I'm totally wiped out. Preparing for Yom Kippur, fasting, praying, building a Sukkah, etc. has taken its toll on me. In addtition to this, my son is selling the "four species" this year. This means that his father (that is to say, yours truly) has to wake up early in the morning to drive him and his merchandise to the place where the sale takes place. Zzzzzz...some more caffeine, please.
There is one mitzvah I'm really looking forward to observing this year, and I plan to fulfill it to the utmost: sleeping in the Sukkah.
It is interesting to note that Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) is a holday that has special significance for non-Jews. You can read about that here.
May it be His will that we witness the day when Jews as well as gentiles will come to the Holy Temple to celebrate Sukkot together.
A Jew's view from the capital of Israel and the future site of the Third Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt.
5 comments:
Cosmic, the best part about sleeping in the Succah here in Israel, is that at he very same time one is fulfilling the mitzva of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael - both being done with our entire bodies...
Ze'ev
Quite true:
"The Vilna Gaon points out that there are two mitzvot that a person fulfills with his whole self - Sukka and Eretz Yisrael. Both of these mitzvot are performed by "living", not just doing a specific act. One enters his Sukka and fulfills the mitzva. He makes Kiddush and HaMotzi and enjoys a sumptuous Yom Tov meal, and he continues to "get the mitzva". After Birkat HaMazon, he opens a sefer and learns in the Sukka and adds to the performance of the mitzva of Sukka After learning for a while, he plays a game of chess with his child in the Sukka and is still performing the mitzva. Then he sits back in a comfortable chair and reads (a permitted) magazine article - and continues to fulfill the mitzva. And when he doses off and falls asleep, the person is still "getting" the mitzva. There is no other mitzva like this one. Except the mitzva of living in Eretz Yisrael. The Vilna Gaon cites the pasuk in T'hilim (76:3) as a "hint" to these two special, all-encompassing mitzvot. VAYEHI B'SHALEM" - What mitzvot are performed with "completeness"?, SUKO - the mitzva of Sukka, U'M'ONATO B'TZION - and when a person's place of residence is Eretz Yisrael. "
Exhausted? now? This ain't nothing compared to getting ready for Pesach for your typical wife, mother, worker, cook, cleaner etc all rolled into one.
Chag Sameach, and enjoy the well earned rest!
Rav Lichtenstein quoted Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach as mentioning that same connection between Sukkot and Yishuv Eretz Yisrael, with another twist:
http://www.ottmall.com/mj_ht_arch/v20/mj_v20i36.html
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