Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
STAM
TORAH
SUCCOS
5776
“THE JOY OF VINDICATION”
“We danced round and round in circles
As if the world had done no wrong
From evening until morning
Filling up the shul with song
Though we had no Sifrei Torah
To clutch close to our hearts
In their place we held the future
Of a past so torn apart”
“The Man from Vilna” from the album
“Journeys, Volume IV” is a classic and very inspiring Abie Rotenberg composition.
It tells the story of a man that Abie met on a plane, who related to him the
following personal incident:
Shortly after the conclusion of the
Holocaust, he found himself in Vilna. On Simchas Torah evening there was an
assemblage of Jews gathered in a shul. But there were no Sifrei Torah. Alas!
They had all been destroyed by the Nazis. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. He
grabbed a child and began to dance with him. Others followed suit, as they
danced with ‘living sifrei Torah’.
In the album’s jacket where the lyrics are
recorded, it says, “Inspired by a true-life story, experienced and related by
Rabbi Leo Goldman of Detroit
Michigan
Rabbi Goldman’s son, R’ Yossi is the
president of our shul, Kehillat New Hempstead. A few years ago he informed me
of the sequel to that story:
R’
Yossi related that his father was a yeshiva student and had already received
his rabbinical ordination at the age of nineteen. He had grown up, and was
living, in the Ukraine
Through many acts of Divine Providence, he
met his wife in Uzbekistan
When the war was over, he returned with his
wife to Lithuania
R’ Yossi noted that his family grew up
hearing the touching story. But, a few years ago, a postscript to the story has
emerged.
On the day after his wedding on August 9,
2009, R’ Yossi’s sister, Mrs. Vivian Aronson, received a call from Abraham
Foxman, the National Director of the ADL (Anti Defamation League). Mr. Foxman
said that he wanted to get in touch with her father. She asked him why, noting
that she was pretty sure her father had not been involved in anything
anti-Semitic. He replied by telling her his story[1]:
He was born in 1940, while his parents were
escaping the approaching Nazis. In 1941, they were in Vilna when the Nazis
caught up with them. With no other viable option, they placed him in the care of
his Polish-catholic nanny. He was baptized and, for the next four years, he
grew up as a devout Catholic with the name, Henryk Stanislas Kurpi. Somehow his
parents both survived and came to take him back after the war. A custody battle
ensued and thankfully his parents won. However, he felt very estranged and
uncomfortable with Judaism.
On Simchas Torah evening his father felt
that he would enjoy a happy and upbeat celebration so he brought him to shul.
When they arrived, a Soviet Jewish soldier lifted him onto his shoulders and
began to dance saying, “This is our Jewish flag!” He came home and told his
mother that he liked “the Jewish church”.
He had found out that the soldier who had lifted him up those
years ago and made such a deep impression on him was Rabbi Leo Goldman.
Mr. Foxman mentioned that he would like to
meet Rabbi Goldman and is prepared to travel to Detroit
“And now you now…. the rest of the story!”
---------------------------------------
Although there is no dearth
of holidays on the Jewish calendar, which include an obligation for one to be
in a state of joy, there is only one holiday that is termed, “the time of our
joy”, i.e. the holiday of Succos. What is it about this unique holiday that,
not only warrants joy, but merits the title “the time of our joy”?
In regards to the holiday of
Succos the Torah states[3],
“And you will celebrate it, a holiday for G-d, for seven days of the year...”
What does it mean that Succos is “a holiday for G-d”; isn’t it a holiday for
us?
From the moment when G-d
created man, the angels questioned the validity and purpose of mankind. They
proposed that G-d should allow the angels to care for His world with purity,
and not create a being that is wont to sin and will denigrate all of creation.
G-d, in His infinite wisdom
did not pay heed to their arguments and created man. Shortly thereafter, Man
sinned and indeed caused irrevocable damage to his descendants and all of
creation. Ten generations after creation, G-d ‘regretted’ creating man[6],
and He brought a flood to obliterate all of creation, with the exception of
Noach and the inhabitants of the ark.
At the time of the exodus
from Egypt , the angel of Egypt
When the Jews stood at Sinai
to receive the Torah, the angels again questioned G-d[7].
“What is a mortal that you should remember him, and the son of man that you
should recall him. Hashem, our Master, how Mighty is Your Name in the whole
earth that You should place Your Glory (i.e. the Torah) on the heavens”?
Even after the Jews
selflessly accepted the Torah and reached an incredible level of unity and
holiness, they again failed egregiously when they committed the sin of the
Golden Calf.
Thus, from the moment Man was
created, he was a walking desecration of G-d’s Name. Time and again Man proved
the veracity of the angel’s assertion that Man was unworthy of existence. That
all changed however, when the Mishkan was erected.
After the nation committed
the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d removed His Divine Presence from them, and was
ready to destroy them. Moshe implored G-d to forgive the nation and to allow
them to repent. On the tenth day of Tishrei – Yom Kippur – G-d acceded to
Moshe’s request and[8]
“reconsidered the evil that He declared He would do unto His People.” On that
day Moshe descended from Sinai with the second Luchos, symbolizing a new
covenant.
The Vilna Gaon notes that for
the next four days the nation busied themselves amassing materials for the
construction of the Mishkan, as a place where G-d’s Holy Presence could return.
By the time the fourth day arrived, there was a tremendous surplus of materials,
which demonstrated their sincere remorse and desire to repair the spiritual
damage they had caused. On the fifteenth of Tishrei, construction began on the
Mishkan, and the Divine Presence returned. That day was the first day of
Succos!
The Alshich explains that
when G-d’s Presence returned, it demonstrated that the nation had achieved
complete repentance and were able to reassume the lofty levels they had
forfeited when they sinned. When the Mishkan was erected, it was the completion
of the third, and final, pillar on which the world stands[9].
At that moment, the angels
were silenced and their centuries-long complaint was refuted. Their argument
was that man should never have been created, for man is by definition
vulnerable and an unworthy liability. But now that Klal Yisroel had
demonstrated that they could repent and triumph over iniquity and their mortal
failings, they had achieved a level of greatness beyond the angels. In a sense,
G-d Himself was vindicated at that moment!
The atonement of Yom Kippur,
and the great gift of repentance that G-d granted Klal Yisroel, served as the
conduit which stopped Man’s perpetual desecration of G-d’s Name. Therefore, the
holiday of Succos is the celebration of what was accomplished on Yom Kippur as
well as all of our efforts to return to G-d. It is a celebration of G-d’s
vindication for creating Mankind, as it were.
Thus, while Pesach and
Shavuos are holidays of celebration for what G-d granted us and for what we
became, Succos is a celebration for what
G-d achieved, as it were[10].
It is for that reason that the Torah writes that Succos is “a holiday for G-d”.
In the beautiful words of the Alshich, ואנחנו נחוג ונשמח ונעלוז
על שמחת חג ה'" – And we celebrate, rejoice, and exult for the joy of the
holiday of G-d.”
This is also the reason why it
is specifically the holiday of Succos that is termed the ‘time of our joy’. As
a general rule, all Jewish celebrations revolve around the added perpetuation
of sanctification of G-d‘s Name[11].
Succos, which is our participation in G-d’s celebration, therefore contains the
greatest level of joy[12].
During the celebration of the
vindication of man, it is appropriate that we put our lives into perspective
and take inventory of Man’s accomplishments and failures. The joy of Succos
forces us to ponder our place in the universe. If our purpose is to bring glory
to G-d’s Name, then we must contemplate whether we have fulfilled our mission,
and we must maintain proper perspective of our goals.
This is symbolized by the
succah. We leave the security and comfort of our homes, and live under the sole
protection of G-d. It is a reminder to how life in this world should be viewed.
The Alshich adds that the
seven days of succos each represent a decade of life[13].
On Succos our life must ‘flash before our eyes’ - how we have lived until now, as
well as our goals for the future.
It is also appropriate that
we read Megillas Kohelles on Succos. Koheles[14]
- the wisest of men – explains in vivid detail, that all of the temporal
pleasures and enjoyments of this world are vanity and futility. When all is
said and done, it is only Fear of G-d and fulfillment of His Will that grants a
sense of inner joy and purpose. And therein lies the message of Succos.
With the idea of the Alshich
in mind, we can understand why the celebration of the completion of the annual
cycle of Torah reading transpires immediately after Succos[15].
After rejoicing for seven days with the Almighty - Who Himself is celebrating
our success and ability to reconnect with Him even after sinning and failing -
we truly appreciate the beauty and greatness of the Torah.
How are we able to be close
to G-d? Through living and studying His holy Torah! “For it is your life and
the length of your days.” Our ability to maintain our steadfast connection with
Him is inextricably bound to our passionate and zealous love for the Torah.
On Simchas Torah we clutch
our pride and joy close to our hearts, and we rejoice – the previous generation
with the future generation. We celebrate the silencing of the angel’s complaint
by hoisting our holy Torah in the air and pronouncing, “אנא עבדא דקודשא בריך הוא - I am the servant of the Holy One,
blessed is He!” That no matter how low we fall, we always have the ability to
pick ourselves up, by rededicating ourselves to the Torah and pledging to live
its life of holiness and transcendence.
“Though we had no Sifrei Torah
To clutch close to our hearts
In their
place we held those children
The
Jewish People would live on
Am Yisroel Chai”
[2] http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20100409/OPINION03/4090372
[3]
Vayikra 23:41
[4] Toras
Moshe al haTorah
[5] The
Alshich actually asks twenty poignant questions about the Torah’s narrative
regarding the holiday of Succos, and he answers all of them utilizing his
unique approach. It is beyond the scope of this essay to quote his entire
explanation and all the questions. But one who does so will undoubtedly be
enlightened by his beautiful words.
[6]
Bereishis 6:6
[7]
Shabbos 88b
[8]
Shemos 32:14
[9] Avos
1:2; “Rabbi Shimon said: On three pillars the world stands: Torah, Divine
Service, and good deeds.” [They already had received the Torah,. The Medrash
explains that one of the reasons they were redeemed from Egypt was because they committed
good deeds for each other even in their oppressive servitude. Now the Mishkan
was home to the ‘avodah’, the Divine Service.]
[10] Of
course it is also a celebration of our accomplishments during the Days of Awe,
but that is a secondary cause. The primary celebration is for the cessation of
the desecration of G-d’s Name.
[11]
Shabbos and holidays celebrate G-d’s Creation and miracles; circumcision
celebrates a new member entering the covenant of Avrohom Avinu; Bar/Bas Mitzvah
celebrates another member becoming obligated in the mitzvos; marriage celebrates
the union of a Torah home and the potential for continuation of our heritage,
etc.
[12] We
can postulate that this is part of the reason why we are obligated to take the
Four Species on Succos. The fact that man becomes vindicated on Succos is a
celebration of the entire world, because the whole world was created for man.
The taking of the Species of the earth represents the joy of the world. [The
reason why these particular Species are taken has much deeper meanings and
significance, as explained in the Medrash.]
[13] The
verse in Tehillim states, “For the days of our years are seventy years, and
with strength, eighty years.” The Alshich adds that it is for this reason that
we are so much more stringent with succah/Four Species on the first day of
Succos, for it represents the formative years of a person’s youth. In that
first decade of life, a child is extremely impressionable, and his whole future
is built on his youth.
Also, the eighth day –
Shemini Atzeres - represents eternal life in the Next World.
[14] A
pseudonym for Shlomo Hamelech (King
Solomon)
[15] And not on
Shavuos, the holiday when we celebrate receiving the Torah
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