Thursday's Thoughts for the Sukkah

R' Frand did not give the shiur this evening as it was given by R' Azriel Hauptman in his stead. The following is a brief summary of the drush portion of the shiur. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to the maggid shiur.

R' Hauptman began the shiur with the famous question - why is Sukkos celebrated on the 15th of Tishrei? He quoted the answer of the Gra who explains that when the Jews sinned with Egel they lost the Ananaei HaKavod (loosely translated as heavenly clouds) which only returned on the 15th of Tishrei. This was the end of a period of kapparah for the Jewish people which began on the 1st of Elul when Moshe went back up to Har Sinai to receive the 2nd set of Luchos which he then brought back down on the 10th of Tishei (Yom Kippur).

R' Hauptman then diagrammed the next four days of Tishrei:

On the 11th, Moshe announced to the Jewish people that they were collecting to build the Mishkan.

On the 12th and 13th - the collection of goods and materials was held.

On the 14th, Moshe announced that everything which was needed had been collected.

On the 15th, the Annanei HaKavod returned.

R' Hauptman then digressed to discuss the Seir L'Azazael (loosely translated as the scapegoat). This sacrifice seems a bit surreal, as the service was performed outside of the holy, was performed without ritual slaughter and as a result of the service, the Jews were forgiven for their sins. It seems a bit hard to understand.

R' Hauptman tied this together by quoting R' Moshe Shapiro who explains that the word Kippur means Kinuach which is a cleansing which wipes away the external stain. When the Jews ask for forgiveness on Yom Kippur, they are saying - Hashem we want to do Your way, but the external force of the Yetzer Hara/Se'or SheBa'isa/Akum are pressing on us and causing the external stain. So please, take one goat which will be offered in the Holy of Holies, while this other goat is used outside to wipe away our external sins - because those sins are not us.

R' Hauptman then noted that the concept of Yom Kippur did not exist before the Egel. Prior to the Egel we had the first set of commandments which we heard and we were perfect. But perfection was not a state that we could maintain, thus the need for the second set of luchos, because we are not perfect. And Hashem sees that we have flaws, but they are external.

When the Jews enter the sukkah it is like entering a marriage, complete with a Chuppah (wedding canopy).  It is well established that a marriage is stronger after the couple rebuilds from their first fight then when they first get married. The strength is based on the couple's will to look past the imperfection which caused the fight, as the issue is external to their marriage.

After the first luchos we were not perfect anymore as we had sinned with the Egel and we asked for forgiveness. By giving us the second luchos, Hashem showed that he had forgiven us. Only then did the Ananei HaKavod come back and this is the end of the wedding ceremony.

R' Hauptman then asked - why is Sukkos called Zman Simchaseinu as opposed to any other holiday? Because we are happy that Hashem accepted us back, despite our external flaws.

R' Hauptman next quoted the Meshech Chachma who notes that before the Egel, the holiday we know as Sukkos was only called Chag Ha'asif - the holiday of gathering. The term Sukkos does not actually appear in the Torah until after we received the second Luchos in Sefer Devarim. This is because the clouds did not return until after we received the second Luchos and that is what triggered our need to remember the way we were housed in the desert.

R' Hauptman  closed the vort by quoting the Avodas HaGershuni who was the Gra's nephew. He in turn quoted his uncle who stated that on the 15th the Jews began to build the Mishkan and the Shechinah returned. For this reason we celebrate Sukkos as this was the day that we were zoche to sit under the wings of the Shechinah. He links it to the avodah on Yom Kippur where it states in Vayikra 16:16 "וְכִפֶּ֣ר עַל־הַקֹּ֗דֶשׁ מִטֻּמְאֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּמִפִּשְׁעֵיהֶ֖ם לְכָל־חַטֹּאתָ֑ם וְכֵ֤ן יַֽעֲשֶׂה֙ לְאֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד הַשֹּׁכֵ֣ן אִתָּ֔ם בְּת֖וֹךְ טֻמְאֹתָֽם" that the Kohain Gadol effects atonement in the Ohel Moed which dwells with the Jews in their state of Tumah. The first Yom Kippur established that even though we are tamei, Hashem will still dwell among us.

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