ALL, AROUND THE TABLE
Eleven weeks ago when we embarked upon our journey into The Three Weeks of mourning, we read the haftorah from the first chapter of Yirmiyahu. Before launching into his warning of the impending destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and the subsequent exile, Yirmiyahu tells us that HaShem remembers the love that we demonstrated when we initially left Egypt. He remembers the love of our “kilulosayich” which is translated as bridal period. We left our home and followed HaShem into the desolate desert not knowing what we will eat, where we were going, how long we would travel, we just left every semblance of permanence to follow our Beloved. It was the greatest demonstration of our trust in Him. Just as the bride places her complete trust in her groom that he will pro-vide, we placed our entire trust in HaShem that He would provide. This trust and the closeness that it expressed will be remembered and cherished by HaShem in spite of the impending exile.
Since that time we traversed a Tisha b’Av, an Elul, a Rosh Hashanah and most recently a Yom Kippur. We have achieved the ultimate forgiveness for all that has passed. It is no wonder that this Sunday evening we will once again leave our homes and sense of permanence to enter the succah, the temporary dwelling place, to be close to HaShem. We are going to reinstate that trust and close-ness in HaShem. In spite of the fact that we rebelled against Him, HaShem’s love is unwavering and He brings us back to the same place once again.
Perhaps the reason why Succos is known as the Time of Our Rejoicing is because we re-enter that moment of our bridal period which HaShem cherishes.
The Talmud interprets one of the verses found regarding Succos to imply that our entire nation can sit together in one Succah. The Talmud derives from this that one can fulfill the mitzvah of Succah in another person’s succah. Succah is the one personal mitzvah that is possible observe simultaneously together with every other member of our people using the same article. It seems to indicate that Succos pulls us all together. The divisions that separated us have been shed on Yom Kippur and we can now sit at the same Succah Table.
There is another translation for “kilulosayich”; the period of your being all together which is derived from the word “klal”. When we, the children of HaShem, are drawn to each other, as the children of a family are drawn together around their father’s table, HaShem cherishes that moment. HaShem is the ultimate Father and we are His children. Is there is a greater joy for a father to experience than to have all his children sitting around the holiday table respecting and honoring one another!?
Perhaps this might be yet another reason why Succos is known as the Time of Our Rejoicing. It is not only the rejoicing of the children but the rejoicing of Papa as well.
May HaShem bring that day when we will all go back to Israel and celebrate Succos around Papa’s Table.
Have a wonderful Shabbos and a joyous Yom Tov.
Paysach Diskind