Over chol hamoed, I heard a number of incredible vorts which I combined into one vort when I spoke on Simchas Torah. The vorts came from Rabbi Shraga Kallus and Rabbi Etiel Goldvicht and had inspiration from Rabbi Zev Cohen.
Rabbi Kallus told a story about a man who was travelling through Berdichev right before Sukkos. That year, there were no lulavim and esrogim to be found in Berdichev, but this man had one. The people of the town begged him to stay, but he refused. They offered to pay him to stay, but he said that he needed to get home as his family would be worried. They then suggested that they could send a messenger to his family, but still was not enough.
Finally, in order to convince him to stay, the Berdichiver Rebbi told him that if he stayed for Sukkos, he would have a spot next to the Rebbi in Olam Haba. Well, this was something that he could not turn down. He agreed to stay in the town for Sukkos...but on the first night of Sukkos when he was going out to the Sukkah from the home that he was being boarded at, he saw that there was a table set in the dining room. As he was about to enter the Sukkah, he was told that he was not permitted to enter and that table in the dining room was for him.
The man went to another home and asked to eat in their Sukkah and was similarly declined. He went to a third and fourth home and after being rebuffed, he realized that the Rebbi was behind it, so he went to the Rebbi and asked to eat in the Sukkah. The Rebbi said to him - you need to make a choice - you can agree to give up being with me in Olam Haba or you won't get to eat in the Sukkah. Weighing his options one against the other, he agreed to give up the right to be with the Rebbi in Olam Haba.
At the close of the holiday, he came to say good bye to the Rebbi at which point the Rebbi had a conversation with him and explained his thought process, but before getting there, lets talk a little about Sukkos.
We know that Sukkos comes as a consolation for the Jewish people after the Yimei HaDin of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As Rabbi Zev Cohen is fond of saying, the Sukkah is Hashem's way of giving us a reassuring hug and we embrace that by putting our entire body into the Sukkah.
But R' Etiel Goldvicht had a bit more expansive view of the concept of Sukkah. He talked about how to elevate the mitzva of Lulav & Esrog by taking them into the Sukkah and blessing and waving them there. The Lulav & Esrog are a combination of four species, some which have taste and smell (Esrog) another which has taste but no smell (Lulav) a third which has smell but no taste (Hadas) and the fourth which has no taste or smell (Aravah). These symbolize different kinds of Jews - some who have Torah and mitzvos, others which have Torah or mitzvos and some who have neither.
The concept of the Lulav & Esrog brings all these kinds together, because we need all kinds of Jews to be as one nation, and the taking of the Lulav & Esrog in the Sukkah is symbolic of Hashem's embracing all kinds of Jews.
But back to the story. The Berdichever told the man - you will still get to be with me in Olam Haba. But it can't be a business transaction. You don't earn Olam Haba by buying it, you get it because you want to be close to Hashem for his sake.
So on this year when so many of the usual ways to come close to Hashem for Simchas Torah are not present in that we did not get to dance together and circle the Amud and embrace the Sifrei Torah, we need to remember that the point is to want to draw close to Hashem for his sake and not for ours. And everyone who does what they can in this enforced distanced 2020 to still draw close to his fellow Jew and come close to Hashem, shows that they are doing it for His sake on His terms and not simply because it feels good to keep the mitzva.
If you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
No comments:
Post a Comment