B"H
THOUGHTS FOR SUKKOS
Dear Friends:
What is it about a sukkah?
Let's look at the words we say twice daily during this holiday season.
"G-d is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? G-d is my life's strength. Whom shall I dread? When evildoers approach me to devour my flesh, my tormentors and my foes ... it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army would besiege me, my heart would not fear. Though war would arise against me, in this I trust. One thing I asked of G-d, that I shall seek: to dwell in the House of G-d all the days of my life, to behold the sweetness of G-d and to contemplate in His Sanctuary. Indeed, He will hide me in His Sukkah on the Day of Evil ...!" [1]
Hide me in His sukkah? How can you hide in a sukkah? Drive or walk through any Jewish neighborhood and the sukkahs stand out as the most prominent, noticeable feature during this season.
How can you hide in a sukkah?
We were in New York City on Tzom Gedaliah, the day after Rosh Hashana. You could not move if you were driving a car. There was almost universal gridlock, even worse than usual, because the heads of state and diplomats were gathering for the United Nations General Assembly. My wife and I happened to be in front of the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan when the entire street was "frozen" because of the arrival of a foreign potentate from a country of which I had literally never heard until then. Police sirens blared, a red carpet was extended to the street, news cameras whirred on every side as the president of this country and his first lady entered the hotel.
The enemies of Israel were gathering in New York to try to carry out the next steps in their plan to take away from us our precious homeland, of which it is stated, "To your offspring I will give this land." [2] The nations assemble, with smiling faces and exquisite diplomacy, in the name of world peace and harmony. And we, as usual, are the intended sacrificial lambs.
"Look from heaven and perceive, O G-d, that we have become an object of scorn and derision among the nations; we are regarded as the sheep led to slaughter, to be killed, destroyed, beaten and humiliated...." [3]
One lamb among seventy wolves.... How are we to survive?
My friends, we are NOT going to be the sacrificial lambs.
Those who gather at the United Nations believe they are the leaders of the world, but, "Behold, a day is coming for G-d, when ... I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for the war.... G-d will go out and wage war with those nations... His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives..." [4]
"Indeed, He will hide me in His SUKKAH ON THE DAY OF EVIL...!
How can we hide in a sukkah? What does it mean?
Isn't it interesting that the walls of the sukkah can be solid, but the top must be open to the sky. What is the difference between the walls and the top of the sukkah?
Perhaps G-d is telling us, as we sit in His holy sukkah, that we are not to look out to the sides. What goes on between nations is His business. We are not to be afraid. He will stand upon the Mount of Olives and destroy our enemies. Our business is "through the top" of the sukkah. Our business is to forge an eternal bond with the Almight-y G-d, to live by His Torah, to dwell in His protection.
Again, I will repeat the words uttered to me a few months ago by the Gadol, Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch. Rav Shternbuch said, "Do not worry about the headlines. The leader of Iran cannot harm us. The only thing of importance in the entire world is the relationship of the Children of Israel with the Ribono shel Olam, the Ruler of the world." [5]
My friends, the sukkah is open to the heavens and closed to the world. If we sit in this sukkah and bond with our Father in Heaven, learning and living His Torah and acting with unity and love toward our precious family, the Children of Israel, G-d will fight all the nations for us and bring about the greatest delivery in the history of the world! We are about to witness the Final Redemption of our people from two thousand years of Exile! It will not be long!
Remember the words at the shore of the Red Sea: "Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of G-d that He will perform for you today!" [6]
My friends, as we sit in the sukkah, with the top open to the Heavens, let us remember that our Father in Heaven has led us this far and He will never abandon us. Yeshuas Hashem b'keref ayin, the salvation of G-d comes in the blink of an eye.
The sukkah is indeed our secure domain, where we sit in the embrace of G-d and in the presence of our Holy Forefathers. As we dwell there, with the forces of evil gathering around us, we should know in our hearts and in our minds that the Final Redemption is very close, and "the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the wicked people and all the evildoers will be like straw and that coming day will burn them up, say G-d, Master of Legions... But a sun of righteousness will shine for you who fear My Name, with healing in its rays..." [7]
May it be Your Will, Al-mighty G-d, that our dwelling in Your holy sukkah and our waving of the Four Species may soon bring upon us that day of perfect protection and perfect simcha which Your children await with utmost longing and trust!
"Place your hope in G-d, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage. Ka've el Hashem!" [8]
Roy S. Neuberger
