Comment The Temporary Dwelling - Chabad.org · ing five children’s books) since graduating from...

For more information or to subscribe to one of our many insipiring

periodicals log on to:

www.Chabad.org

Sukkot & Simchat Torah 5764 (2003)

The Temporary DwellingAre we transient beings for whom movement is lifeand "at rest" an inscription for the gravestone? Arewe rooted souls, for whom the "journeys" of life arejust so many guises of the singular quest for home?

Sukkot and Simchat Torah: an Anthologyof Insights What Sukkot is to Rosh Hashanah, SimchatTorah is to Yom Kippur: a full moon to itsnew moon, a celebration of its solemnity, arevelation of its essence

V'Zot HaBerachah (Deut. 33:1-34:12) —and the Sukkot Torah readingsVisions, blessings and awesome things, daughters ofwinter and dancing scrolls, as the annual Torahreading cycle draws to a close and immediatelybegins anew

new materialadded daily!

PurposeIn each journey of your life you

must be where you are. You mayonly be passing through on yourway to somewhere else seeminglymore important -- nevertheless,there is purpose in where you areright now.

This magazine contains sacred Torahmaterial. Please do not discard.

How [does one fulfill] the mitzvahof dwelling in the sukkah? Oneshould eat, drink, and live in thesukkah, both day and night, as onelives in one’s house on the otherdays of the year: for seven days aperson should make his home histemporary dwelling, and his sukkahhis permanent dwelling.

(Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law),Orach Chaim 639:1)

Galileo’s TrajectorySomehow it's comforting to think of the littleguy zooming around our solar system at8,000 miles an hour in directions opposite ofits intended destination, being zapped byradio signals it was never designed to respondto -- and actually getting things done

Living

Seasons ofthe Soul

a project of www.Chabad.org

Comment

An Etrog from the Garden of EdenThe Angel Michael harnessed the horse to thewagon of mitzvot, and the wagon driver crackedhis whip. Suddenly the wagon gave a lurch for-ward, flattening the piles of sins that had beenobstructing its way...

Story

Parsha

Are you a homeowner? If you are, you probablyyearn for the open road. Imagine, a life withoutmortgage payments, plumbing, lawnmowers, snow-blowers, meter readings or alarm systems! Whocoined the term “homeowner” anyway”?“Homeowned” sounds more like it.

If you’re a tramp, you probably yearn for a home.For a spot of permanence on this spinning globe, fora cube of space that holds the capriciousness of theworld at bay. The joys of the open road? Maybe inan adventure novel read in an easy chair by the fire-side.

So what are we? Nomad or couch potato? Are wetransient beings for whom movement is life and “atrest” an inscription for the gravestone? Or are werooted souls, for whom the “journeys” of life are justso many guises of the singular quest for home?

How [does one fulfill] the mitzvah of dwelling inthe sukkah? One should eat, drink, and live in thesukkah, both day and night, as one lives in one’shouse on the other days of the year: for seven daysa person should make his home his temporarydwelling, and his sukkah his permanent dwelling(Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 639:1).

Perhaps the most interesting model of thedweller/journeyer duality in our nature is thesukkah, the branch-covered hut that serves as thehome of the Jew for the seven days of the Sukkotfestival.

The halachic (Torah law) definition of the sukkahis that it is a dirat ar’ai, a “temporary dwelling”. Ifthe words “temporary” and “dwelling” sound con-tradictory, they are; indeed, they give rise to contra-dictory laws regarding the construction and habita-tion of the sukkah. For example, if the branches ofthe sukkah’s roof-covering are piled on so thick thatthe rain cannot penetrate, the sukkah is disqualified

— it’s a house, not a sukkah. On the other hand, ifit’s raining in the sukkah, you’re not obligated to eatin it — the sukkah is your home, and if it were rain-ing into your home, you’d move to another room.Also: If the walls are taller than 20 cubits (about 30feet) it’s not a sukkah — not a “temporary” structure;but if they’re too flimsy to withstand an averagewind, it’s also disqualified — not a “dwelling”.

In other words, the Torah wants us to take anessentially transient structure and make it our perma-nent home. Or else it wants us to look at our perma-nent home and understand that it is, essentially, atransient structure.

Chassidim have an interesting habit. When askedto explain something, they offer a story. And thenthey tell another story, making the opposite point.

Two stories, then. The first story takes us backsome 50 years. A young yeshivah student was aboutto embark on a trip and wrote to the LubavitcherRebbe for a blessing. In his reply, the Rebbe urgedthe young man to utilize the opportunity to accom-plish something positive in every place he wouldstop during his trip. The Rebbe used the Mishkan, theportable sanctuary that accompanied the people ofIsrael in the travels through the desert, as an exam-ple. At their every encampment, the people wereinstructed to set up the formidable structure — whichconsisted of hundreds of parts and required an armyof more than 8,000 people to assemble — even ifthey were staying just a single night. For a Jew, con-cluded the Rebbe, there’s no such thing as merely“passing through” a place. Every moment in life haspermanence, by virtue of the fact that DivineProvidence has guided us to this particular point intime and space for a specific purpose.

The second story is told of the visitor who, stop-ping by the home of the great Chassidic master RabbiDovBer of Mezheritch (d. 1772), was outraged bythe poverty he encountered there. Rabbi DovBer’shome was bare of all furnishing, save for an assort-ment of rough wooden planks and blocks that servedas benches for his students during the day and asbeds for his family at night. “How can you live likethis?” demanded the visitor. “I myself am far fromwealthy, but at least in my home you will find, thankG-d, the basic necessities: some chairs, a table,

Comment

The TemporaryDwellingby Yanki Tauber

www.Chabad.org

Comment | Living | Seasons of the Soul | Story | Parshah | Week at Glance 5 3 2

beds...”“Indeed?” said Rabbi DovBer. “But I don’t see

any of your furnishings. How do you manage with-out them?”

“What do you mean? Do you think that I schlep allmy possessions along with me wherever I go? WhenI travel, I make do with what’s available. But athome — a person’s home is a different matter alto-gether!”

“Ah, yes,” said Rabbi DovBer. “At home, it is adifferent matter altogether...”

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,www.therebbe.org; adapted by Yanki Tauber,[email protected]

About the artist: Sarah Kranz, [email protected] been illustrating magazines, webzines and books (includ-ing five children’s books) since graduating from the IstitutoEuropeo di Design, Milan, in 1996. Her clients have includ-ed The New York Times and Money Marketing Magazine ofLondon

The content on this page is produced by Chabad.org, and is copy-righted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyedthis article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided thatyou comply with our copyright policy

www.Chabad.org

Comment

The Temporary Dwelling


Three weeks ago they held a funeral for Galileo.Well, not exactly a funeral; it was more of a farewellcelebration, a tribute by the hundreds of people whohad spent years working with him. There was sad-ness there, but also gratefulness, for all that Galileohad accomplished. As Dr. Claudia Alexander, aclose associate, expressed it, Galileo was “worth hisweight in gold.”

Such attention and nostalgia might lead us tothink that Galileo was one of those perfectlybehaved creatures, unerringly following the pre-scribed program. Well actually, no. In fact, Galileowas uncooperative from the very start, and it waskind of downhill from there.

The NASA space probe Galileo was conceived in1977 and scheduled to be launched in 1982 , buttakeoff was repeatedly delayed, first by technicaldifficulties and then by the Challenger disaster.Finally, in 1989, Galileo was attached to the shuttleAtlantis and sent to outer space. The change of plansnecessitated a roundabout route, by which it tookhim six years to reach the planet Jupiter instead ofthe originally planned two and a half. When the con-trol team finally got him, in 1995, where they want-ed him — orbiting Jupiter — they realized that hewouldn’t be able to transmit his findings because hismajor antenna had failed to unfurl. At one point hewas subjected to such intense radiation from a littleJovian moon that his tape recorder got completelystuck. These initial difficulties seemed to indicatethat the billions of dollars poured into Galileo wouldbe for naught and his mission would be a failure.

So why the upbeat mood when Galileo’s friendsgathered in a Pasadena lab on September 21, 2003 tohear his final radio signal as he plunged intoJupiter’s atmosphere? Because, in all the history ofspace exploration, Galileo is counted amongst themost successful satellite missions. His 14-year jour-ney was plagued by one crisis after the next, yetsomehow, a way was found to bypass or overcomethem. In the end, he actually got to his destination,an alternative data transmission system was set up,and his controllers managed to get that tape recorder

unstuck by switching it on and off dozens of times.By the time his mission came to an end, Galileo sentus 14,000 pictures (many of them the breathtakingphotos that have redefined our vision of outer space),uncovered incredible phenomena on Jupiter’s fourmajor moons, witnessed a comet crash, and discov-ered the first known asteroid with its own moon —“priceless information,” in the words of one scientist,“the kind that forwards our knowledge.”

Now, I am no Galileo, but somehow it’s comfort-ing to think of the little guy zooming blindly aroundour solar system at 8,000 miles an hour, mostly indirections that seem to be opposite of his intendeddestination, being zapped by radiation and knowingjust when to protect itself and shut down all his sys-tems — and actually getting some useful thingsdone.

And the scientists are no G-d, but it’s comfortingto think about a bunch of guys giving a not-so-gentlenudge to swing a spacecraft into a higher orbit, repro-gramming systems from millions of miles away inways that they were never designed to be used, andsending little electronic jolts to unstuck a crucial bitof tape. Of them encountering endless complicationswith their creation, yet loving him more because ofit.

And when I think about oblivious Galileo, zippingabout, insentient to his near moon collisions, (like Isaid, I am no Galileo, so I am always bumping intomoons, not just missing), bewildered by the suddenlurches in his trajectory, and discombobulated byshocks that seem to come from nowhere, I feel a kindof empathy. But I also feel a kind of joy, becausedespite all this, or rather, because of it, Galileo per-formed better than our wildest expectations, andalthough Galileo remained forever incognizant of thecareful manipulation of his path, suddenly, I am.

And when I think about the scientists, doingeverything in their power to make the mission suc-cessful, and indeed accomplishing marvelous thingsfor science and knowledge, and then realizing final-ly (like I said, they’re no G-d) that not all obstaclesare surmountable and the mission would come to anend with Galileo’s collision with Jupiter, I feel a kindof sympathy. But I also feel a kind of joy, because thescientists have demonstrated for me the unseen handthat guides my path, and that for all that they’vedone, their powers are limited, because they’re no G-d. But G-d is.

Bella Schapiro, [email protected] is on the editorialstaff of Chabad.org

Living

Galileo’s Trajectoryby Bella Schapiro

www.Chabad.org


Sound the shofar on the new moon, in conceal-ment to the day of our festival (Psalms 81:4). In thiscryptic verse lies the deeper significance of Sukkotand its sister-festival, Shemini Atzeret/SimchatTorah.

In the Jewish calendar, the month follows thephases of the moon. The “new moon” — the point atwhich the moon emerges from its monthly conceal-ment — marks the beginning of a new month. Theapex of the month is the 15th — the night of the fullmoon, when the moon attains the high point of itspotential to reflect the sun’s light and illuminate theearth.

The month of Tishrei is the most spirituality-richmonth in the Jewish year. The festivals and specialdays— Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days ofRepentance, Shabbat Shuvah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot,Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, Shabbat Bereishit— follow in succession, with hardly any “ordinarydays” in between. It’s a time to fuel up on the spiri-tual resources — awe, teshuvah, connection, singu-larity, joy, unity, wisdom, commitment — that willdrive our lives for the rest of the year.

The first of Tishrei is Rosh Hashanah, whichopens the “Days of Awe” that characterize the firstpart of the month, culminating in Yom Kippur onTishrei 10th. Then the mood and texture of Tishreishifts dramatically to the “Season of Our Rejoicing”that begins with the festival of Sukkot on the 15thand continues through Shemini Atzeret and SimchatTorah. The first days are marked by solemnity, thesecond by elation; but the Chassidic masters explainthat these are simply the “hidden” and “revealed”dimensions of the same elements.

The essence of Rosh Hashanah is our crowning of

G-d as our “king”. A coronation, explain theChassidic masters, is effected by two things — unityand joy: a people joyously unite to select, accept andsubmit an exalted figure who embodies their collec-tive identity and innermost strivings (if the corona-tion lacks either joy or unity, chassidic teachingexplains, it results not in a true king, but merely in a“ruler”). But there is also a third element withoutwhich the coronation could not happen — awe. Andthe nature of awe is that it eclipses and mutes the joy.Sukkot, then, is simply the revelation of RoshHashanah. The joy and unity that are the essence ofour commitment to G-d, and which were “con-cealed” by the awe that characterizes the first days ofTishrei, erupt on the 15th of the month in the form ofthe festival of Sukkot.

In the words of the Psalmist, “Sound the shofar onthe new moon, in concealment to the day of our fes-tival.” Our crowning G-d king with the sounding ofthe shofar on the 1st of Tishrei (“the new moon”)remains in concealment until “the day of our festi-val”, the full moon of Sukkot, when it manifestsitself in a seven-day feast of joy.

And what Sukkot is to Rosh Hashanah, SimchatTorah is to Yom Kippur. The essence of Yom Kippuris that it is the day we received the Second Tablets,completing the Giving of the Torah (which began onShavuot) and bringing into our lives the Torah’s ulti-mate essence — teshuvah. There is nothing more lib-erating and exilarating than teshuvah — the power to“return” to the quintessential core of one’s being,transcending time, space, habit and “character”, tran-scending all that circumscribes the soul’s truest selfand truest strivings. But again, the essence of YomKippur is submerged and concealed within thesolemnity that accompanies the business of teshuvahdoing — fasting, regretting and confessing ourwrongdoings, resolving not to repeat them, prayingfor forgiveness. It is only on Simchat Torah that thejoyous essence of teshuvah is manifestly celebrated.

For more on Sukkot and Simchat Torah, and thespecial mitzvot and observances — the sukkah, the“four kinds”, the hakafot, etc. — that are the toolsand implements of their unity and joy, see the fol-lowing essays and stories:

Seasons of the Soul

Sukkot and SimchatTorah: anAnthology ofInsightscompiled by Yanki Tauber

www.Chabad.org


The Big Sukkah www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89050The Easy Mitzvah www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89051The Temporary Dwelling www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89052The Unpopular Tzaddik www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89054It Takes All Kinds www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89055The Four Mysteries of King Solomon www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89056The Willow www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89057Souls in the Rain www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89063Love, Marriage and Hakafot www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89064Dancing with the Torah www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89066A Crown of Slippers www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89067JewishNewYear.com www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=89070

The content on this page is produced by Chabad.org, and is copy-righted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyedthis article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided thatyou comply with our copyright policy

www.Chabad.org

seasons of the soul

Sukkot and Simchat Torah: anAnthology of Insights


It was the first day of Sukkot, and all the congre-gants in the shul (synagogue) of Rabbi Elimelech ofLizensk were in a festive mood. One could feel the“Yom-Tov” spirit in the atmosphere.

As Rabbi Elimelech stood at the lectern and beganreciting Hallel, all eyes turned upon him. There wassomething unusual in his manner this Sukkot. Whydid he stop so suddenly in the middle of his swayingas he held the etrog and lulav in his hands to sniff theair? And why did he not go through the Service in hisusual leisurely manner? It was evident that somethingwas on his mind, something rather exciting by thelook on his radiant countenance.

The minute the davening (praying) was over, RabbiElimelech hurried to where his brother Rabbi Zusha(who had come to spend the festival with him) wasstanding, and said to him eagerly: “Come and helpme find the etrog which is permeating the whole shulwith the fragrance of the Garden of Eden!”

And so together they went from person to personuntil they reached the far corner of the shul where aquiet looking individual was standing, obviouslyengrossed in his own thoughts.

“This is the one,” called out Rabbi Elimelechdelightedly. “Please, dear friend, tell me who are youand where you obtained this wonderful etrog?”

The man, looking somewhat startled and bewil-dered at this unexpected question, replied ratherslowly, carefully choosing his words:

“With all due respect to you, Rabbi, it is quite astory. Do you wish to sit down and listen to it all?”

“Most certainly I do,” answered Rabbi Elimelechemphatically, “I am sure it will be a story worth hear-ing!”

“My name,” began the quiet-looking man, “is Uri,and I come from Strelisk. I have always regarded tak-ing the “four kinds” on Sukkot as one of my favorite

mitzvot, and so, although I am a poor man and couldnormally not afford to buy an etrog according to mydesire, my young wife, who agrees with me as to itsimportance, helps me by hiring herself out as cook.Thus she is independent of any financial help fromme, and I can use my own earnings for spiritual mat-ters. I am employed as melamed (teacher) in the vil-lage of Yanev, which is not far from my native town.One half of my earnings I use for our needs and withthe other half I buy an etrog in Lemberg. But in ordernot to spend any money on the journey I usually go onfoot.

“This year, during the Ten Days of Repentance, Iwas making my way on foot as usual, with fiftygulden in my purse with which to buy an etrog, whenon the road to Lemberg I passed through a forest andstopped at a wayside inn to have a rest. It was time for‘minchah’ so I stood in a corner and davened minchah.

“I was in the middle of my prayers when I heard aterrible sound of moaning and groaning, as of one ingreat anguish. I hurriedly finished my davening so thatI could find out what was the trouble, and if I couldhelp in any way.

“As I turned towards the man who was in obviousdistress, I beheld a most unusual and rough lookingperson, dressed in peasant garb with a whip in hishands, pouring out his troubles to the inn-keeper at thebar.

“From the somewhat confused story, between hissobs, I managed to gather that the man with the whipwas a poor Jew who earned his living as a baal agal-lah (owner of a horse and cart for carting purposes).He had a wife and several children and he barely man-aged to earn enough to make ends meet. And now, aterrible calamity had be fallen him. His horse, withoutwhich he could do nothing, had suddenly collapsed inthe forest not far from the inn, and just lay thereunable to get up.

“I could not bear to see the man’s despair and triedto encourage him, by telling him that he must not for-get that there is a G-d above us who could help him inhis trouble, however serious it seemed to him.

“ ‘I’ll sell you another horse for fifty gulden,although I assure you he is worth at least eighty, butjust to help you out in your difficulty!’ “ The inn-keep-er was saying to the wagon driver.

“ ‘I haven’t even fifty cents, and he tells me I canbuy a horse for fifty gulden!’ the man said bitterly.

“I felt I could not keep the money I had with me foran etrog when here was a man in such desperate plightthat his very life and that of his family depended upon

Seasons of the Soul

Sukkot and SimchatTorah: anAnthology ofInsightscompiled by Yanki Tauber

www.Chabad.org


his getting a horse. So I said to the inn-keeper:“‘Tell me what is the lowest price you would take

for your horse?’“The inn-keeper turned to me in surprise. If you pay

me on the spot, I will take forty-five gulden, butabsolutely not a cent less. I am selling my horse at aloss as it is!’

“I immediately took out my purse and banded himforty-five gulden, the wagon driver looking on, hiseyes nearly bulging out of their sockets in astonish-ment. He was just speechless with relief, and his joywas absolutely indescribable.

“‘Now you see that the Almighty can help you,even when the situation appears to you to be entirelyhopeless!’ I said to him as he hurried off with theinnkeeper to harness the newly-bought horse to hisforsaken cart tied to the stricken horse in the forest.

“As soon as they went off, I hurriedly got my fewthings together and disappeared, as I did not want tobe embarrassed by the thanks of the grateful wagondriver.

“I eventually reached Lemberg with the remainingfive gulden in my pocket, and naturally had to contentmyself with buying a very ordinary looking butkosher etrog. Usually my etrog is the best in Yanev,and everyone used to come and make a blessing overit , but this year I was ashamed to return home withsuch a poor-looking specimen, so my wife agreed thatI could come here to Lizensk, where nobody knewme.”

“But my dear Rabbi Uri,” cried out RabbiElimelech, now that the former had finished his story,“Yours is indeed an exceptional etrog. Now I realizewhy your etrog has the fragrance of the Garden ofEden in its perfume! Let me tell you the sequel to yourstory.”

“When the wagon driver whom you saved thoughtabout his unexpected good fortune, he decided thatyou must have been none other than the ProphetElijah whom the Almighty had sent down to earth inthe form of a man, in order to help him in his desper-ation. Having come to this conclusion the happywagon driver looked for a way of expressing his grat-itude to the Almighty, but the poor man knew not aHebrew word, nor could he say any prayers. He

racked his simple brain for the best way of thanksgiv-ing.

“Suddenly his face lit up. He took his whip andlashed it into the air with all his might, crying out withall his being: ‘Dear Father in Heaven, I love you verymuch! What can I do to convince you of my love foryou? Let me crack my whip for you as a sign that Ilove you!’ Saying which, the wagon driver crackedhis whip into the air three times.

“On the eve of Yom Kippur, the Almighty up abovewas seated on His ‘Seat of judgment,’ listening to thefirst prayers of the Day of Atonement.

“Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, who was act-ing as the Counsel for Defense on behalf of his fellowJews, was pushing a wagon full of Jewish mitzvot tothe Gates of Heaven, when Satan appeared andobstructed his path with piles of Jewish sins, so thatRabbi Levi Yitzchak just got stuck there. My brotherRabbi Zusha and I added our strength to help himmove his wagon forward, but all in vain; even ourcombined efforts proved fruitless.

“Suddenly there came the sound of the cracking ofa whip which rent the air, causing a blinding ray oflight to appear, lighting up the whole universe, rightup to the very heavens! There we saw the angels andall the righteous seated in a circle, singing G-d’spraise. On hearing the wagon driver’s words as hecracked his whip in ecstasy, they responded: ‘Happyis the King who is thus praised!’

“All at once, the Angel Michael appeared, leadinga horse, followed by the wagon driver with whip inhand.

“The Angel Michael harnessed this horse to thewagon of mitzvot, and the wagon driver cracked hiswhip. Suddenly the wagon gave a lurch forward, flat-tening the piles of sins that had been obstructing theway, and drove it smoothly and easily right up to theThrone of Honor. There the King of Kings received itmost graciously and, rising from the Seat of judg-ment, went over and seated Himself on the Seat ofMercy. A happy New Year was assured.”

“And now dear Rabbi Uri” concluded RabbiElimelech, “you see that all this came about throughyour noble action. Go home, and be a leader in Israel!For you have proved your worthiness, and you shallcarry with you the approval of the Heavenly Court.But before you go, permit me to hold this wonderfuletrog of yours, and praise G-d with it.”

Excerpted from The Complete Story Of Tishrei, publishedand copyright by, Kehot Publication Society, www.kehoton-line.com Brooklyn NY 11213

www.Chabad.org

story

An Etrog from the Garden ofEden


PARSHAH in a nutshell

V'Zot HaBerachah(Deut. 33:1-34:12)and the Sukkot Torah readings

The Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret Torah readings arefrom Leviticus 22-23, Numbers 29, and Deuteronomy14-16. These readings detail the laws of the moadim or“appointed times” on the Jewish calendar for festivecelebration of our bond with G-d; including themitzvot of dwelling in the sukkah (branch-coveredhut) and taking the “Four Kinds” on the festival ofSukkot; the offerings brought in the Holy Temple inJerusalem on Sukkot, and the obligation to journey tothe Holy Temple to “to see and be seen before the faceof G-d” on the three annual — Passover, Shavuot andSukkot.

On Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing of the Torah”) we con-clude, and begin anew, the annual Torah-reading cycle.First we read the Torah section of Vezot Haberachah,which recounts the blessings that Moses gave to eachof the twelve tribes of Israel before his death. EchoingJacob’s blessings to his twelve sons five generationsearlier, Moses assigns and empowers each tribe withits individual role within the community of Israel.

Vezot Haberachah then relates how Moses ascendedMount Nebo from whose summit he saw thePromised Land. “And Moses the servant of G-d diedthere in the Land of Moab by the mouth of G-d... andno man knows his burial place to this day.” The Torahconcludes by attesting that “There arose not a prophetsince in Israel like Moses, whom G-d knew face toface... and in all the mighty hand and the great awe-some things which Moses did before the eyes of allIsrael.”

Immediately after concluding the Torah, we begin itanew by reading the first chapter of Genesis (thebeginning of next Shabbat’s Torah reading) describ-ing G-d’s creation of the world in six days and Hisceasing work on the seventh—which He sanctified andblessed as a day of rest.

www.Chabad.org

The content on this page is produced by Chabad.org,and is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/orChabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage youto distribute it further, provided that you comply with ourcopyright policy


s u n d a y Tishrei 9 | October 5EREV YOM KIPPUR

m o n d a y Tishrei 10 | October 6YOM KIPPUR

T u e s d a y Tishrei 11 | October 7Laws & Customs: Start on sukkahIt is customary to begin working on -- or at least plan-ning -- the construction of the sukkah immediately afterYom Kippur (i.e., Monday night, the eve of Tishrei 11).Indeed, The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 30:7) describesthe four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot as a timewhen the Jewish people are "preoccupied with mitzvot...this one is occupied with his sukkah, this one is occu-pied with his lulav..."

"G-d's Name"According to an old Chassidic tradition -- mentioned inthe writings of the Baal Shem Tov --the day after YomKippur is referred to as "G-d's Name." (The Baal ShemTov explains that each of the various divine namesdescribes G-d's involvement in a specific "world" orrealm of reality, but the designation "G-d's Name" --without reference to any particular name -- connotes adivine effluence that transcends all realms and particu-lars. On Yom Kippur, we access and reveal the veryessence of our soul, which is one with the very essenceof G-d; thus the day after Yom Kippur carries the desig-nation "G-d's Name.")

W e d n e s d a y Tishrei 12 | October 8On This Date: R. Abraham "The Angel" (1776)

The 12th of Tishrei is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of thepassing) of Rabbi Abraham (1740-1776) the son ofRabbi DovBer of Mezeritch and study partner of RabbiSchneur Zalman of Liadi; known as "Rabbi Abraham theAngel" for his saintliness and ascetism.

T h u r s d a y Tishrei 13 | October 9On This Date: Passing of R. Akiva Eiger (1837)

Passing of Rabbi Akiva Eiger (1761-1837), outstandingTalmudist and Halachic authority.Link: Tainted Soup

http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=83796

Maharash (1882) Tishrei 13 is the yahrtzeit of the fourth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn, known as"Maharash" (a Hebrew acronym for "our master RabbiShmuel").Rabbi Shmuel was born in the town of Lubavitch on the 2ndof Iyar of the year 5594 from creation (1834). His father wasthe third Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel ofLubavitch (1789-1866). Though the youngest of RabbiMenachem Mendel's seven sons, Rabbi Shmuel was cho-sen to succeed his father as the leader of ChabadChassidism in the movement's capitol, Lubavitch, at the lat-ter's passing in 1866 (four of his brothers establishedbranches of Chabad in other towns in White Russia andUkraine). In addition to authoring and delivering more than1,000 maamarim (discourses) of Chassidic teaching, RabbiShmuel was extensively involved in Jewish communalaffairs, and traveled throughout Europe in order to generatepressure on the Czarist regime to halt its instigation ofpogroms against the Jews of Russia. Rabbi Shmuel passedaway at the age of 48 on Tishrei 13, 5643 (1882).Links: A Water Carrier Named Shmuel;

http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=77053Your Fellow's Placehttp://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=45905

f r i d a y Tishrei 14 | October 10Laws & Customs: Prepare "Four Kinds" in sukkahIt is customary to prepare the "four kinds" for use on Sukkot,binding the three hadassim (myrtle twigs) and two aravot(willow twigs) to the lulav (palm frond), in the sukkah on theafternoon preceding the festival. (This year, because the 1stday of Sukkot is Shabbat, the Four Kinds will be taken forthe first time on Sunday morning.)Link: It Takes All Kinds

http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89055LIGHT SHABBAT & FESTIVAL CANDLES BEFORE SUNSET

www.chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp

s h a b b a t Tishrei 15 | October 111ST DAY SUKKOT

Laws & Customs: Eat in SukkahThe festival of Sukkot, commemorating G-d's envelopingprotection of the Children of Israel during their 40-year jour-ney through the desert (1313-1273 BCE), is celebrated forseven days, beginning from nightfall of Tishrei 15 (Fridaynight). During this time, we are commanded to "dwell" in asukkah -- a hut of temporary construction, with a roof cov-ering of raw, unfinished vegetable matter (branches, reeds,bamboo, etc.) -- signifying the temporality and fragily ofhuman habitation and man-made shelter and our utterdependence upon G-d's protection and providence. "How

week at a glance

www.Chabad.org


[does one fulfill] the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah?One should eat, drink, and live in the sukkah, both dayand night, as one lives in one's house on the other daysof the year: for seven days a person should make hishome his temporary dwelling, and his sukkah his per-manent dwelling" (Code of Jewish Law, Orach Chaim639:1).At least one k'zayit (approx. 1 oz.) of bread should beeaten in the sukkah on the first evening of the festival,between nightfall and midnight Friday night. A specialblessing, Leishiv BaSukkah, is recited. For the rest ofthe festival, all meals must be eaten in the sukkah (seethe Code of Jewish Law or consult a Halachic authorityas to what constitutes a "meal"). Chabad custom is torefrain from eating or drinking anything outside of thesukkah, even a glass of water.Links: The Big Sukkah; http://www.chabad.org/arti-

cle.asp?aid=89050 Houses; http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89052 The Easy Mitzvahhttp://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89051

the ushpizinAccording to Kabbalistic tradition, we are visited in thesukkah by seven supernal ushpizin ("guests") --Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Jacob andDavid. On each of the seven days of the festival, anoth-er of the seven ushpizin leads and dominates the group.(The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef YitzchakSchneersohn (1880-1950) spoke of seven "chassidicushpizin" as well: the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid (RabbiDovBer of Mezeritch), and the first five rebbes ofChabad: Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Rabbi DovBerof Lubavitch, the Tzemach Tzeddek (Rabbi MenachemMendel), Rabbi Shmuel, and Rabbi Sholom DovBer.The Lubavitcher Rebbe would speak each night ofSukkot on the special characteristics of the ushpizin ofthe day and their connection to each other and theirspecific day of the festival.) Link: The Unpopular Tzaddik


"Four Kinds" postponedBecause of Shabbat, the "four kinds" are first taken onSunday, the 2nd day of Sukkot.

festival candlesBecause of the sacredness of Shabbat, candle lighting

(from a pre-existing flame) for the second eve of Sukkotmust be done after nightfall. (For candle lighting times, seethe holiday schedule calendar at jewishnewyear.com)

Links: About Sukkothttp://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=88958

s u n d a y Tishrei 16 | October 12Laws & Customs: The "Four Kinds""And you shall take for yourself on the first day," commandsthe Torah in Leviticus "the splendid fruit of a tree, fronds ofdates, the branch of the thick-leafed tree and aravot of theriver." Torah SheBaal Peh (the oral tradition given to Mosesat Sinai and handed threough the generations, and laterdocumented in the Mishnah and Talmud) interprets the fourkinds as the etrog (citron), lulav (unopened palm branch),hadass (myrtle twig, of which three are taken) and aravah(willow, two twigs). The palm branch, three myrtle twigs andtwo willow twigs are bound together (with rings made frompalm leaves); each day of Sukkot (except Shabbat), wetake the lulav in hand, recite a blessing over it, take hold ofthe trog, hold the "Four Kinds" together, and move themback and forth in all directions (right, left, forward, up, downand back). An additional blessing, shehecheyanu, is recitedthe first time that the Four Kinds are taken during the festi-val. We also hold the Four Kinds during the Hallel prayer(moving them as above in specified places in the text) andthe Hoshaanot prayers (duriung which we march aroundthe reading table in the synagogue) which are included inthe daily service each day of Sukkot.Link: The Four Mysteries of King Solomon

http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89056m o n d a y Tishrei 17 | October 133RD DAY SUKKOT - CHOL HAMOED

Laws & Customs: Chol HamoedThe seven days of the festival of Sukkot consist of two daysof "Yom Tov", followed by five days of "Chol Hamoed"("weekdays of the festival"; also called "the intermediatedays"). On Yom Tov all creative work is forbidden as onShabbat, except for the tasks involved in food preparation(e.g., lighting a fire from a pre-existing flame, cooking, car-rying "from domain to domain"); on Chol Hamoed, workwhose avoidance would result in "significant loss" is permit-ted. Otherwise, all the mitzvot and customs of Sukkot apply:eating in the sukkah, taking the "four kinds", etc. The "YaaleV'yavo" prayer is included in all prayers and Grace AfterMeals. Hallel (partial), Hoshaanot and Musaf are recited fol-lowing the Shacharit (morning) prayers. It is the Chabadcustom not to put on tefillin during Chol Hamoed. In theLand of Israel, there is only one day of Yom Tov, followed bysix days of Chol Hamoed.

week at a glance

www.Chabad.org


"Water Drawing" celebrationsWhen the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, one of thespecial Sukkot observances was to pour water on theAltar. The drawing of water for this purpose was pre-ceded by all-night celebrations in the Temple courtyard;on the 15 steps leading to the azarah (inner courtyard)stood Levites with playing a variety of musical instru-ments, sages danced juggled burning tourches =andhuge oil-burning lamps that illuminated the entire city.The singing and dancing went on until daybreak, whena procession would make its way to the Shiloach Springwhich flowed in a valley below the Temple to "drawwater with joy." "One who did not see the joy of thewater-drawing celebrations," declared the sages of theTalmud, "has not seen joy in his life." While water waspoured each day of the fetival, the special celebrationswere held only on Chol Hamoed (see above), sincemany of the elements of the celebration (e.g., the play-ing of musical instruments) are fornidden on Yom Tov.Today, we commemorate these joyous celebrations byholding Simchal Beit HaShoeivah ("joy of the waterdrawing") events in the streets, with music and dancing.The Lubavitcher Rebbe initiated the custom of holdingsuch celebrations on Shabbat and Yom Tov as well --without musical instruments of course. The fact that wecannot celebrate as we did in the Temple, said theRebbe, means that we are free to celebrate the joy ofSukkot with singing and dancing every day of the festi-val.Link: The Taste of Water http://www.chabad.org/arti-

cle.asp?aid=5042

T u e s d a y Tishrei 18 | October 144TH DAY SUKKOT - CHOL HAMOED

w e d n e s d a y Tishrei 19 | October 155TH DAY SUKKOT - CHOL HAMOED

t h u r s d a y Tishrei 20 | October 166TH DAY SUKKOT - CHOL HAMOED

f r i d a y Tishrei 21 | October 17HOSHANA RABBAH

Laws & Customs: Hoshana RabbaThe 7th day of Sukkot is called "Hoshana Rabba" and isconsidered the final day of the divine "judgment" inwhich the fate of the new year is determined. The Psalm

L'David Hashem Ori, which has been added to our dailyprayer since the 1st of Elul, is recited for the last time today.Other Hoshanah Rabba observances include:

night learningIt is customary to remain awake on the night of HoshanahRabba (this year, the night between Thursday and Friday)and study Torah. We recite the entire Book of Deuteronomyand the Book of Psalms. In some congregations it is a cus-tom for the Gabbai (synagogue manager) to distributeapples (signifying a "sweet year") to the congregants.

willow and hoshanotIn addition to the Four Kinds taken every day of Sukkot (seeabove), it a "Rabbinical Mitzvah", dating back to the timesof the Prophets, to take an additional aravah, or willow, onthe 7th day of Sukkot. In the Holy Temple, large, 18-foot wil-low branches were set around the altar. Today, we take abundle of five willow twigs and carry them together with theFour Kinds around the reading table in the synagogue dur-ing the "Hashaanot" prayers, of which we recite a morelengthy version today, making seven circuits around thetable (instead of the daily one). At the conclusion of theHoshaanot we strike the ground five times with the willowbundle, symbolizing the "tempering of the five measures ofharshness."Link: The Willow (on the deeper significance of the mitz-

vah of aravah).http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89121

meal A festive meal is eaten in the Sukkah. We dip the bread inhoney (as we did in each festive meal since RoshHashanah) for the last time. Today is also the last occasionon which we recite the special blessing for eating in thesukkah, since the biblical commandment to dwell in thesukkah is only for seven days (though it is the practice ofmany communities -- and such is the Chabad custom -- toeat in the sukkah also on the 8th day, Shemini Atzret).LIGHT SHABBAT & FESTIVAL CANDLES BEFORE SUNSET

www.chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp

s h a b b a t Tishrei 22 | October 18SHEMINI ATZERET

Laws & Customs: HakafotIt is the practice of many communities -- and such is theChabad custom -- to conduct "hakafot" and dance with theTorah scrolls also on the eve of Shemini Atzeret (Fridaynight). (See entry for tomorrow, "Simchat Torah".)

rain

week at a glance

www.Chabad.org


In today's musaf prayer we begin to insert the phrasemashiv haruach umorid hageshem ("who makes thewind blow and brings down the rain") in our dailyprayers (as we'll continue to do through the winter, untilthe 1st day of Passover). Special hymns on rain andwater are added to musaf in honor of the occasion.Link: Souls in the Rain


yizkor Yizkor, the remembrance prayer for departed parents, isrecited today after the morning readfing of the Torah.

festival candlesBecause of the sacredness of Shabbat, candle lighting(from a pre-existing flame) for Simchat Torah must bedone after nightfall. (For candle lighting times and guide,go to the holiday schedule calendar at jewish-newyear.com)

s u n d a y Tishrei 23 | October 19SIMCHAT TORAH

Torah reading: Vzot Haberachah (Deut. 33-34)Laws & Customs: Hakafot; completing, beginning,and rejoicing with the TorahToday is Simchat Torah ("Rejoicing of the Torah"), onwhich we conclude, and begin anew, the annual Torahreading cycle. The event is marked with great rejoicing,and the "hakafot" procession, held both on the eve andmorning of Simchat Torah, in which we march anddance with Torah scrolls around the reading table in thesynagogue. In the words of the Chassidic saying, "OnSimchat Torah, we rejoice in the Torah, and the Torahrejoices in us; the Torah, too, wants to dance, so webecome the Torah's dancing feet."During today's Torah reading, everyone, including chil-dren under the age of Bar Mitzvah, is called up to theTorah; thus the reading is read numerous times, andeach aliyah is given collectively to many individuals, sothat everyone should recite the blessing over the Torahon this day.Links: Torah in the Winter;


Dancing with the Torah;http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89214

Love, Marriage and Hakafot;


A Crown of Slippershttp://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=89125

The content on these pages is produced by Chabad.org, and iscopyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If youenjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, pro-vided that you comply with our copyright policy

week at a glance

www.Chabad.org


Comment The Temporary Dwelling - Chabad.org · ing five children’s books) since graduating from...

Documents

Transcript of Comment The Temporary Dwelling - Chabad.org · ing five children’s books) since graduating from...