On Sukkot

About six years ago a wonderful student of mine said to me, "I saw this movie. It's being passed around from one Israeli family to another. I really liked it and thought of you - thought you'd like it." She lent me a bootleg copy of a Hebrew - no subtitles - movie. I watched this small Israeli film that no-one heard of and found it sweet and strong. About a year later this movie, Ushpizin, became all the rage.

If you haven't seen this movie you're in for a treat. If you've seen it, it's a good time to re-watch Ushpizin. It's a beautiful movie about living faith. Early on in the story the main character tells his wife that Rabbi Natan, the protege of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said that if you see a lacking it's because of either a total or partial lack of prayer. His wife tells him to listen to his words and go pray. Then they each pray wholeheartedly. At the start of the film the protagonist is studying about the importance of not getting angry. It's theoretical until the film's denouement.

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The medrash (cited by the Tur Shulachan Aruch) explains that by the time Yom Kippur arrives we've been forgiven. Between Yom Kippur and Sukkot people prepare for Sukkot and don't sin. Sukkot is thus the opening day for sins. The Taz asks a strong question; from this it sounds like erev Sukkot is holier than Sukkot because on the days before it we don't sin but on Sukkot we sin. The Sfat Emet explains that we see from here the power of preparation!.

The Sfat Emet says that we see that there’s more power to the preparation for a mitzvah than in the performance of the mitzvah itself. This fits with the idea of saying a mitzvah oveir le’asiatan. Thus we hold an esrog upside down because the mitzvah happens so quickly. But preparing for the lifting of the lulav and esrog, as for any mitzvah is a long hard process made up of experiences that combine to make us who we are. Hachanah takes and is a lifetime. Sfat Emet adds that we may do a mitzvah incorrectly. But preparation, in feeling and thought - it’s all good. In preparation the effort is the key. (I heard the above cited ideas in a recent talk from Rabbi J.J. Schachter.)

This is similar to the pasuk which says that the Mishkan was dedicated on the eighth day. It was opening day, so it should say be called Day One, not Day Eight. Rav Yaakov Kaminetzki explains that we see from here how importance preparation is. (I heard this from my friend Jeff Korbman, who - if my memory serves me correctly heard it from Rabbi Frand.)