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Two Days of Sukkot 5763 I wish I had a concrete idea about how best to achieve world peace. I do think that pursuing Al Qaeda assiduously, and praying sincerely to the Ribbono Shel Olam (Master of the World), must both be included among the tactics in the overall campaign--the first on the national level, and the second at our individual (spiritual) battle posts. But more than that I’m not sure I can offer. (Mind you, I had considered adding, "Ignore everything the U.N. says," but have decided against it in the interests of political correctness.) However, when it comes to offering guidance on how each of us can achieve peace of mind within the small (really, large) confines of his or her own "world," I can certainly be more expansive. Not because I myself have much personal wisdom on peace of mind (recent decibel levels of my voice, recorded in my home, suggest that I am rather short of the level of complete "equanimity"). Rather, I will transmit to you some beautiful ideas on the subject from one of our great ethical masters, and we will see in the process that the holiday of Sukkos--beginning tonight--can play a specific role in helping us to understand, and to attain, that coveted emotional/spiritual state. Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, zt’l, points out that the sukkah (according to the Talmud) is supposed to be a diras arai, a temporary dwelling. This is reflected in the nature of the material (s’chach) used to make the sukkah’s roof--its main distinguishing feature--, as well as in certain legal specifications regarding the walls (e.g., they can’t be over 20 amos, or roughly 35 feet, high). Furthermore, Rav Dessler cites the rabbinical teaching that the sukkah is meant to call to mind the miraculous Clouds of Glory (ananei kavod) with which Hashem surrounded (and protected) the Jewish people in the desert, and which (we are told) were bestowed in the merit of Aharon, Moshe’s brother. And Aharon’s main emphasis in avodas Hashem (service of G-d), remember, was the active pursuit of peace among feuding and fighting individuals. As the Mishna in Avos states, "Hillel says: ‘Be among the disciples of Aharon [i.e, specifically of Aharon!], loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people, and bringing them closer to the Torah.’" Ever the revealer of deep conceptual (and mystical) connections between aspects of a subject in Jewish thought, Rav Dessler wonders the following. What, if anything, is the connection between the essential nature of the sukkah as a temporary dwelling, and the idea of shalom (peace), that quintessential trait of the individual (Aharon) in whose merit the Clouds of Glory (which our present-day sukkah represents) were given in the first place? Rav Dessler gives a beautiful, and foundational, answer. (It also happens to reflect the profoundest common sense!) Regret, envy, jealousy, hatred, discord--these ills that plague our social relations, and that destroy our peace of mind, all stem from a materialistic worldview. That is to say, because the material world is one of limits and boundaries, one person’s gain almost inevitably entails another person’s loss. If I land that plum position at the firm, you are bitter because you coveted it as well; if my rival bids higher for that vacant plot of land (to build his dream house), then he wins out and I am bitter because I have to look elsewhere. When it comes to the goods and resources of this world, in short, and when our highest ambitions are focused only on the terms and conditions of this world, we are bound (eventually) to be disappointed. The material world--and worldview--constitute a zero-sum game. This is not true of spirituality, however. As Rav Dessler explains, the world of spiritual accomplishment is boundless; there is absolutely and unconditionally enough to go around for everyone…forever and ever. What’s more, there is an idea that the spiritual accomplishment of another person (as, for example, in learning Torah) actually can help me to achieve in the same area. Each person’s spiritual growth adds more holiness, more spiritual light, to the world that is then available for the rest of us to utilize. In the realm of spiritual ambition and attainment, it’s a win-win situation. Not to mention that Hashem judges each person individually--i.e., only on how much he has developed his own potential, and sanctified his own physical nature during this lifetime. The achievements (or failures) of another person in that regard are, ultimately, irrelevant when it comes to one's own "standing" in Hashem’s eyes. We should certainly be inspired by the example of others, and try to live lives of helping (and being helped by) our fellow man. But comparisons between ourselves and anybody else are dangerous, and completely ill-advised…unless, of course, someone (G-d forbid) wants to make himself needlessly depressed! Rav Dessler concludes that the more a person sees his physical/material state in this world as a diras arai, a temporary dwelling, and learns to focus his chief energy and effort on spiritual growth (the fruits of which are not temporary, but eternal), the more he will be freed of emotions that interfere with his peace of mind. The more we focus on the study and practice of Torah, the more we concern ourselves exclusively with the polishing of our own character (through the energetic performance of mitzvos), the greater peace of mind we will attain. Another way of putting it: the more we see that everything is, ultimately, in the hands of Hashem (except for our choice of good or evil), and that He is guiding us and watching over us in accord with our spiritual needs, the more secure (and less anxious) we will feel. This is the true meaning (and blessing) of bitachon, trust in Hashem. And this, above all, is what the holiday of Sukkos can teach us. When we sit in the holiness of the sukkah, we must remember that Hashem has protected us throughout our history as a people…and that He protects us to this day. When we look up at the flimsy roof of s’chach, we should reflect that true security (and the peace of mind it engenders) is not to be found in this temporary physical world and its armaments or its attractions. It is only to be found with Hashem, and in a life of constant spiritual striving. When we look at the four species, we should reflect that they are held together (our Sages tell us) in order to impress upon our minds the concept of the indissoluble unity of the Jewish people. We need each other to fulfill our (spiritual) mission in the world; only as a unit, as K’lal Yisrael, did we receive the Torah…and do we continually to receive G-d’s blessing. (This communal perspective will also help to free us from competitiveness and egotism.) The S’fas Emes tells us that the holiday of Sukkos has a tremendous power to increase our da’as, the true insight and perspective on life that can guide us throughout the year. We have seen precisely how that is so. The perspective we can gain on Sukkos is to see in the pleasures of this world a tremendous source of inspiration, happiness and knowledge of G-d…but not to be seduced by them to leading a materialistic life and to forgetting our spiritual mission. Enjoy your food and wine (or bourbon) on this beautiful festival…ah, but do it under the shade of the s’chach that is meant to remind us of what’s truly permanent. Traditionally, on the Shabbos of Sukkos we read King Solomon’s profound meditation on life, Ecclesiastes. Right before its close, after surveying literally everything under the sun, he steps back and sums up all of life: "The end of the matter, when all has been considered: Have awe of G-d, and keep His commandments, for that is the sum total of a person." This is not dreary fatalism, G-d forbid. It is the clearest (and most bracing) perspective, a worldview clear of all that smoke that gets in our eyes and clouds our spiritual vision. Enjoy the blessings of the world…but make it your life-goal to cling to the Source of all blessing, Who is beyond this world. And that will lead to the joy of accomplishment, and to peace of mind…and to every other blessed joy, physical and spiritual, that G-d Himself wants to bestow on us, His beloved creation. If people learned this perspective from our Torah, I daresay that it would lead to world peace as well. (Kofi, get out your Chumash…or, better, get busy building your Sukkah!) May we drink deep of the lessons of this holiday, and may the joy planted in us during the next week bear fruit for the rest of the year. GOOD SHABBOS, AND GOOD YOM TOV. My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net Archives Insights
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Insights Into Exodus | Insights Into Leviticus Rabbi Yosef Edelstein, Savannah Kollel. Phone: 912-351-0469; fax: 354-9923 Produced and distributed by the Ben Portman Computer facilities of the Savannah Kollel. This Dvar Torah page created and hosted courtesy of OU.ORG. No responsibility for its contents may be implied or taken by the OU. |
