Sukkot is my favorite chag for several reasons. First, it happens to be my Hebrew birthday. The 16th of Tishrei is also the night which began the Simchat Beit Ha'shoeva, the festival of the water drawing, in the Beit Hamikdash. The sages say that whoever didn't see this simcha has not truly seen a simcha in their days:
מי שלא ראה שמחת בית השואבה לא ראה שמחה מימיו
He who did not see the rejoicing of BeitHa'shoeva never saw rejoicing in his lifetime. (Sukkah 51a)
The ceremony was performed among much festivity and celebration. Rabbis would juggle torches, stand on their toes, and engage in all kinds of merriment. This was a seemingly simple ceremony, where water would be drawn from the Mei HaShiloach to be poured on the altar on Sukkot instead of the usual libation of wine. But it would be accompanied with more celebration than any other day of the year. Study the Mishna and Talmud in Sukkot to discover more about why this day was so special (besides being my birthday).
What made the water drawing a cause for such elaborate expressions of simcha? The sages relate this joy to the beginning of creation, when the earthly waters and the heavenly waters were separated. They explain that the lower waters then cried out, "We too want to be directly in G-d's presence." The response was: "When you will be used for mitzvot like sprinkling salt on offerings (or on challah) or being poured on the altar for the water drawing ceremony, then you will be even more exalted than the heavenly waters!" (Rabeinu Bechaya on Vayikra 2:13)
This jubilant event was when the use of a mechitza came into play. One reason was that the joy was so overwhelming, gender separation became necessary so that the frivolity wouldn't run over its boundaries in undesirable ways. Perhaps this is similar to a davening service, where the kavana should be so powerful that boundaries are vital.
Education at Maimonides helped clarify the meaning of hamavdil bein kodesh l'chol for me. In creation there are both sacred and secular realms. Though there need to be distinctions between them, above and beyond practical halachic considerations, our kavanot, intentions, play a big role in determining which actions bring us closer to Hashem and which push us away. Sukkot in particular may shed some light on these areas.
One of my earliest Torah epiphanies came from a Chumash class at Maimonides where we were learning the pesukim which discussed the laws of constructing a sukkah. On the topic of materials for schach, Rashi quotes Mesachakim et hasukkah mi'psolet garen v'yekev – "we cover the sukkah with the dregs of the threshing floor and vineyard." The idea hit me then that this "dry" halacha contained the seeds of the primary purpose of the whole month of Tishrei. At Tashlich, we cast out our unwanted actions, words, and thoughts which we accumulated all year. However, after the work of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva and the purification and refinement of Yom Kippur, we are ready on Sukkot to recoup those lost parts.
At Tashlich, in the process of teshuva, we symbolically cast off our undesirable behaviors of the past year. But could it not be that embedded in those behaviors was a yearning to do something good? Teshuva can't be sidestepped, but in the process, as a myriad of Hassidic masters emphasize, are there not elements of our unique lives that need to be brought back into the fullness of who we are? As the sages taught, and as I would later learn through a multitude of hashkafic sources, there is no greater joy than in finding something that was lost. This concept perhaps explains the exceptional joy of Simchat Beit Ha'shoeiva.
The arba minim also reflect this reclamation. We bring together four very different plant species, which on one hand represent very diverse types of people. On the other hand, as the Zohar reflects, these particular species are all under the direct guidance of Hashem, like Bnei Yisrael themselves, rather than under the mazalot, the angels or constellations. Due to the vision of the Rav zt"l and its implementation at Maimonides, I came to realize an important Torah perspective: You could be doing something very sacred, but if your reason was to show off, the act might be downgraded. On the other hand, like the materials for the schach, you could be involved with something very mundane, but if it was for a higher purpose, you could elevate the act. You can take the most discarded situations in your life and revitalize them.
In a way, isn't this retrieval similar to Techiyat Hameitim? The Talmud relates that "four are considered as not alive: One who is impoverished, one without children, a blind person, and a metzora." Several commentaries remind us that these categories are not intended to denigrate people; they reflect the idea that these individuals are more limited than many, which may prevent them from interacting more effectively with others. So in that sense, they are limited in life. If they were to be healed from their conditions, they would experience a kind of resurrection, and the ensuing joy would be tremendous.
Rav Kook in Orot HaTeshuva conveys an idea that I think modern science and technology are coming to realize – that time and space are more fluid and entangled then we thought. Rav Kook postulates that this is how teshuva can be effective; it can go back and reframe the qualities of our previous actions.
Our pasts, especially those parts that we regret and want to cast off or deny, may contain nuggets of holiness that we need to retrieve in order to be able to express the fullness of our being. I am eternally grateful for the experiences and wisdom I have garnered from my precious years at Maimonides, which had such a vital impact on my life.
