Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Sukot on JM in the AM (5787)

Good morning. Shabus everybody. Whoa. So much to talk about, so much excitement. Just be aware that in the Torah, the Torah does not mention the attribute of sim on the holiday of Pesak. Of course, we're happy that we left Egypt. Regarding Shabuos, the Torah mentions it once. Regarding sucrossse, the Torah mentions it three times. There's no question that this is when the Talmud uses the term holiday, we're talking about sukose. This is the holiday. now was celebrating simultaneously the conclusion of the three pilgrim festivals Pesak Sukos and coming together of the conclusion of the high holidays following Roshashana and Yum Kipper and And it's not by chance that they two come together. The Torah tells us we are to reside in Sukos for seven days, including those converts who joined the Jewish people throughout history. And the Torah tells us in order that future generations should know that Hashem is the one who took us out of Egypt. Now very important what we're celebrating is many many different factors that all come together. on the one hand that Hashem took us out of Egypt in springtime and technically speaking one would ask does the tour and many others why are we celebrating Pesah in the fall why not celebrate it and eat matzah in the suka and one of The many answers that are given is that this way present company included that we feel the already in the air sucos. Understandably, the people are now moving back from their summer homes into their regular winter homes. And we specifically go out no now into the suka to demonstrate that we appreciate our protection and we know from where our protection comes. But not only that, we have been on Yam Noyen starting with the second day of Rashashana and we were privileged to blow the chauffeur. And the Rambam tells us that while the Torah does not give the reason for the blowing of the chauffeur, the rabbis do. And the rabbis tell us that it's wake up. Wake up you who are slumbering and don't have the proper perspective on life. So what do we do? We undergo a roshashana and a yum kipper. Yum kipper. We try to demonstrate that we could be as malim. Now, God doesn't want us to be angels 365 days a year. God wants us to be men, women. And there's a very interesting difference between angels and men and women. On the one hand, angels have this complete purity. But on the other hand, there's something about angel that the prophet calls Omdim. They are standing. They stand still. They cannot grow in their spiritual growth. They are the way they were created. Not so a human being. A human being has the capacity to grow. And so when we on one day conducted ourselves with the five restrictions of Yum Kipper, we point out that we recognize yes, we are body and soul. But that one day of Yum Kipper, we can look for higher goals. remind ourselves what is most important and what is less important. Reminding ourselves that this world is forgive me is to be like a suka meaning temporary in nature. We are to always remember that there is a world to come and the world of the nishama. But as long as we are here, we are to implement the teachings of Yam Kipper. And the seven days of sucos gives us that opportunity of implementing these days of quote yuper in the sense of showing our prioritization in the sense that the suka as the kimar tells us in tes in suka kashima That not only is a suka a physical hut, but this physical hut with at least three walls and a um roof which is made out of that which is grows from the ground. And it has been detached from the ground and it does not mabel tuma. And there are many laws regarding the building of the silk. And if you have any doubts still, you should have checked with your rub before. But if not, if you still have any doubts, if your suka is in the backyard and maybe it's under a tree or the shade is coming from a tree, such a suka would not be a kosher suka. So call your rub first thing in the morning and take it from me. They make house calls to let make sure that you have a quote unquote kosher suka. Now the the idea is that there is a element of kaduca of holiness that not only can I not use the walls nor the the covering of the suka which must be more shade than sunlight. light and there are many huos. But the idea is is very clearly that the way one acts in the home is the way you should act in your suka. eating, drinking, meeting with friends and sleeping in this suka as well. For teenage boys and older, by all means, whether permitting, they could should sleep in the suka. Married men can use the permissibility of sleeping in the home if he sleeps with his spouse all the time. During the day however when a person weather permitting wants to take a nap by all means that should be done in the suka. The suka once again which has some kaduca to it. There are these which help us understand. And so even if you have the upper plates and other such uh adorning uh flatear and other utensils, we do not bring the cookware into the suka just as you would not bring it into your living room. And clearly he would not at the end of the meal bring a garbage pale into the suka to collect plates and other things because that would be disrespectful to the suka. The suka. Needless to say, a person should refrain from speaking lashon all year long. And at the Shabas table, especially in the suka, one should try their best not to speak that which would be of a derogatory nature to the sanctity and that's the key word I'm using, sanctity of the suka. So on the one hand suka represents interestingly the concept of gulos meaning that if the medish points out there it was decreed that the Jewish people should have to go into exile then hopefully they're going into the suka leaving their permanent home for 7 days in Israel, 8 days outside of Israel would be a way of fulfilling that decree. And on the other hand, the idea is that Hashem when he took us out and provided for us the analode, the clouds of glory that enveloped the Jewish people. talk about this on the first night of suka whether permitting and talk about it when you are in the suka and that is that Hashem brought us into a desert and there he provided for us nothing less than a fivestar hotel. This five-star hotel not only provided them with mana m from heaven and water from the beair of Miriam. But this five-star hotel provided them with perfect climate control so that they had air conditioning by day. They weren't hot from the heat of the desert and they had uh whatever necessary to keep them comfortable at night. Unbelievable. There are so many miracles you can talk about. As the Torah says in the fifth book, in your 40 years in the desert, lowar you did not lack anything. So this is one aspect of sukos, the mitzvah of suka. And in simple English, the suka becomes the center of our life during the week of sukos. Another reason to go on aliyah is that most often the weather is most cooperative and people actually bring couches and other furniture into the suka because we are trying to make the suka literally as um [clears throat] as tastu to duru besides eating. drinking leisure time studying there and when appropriate to sleep there. Let's remind ourselves that number one mit if a person is suffering either from conditions in the suka if there's a foul odor bees etc or physically suffering that person is exempt from the suka. The whole idea of the suga is that we should be happy here as we were happy in the desert. Now just in case they predict R A I N. So just be aware that the first night of sukos there is a biblical mitzvah to eat in the suka. And if it's raining when you get home and you shouldn't eat before nightfall. If it is raining, we wait a half an hour. Hopefully, it will stop. If not, we put on our raincoat. We make kdish in the suka. We don't say allay basuka if it's raining, but we make kdish in the suka. and we wash for the hamotzi in the house. Take either a uh a plastic bag to put it in or put it in your pocket. Take a piece of kala and put it in your pocket and we will make the braha of hamotzi. We do not make the braha of leuka in the suka on uh in in in the rain. That's very important. When it is raining there is no mitzvah to sit in the suka. In fact it is called a tepees someone who is acting a foolish individual because you wouldn't stay in your home when it rains. We don't stay in the suka when it rains. Okay, I want to just remind us that there is that second mitzvah of theim. The Torah tells us in Vayra 23:40ish, we take on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree which the rabbis tell us is an esrog and compost to modern branches of date palms. Anafates os a branch of thick leafd right and finally arvinoa willows of the brook with the lula facing you. You have your three hadasim on the right and your two aros on the left. A righty takes the lulv and three components in his right hand and the isogue in his left hand. and the minhog is to hold them one next to the other. Some very interesting food for thought. Rabbi Salv said since one of the four possibilities as to what the forbidden fruit for was and they ate there from one of the possibilities is the esrogue. We by putting them one next to the other we are symbolically putting the esroe quote unquote back on the tree. The Mishna in Sukuru teaches that the Lula is taken shaken in various directions. And the explanation for this is shalom. We move it back and forth toward the one to whom the four directions belong upward and downward. Right? toward the one to whom heaven and earth belong. We had it before uncle Moi where is Hashem up up down right left and all around. And that's what we do with the aramim. We show that sovereignty over the entire world and we shake it during the hollow. Some have the custom of pening esrog in the suka. We recite the complete hot all eight days of sucos. I wish I could continue but uh I apologize. There's so much to talk about regarding the halos. I just wish to conclude that we should realize how privileged and how fortunate we are that we had this transition of getting close to Hashem during the month of Elo Rajashana Yumiper and we celebrate that's incredible We celebrate the fact that Hashem takes care of us in this suka as he takes care of us all year long. Please God for next week we'll talk about the end of soomin Torah. I take this opportunity of wishing Nakam and his family and the entire family of Chim in the AM which uplift the Jewish people throughout the year. Wow. Thank you so much. It's hard to put into words how truly thankful we are of all you do for Jewish pride, Jewish identification, Jewish music, Jewish law, and being proud to be Jewish. Wishing everybody a good chabis, a good to all. [snorts]