From the virtual desk of the OU VEBBE REBBE
The Orthodox Union – via its website – fields questions of all types in areas of kashrut, Jewish law and values. Some of them are answered by Eretz Hemdah, the Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, founded by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l to prepare rabbanim and dayanim to serve the National Religious communityin Israel and abroad. Ask the Rabbi is a joint venture of the OU, Yerushalayim Network, Eretz Hemdah... and the Israel Center. The following is a Q&A from Eretz Hemdah...

Q I am a resident of Israel and will be traveling abroad during Sukkot. On Yom Tov, I will be in a city with a Jewish community, but in a different neighbor- hood. Can I do Melacha (work) publicly outside the Jewish community on the second day (Yom Tov Sheni)? (I assume that privately (b'tzina), there is no problem.)
A A person who lives in Eretz Yisrael cannot do melacha in chutz la'aretz on the second day of Yom Tov because Chazal feared that such activity could cause machloket [dissension, confusion, ed.] (Pesachim 51b). This is not a local halacha of Yom Tov alone, but a general rule when visitors have different practices than their host community (ibid.). We understand many people's impression that there is no problem to "violate" Yom Tov b'tzina (privately). This is, in fact, the opinion and rationale of the Taz (Orach Chayim 496:2).

However, the great majority of rishonim and acharonim forbid melacha even b'tzina (Tosafot, Pesachim 52a; Magen Avraham, ibid.:4; Mishna Berura, ibid.:9, to name a few). Sometimes we allow a person to privately follow his minhag against the local minhag, but not by melacha on Yom Tov Sheni, for two possible reasons. 1) It is more difficult to do melacha unnoticed (Tosafot, ibid.). 2) The prohibition of melacha on Yom Tov Sheni is a major institution, about which we are very strict (Ba'al Hamaor, Pesachim ibid.). We urge visitors to Jewish communities to follow the majority opinion and not do melacha even b'tzina. (We are aware of cases where bnei Eretz Yisrael did melacha "privately," and the matter became known and did cause a fight).

In a few situations, one can be lenient. One is a situation where even one who sees what his friend is doing cannot tell that the action is forbidden for a local Jew. For example, one can cook without an eiruv tavshilin, because one who sees him cook does not see that he doesn't have an eiruv (Radvaz, cited by Mishna Berura 596:13). Also, if there is a machloket whether a given action is permitted on Yom Tov, then even a ben Eretz Yisrael who is strict on the matter can do it on the Yom Tov Sheni. This shouldn't cause a dispute since even many locals are lenient. One example is smoking (which we feel is a melacha on Yom Tov and strictly forbidden all year, but, unfortunately, not all agree).

Where does the prohibition of Yom Tov Sheni apply? The Shulchan Aruch (OC 596:3) says that it applies everywhere within the techum Shabbat (the confines of the city, where one is permitted to walk on Shabbat) of the Jewish community. While it is difficult to rule on a city which we do not know firsthand (ask the local rabbi), in most major cities one can go from place to place within the city without leaving techum Shabbat. If in your case it is not so, how will you get to the beit k'nesset on the first day of Yom Tov?

Hasidic Wisdom from the book by Simcha Raz (Elkins/Elkins)
G-d hides so that we will seek.
- Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav

When people grow tall [in spirit], they do no harm to their fellows. But when they grow wide [with ego] – they butt up against their neighbors.

Rite and Reason by Shmuel Pinchas Gelbard
It is customary to read Megilat Koheles on Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, or when the first day is Shabbat, on that day. (In Chutz LaAretz, Kohelet will be read on Shmini Atzeret this year.)
Reason: Because these are joyous days, and it is written in Kohelet (2:2): “And of joy, what does it accomplish?” (Magen Avraham)
Reason: We find an illusion to the Sukkot festival in Kohelet in the pasuk (11:2): “Distribute portions to the seven, or even to the eight.” Our Sages expounded (Eruvin 40b): “Distribute portions to the seven” — this refers to the seven days of Sukkot. “Or even to eight” — this refers to Shmini Atzeret.
Reason: The pasuk (Melachim Alef 8:2) says: “And all of the men of Yisrael gathered to Shlomo HaMelech in the month of the mighty ones, the seventh month.”
The hadasim are bound to the lulav’s right side and are placed higher than the aravot (Rema).
Reason: Since in the Torah myrtle precedes the willow: “And you shall take to you... myrtle branches and boughs of willow (Vayikra 23:40).
Reason: The leaves of the hadasim are smaller than those of the aravot. So it is proper to place them higher so that everyone sees them, “so people do not say he is reciting a bracha [on a lulav] without hadasim”.
Reason: Because the myrtle is more important than the willow since it has a pleasing fragrance.
It is customary to recite the bracha over the lulav in shul after the Amida of Shacharit, before saying Hallel.
Reason: The ideal time for davening Shacharit is to say the Shma before sunrise (too early for lulav) and begin the Amida as the sun rises. As soon as the Amida is over, the next mitzva to per- form is Lulav & Etrog. (And L&E are used in Hallel)
More...
It is customary to wave the Lulav & Etrog during Hallel while reciting HODU LASHEM... and ANA HASHEM HOSHI’A NA (but not during ANA HASHEM HATZLICHA NA, nor does the SHA”TZ do NA’ANU’IM for the two YOMRU NAs).
Reason: The pasuk in Divrei HaYamim Alef (16:33) says: “Then the trees of the forest shall sing before HaShem... HODU LASHEM KI TOV... V’IMRU HOSHI’EINU ELOKEI YISHEINU – “And say give us salvation, O G-d of our salvation”. This is explained: The trees of the forest shall sing when reciting HODU and HOSHI’EINU. (Tosefot Sukka 37b)
The reason we do not wave the lulav for ANA HASHEM HATZLICHA NA is that ANA HASHEM HOSHI’A and HATZLICHA are part of the same pasuk, and we do not shake the lulav twice in one pasuk (Avudraham).
During Hallel, the CHAZAN waves for HODU as does the congregation in response. He would then say (without NA’ANU’IM) the other three phrases, to which the congregation responds with HODU (and waving). Because YOMAR NA YISRAEL can be seen as the CHAZAN’s reminder or instruction to the congregation to say KI L’OLAM CHASDO, he waves during YOMAR NA. But the two YOMRUs do not address the congregation, so the CHAZAN does not wave for them. [Based on this, we can guess that some communities wave in response the the CHAZAN’s two wavings and not the other two, although it is proper to wave for all HODUs.]

ArtScroll Series • Mesorah Publications Ltd.
WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF WIT by Shmuel Himelstein
Once, on Simchat Torah, when all were dancing joyfully with the Torah, the students of R’ Yisrael Salanter noticed that he looked sad and asked him why. “Imagine”, said R’ Yisrael, “that a man is sad about one event and happy about another. In such a case, the joy may overcome the sadness. What happens, however, if the joy and sadness come from the same source.

“Imagine, for example, if a man has a son whom he loves very dearly, and that son becomes extremely ill. Can the joy of having such a son outweigh the sadness of the fact that he is sick? Of course not. On the contrary, the more the father loves his son, the more he will feel sad over his son’s illness.

“It is the same with me. On the one hand, I rejoice greatly in the fact that we have the precious Torah. On the other hand, I am terribly saddened that there are so many Jews who violate the Torah daily. Thus, the more joy there is on Simchat Torah, the more keenly I feel pain over the level to which we have sunk in our observance.”

We have matured when we are able to distinguish our limitations from our shortcomings.
The mind must be mined.
Some carry moderation to extremes. From A Candle by Day by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein

From the Desk of the Director
As we approach Sukkot we are filled with anticipation. For it is written (Psalm 27): "Hashem is my light [on Rosh Hashana] and my salvation [on Yom Kippur]… [and] he will hide me in his shelter [on Sukkot]." On Yom Hadin, Hashem helps us to see the error of our ways; on Yom Kippur He forgives us our sins; and now during Sukkot we can seek the mantel of His protection.

When we sit joyfully in our Sukka, we symbolically invite the seven "Faithful shepherds" - the Ushpizin - to join us. It is as if they celebrate Sukkot together with us. Perhaps, now that we are free of guilt and oppression, we can forge ahead on the spiritual path they paved for us.

The Ushpizin, we know, portrayed unwavering Emunah under the most difficult circumstances: Avraham left his birthplace, Yitzhak dwelt in Gerar (exile) because of a famine, and Ya'akov answered the call to go to Padan Aram where he benefited neither from his birthright nor his father's blessing. The other Ushpizin - Yosef, Moshe, Aharon, and David - were equally faithful in the face of over- whelming adversity.

Sefer Hatoda'ah explains that in their wanderings the Ushpizin brought the message of Hashem's light, goodness and blessings to the world. And during Sukkot, we, their children, are reminded that we offer 70 sacrifices on behalf of the other nations before we bring our own (on Shmini Atzeret). It seems that, having restored our faith in Hashem - and in ourselves - on Sukkot we are to exercise our national potential as a light unto these nations. We, too, can be the shepherds that lead the way.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Samei’ach, Menachem Persoff, Director, Israel Center

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