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Shabbat Chol HaMoed Succot
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Cleaving to the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

You shall Dwell in Succot Seven Days

"Thank HaShem for He is Good, forever is His kindness!"

This verse is said numerous times on Succot when waving the Lulav. Indeed, thanking God is one of the dominant themes of the festival of Succot, 'our time of happiness', for thanksgiving is key to achieving true happiness. One of the reasons Succot is so connected to happiness is because Succot commemorates the tabernacles/clouds of Glory that were used on Israel's journey to the Land of Israel. This 'dwelling' of Israel used even in the Diaspora on the way to the Land of Israel highlights how one can already begin 'connecting to the holiness of location/dwelling', i.e to the Holy Presence of the Land, even 'on the way' to the Holy Land in the Diaspora. This realization that one is connected to the Holy Land even in the Diaspora gives one great joy, for ultimate happiness is in the Holy Land and especially in the Temple of Jerusalem, on which it says 'and you shall be happy before HaShem your God (in the Temple) seven days (of Succot).'

Indeed, the first place 'succot' is mentioned in the Torah is in context of the place Yakov rested and built shelters - 'succot' - for his livestock on his journey from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel! Nevertheless, the place Succot is not fully Diaspora, but rather is considered part of the Eastern Bank of the Jordan, which takes on the semi-holy status of the Land of Israel. Thus, we find the location Succot also in the books of Joshua and Judges in context of the Land of Israel. Interestingly, Succot is mentioned in the book of Judges in conjunction with Penuel, its neighboring city also mentioned in context of Yakov's journey to the Land of Israel. The name Penuel is explained explicitly in the Torah as Yakov proclaims: 'for I saw the angel of God ('el') face to face ('panim el panim') and my soul was saved'. This 'angel of God' is the angel Yakov fought throughout the night, the Angel of Esau, called 'Seir' (the 'hairy one'). Indeed, one of the main themes of Yom Kippur is sending the Seir (Goat) of Azazel, attributed to Esau, to the wilderness, thereby 'saving our souls'. In this way, Penuel corresponds to Yom Kippur, while location Succot corresponds to the holiday of Sukkot.

As we have mentioned before, the goal of Yakov's journey through Penuel and Succot was to settle in Hebron. This is Hebron, the City of Joyous Unity (hibur), which unites, as we unite the four species (representing time of harvest) with Hallel (said by people) on Succot(location), the elements of location (Succot, Penuel) with the elements of time (Succot, and Yom Kippur) with the elements and prototypes of our People, Yakov in specific, and all our Patriarchs and Matriarchs!

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Sample Prayer #5: 'Blessed... thank You for Hebron and Jerusalem (see previous issues), and thank You for the cities of Penuel and Sukkot. Thank You for granting us a Day of Atonement and thank You for the Festival of Sukkot! Thank You for the great joy emanating from our Holy Land and Temple, and thank You for granting me to say thank You!... " 

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