Tzipiyah.com

Sukkot has always been a favorite holiday of mine. Besides many rational reasons, like school vacation, my birthday, and its culmination in the ever-so eventful, sugar-high-induced Simchat Torah, something about this chag has always appealed to me on a deeper, more personal and emotional level.

(more…)

There is a famous teaching which I have heard many times about the holiday of sukkot. I hear it quoted by many different rabbis without ever really understanding what we are supposed to understand from it. I think I now found the key to understand it properly.

I traced back this teaching to the Vilna Gaon in Kol Hator but it might have even earlier sources.

The teaching goes like this: “There are only two mitsvot in this world in which you fully enter your body in the mitzvah: The mitzvah of Sukkah, and the Mitsvah of Yishuv Erets Israel”. Nu, ok, great! We enter our the mitzvah with our whole body. Whats the chiddush? What does this change in my life? Why do I need to know this interesting fact?

I think, that if we understand this teaching more deeply, we will, together, be able to understand the true nature of the sukkah we are sitting in and also, we will be able to more fully understand and appreciate the nature of erets Israel.

(more…)

As we continue the process started in Ellul, we know that we are engaging in a long process of separating ourselves from this world in order to perfect ourselves, spiritually, as Jews. Some people think this process ends on Yom Kippur when we are “as angels” - no food, no physical needs. However, while this process to Yom Kippur is necessary and essential to our growth as Jews, the process does not end there.

Rav Mordechai Elon Shli”ta once told a story of himself and his Dad when he was younger. I’ll try relating it as I can remember it. On the first Yom Kippur on which he fasted, Rav Elon got very excited towards the end of Neila. He really felt purified; all of his sins were cleansed. However, as soon as the shofar of Yom Kippur was blown, and as soon Yom Kippur ended, he heard the congregating, RIGHT AWAY, start Maariv with the words: “Vehou Racoum Yechaper Avon” - “And he is the merciful who will forgive our sins”. At this point, Rav Elon asked his Dad - Dad, we were just cleansed from our sins, we are pure and clean: Why do we need to ask for forgiveness now? Maybe by the time the Shmona Essrei comes around, we will have problems of Kavanah in our Tefillah or something - but right now? Why do we need this? Yom Kippur just ended!

Rav Elon’s Dad answered - You think Yom Kippur just ended, and ask why we should ask for forgiveness? Well, the reason why we need to ask for forgiveness is for thinking that Yom Kippur is over!

(more…)