As we continue through our High Holy Day Season of 5767, we arrive at the last of our three Pilgrimage Festivals, the Holiday of Sukkot (The first of our three Biblical Pilgrimage and Harvest Festivals is Pesach, then Shavuot and finally, Sukkot). There are several commandments that are associated with each of the Shalosh Regalim (The three festivals). Each is literally called a Regel, meaning foot, because the command was to go by foot up to God to the Temple Mount and to give an offering in celebration of each of the three festivals).
During Sukkot we are commanded to build, eat and live in a Sukkah. We are commanded to buy beforehand and recite the blessings over the Lulav and Etrog during each day of Sukkot (except for Shabbat). And we are commanded by our Rabbinic tradition to begin to pray for rain on the eighth day of Sukkot as it is the time of year when we desire rain to begin falling in the land of Israel leading to a successful harvest in the spring time.
But along with the concept of Metzuveh (which means that we are commanded by God to fulfill our commandments in the Torah) during the Holiday of Sukkot, there is an additional reason that we are to share in such wonderful and joyous commandments and celebrations during these agricultural festivals. According to the Talmud and Midrashim, which both serve as our Oral, Rabbinic Law and Parables that help us understand how we are to dictate God’s will in the world, there is a beautiful understanding as to why else we fulfill the Mitzvot that God has commanded us to do.
According to the Mekhilta De-Rabbi Ishmael, which is a Rabbinic compilation of Talmudic Texts, shares the following text. The Midrash quotes the Book of Exodus (Chapter 15 verse 2) where we read Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea. The text says: “This is my God and I will glorify God.” Rabbi Yishmael questions the text and says: “And is it possible for a Basar VaDam (a person of flesh and blood) to add glory to their creator?” According to Rabbi Yishmael it simply means: “I shall be beautiful before God in observing the commandments. I shall prepare before God a beautiful Lulav, a beautiful Sukkah, beautiful fringes (known as the Tzitzit on the Tallit) and beautiful phylacteries (which are known as the Tefillin of the Hand and of the arm).”
As we prepare for our Agricultural Festival of Sukkot, we build a Sukkah and shake our Lulavim and Etrogim together not only because we are Metzuveh, commanded to do so, but in order to glorify God’s name as well which deepens our holy and loving relationship with God, and ultimately with the rest of the world.
Chag Sameyakh, Moadim L’Simcha!
Michelle, Brianah, Julia and I wish everyone an uplifting and happy Sukkot celebration.
Kol Tuv,
Rabbi Micah Caplan
