FAREWELL TO THE SUKKAH
Dear Friends:
Yom Tov is over. Now we return to the "Real World."
What! The Real World?
The Real World is Torah! The Real World is Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres!
Why is the theme of Gog and Magog, the ultimate war, so profoundly intertwined with the holiday of Sukkos? Our sages tell us that this climactic conflict will take place around the time of Sukkos.
Why is that?
Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch - at whose grave my wife and I stood a few short weeks ago - has an amazing insight. He connects the name "Gog" -- the leader of the worldwide coalition that will attack Israel shortly before the arrival of Moshiach [1] -- with the term "gog," "roof" in Hebrew.
The nations of the world represent the concept of "roof"; Israel represents the concept of sukkah. As Rabbi Hirsch states, "the whole content of the ... history of man is capsulized by this contrast. One erroneous notion leads mankind astray. Just as people have the power to put up ... strongly built artificial walls, to enclose their own sphere and safeguard it ... so they imagine that they should secure themselves against ... G-d and the effects of His power to direct matters. They think that they should take their fate into their own hands and protect themselves by their own power ... rendering them independent of G-d." [2]
This is in complete contrast with the Children of Israel, whose sukkah symbolizes our willingness to rely totally on G-d's protection, as we dwell under the open roof. As Rabbi Hirsch says, "world history begins with the building of the Tower (of Babel).... The builders of the Tower worshipped human power and sought to conquer heaven; the builders of the sukkah ... render homage to G-d...." [3]
Now, as we leave the sukkah, we have this to remember: ain od milvado, there is no power but G-d. Surely, my friends, we require this knowledge, because the nations are gathering for the final attack.
But why does the "roof" hate the "sukkah"? What do they care?
"Ata v'chartanu mikol ha-amim." You have chosen us from among all nations. [4] The gematria [5] of "Gog and Magog" is seventy, which alludes to the seventy nations of the world. They cannot bear to live in the same world with us, because our very existence destroys their pretense of power and invincibility. Their entire way of life is nothing more than an attempt to deny G-d's sovereignty. When they realize that they cannot do so, they try to defeat G-d, and so they continually work on their Tower of Babel.
This is their credo: "We rule the world. There are no limits to our power! And, by the way, there are no limits to what is permissible. We can act any way we want and we will enact laws to codify our desires. We have all the answers. Whatever we don't yet know, we will discover through the power of our brilliant minds!"
Arrogant nations! Here is what G-d says!
"Behold, I turn to you, Gog. I shall lead you astray and I shall affix hooks to your cheeks and lead you out ... a vast army .... Like a storm you shall come ... you and all your cohorts, and the many nations with you.... You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the earth.... Upon Israel's mountains shall you fall, you and all your cohorts and the nations that are with you ... for I have spoken!" [6]
This will be the fate of the Seventy Nations, the Army of Gog.
My dear friends, as we enter the Year 5770, we should know with confidence that we can rely upon the protection of the sukkah, which "teaches man to rely cheerfully on G-d's protection." [7]
No matter what happens, and there will be many tests, the Children of Israel have nothing to fear. As we have been saying for so many weeks, "G-d is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? ... Though an army would besiege me ... in this I trust... He will hide me in His sukkah on the day of evil...."
My friends, as we say farewell to our precious Yomim Tovim, let us remember that Avinu Malkeinu, our Father and King, has saved His precious lambs for thousands of years from the ferocious wolves. Soon will come the day we have been awaiting, a day of peace and tranquility, a day without enemies, a day when the Children of Israel will rejoice as one nation in the Sukkah made from the skin of the Leviathan! [8 ]
Roy S. Neuberger
