrance of the prophets’ custom, we take a separate aravah and beat it on the ground only on the seventh day, Hoshana Rabbah. Several reasons have been given for this custom. We know that the aravah has the shape of lips; the aravos resemble a mouth. We beat them on the ground five times to sweeten the five harsh gevuros, and also to symbolize that all those who open their mouths against us and seek to accuse us will fall to the ground and will not prevail against us. As Simchas Torah approaches, today we will discuss the meaning of several customs connected with Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah. The Torah says, “For seven days you shall offer a fire-offering to Hashem; on the eighth day there shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall offer a fire-offering to Hashem; it is an atzeres.” Another verse says, “On the eighth day there shall be an atzeres for you,” and therefore this festival

38:10 Speaker 2 is called Shemini Atzeres. Shemini Atzeres follows directly after the seven days of Sukkos, which is why it is called “the eighth”: it is the eighth day after the days of Sukkos. Nevertheless, regarding its status, our Sages defined it as a festival in its own right in six respects, remembered by the acronym PZR KShB. The first letter, peh, stands for payis, the drawing of lots. In the Beis Hamikdash, lots were drawn on the festivals because there were many tasks, and everyone wanted the privilege of taking part in the service. During Sukkos, no lots were drawn among the priestly watches, but on Shemini Atzeres they resumed drawing lots, as on the other festivals. In this respect, then, Shemini Atzeres differs from the other days of Sukkos. The second letter, zayin, stands for zman—the blessing of time, Shehecheyanu: “Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time.” Unlike Pesach, when the blessing recited at the beginning of the festival covers all its days, so that Shehecheyanu is not recited again even on the seventh day of Pesach, on Shemini Atzeres we do recite Shehecheyanu, because it is a festival in its own right with respect to this blessing. The reish in PZR KShB stands for regel: it is a festival in its own right, so we do not sit in the sukkah. And in the prayers and Birchas Hamazon, we say “this festival of Shemini Atzeres,” not “this festival of Sukkos.” We see, then, that this day is distinct

40:22 Speaker 2 from the other days of the festival. Next is korban, the offering. We know that the offerings of Shemini Atzeres differ from those of Sukkos. Over the days of Sukkos, seventy bulls are offered in decreasing numbers, whereas on Shemini Atzeres one bull, one ram, and seven lambs are offered. Then there is shir, song. On each day of Sukkos, the Levites would sing songs on the platform concerning gifts to the poor, since it was the season when the harvest was gathered. On Shemini Atzeres, however, they would sing “For the conductor, on the eighth.” In this respect, too, Shemini Atzeres differs from the other days of the festival. The final respect in which Shemini Atzeres is distinct is brachah, blessing: the blessing of the king. As it says of King Shlomo, “On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king.” The king was blessed only on Shemini Atzeres. So Shemini Atzeres differs from the other days of the festival, but it follows directly after Sukkos. As we know, someone who has not yet brought the pilgrimage offering during the festival can still bring it on Shemini Atzeres. As for the meaning of the command, “On the eighth day there shall be an atzeres for you,” and of the offering of one bull and one ram, our Sages give several explanations in the Midrash. In one parable, after holding a great feast, a king says to his beloved friend, “Come, let you and I make do with whatever we have.” Throughout Sukkos, seventy bulls were offered corresponding to the seventy nations. But on Shemini Atzeres, one bull and one ram remain: just Hashem and the Jewish people together, an offering corresponding only to the Jewish people. There is another parable

42:38 Speaker 2 about a king whose daughters had married and moved away, some nearby and some far away. One day, the king held a great feast for them all, with great rejoicing. They spent seven days together with the king, and before they parted, the king said, “Your parting is difficult for me. Stay one more day; let us all be together here for another day.” The Rebbe dwells on this parable and asks: What will that help? After that day, they will still have to part. What difference does it make whether they part today or tomorrow? What does the king mean when he says, “Your parting is difficult for me; stay with me one more day”? The Rebbe explains that the difficulty is “your parting”—the parting among you. Hakadosh Boruch Hu never parts from the Jewish people. When Jews become separated from one another, Hakadosh Boruch Hu says, “Your parting is difficult for me. It is difficult for me that you are divided. So I will give you one more day to strengthen the unity among you, and then you will not be divided.” We also know that it says of King Shlomo, “On that day he sent the people away,” and they went to their homes happy and glad of heart. When they know that Hashem’s house is their true home, while the house to which they return is a tent, something temporary, they can begin the year with that feeling. They can set out with the feeling of “And Yaakov went on his way,” knowing that they received their strength from the Beis Hamikdash, from the festivals, and from the special inspiration they received during them—especially from the extraordinary unity they experienced, particularly on Sukkos and Simchas Torah, when there are no distinctions between one person and another and everyone dances together. The avodah of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos culminates in the avodah of rejoicing with our feet on Simchas Torah. Then there are no distinctions of status; all the Jewish people are equal. The joy belongs to everyone, and that is what gives us strength for the coming year.

44:43 Speaker 2 Our Sages say that on Sukkos we are judged concerning water. So, in principle, we should already be asking for rain on Sukkos. Before asking for rain, we mention words of praise about rain. But Sukkos is not a good time for rain to fall. The Jewish people are commanded to sit in the sukkah, and rain falling while they are commanded to sit there is not a good sign; it is not a sign of blessing. Therefore, only at the end of Sukkos, on Shemini Atzeres, is it time to ask for rain. But before we actually ask, we first mention praise of Hakadosh Boruch Hu for bringing rain, and begin saying, “He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.” In fact, we should have started saying this at the very beginning of Shemini Atzeres, on Shemini Atzeres night. But in practice, it was postponed until the morning, when everyone is present for Musaf. Everyone is there and will see that we are beginning to say it, so everyone will know to say, “He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.” The actual request for rain—“Grant dew and rain for blessing upon the face of the earth”—is said only after 7 Cheshvan. When the Jewish people went up for the festivals, some were still on their way home until 7 Cheshvan. By then, the last pilgrim had reached home, and the time had come to ask for rain to begin falling. But the mention of rain, the praise that comes before the request, begins on Shemini Atzeres, because it is connected to the festival, when we are judged concerning water. On Shemini Atzeres, the Rebbe encourages people to go out on a procession to bring Jews the joy of Yom Tov. And we know how much affection the Rebbe

46:51 Speaker 2 shows those who go out on the procession. The Frierdiker Rebbe sent young men to shuls where people needed encouragement in the joy of the festival. The Rebbe says that the main expression of joy is with the feet, and that we should rejoice and bring joy to other Jews, bringing more Jews into the dancing. The joy of Shemini Atzeres is connected with the joy of the Torah. This is not a law in the Shulchan Aruch originating in the Gemara, but a practice rooted in Jewish custom, and custom has very great force. Some things come not from formal law but from Jewish custom, and that carries tremendous significance. We rejoice at the completion of the Torah. There was a custom in Eretz Yisroel to complete the Torah once every three years, but the common custom is to complete it once a year. On Simchas Torah, we finish the Torah and immediately begin it again, to show that we never truly finish the Torah; we are always occupied with it. So our joy is also joy at completing the Torah. It is a great joy shared by the entire Jewish people. We dance with the Torah while it is covered by its mantle. We do not study it open; instead, we dance with it specifically while it is closed, because in the joy of Simchas Torah, all Jews are equal. There are no distinctions between Jews according to how deeply they study. Everyone is equal in this joy. The joy is over the bond itself between a Jew and the Torah, a joy shared by each and every Jew. It is written that the joy of Simchas Torah is greater than the joy of the Simchas Beis Hashoevah, far greater than the joy of an ordinary Yom Tov. The Frierdiker Rebbe says in the name of the Rebbe Rashab that we must treasure these hours of Shemini

49:05 Speaker 2 Atzeres and Simchas Torah, when we can draw strength by the bucketful and the barrelful. We must use every moment for the joy of the Torah through dancing. The hakafos of Simchas Torah take place on the night of Shemini Atzeres and during the day of Simchas Torah. In addition, the custom developed abroad to dance and rejoice on the night of Simchas Torah as well. So, to sum up: outside Eretz Yisroel, we hold hakafos on the night of Shemini Atzeres, on the night of Simchas Torah, and during the day of Simchas Torah. In Eretz Yisroel, where Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah are one day, we hold hakafos on Simchas Torah night and during the day. At night, we do seven hakafos; during the day, we do three and a half hakafos, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu completes the other half. In Eretz Yisroel, there is also a custom, following the Arizal, to hold second hakafos after Simchas Torah ends. At the close of the festival, the Torah scrolls are taken out, just as they are for the hakafos on the first night. The Rebbe strongly encouraged this custom. The Rebbe sends special letters and telegrams to the participants in the second hakafos, encouraging them to rejoice in this joy. Rejoice and be glad in the joy of the Torah—the joy of completing the Torah, the joy of each and every Jew.