דבר תורה לחג הסוכות

"On the first day you shall take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree, palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook." Our Sages ask: What does "on the first day" mean? Why is the festival of Sukkot called the first day? Our Sages offer an interesting insight: It is the first day for counting sins. This is the first day for the reckoning of transgressions. On Yom Kippur, the people of Israel are purified. The Holy One, blessed be He, atoned for all our sins, for on this day He shall make atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins. And for four days, the Holy One does not count the sins of Israel, then Sukkot arrives, and the Holy One begins to count the sins, which is why it is called the first day . For many years, Jews studied this teaching of our Sages and thought that on the first day of Sukkot, the Holy One begins counting sins: one sin, a second sin, until the prosecutor of Israel arrives. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev said: Such a thing cannot be ; would the Holy One wait to count the sins of the people of Israel after such immense closeness, after Yom Kippur and purification? The Holy One cleanses us; He clears away the sins of each and every one. So he asked, does the Holy One wait for the first day of Sukkot to start counting our sins? Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev says: Absolutely not! We must grasp a deeper understanding of this statement by our Sages. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev says: We have passed the month of Elul and repented, we passed the Days of Awe of Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, and Yom Kippur, which is also a day of judgment, and we returned with complete, swift repentance, and the Holy One has atoned for our sins.