Pesach is a wondrous opportunity for transformation. The question is how can we use each detail of the original exodus to extract lessons that we can apply to our lives today?  For example how can we understand the contemporary lesson embedded in the Torah’s command to take a lamb or sheep for each household, tie it to the bedpost for four days, to ensure that it was blemish free and then bring it as the korbon Pesach.

              The Ramban suggests that G-d chose lamb and sheep for this offering because these types of animals were worshiped by the Mitzrim. The Midrash informs us that even though during these four days the Mitzrim heard these animals, who were tied to the bedposts, bleating, however Hashem rendered the Mitzrim helpless. Therefore, lets us try to connect this cryptic Torah section to our Pesach preparations by asking what is the significance of the fact that the lambs were “bleating” and they were tied specifically to the bedposts?

            Pesach is certainly one of those seasons where everyone increases their energy level in preparation for this beautiful holiday. However during this intense period of time, if one is not exceedingly careful, even with the best of intentions, he or she can step over the bounds of positive enthusiasm and be drawn into “blurting out” some inappropriate comment.

              Perhaps the Torah is therefore alluding for us how to subdue even the slightest urge to “blurt out” an angry comment – which is a form of avoda zora. How so? Just like that species of “bleating animals”, which was used for avoda zora, were tied to the bedposts, so one should tie down to the bedpost – ie – put to sleep – any inappropriate thoughts before they are “blurted out” and in turn Hashem will render helpless the power of the yetzer hora, just as He rendered helpless the Mitzrim.    

             May all of our good efforts to bring about a kosher Pesach help us merit once again the korbon Pesach in Jerusalem soon in our days.      

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

             It’s the night (lay’l) of Pesach with all the family and guests joined together around the Seder table. After Kiddush on wine the head of the household (Bal HaBais)divides the middle matzah, wraps up the larger piece for the end of the meal (Afikomin) and puts it snugly  behind his pillow.  Later in the evening (seder) someone points to the place of the afikoman and whispers to the child, “Take it now, quickly, while he’s not looking.” The child hesitates, feeling quite shy having been brought up with proper values of respect and honesty. This night everything at the house looks so different. The table is much longer than usual filled with relatives and guests — it’s white and beautiful with lots of shiny glasses, sparkling silver. But then with a little more prodding and a burst of courage he moves closer to the treasured hidden away afikomen, hesitating, until some one prompts him, “Quick, grab it and run.”

  For a second, he feels afraid, but as soon as it is in his hand, he feels an exhilarating surge of excitement and exuberance. Even after hiding it he continues to feel energized and successful. Much later, when the child is asked to return the afikoman, he doesn’t give it right back, being prodded by others to first ask for a nice prize.

    Doesn’t this conduct seem a quite odd?  Here we are seemingly allowing our small untainted children to take something that doesn’t belong to them and on top of that extort a reward for their efforts on one of the holiest nights of the year. How can we possibly understand this conduct?

  Perhaps we can explain this unusual behavior as follows. Usually the selfish inclination (yetzer hara) tries to lure a person into improper behavior through offering feelings of ephemeral thrills and excitement. Even though we want to avoid such conduct, the problem we face is that we simply cannot discard the yetzer hara.  As in the well known book of Medrashim, when the Sages davened to remove the yetzer hara and Hashem answered their tefillos, even the chickens stopped laying eggs. The yetzer hara is necessary but needs to be controlled. The challenge to us is to sur mei ra, avoid evil, yet preserve our enthusiasm and direct it to our ma’asim tovim.  But how do we do this? 

   Perhaps, this is precisely what we are achieving when we encourage our children to take the afikomen.  We are allowing our young pure children to experience the excitement that is usually motivated by the yetzer hara when engaged in risky, dangerous and thrill seeking conduct.  We do this by giving them a controlled dose of the “taste of desire.” As the child grows up, that spiritual inoculation that was administered l’shem Shamayim with love will then continue to act as an antidote against the infectious negative powers of the yetzer hara.  Indeed, that dose of controlled enthusiasm, experienced by the child on lay’l Pesach, will enable him to rekindle those exuberant feelings throughout the year directing them in a positive mode while learning Torah, performing mitzvos and ma’asim tovim.

But how can experiencing this “controlled taste of desire” both act as a vaccine shielding the child from learning mis-conduct, while at the same time inspiring the him with enthusiasm for all things that are Holy? It is because of the setting in which this “taste” is given. Let us remember, the seder night is referred to as – lay’l shemurim, the night of Divine protection – the perfect night for this process to take place as it is a time when negative forces are subdued. 

    You may be wondering, how can this spiritual “inoculation” continue to protect us into our adult years?   Possibly the answer is we use “booster shots”!  Oh, we are not suggesting that this Pesach we grab the afikoman, however we should watch the one who is taking it and allow that “small child” inside each of us to relive and rekindle our own feelings of inner joy and exuberance, thereby rekindling our youthful enthusiasm in the service of Hashem.

May we all merit soon to be able to fulfill the mitzvah of afikoman in Jerusalem at the final geula soon in our days.

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   The attribute of exuberance and excitement was stolen by the yetzer when Adam and Chavea did the sin. On the night of Pesach we are able to re-capture our inheritance and return it to be used in the holy service of H. Since the yetzer took it through theft we re-capture it, through an act that looks like theft, at a time when the forces of evil are subdued.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                     It’s just a just time before takeoff, friends have dropped off packages of gifts for their loved ones. We wondered how we were going to fit them all into our bulging suitcases. Before we knew it the car service driver was beeping. We quickly stuffed our cases closed and hoped the zippers would hold out. At the airport, bags in tow we followed an interminable line weaving towards the ticket counter. Upon reaching what was to be the first of many checkpoints the flight security attendant said with a polite, but serious smile:  “How are you today”? Passports and tickets please! Where are going? Is this your first trip there? Where will you be staying? Do you have any relatives there? Oh yes, who? Where do they live? ” He made light conversation but all the while his eyes were locked on ours without a flicker. They felt like x-rays and we got flustered. Somehow we even hesitated over the names of the places are relatives lived.  

As the grilling continued all  that was needed was a strong white light focused in our eyes to turn  it  into a full blown interrogation. “Tell me, did any one pack your bags for you? Do you have any electronic equipment inside your bags? Where did you get it? Did you take it from a shelf of the store by yourself or did someone give it to you? Was the package torn? Did anyone give you anything?” 

After the initial screening the security officer directed us over to yet another line to have our suitcases ex-rayed in what looked like a giant MRI machine. After our bags came out unscathed with a negative diagnosis, we proceeded to the check in counter. As we struggled to lift our suitcases onto the scales, they seemed to feel quite a bit heavier than they did at home – maybe it’s the gravity at the airport we chuckled. Miraculously the employee did not impose a fine for being overweight and with a sigh of relief we set off to scale our next hurdle.

             Moving further along the assembly line we were required to place outer garments, hand bags and all metal possessions on a rolling conveyer belt which passed them through another x-ray machine. Now, hatless, shoeless, jacketless, feeling slightly vulnerable and somewhat intimidated, we walk through the metal archway, which will determine whether we will be “pat searched”. We fortunately passed with good marks but we couldn’t help but notice another frum passenger who was sent to the side for a full blown pat down. Admirably he never lost his pleasant smile as he chatted cordially with the officer, adding after he was exonerated his appreciation for the fine work that the security personal provided. This was a real Kiddush Hashem that both we and that guard will never forget.

          Since everything that exists in the world is founded in the Torah, where can we find a Torah source for the interrogation and search of travelers? Yes. The first such search was conducted by Lavan – Jacob’s father-in-law.  When Lavan saw that (Ya’akov) Jacob has taken his family and left , he  chased after them,  bombarded them with a barrage of questions  and then, unsatisfied with the answers, made his own intrusive and thorough search of their possessions – (Parshas Vayeitzei). Some years later, the sons of Ya’akov are subjected to an interrogation and search at the hands of the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, not realizing at the time that that imposing personage was none other than  their brother (Yosef). (Parshas Mikeitz).

What lesson could we possibly learn from these two similar events?  Perhaps the key lies in the intentions of the searchers even more than the search itself. Lavan is the prototype of a clever swindler whose expertise lies in appearing to be superficially (lavan) pure even while his intentions were self-serving and even nefarious. We of course should do our best to steer clear of such people but when unavoidable we should always make the best out of the situation as our forefather Ya’akov did in the house of Lavan.

Of course when well intended loving relatives, true friends and dedicated people “question” our intentions and “search” into our motivations, like Yosef had done with his brothers, we should not resent but actually cherish their words and actions. Now also before Pesach, while we are checking very closely our homes and possessions, let us also check (bodek) every “nock and cranny” of our attitudes for any “leavened” behavior that has become “chumatz  or saor”. This vital search and removal mission is one of the hallmarks of the Pesach transformation that helps free us from the bondage of corporeal constraints and limitations thereby allowing us to travel vertically up the Pesach “ladder”.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

           Rx PRESCRIPTION: PURIM FOR MOOD ENHANCEMENT                           

           DOSAGE: Twenty four hour spiritual “infusion” that keeps us elevated for the whole year.

           SUPERNAL “INGREDIENTS” : The four essential sacred “compounds” are Mikra Megillah, Shelach Manos, Matanos Le-Evonim and Seudas Purim along with either  just enough “high octane fluid” or a short snooze in order  to activate the  ad d’lo yada benefits.

            SOME OF THE IMMEDIATE RESULTS OF THIS UPLIFTING “REMEDY”: Guaranteed to “turn around” –mehapech hu – and transform any and all worries, woes and negative moods into joy, happiness and contentment.

“PRECAUTIONS” THROUGHOUT THE PURIM CELEBRATION: 

1) The first “dose” of the reading of the Megillah at night is to be “administered” on an “empty stomach” with total concentration for best “absorption”.

             2) Keeping a smile on your face is very contagious.

 3)   In order cut down excess “weight gain”, “trim” your pocketbook down as much as possible by giving generously.   

PROBABLE AND DEFINITE “SIDE EFFECTS” : Some people may find themselves irresistibly drawn to wearing amusing costumes and prancing around,  while everyone will radiate a blissful cheerful countenance and have a great time.

“CAUTION”:  Beware that the beneficial “side effects” of matanos l’evyonim and (mishloach manos) will arouse feelings of deep gratitude to Hashem for this opportunity to share with others. This will in turn cause even more serious “symptoms” of intense joy and generosity which can only be “cured” through the “antidote” of sharing with everyone even a bigger smile and as much as possible.

     FOR QUESTIONS RELATING TO HOW TO INCREASE YOUR JOY –  Call: THE  1- 800-PURIM  RAV HOTLINE. If no one answers – just “turn the phone upside down” and talk yourself into enjoying the festivities.

                                                                                                PURIM SAMEACH

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

              On your way to (Pesach) Passover, don’t  pass over Purim.  Ah Purim, how we all appreciate you even though you tantalize us,  mystify us and  laugh with us as we struggle to understand you.   Like Yom Kippur, you help us to reach a destination called forgiveness but what a difference in the trip.  You allow us to atone for our sins with merriment and with eating and with drinking– a lot of drinking.    On Yom Kippur we abstain. On Yom Kippur we remove our shoes, while you get us to put on an extra pair of clown shoes. On Yom Kippur we refrain from anointing ourselves while you allow us to us smear our faces and bodies with extra creams and cosmetics. On Yom Kippur we stay awake and focused while you – Purim – lead us to take an extra drink and or a little extra sleep.  How does this happen?

             Maybe we can find an answer using  your mitzvah of drinking wine –everything becomes clearer with a little wine and even clearer with more wine  . . .  Let’s see, where was I ? Oh yes, Drinking can easily bring a person to frivolity and nonsense, yet you, Purim, are (mehapech) the opposite,  you make a switch and the wine we drink takes us up the spiritual ladder towards purity and strivings towards kiddusha.

You’re really clever.  You  fool our (yetzer hora) negative inclination by giving  it just what it wants lots of wine and maybe even some more and then all of a sudden, it can’t connive or deceive any more because (nichnas yayin yotzei sod) once wine goes in, on this unique holy day, then the inner yearnings of our pure Jewish soul come out. 

You put masks on us to strip our masks away. All of a sudden we may realize that our regular, ordinary, middle of the road conduct is really the result of our inner battle between these two forces. Now we get a chance to glimpse at our dark side and through the special loftiness of this day can actually laugh at it , with that laughter freeing us from its negative influence hopefully not just for this day, but forever.

When we see beyond the mask, we learn how not to judge. Throughout the year we may be guilty of too quickly evaluating and judging others on a very shallow level. On Purim when a (adel) sweet person puts on a scary mask, we are not frightened because we know that behind the mask is a precious soul.  So, too, in the real world, every Jew has good points which we should focus on and therefore not be so quick to judge anyone superficially.

               Ah Purim, you don’t have us simply ask (mechila) forgiveness, of our friends, you tell us to say it with presents.  How so? We give two gifts to at least one friend and minimally one gift to each of two poor people. One of the great Rabbis makes an observation asking why are we obligated to give at least double to a friend and only minimally one gift to each of the poor?  He answers that the poor gratefully accept whatever we offer, but we might have offended our friends over the course of the year and they may continue to harbor resentment. On Purim we are commanded to make a special effort to repair these breaches in all relationships especially those which have weakened. Therefore we should  “redouble” our efforts with sincere gifts and send a clear message to both close friends and  estranged acquaintances  that we are sincerely interested in healing the past and rebuilding the future together. Also we give them gifts that don’t need preparation – ie. ready to eat – to hint to them that they do not have to make any – preparations – changes in themselves – in order for us to accept them as they are.

            On Purim, the poor can make us rich.  One reason we are only minimally required to give one gift to each of at least two needy people is because as long as we don’t see the poor as our friends we ourselves are spiritually poor, however, if we see every Jew, including the needy, as our friends, then we will generously lavish them with gifts thereby taking them out of their physical poverty and ourselves our of our spiritual poverty.

       Ah Purim, leave us with one more gift, leave us with your special smile which inspires our hearts as we prepare for the next stage of our journey that being the wonderful Pesach transformation.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

           But, why, we might ask, why would we want to live inside a succah all year round?  As adults, we might  have experienced  this essentially roofless abode as cold and  wet or hot and  uncomfortable, visited by unlovely critters and difficult to keep clean.  We might not have particularly relished serving meals in a place very distant from our kitchens and in the absence  of the amenities of our dining rooms.  Those of us who live in apartment buildings may have found it quite challenging to fulfill the mitzvah of leyshev b’succah altogether.

Happily, the  small child inside of us has other memories and feelings connected with the succah. Let us take a moment and think back to our earliest experiences in the Succah.   Remember  how we used to look for the  twinkling stars through the thatch and how  entranced we were by the grapes, fruits and garlands hanging upside down from the  beams.  This  child within us can yet feel the  Ananei Hakavod, the clouds of glory, that surround our succahs and experience  the joy,  the happiness and the feeling of closeness and protection  the succah offers. We can and in fact should make every effort to recapture those feelings and allow ourselves to fully appreciate this mitzvah so that as adults, we can understand the mitzvah of succah  at a more profound level. 

The source  of the simcha of Succos,  lies deep within the external makifim, coverings, of the mitzvah.  When we part these coverings, we will be able  to see how we can derive true spiritual benefit  from the succah throughout the year.  The  secret of the succah is  hidden in its roof. While the walls of the succah  can be made of almost any material, the roof  – s’chach of the succah has very specific requirements.   The halacha requires that the s’chach  be made of material  that has grown from the ground and is  now  detached, and is material that cannot become a conduit for spiritual contamination.

               Once we understand how these laws can  be applied to our homes, we can  indeed be surrounded by the succah with its Annanei  Hakavod all the year round.

The s’chach must be made of material that has grown from the ground.  In order to become a suitable marriage partner, we must recognize the value of  the home in which we were raised because it provided our “grounding.”   If we were fortunate enough to have  grown  up in a home with a Torah perspective,  where service of Hashem was of primary importance, then that becomes a strong and true foundation upon which we can build our own home.   But know that the home in which we were raised , is the home Hashem planned for us, and  thus the right place for us. whatever its point of view was.  If we have any doubt as to this fact, think of Avraham Avinu’s parental home—and recognize that even the home of  idol worshippers can produce beautiful fruit.      Regardless of the sort of home we grew up in,  we can all  take appropriate spiritual nourishment from our upbringing by focusing upon the strengths of that home rather than upon its weaknesses. We must refrain from being critical of our parents and our siblings, even privately. Instead, we must make every effort to see them as the spiritual and physical soil in which we were nurtured and feel a deep gratitude to them.

     The next law of  the s’chach is that it must be cut from its source.  When we come into marriage, we must  cut ourselves loose from our rooting place.  If we don’t do this, then we might find ourselves living in the past, demanding to be treated as if we were still children in our parents’ homes.    We are also in danger of assuming that our homes are going to be run the way our parents’ homes were run which assumption may lead to us making unfavorable comparisons between our parents and our spouses.

In order to properly detach ourselves, we must appreciate that the home that we build with our spouse is meant to be a home which will bear the stamp of our own unique personalities both in its successes and in its failures.  We will know that we have succeeded in this task when we are able to gently create appropriate boundaries between ourselves and our parents—boundaries which let them in but do not admit of any kind of  meddlesome intrusion into areas that should be reserved strictly for ourselves and our spouses.

            The final halacha governing the s’chach is that it must not be made from material that is m’kabel tumah- subject to becoming impure through contamination with impure substances. That is to say not to allow ourselves to become attached to alien values that are inconsistent with a Torah way of life and can adopt for ourselves life giving, life promoting Torah values.

 Whatever our earlier circumstances were, once severed from our own grounding,  it is crucial that we  make every effort to establish a home that is free from the kinds of influences that undermine our ability to serve Hashem with Yirah and Ahava and Simcha for our own sakes and for the sakes of our children.  We will only be able to create the kind of home in which  the Shechina is shorait  when we build our s’chach of material that is not subject to such contamination.  We must be on guard in every possible way against  spiritual contaminants  which threaten to invade our homes and only allow those things which enhance our spiritual well being.

             When we cover our lives with a roof made of emuna, we will surely see blessings in the fruits of our labors all the year round.              

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

        Once again we find ourselves standing at the entranceway to the season of Sukkos. Have we ever taken the occasion to consider the meaning of a mitzvah that we literally step into and dwell within  for seven full days?

            From Caterpillar to Butterfly

            Just as we can observe dramatic changes within the creation, such as the transition of the relatively graceless dawdling caterpillar into a gracefully airborne butterfly, so also we at times observe quite dramatic changes in the course of our lives. Examples of these milestones our when we learned how to walk and talk, graduated, became engaged, began a new job or moved. However, when it comes to spiritual growth, unless we pay close attention to the subtle changes inside of ourselves, we can pass through the various stages of development and transformation without being fully aware of them.

            The sukkah can serve as our spiritual cocoon

             In order for us to begin dwelling in sukkah consciousness we need to remove any “roofs” of perceptual limitation and replace them with the supernal lattice –s’chach –which allows us to widen our spiritual horizons. By understanding the connection between the halachas of the s’chach and ourselves , we can begin to peer through the gaps and gaze into the supernal realms of our lives. 

              The Sukkah can be seen as a form of concretized prayer which contains all the components necessary for our spiritual metamorphosis. The mitzvah of sukkah is one of those divinely constructed conduits that enables us to make that smooth transition to the next level of our avodas Hashem. This transformation is made available to us through the halachas of the sukkah.

            The sukkah in a metaphysical sense is like a human being with a body and a soul, as it is composed of both earthly and heavenly components.  This duality is reflected in the s’chach  which originated from a natural substance that was attached to the ground and is now uprooted from its soil ( even as Avraham Aveinu uprooted himself from his  cultural surroundings). The s’chack is then placed on high and becomes a  supernal quintessential covering that offers us Divine protection and Heavenly insights. The mitzvah of sukkah aids us to detach from any materialistic excesses as well as guides us through the Uzpizin to nourish from the eternal values of the Torah as will been explained. 

              How many of us have thought about the following dichotomy? We all have seen how parents begin prodding their toddlers to walk and talk as rapidly as they are able, yet as soon as these same children get a little bigger their parents and educators are constantly telling and teaching these children, often in futility, to sit down and be quite. For the children this mixed message might be quiet confusing but there lies within this moshal a profound message for all of us.

             Indeed, in the first phases of life, our task is to learn how to walk and talk and use all of our efforts to “get up” on our own two feet and succeed in the world, however, if a person does not learn how to “sit down” introspectively and become “quietly” contemplative they will find themselves spending their entire adulthood trying to conquer the world instead submitting to their own inner spiritual calling. Perhaps one of the many invaluable lessons within the mitzvah of (leishev) to sit in sukkah is to teach us how to “sit down” in contemplation with our neshomos under the guidance of each days Ushpizin – the supernal sublime guests that grace our sukkah..

             Just as the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur awakens within us our yir’as Hashem, the seven days of Sukkas has the power to draw  from within us   expressions of ahavas Hashem.

         To aid us in this transition Chazal teach that on each of the seven days of Sukkos one of our forefathers is invited to join us in the sukkah. They are our honored guests who educate us in perceiving our true purpose and potential that we can strive to attain throughout the year when we return back into our homes. This transition is best facilitated by opening our hearts and minds to the divine attributes that the seven Uspizin symbolize as the infra-structure of our spiritual stature.

            Under the influence of our forefather Avraham Avinu we can reveal and refine the trait of – chesed – loving kindness for the sake of Heaven.  Under the guidance of our forefather Yitzchak Avinu we are aided in developing the attribute of discipline so that our chesed can be constructively channeled.  Under the influence of Yaakov Avinu we are shown how to harmonize these seemingly disparate attributes of chesed and gavurah.

             Moshe Rabbeinu awakens the netzach Israel within us that links us with the eternal message of the Torah. Under the tutelage of Aaron HaKohan we learn to offer ourselves for service to the Creator thereby engendering greater peace in  the world.

 Yosef HaTzadik inspires us in our strivings towards righteousness through acts of purity. Finally the attribute of malchus, which is expressed through the kingdom of David HaMelech, is the power within us to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes  so as to harmonize our potential to reveal the will of the Creator in this world. This means that each day of Succos we each have been blessed with our own private supernal “tutors” who join us while we are enveloped within the mitzvah thereby aiding us to elicit from deep within us the seven divine attributes. 

                  Through following this spiritual prescription may we see to take the inner message of the sukkah back into our homes the whole year, thereby meriting to dance (stand up) and sing (speak) words of praise and gratefulness for each moment throughout our lives thereby meriting to soon dwell in the long awaited Sukkos David.    

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                 From Caterpillar to Butterfly

            Just as we can observe dramatic changes within the creation, such as the transition of an unassuming dawdling caterpillar into a gracefully airborne butterfly, so also we at times observe quite dramatic changes in the course of our lives.

        The sukkah is a, so to speak, spiritual cocoon that can help us remove any “roofs” of perceptual limitation and replace them with the supernal lattice covering –s’chach –which allows us to widen our previously limited horizons. By understanding the connection between the halachas of the s’chach and ourselves , we can begin to peer through the gaps and gaze into the supernal realms of our lives. 

The mitzvah of sukkah aids us to detach from any materialistic excesses as well as guides us through the Uzpizin (seven days of supernal guidance from our greatest spiritual leaders from Avraham Avinu through David HaMelek), to nourish from the eternal values of the Torah as will been explained. 

 For during each of the seven days we spend in our sukkas we have the opportunity to absorb spiritual ‘nutrients’ that provide a far greater visual range– a broader and sharper perception of ourselves, others and our world then we would have ordinarily been able to obtain without this mitzvah.  

When compared to our sturdy homes, the halachic construction specifications of our sukkas call for a less then solid and contiguous structure. For example, the   ‘latticed’ roof – the s’chach – contains many small openings. Also there need be only a minimum of three ‘halachic’ walls which need only come to within three tefachim of the ground—lavud –and do not need to come all the way up to the s’chach.  The walls, also amazingly, do not even need to be located within the boarders of the kosher area of the sukka—dophin hakoma – as long as they are within four amos of it (about six feet).

    Several elements of these halachic parameters stand out.  The first is the degree of openness and seeming “incompletion” that is tolerated by the halacha.  We have an open lattice roof and walls that can seem to be somewhat incomplete. How, one wonders, could such a configuration be considered a suitable dwelling?  Yet it is precisely the idiosyncratic nature of this construction that allows us the opportunity to contemplate connections that might have eluded us from our vantage point within the solid shelter of our houses. These seeming ‘gaps’ thus can and do serve a lofty purpose.

 We are finite beings living in a finite world and our usual perception of reality is confined within the parameters of human consciousness. When the Yom Tov of Succoth arrives, however, the Creator allows us a glimpse – especially through the latticed s’chach and also through the other halachic ‘openings of G-dly consciousness. We, ourselves, cannot contrive this opportunity, only Hashem can afford us this glimpse into limitlessness. As is said in Koheleth which we read on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos, there is a time and a season for everything and only Hashem can create that time and season. For seven blissful days we are given a seasonal opportunity to live in a temporary dwelling that allows us to access a vastly expanded realm above and beyond time, place and limitation.

(Optioanl) [ In a worldly sense, to what can the s’chach and the walls of the Succah be compared?  In nature, the living cell is covered by a membrane. And so how do the necessary nutrients get into the cell ?  There are several routes inward, however, recently, scientists have discovered that miraculously, from within that membrane, molecules of a protein, called clathrin, assemble into a cage-like structure made up of lattice walls.  This latticed cage captures and transports nutrients,  hormones and other necessary substances into the cell.  When the job is done, these latticed walls spontaneously disassemble. 

So we too, through the mitzvah of sukka, assemble a latticed roof – the s’chach which allows for the ‘spiritual nutrients’ to become accessible to us, until the end of the festival. Now let us examine some of these ‘spiritual nutrients’ that come through the ‘lattice s’chach’ and possibly even through the walls of our sukkas.]

       The walls of the sukka bring us additional messages.  There are numerous fascinating laws concerning the walls of the sukka. Certain areas of a sukka can still be kosher even if its walls are under a roof or under the branches of a tree, as long as the wall or walls are within four amos of the kosher area. This wall, which is called – dofin a coma – a bending wall, is now  able to serve as a kosher wall to complete the sukka, even though a person would not be fulfilling the mitzvah of sukka by eating or sleeping in that area.

Perhaps we can offer the following insight. Each of us has a part of our personalities which can be understood through the metaphor of the wall. A physical wall can serve several purposes – it can define living spaces and provide staging areas in which we can organize the activities of life. Indeed, with respect to tefillah, we are taught to select a makom kavua—a designated place– in our shul or in our home where we can daven.  Walls provide much needed privacy, stability and security. Just as physical walls perform these functions, so too do psychological walls.  We build psychological barriers to shield ourselves from unwanted influences and undesired intrusions.   However, there are times that these “walls” can work against us. If, for example, we allow the “walls” of our personalities to become too rigid a barrier between ourselves and others, then we lose precious opportunities for growth and connection. If, however, we allow ourselves to ‘bend over towards others’ by letting go of our personal idiosyncrasies, we then can unite with them in the building a ‘sukka of peace’ and cooperation.  Perhaps this is one of the many wondrous lessons that the Torah had in mind in giving us the law of the bending wall  – dophin hakoma.

This number seven is echoed in the number of days we spend in the sukka as well as the seven emotive attributes within each of us. Thus, not only does our stay in the sukka  help us to develop the attribute of humility, the time spent in the sukka also allows us to take advantage of each of the rectifying attributes of our seven ushpizin – Avraham Avinu through David HaMelek and through the various mitzvoth during this auspicious time.

When we spend seven days in the sukka, in the company of these special dignitaries of the Creator we are able to access the inner value of this special time and specific place.

            One of the well known sayings of the Bal Shem Tov is: “You are where your thoughts are.” Even though the Yomim Tovim will pass, we can continue to dwell in the holy ‘conceptual atmosphere’ of the sukka with its profound symbolism.  May we merit to nurture these ideas and feelings throughout the whole year thereby bringing closer the final geula soon in our days.

              Through the year we dwell in homes that are solidly constructed to provide us with insulation, protection and privacy. The security we experience in these dwellings is a paradigm for the external reality of  nature, which cloaks the Creator‘s essence within it.  When we leave our homes to dwell in the Sukkah, we are proclaiming that we desire to relinquish our man-made “security” for true Divine protection. 

 We are then prepared to enter the spiritual realm called Succah.  In this realm we encounter the Divinely inspired influences of the Ushpizin –the special guests we invite into our Succahs.

           How many of us have thought about the following dichotomy? We all have seen how parents begin prodding their toddlers to walk and talk as rapidly as they are able, yet as soon as these same children get a little bigger their parents and educators are constantly telling and teaching these children, often in futility, to sit down and be quite. For the children this mixed message might be quiet confusing but there lies within this moshal a profound message for all of us.

             Indeed, in the first phases of life, our task is to learn how to walk and talk and use all of our efforts to “get up” on our own two feet and succeed in the world, however, if a person does not learn how to “sit down” introspectively and become “quietly” contemplative they will find themselves spending their entire adulthood trying to conquer the world instead submitting to their own inner spiritual calling. Perhaps one of the many invaluable lessons within the mitzvah of (leishev) to sit in sukkah is to teach us how to “sit down” in contemplation with our neshomos under the guidance of each days Ushpizin – the supernal sublime guests that grace our sukkah..

       To aid us in this transition Chazal teach that on each of the seven days of Sukkos one of our forefathers is invited to join us in the sukkah. They are our honored guests who educate us in perceiving our true purpose and potential that we can strive to attain throughout the year when we return back into our homes. This transition is best facilitated by opening our hearts and minds to the divine attributes that the seven Uspizin symbolize as the infra-structure of our spiritual stature.

            Under the influence of our forefather Avraham Avinu we can reveal and refine the trait of – chesed – loving kindness for the sake of Heaven.  Under the guidance of our forefather Yitzchak Avinu we are aided in developing the attribute of discipline so that our chesed can be constructively channeled.  Under the influence of Yaakov Avinu we are shown how to harmonize these seemingly disparate attributes of chesed and gavurah.

             Moshe Rabbeinu awakens the netzach Israel within us that links us with the eternal message of the Torah. Under the tutelage of Aaron HaKohan we learn to offer ourselves for service to the Creator thereby engendering greater peace in  the world.

            Yosef HaTzadik inspires us in our strivings towards righteousness through acts of purity. Finally the attribute of malchus, which is expressed through the kingdom of David HaMelech, is the power within us to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes  so as to harmonize our potential to reveal the will of the Creator in this world. This means that each day of Succos we each have been blessed with our own private supernal “tutors” who join us while we are enveloped within the mitzvah thereby aiding us to elicit from deep within us the seven divine attributes. 

                  Through following this spiritual prescription may we see to take the inner message of the sukkah back into our homes the whole year, thereby meriting to dance (stand up) and sing (speak) words of praise and gratefulness for each moment throughout our lives thereby meriting to soon dwell in the long awaited Sukkos David.    

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                                                                                                                                            We live in two realms simultaneously – the physical world that we can see, hear and touch and the spiritual world of  the neshama which is connected to Hashem and is accessible through thoughtful contemplation.  The Succah is the extraordinary instrumentality that allows us to make a smooth transition from the see – hear – smell touch world of the physical to the place of our neshama-consciousness.  In the Succah, we can actually experience the transformation; Whether we have carefully observed and absorbed this process as it was occurring or do so now in retrospect,  we can take this special consciousness with us into the rest of the year so that what happens on the neshama level does not remain hidden from us.  What is the nature of this transformation?

 The perception of change in the physical world is accomplished by enhancing our intellect through the acquisition of knowledge, by physical growth and sometimes by adorning ourselves and by changing or improving our environments and is accompanied by signs that we can perceive with our senses.   Thus a baby is weaned.  A child begins cheder. A youth learns a new masechta.  A young woman becomes a kallah. A family moves into a new home. However, when it comes to spiritual growth, unless we are paying attention to the subtle changes inside of ourselves  we can pass through various stages of spiritual growth without marking the event consciously. We see the results when eventually they manifest themselves as changes in our temperament and in our reactions, but that can take a very long time and sometimes by the time we “notice” the change we are not able to consciously work on it to enhance it or, r’l if it be a change down the ladder, to uproot it.

        To rebalance this, Hashem has given us Chodesh Tishrei in which  we are encouraged to participate in the spiritual rectifications necessary to meeting the challenges of the new year.  The Holy days of Tishrei which precede Succos teach us how to use in-sight and search our hearts with our inner eyes to root out those negative attributes that diminish our holiness.  We are then prepared to enter the spiritual realm called Succah.  In this realm we encounter the Divinely inspired influences of the Ushpizin –the special guests we invite into our Succahs. 

These, our Shepherds, aid us in the rectification and renewal of  the seven principal character traits that  form the infra-structure of our personalities: Under the influence of  our forefather Avraham we are aided in the development of  the trait of Chesed– the exercise of  loving- kindness for the sake of Heaven.  Under the influence of our forefather Yitzchak we are aided in the development of the trait of Gevurah  which is the use of discipline to direct and channel kindness so that it can be constructive rather than destructive.  Under the influence of  Yaakov Avinu  we are shown how to use Torah to develop Teferes which is the trait that harmonizes loving kindness and discipline.  Our next guest,  Our Teacher Moshe Rabbeinu helps us understand Netzach that eternal component within us that connects us to Hashem and makes it possible for us to fulfill the  Creator’s will.  Under the tutelage of Aaron HaKohan we experience Hod, splendor in service of Hashem. Yosef HaTzadik – Yesod  inspires us and encourages us to cleave to   moral purity in righteousness.  David HaMelech – Malchus demonstrates the power of royalty to orchestrate and combine all of these attributes and  implant in us those aspirations and decisions that will enhance our holiness and our ability to come closer to Hashem in the upcoming year.  

David Hamelech sings “ V’Ani tefilasi lecha Hashem . . .”    In a certain spiritual sense our Succahs are a form of concretized prayer which embodies those crucial elements that form us. Like ourselves, the Succah is composed of  earthly and heavenly components.  That combination of body and soul; of the material and the spiritual is epitomized by the s’chach – the thatched roof of our Succahs — because the s’chach represents the quintessential form of Divine protection and blessing. 

Thus by understanding the connection between the halachas of the s’chach and ourselves we can direct our lives throughout the whole year: 1) the s’chach must be made from material which originally grew from the ground—mechubar l’karka.  We too are connected to this physical world through our bodies and our senses which create a strong psychological bond to this world.   2) The material used for the  s’chach must be detached from the ground. Perhaps the Torah is thus declaring to us that in order to be elevated and reconnected to the Heavenly realm even while we are still living in this world we need to uproot our psychological, emotional and intellectual attachment to the nonessential pulls of this world 3) The s’chach must not be a  keli (vessel) which is capable of  receiving tumah—spiritual impurity. Although the halachas, laws, of  spiritual impurity are  very complex  and we thus are unable to cover them here, we can say that  most kelim that have import and value are susceptible to spiritual impurity.  Perhaps this third halacha of the s’chach is therefore coming to teach us that  we need to  be extremely diligent in annulling those prideful and self  righteous parts of our egos, replacing them with  a humble but sturdy sense of self respect.

 A halacha that directs the placement of the s’chach offers an additional illuminating insight. The roof of the succah must be sufficiently porous to allow rain to fall through it and ideally have openings large enough to allow us to see the stars.  We can learn a profound lesson from this halacha.  Even when we live in a permanent dwelling, with its impermeable ceilings, covered by a solid roof, we can look up and see right through this illusory protection to the true Protector,  Aveinu Shebashamayim.  

 This means that as we mature and become less dependent upon others and less enamored of the lures of this world, we can step up to a level of self nullification that  allows us to acknowledge the true Source of all security and sustenance in life.  This is a great lesson for us.  Our submission (bittel) to the will of Hashem’s Torah keeps us protected from the powers of tumah as symbolized through the s’chach which is the conduit for Divine protection and revelation. May we merit to take the message of the s’chach back into to our homes opening our doors and our hearts to the will of Hashem.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

         One of the most famous confrontations in history has an interesting “footnote”.  We are informed by the Midrash that the battle between the angel of Eisav and Yaakov was so intense that the “dust” it raised reached the Kisei Ha-Kavod., and then we are told wondrously that all the successes of Yaakov Avinu, in business ventures and in battle (challenge) as well as the success of all of his descendants throughout the ages comes in the merit of this “dust of contention”. (Shir Hashirim Raba: 3:6:2)

              These puzzling and profound statements warrant further attention but before we look into the spiritual molecular structure of this “dust,” we will add one more dimension and that is the element of time. Our holy Zohar (Vayikra 100b) implies that our tikun of that battle takes place on the evening of Yom Kippur.It is also well known in our holy Sarfim that in every interaction there are always three components of: person (nefesh), place (makom) and time (zman).   Yaakov Aveinu and Eisav represent the two diametrically opposed aspects of nefesh – moral extremes of good and bad.  The gid hanasheh corresponds to mokom – place since it is the mechanism which allows us to position ourselves in the physical and moral planes. [In the Tikuni Zohar it is written that the gid hanasha corresponds to media of tzadik which corresponds to the attribute of yesod – (tikun 18 duf 32b)]. The third component is Yom Kippur which is separate and apart from the rest of the calendar year [that Rashi brings from one pashot in the Tana devay Eliahu – Raba – perek alef on Tehillim (139 pusack 16) indicating that Yom Kippur is a uniquely sanctified day. [also see the Sefer Likutey Moharan – simon 179].

              To the above we could ask a few obvious questions. Are all bracas for parnosa and success in overcoming challenges pre-ordained “gifts” than we do nothing to deserve them? Also what is the significance that this “soul battle” took place specifically on evening of Yom Kippur? Also what is the deeper meaning of this “dust” that guarantees these blessings of parnoasa and success throughout the generations?

             We begin our analysis with the understanding that every human being is a composite of soul and body, intellect and emotions, the spiritual and the physical. When we make choices in our everyday activities – those choices can either align us with Hashem’s purpose for us or send us floundering in the opposite direction. It is through seeing and living life through “soul perspective”, which is “cosmic view” of the world, that allows us to traverse safely the occasional bumpy “terrain” of life’s challenges.                                                      

               As is well known, Esau, who came with four hundred men to confront Ya’akov, symbolizes the yetzer hora’s efforts to try to upset this synergistic balance. That night Yaakov returned over the Yabuk to collect – pachim ketanim – small vessels and had a dramatic encounter with the angel of Esau. Near the end of the battle, Yaakov’s gid hanasheh, the cord/sinew that coordinates balance and movement and allows us to effect a change in physical position, was dislocated. Perhaps we can say that the gid hanasha not only represents the pivotal point for movement but also symbolizes the moral direction we choose.

            Interestingly, the exact size army that Esau came with is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word for straw (KaSh) spelled  – Kuf Shin. The nature of straw is that each strand itself is easily broken, but when many strands of straw are bound together they become strong and resilient. So to in life, each individual small incident, like a piece of straw, can be seen as relatively insignificant and be easily torn (discarded), however if one allows themselves to “bundle up issues” until the some total of them looks and feels as strong as the army of Esav then even these minor but now bundled confrontations within daily life can seen and felt as overwhelming.

         From this insight perhaps we can now add an additional reason why our Sages have told us not to bundle mitzvos together to teach us that also individual challenges throughout our daily lives should also never be bundled together, but each incident should be dealt with appropriately unto itself and the “emotional chaff” immediately discarded. Thus if someone at various times does something to annoy us, we should deal with each challenge with a fresh open-minded objective solution oriented perspective and not allow any bundling of past aggravations and annoyances into the picture. Another example of bundling can be for example multiple annoying issues besiege a person like an emergency arises to take someone to the hospital but the car in front is moving too slowly or the secretary at the registration desk is rude, or the waiting time to be seen seems forever. The strategy in order to maintain one’s emotional equilibrium and equanimity is to always keep separate each contentious issue (piece of kash) and thereby much more easily diffuse the intensity of that days tests of character.

 The conflict between Yaakov and Eisav symbolizes the quintessential battle between selflessness and selfishness. The Zohar in Parshas Toldos informs us that everything that Yaakov Avinu did was for the sake of Heaven (l’Sham Shamayim). The Midrash tells us that Yaakov is the symbol of the Yetzer Tov while Esau corresponds to the Yetzer Hora. At the end of the titanic struggle that lasted until the break of dawn, Yaakov Avinu was able to triumphant over the angel of Esau. Our forefather Yaakov, like his predecessors Avraham and Yitzchak, was able to successfully realign his spiritual genetic propensities thus enabling us to be the perpetual beneficiaries of this treasury of moral refinement.

        The avoda of Erev Yom Kippur also plays an important part in this transformation because this day is the “entranceway” that lies between the material and the spiritual realms. On Erev Yom Kippur we are asked to live in seemingly disparate realms. We spend the day examining our actions and our motives in an effort to do sincere teshuvah and immerse in the waters of purification (the holy mikva) and yet are commanded to eat more than usual throughout the day with culminating with a full seuda. By fulling this mitzvah of eating well the Sages have told us that is it thereby considered as if we had fasted two days. This perhaps can be understood to mean that Erev Yom Kippu through, ironically, eating becomes sanctified like fasting on Yom Kippur itself. That being said we can now understand better that what our Sages have told us to be exceedingly careful each Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov because naturally the obligations of preparation and emotional height is far greater than the rest of the year. So also we can therefore surmise is Erev Yom Kippur which is referred to as Shabbos Shabboston. Therefore true success in making ourselves a vessel to receive holiness and blessings that come on the holidays is to not buddle issues which could lead to confrontations and instead stand up to each challenge and deal with it only at its core root as Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov instead of battling four hundred united (bundled) warriers he battled with the ONE root of their existence (the angel of Esav) and thereby overcame (annulled) the potential confrontation of all of them.  By radiating an arua of respect and concern for others, regardless of which incidents arise, then we can be assured to have made ourselves a fitting vessel (cle) to receive the blessings that Yaacov merited for parnosa and success.    

        On Yom Kippur we are compared to malakim because we are not limited to the realm of this mundane world. It is a time and opportunity to reach new levels of closeness to G-d through the power of prayer. The eve of Yom Kippur can bring with it a shift in consciousness from the earthly to the spiritual realm, with the “break of dawn” perhaps symbolizing the new light of day which has the power to shine its beneficence throughout all the rest of the year.

           May we all merit to transform each challenging situation from the “dust of potential confrontation” into the “gold dust of actualized conciliation” thereby meriting to bring closer the final redemption (geula) – may it be soon in our days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia