An interesting feature of the festival of Succot is that we have two main mitzvot to perform, sitting in the Succah and taking the four species. One interesting difference between these two mitzvot concerns the issue of ownership. The Torah commands with regards to the four species that ‘you shall take for you on the first day..’, from which we learn that the Lulav and other species have to be ours and not borrowed. The sages however learnt from the command that ‘every citizen of Israel shall live in a Succah’ that ‘all Israel are worthy of sitting in one Succah’ and we can and do fulfil the mitzvah in a borrowed Succah or while visiting friends. How should we understand this difference and what does it have to teach us? The difference of course lies in the separate nature of these mitzvot. The four species, according to tradition, symbolise varying types of Jews and their performance of the mitzvot. We bind them together in order to symbolise that they are all part of one Jewish people and all are needed. The Succah symbolises the shared fate of the Jewish people, the wandering in the wilderness under Divine protection. The law pertaining to their ownership signify the varying degrees of unity needed in both cases. There are times when diversity and individuality is a blessing, provided it is treated with respect and ultimately aimed at a common purpose. That is the case with the Lulav, symbolising the performance of the mitzvot. In the realm of the Torah, individual opinions, different customs and even divergent practice is encouraged, provided it has at its heart the fulfilment of the Torah. Thus, the four species, should belong to each individual, every member of the Jewish people have their own unique contribution to make to Torah and no one’s voice should be subsumed in the community. On the other hand, there are issues of national importance, concerning the fate of the Jewish people, when individuality sometimes has to be subsumed for the common good. Thus the Succah, symbolising the Jews as an historic entity, emphasises the collective and can be borrowed. Unfortunately, in today’s Jewish world the roles have been reversed. The world of Torah, which should encourage diversity and individual opinion is increasingly closed and conformist, while on the existential issues facing our people every one feels free to express their individuality, often in dangerous and detrimental ways. We need to return to the model provided by Succot. We need to reenergise debate and divergence within the realm of Torah while sticking together where it really counts.
TORAH PREVIEW
FIRST DAY: 104-108 HAFTORAH: 109-112
The Torah Reading is from Leviticus and deals with the Festival cycle. The Haftorah is from Zechariah and describes the apocalyptic war at the end of days.
SECOND DAY: 104-108 HAFTORAH: 109-111
The Torah Reading is from Leviticus and deals with the Festival cycle. The Haftorah is from Kings and describes Solomon‘s dedication of the Temple.
SHABBAT: 112-116 HAFTORAH: 117-118
The Torah Reading is from Exodus and deals with the giving of the Second Tablets and Festival cycle The Haftorah is from Ezekiel and describes the War of Gog and Magog.
SUCCAH SITTING
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One should eat, drink and sleep in the Succah.
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Only cake, bread and wine, must be eaten in the Succah.
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If it rains one is not obligated to stay in the Succah, except for the first night.
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If it stops raining you are not obligated to return to the Succah.
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If it is too cold one does not have to sleep in the Succah.
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It is a mitzvah to eat at least 14 meals in the Succah.
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In the Diaspora, it is customary to eat in the Succah on Shemini Atzeret.
SUCCOT SIZZLERS
- How many walls does a Succah have to have to be kosher?
- What tree does a lulav come from?
- How many times to we wave the lulav each day?
- Why don’t we take the lulav on Shabbat?
- Who is the Preacher in Ecclesiastes.?
- The myrtle is used, especially by Sefardim, in what two other rituals?
- What is the last day of Succot called and why?
