Sukkot combines within its essence two seemingly contradicting principles. From one aspect, Sukkot is a Chag , 3 nnnnw me - a time of joy with family, and of course food. From another aspect, Sukkot we leave the comfort of our homes and at a certain level have to "rough it". As you are schlepping the soup 3 floors down to the parking lot, this could somewhat dampen one's enthusiasm and joyful spirit. Not to mention the lack of air conditioning... How do we reconcile these two very different experiences?
The main message of Sukkot is one of Emunah. We need to remember, that what we have is temporary and that we are ourselves are temporary. By leaving the comfort of our homes and going to the Sukkah, one feels this lack of security and uncertainty. At this stage, one turns to Hasher for support and is able to recognize, that all he has is not as a result of his efforts and successes, but rather a gift and recognition from Hashem.
This ultimately brings true joy, When we focus on ourselves and our possessions, we are distracted from truly enjoying life. Only when we refocus and put everything into prospective, can we begin to enjoy life properly. As we shlepp that soup down the stairs and contemplate and realize what life is really all about, by the time we get to the Sukkah we can eat that soup with tremendous joy and truly fulfill the Mitzvah of jar; nnnwi.
Breisheit: True Reality
How can it be that we are blinded to the world around us? How is it we don't see Hashem in so many places in our lives?
The answer is in the story of Adam & Chava. The Torah relates that Chava was not convinced to eat from the tree until she came to the understanding that she really would not die. However, when she did eat she insisted that Adam eat too, and Rashi adds: lest she die and he survives and will marry another. Why now all of a sudden she is concerned she will die, when the whole basis of her eating was that she wouldn't?
We live in a world of " תועיגנ " - personal biases that can blind us to the reality around us and make us see things through different lenses. Initially when Chava saw the juicy fruit, as the Torah states:
" כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִּי תַאֲוָה הוּא לָעֵינַיִּם"
- the tree (fruit) was good to eat and enticing to the eyes.
She was convinced that nothing would happen to her. Her desire blinded her to anything else. Later on once she had eaten and that desire had been fulfilled, all the doubts came back that maybe she would die, and even worse that Adam would live with someone else. That thought was so intolerable, so she insisted he eat too. These contradictions we find in ourselves on a daily basis. Our desires, feelings and wants, are constantly influenced by our surroundings and by others that at times can blind us to the true reality of the world, and the ability to see the greatness of Hashem.
The answer is in the story of Adam & Chava. The Torah relates that Chava was not convinced to eat from the tree until she came to the understanding that she really would not die. However, when she did eat she insisted that Adam eat too, and Rashi adds: lest she die and he survives and will marry another. Why now all of a sudden she is concerned she will die, when the whole basis of her eating was that she wouldn't?
We live in a world of " תועיגנ " - personal biases that can blind us to the reality around us and make us see things through different lenses. Initially when Chava saw the juicy fruit, as the Torah states:
" כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִּי תַאֲוָה הוּא לָעֵינַיִּם"
- the tree (fruit) was good to eat and enticing to the eyes.
She was convinced that nothing would happen to her. Her desire blinded her to anything else. Later on once she had eaten and that desire had been fulfilled, all the doubts came back that maybe she would die, and even worse that Adam would live with someone else. That thought was so intolerable, so she insisted he eat too. These contradictions we find in ourselves on a daily basis. Our desires, feelings and wants, are constantly influenced by our surroundings and by others that at times can blind us to the true reality of the world, and the ability to see the greatness of Hashem.
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