Succos All Year! – Parshas Chayei Sarah 5771
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
The Vilna Goan (1720- 1797) was asked where Succos is hinted to in this week’s Parsha. He replied by quoting the verse, “וה’ ברך את אברהם בכל, Hashem blessed Avraham with everything.” The three letters ofבכל hint to the first letters of three descriptions given in the Torah to Succos (ב’סוכות תשבו שבעת ימים, כ’ל האזרח בישראל ישבו בסוכות, ל’מען ידעו דורותיכם.) This is a famous “vort,” but what does it mean and why does it connect to Avraham?
The greatness of Succos is expressed in the Gemara Succah (21b) itself! “Even the trivial chat of Torah scholars deserves great study.” What is this all about? The Torah is filled with all of the knowledge of the entire universe. There is nothing that is not hinted to in the Torah. The Rabbis who have dedicated their lives to Torah study are heavily saturated with its wisdom and beauty. Hence, it permeates their being. People said about Rabbi Chatzkal Levenstein zt”l that if one were to look into his veins, one would see the flow of Emunah, this was his essence and life. The light comments and chatter of Torah scholars are based on their great wealth of Torah knowledge.
Torah is not meant to simply be studied, it was given to us to be carried out and applied to life. Thus, when a Torah scholar spoke, his words were seen as a reflection of his great Torah background and were deserving of fine attention.
The theme of Succos is to keep one’s inspiration alive. After going through the awe-inspiring days of Elul, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Hashem wanted us to have a Yom Tov that would bring everything together. Succos takes our everyday eating and sleeping and shows how we can sanctify them! Succos brings meaning and application to our Torah knowledge. Just as a Succah protects from the elements, so too, it is intended to protect our spirituality from being lost. We apply the lesson of taking actions to ensure our continued inspiration at all times during life.
Avraham Aveinu started a religious revolution. He invited guests to his home and engaged them in talk about chessed and Hashem. They left uplifted and inspired. Avraham and Sarah’s message was one: make it last; keep it going. Indeed, the Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 48:10) states that precisely because Avraham sat his guests in the shade, we merited the Mitzvah of sitting in the shade of the Succah! The theme is that of continuing the inspiration. The Vilna Goan wished to tie Succos to the entire year and to Avraham. It is most apropos that the Vilna Goan, who dedicated his life to finding meaning and spirituality in every action, passed away on a day no other than Succos (19 Tishrei – October 9, 1797). The lesson is that we can make all aspects of our lives holy and meaningful.
Categories: Parshas Chayei Sarah Holiness, Succos, Vilna Goan
