Shnayim Yomi - Emor - Shishi - #6 - Rabbi Meir Gavriel Elbaz - Why We Do Mitzvot

Shalom u'vracha. A parshat Emor aliya shishit, the sixth aliya, the Torah continues uh finishes up the moadei Yisrael with the final holiday of Hag HaSukkot. The Tur the uh Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel in the beginning of Hilchot Sukkot points out an interesting thought that if Sukkot was supposed to remind us of the huts or ananei hakavod that we dwelled in when we left Mitzrayim, we left Mitzrayim in Chodesh Nisan, so why is it that the Torah commands us to observe Hag HaSukkot in Chodesh Tishrei, which is the fall? And famously he says that were we to dwell in Sukkot during the spring when it's you know nice weather outside and people would be doing that anyway, it wouldn't be recognizable that we're doing it for a mitzvah. We would just possibly be doing it for our own convenience and comfort. That's why Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded us, "No, even though we left Mitzrayim in Chodesh Nisan, Hag HaSukkot is to be celebrated in Chodesh Tishrei, in the fall, to show that the mitzvot that we do are not out of convenience and not because we enjoy them, even though they may be enjoyable." Chazal teach us "Mitzvot lav lehanot nitanu." Mitzvot were not given for enjoyment. You may enjoy doing them, which is a great thing. The Iggeret Ha Ramban discusses in the Hakdamah of Sefer, but that's not what they were given for. The mitzvot were given to fulfill the commands and the edicts, the orders of Hakadosh Baruch Hu because Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the king and we follow orders. That's what we da'at what we show to ourselves and and our children. "Lema'an yeid'u doroteichem ki vasukkot hoshavti et Bnei Yisrael betziati otam me'eretz Mitzrayim." We don't do mitzvot for convenience. We do them as a zechut. It's our honor and privilege to fulfill the mitzvot of Hakadosh Baruch Hu just because he said so.