The secret of the mitzvah to take a lulav bound up with the myrtle, willow, and citron on that day of Sukkot is the secret of the form of man. Just as G-d takes Israel as his own on these days and rejoices in them, so Israel also takes Him as their portion and rejoices in Him.
Before
Rosh Hashanah, Zeir Anpin and
Nukva are connected back-to-back, as a protective measure against the
External Forces. However, this is not an ideal form of
unification, or communication. Zeir
Anpin must first be put to sleep; his
intellectual facilities must ascend to Imma, rendering him unconscious.
After his wits return to him, and he and Nukva turn around to be
face-to-face, their "reuniting" progresses step by step. This process
transpires to a very large extent by way of the
mitzvahs of the lulav and the encirclings.
The eighth day shall be a solemn assembly [in Hebrew, "atzeret"]
for you.
The word "atzeret" is interpreted in Kabbala as a
term describing "Knesset Yisrael", the spiritual concept known as
"Congregation of
Israel". This concept, represented by
the Jewish people, gives meaning and purpose to the universe.
When used in
connection with the festival, this word conveys the idea that the Jewish
people, spiritually speaking, are the purpose of all these festivals. In
Kabbalistic terms, they are the
yesod , the "foundation", without which the entire legislation
of the festivals would lack meaning.
The People of Israel fully accepted the yoke of Heaven upon themselves on Rosh Hashanah, as they recited the phrase "Holy King" and "King of Judgment" in the holiday liturgy. The nations of the world, however, did not accept the yoke of Heaven upon themselves over Rosh Hashanah. It is the task of the People of Israel to bring the glory of G-d's kingdom to all of creation, even to the nations of the world, through the offering of the seventy bulls on the festival of Sukkot.
"Torah" usually connotes study: comprehension and
understanding; we view Torah as the ultimate intelligence. Nonetheless, our
divine service throughout Tishrei brings that which is higher than comprehension
down into bina. Torah, itself, incorporates theses dual aspects. The
Zohar identifies "Living L-rd" as the attribute of bina. From this we see
that Torah corresponds to bina.
Yet at the same time, Torah embodies G-d's higher name -
Havayah. Comprehension and understanding alone are insufficient to
pronounce legal rulings. Rather, self-nullification and exertion are required.
On Simchat
Torah, we dance to lively tunes while holding Torah scrolls.
Of this,
Chasidut says, "Man becomes the feet of Torah". By expressing our
boundless joy through dance, an attribute which exceeds understanding and
comprehension, G-d's Joy enters the Torah. We cause the Torah to obtain
happiness! And by dancing, we become the Torah's feet.
We dwell in a sukkah for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). Entering the sukkah we are immersed in the mitzvah, resulting in a level of union to the Infinite that is only available to us after the Days of Awe. While in the sukkah, we are "hugged" by G-d. As long as the one hugging is holding on, the one getting hugged can't leave. Secondly, it brings into the relationship the back of a person, a part of the body usually excluded.
Thus, as long as we do not leave the sukkah, the Almighty is still hugging us. Also, by living in the sukkah we are including parts of ourselves, i.e. sleeping, relaxing, etc., which are usually outside of our active relationship with G-d.
The joy of serving G-d during a tragedy is no match for the joy of the holidays.
The holiday of Sukkot, following the contemplative days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is in essence a continuation of the same repentance process, but with a special emphasis on joy and integration.
All the most inner, deep felt prayers of the previous holidays born in the heart and mind must now find practical ways to manifest themselves in the outside world.
Shaking the four species (palm, citron, myrtle and willow) to the six directions of space, by first holding them close to the heart and then shaking outwards, followed by bringing them back to the heart. The in-out, out-in, motion of shaking the four species is a potent symbol of unification and actualizing our goals and hopes for the new year.
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