The verse says "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day fruit [of the glorious ('hadar') tree, i.e. an etrog]." (Lev. 23:40) This [tree] is that which is called 'fruit tree', and it has fruit within it [like the sefira of malchut that has the souls on their way down to this world adorning her, and from her they are borne into this world]. "Hadar Tree," as is written, "Honor and glory (hadar) are before Him." (Ps. 96:6) [Hadar/glory is placed after hod/honor in this verse.] Why is it called 'hadar' and who is hadar? It is the righteous [represented by the sefira of yesod, as in the verse: "the righteous is the yesod/foundation of the world" – just as the sefira of yesod comes after hod so the verse places hod before hadar/yesod].

Why is it called 'hadar'? It
[yesod] is a covered place, which is not revealed but should always be covered, yet glory is only upon someone that is revealed and seen [and if so, how are the righteous representing the sefira of yesod next to the sefira of glory?] Even though it is a covered level, it is the glory of the whole body, and there is no glory to the body but in it. What is the reason? Because one who does not have that level [of yesod, like a eunich] has no glory to come among people; he has no voice when he speaks1 because the glory of the voice is cut from him. He has no beard nor the glory of a beard. Even though that level [of yesod] is covered, all the glory of the body originates in it [and yesod has two levels,] covered and revealed. Therefore, it is the tree of hadar--a tree from which all the glory of the body comes. This is a "fruit tree yielding fruit" [hinting to yesod which yields fruit, however malchut is called "fruit tree"].

"Branches
('kapot') of palm trees (i.e. a lulav)" (Lev. 23:40) Here, a wife is included in union with her husband without separation. [Yesod includes the wife, representing malchut, with her husband who is Zeir Anpin, without separation, in the secret of the unification of Zeir Anpin and Nukva.2] "Branches of palm trees" together. ['Kapot' means connected.]

"And the boughs of thick leaved trees (i.e. a myrtle)": (Lev. 23:40) three [terms] and its [three] leaves, one on the side [of chesed, the right], one on the other side [of gevura, the left] and one [in the middle, representing tiferet merging the two] that dominates them.

"And two willows of the brook"
[representing the sefirot netzach and hod] which have neither scent nor taste [for there is no causation that comes from netzach and hod], like the aspect of legs in people (because the conscious command to walk or the fear causing flight are contained in the higher sefirot whereas hod and netzach carry out the orders – like walk or run).

Lulav [representing the sefira of yesod] receives [and includes] them all [i.e. the chasadim in it] like the spinal cord in the body [being the pillar that reaches up to da'at/consciousness]. It protrudes above [where the myrtle and willows reach when they are bound to the lulav] by a hand's breadth, and so it [the lulav] needs to be [opposite da'at Above, for the yesod draws down there the drop for the union, which is a drop from chesed, gevura, tiferet netzach and hod which are the myrtle and the willows] in order to perfect [the partzuf of Zeir Anpin for there is only perfection in him if he produces] and bring forth all [types of souls that flow into the world] for proper union [with malchut].

With these species
[the lulav and its components that correspond to chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach, and hod, together representing all 7 sefirot] one must show himself before G‑d.

Also
[another reason the word Sukkot is written at times with a vav and at times without]; they are all read "Sukkot," (as if spelled) in full [i.e. when Israel sits in a sukkah, it is considered like they are sitting in the shadow of Zeir Anpin, the secret of the letter vav]. When it is written "Sukkot," without the vav, this refers to the lower world [which is malchut, in her aspect of "lacking"]. Malchut has to feed the other appointed Ministers of the world during these holy seven days [and therefore we sacrifice 70 bulls on behalf of the 70 other nations of the world during the Festival of Sukkot] while She still receives joy from Her husband. Their offerings are more plentiful than usual so that they are occupied with them and do not mingle in the joy of the children of Israel. What is the joy of the children of Israel? This is on Shemini Atzeret [the 8th day of the Festival, for on that day there is a great unification Above of Israel in joy with its Creator].

Come and see: while the other appointed princes are rejoicing and eating that food
[the portion of the bulls] that the children of Israel prepare for them [the rectifications of the Shechinah and Her adornments, through this], they prepare a throne for G‑d from Below to elevate Her [malchut] up with these [4] species, with the joy, with praise [of the Hallel prayer, which is said in full all 8 days of the Festival], and by circling the altar [with the 4 species at the time the Holy Temple existed; nowadays we circle the Bima, the Torah reading table in the synagogue].

When She ascends [during each of the 7 days of the Festival] and receives blessings [from Zeir Anpin] and joy [from Imma, who together is] in Her husband. [Zeir Anpin, and She unites with him]. The other living creatures—appointed princes of the nations [receive the portions from the bulls of the Festival]—they eat and chew well, [and the rest of the food] they trample with their feet [as in Daniel 7:7, "the 4th beast ...devoured and crushed and stamped the remains with its feet."], and they are sustained. She [the Holy Shechinah] takes the souls of desire and elevates them [through the uniting with Zeir Anpin] as we have said.

As She descends and holds all the blessings
[from Zeir Anpin] and holiness [from Abba] and delights [from Imma] that the children of Israel draw down during all these seven days, through these actions [for the Shechinah is joined to her Husband only through the power of the good deeds of Israel] they become close to Her. Then She descends to be close to Her children and to make them happy for one day.

That day is the eighth day
[which corresponds to malchut, which is the 8th to the 7 sefirot of Zeir Anpin3], because all the other seven days [i.e. sefirot] are with Her, as explained. Therefore, it is the eighth [corresponding to the malchut], and it is [the 7 sefirot of Zeir Anpin and malchut] eight days united. Therefore, it is called 'Atzeret'/ gathering, because all [of the 7 sefirot of Zeir Anpin] gather together [with malchut] on that day of Shemini Atzeret, and it [malchut] is called 'eighth'. It is eighth only because of the inclusion of the seven [meaning the malchut is the 8th to the 7 sefirot of Zeir Anpin, and it is called Atzeret, for all are gathered with her].

BeRahamim LeHayyim: Why did the Ari and Chida include this section? What do they want us to learn?

Inside and Outside. These are the areas that require tremendous deliberation during Sukkot. According to the Kabbalah, all of the detailed mystical devotions during blessing are shelved for the first three weeks of the month of Tishrei, other than those of waving the Four Species and the Hakafot circling.

During these times, we are to be completely present and mindful. Waving is not just "Shake, Shake, Shake" in 6 directions. On the contrary, energy out and energy in is done super slowly with exquisite deliberation to fix all aspects of the six directions, the six directions all being brought ultimately to one's heart [where the lulav is to lightly touch]. That rectifies man inside.

On the outside, the surrounding energies are fixed by the circling of the Bima. Each day we heal a different aspect of our outside light, And on Hoshanah Rabbah, the 7th day of Sukkot, we include them all in our 7 circuits. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah's circles help complete this process in joy.

On the contrary, the mitzvah of a Sukkah requires mere dwelling . We take in the surrounding light of the sukkah and internalize it by eating and drinking while breathing in its rarefied air.

Both Outside and Inside, Inside and Outside. The entire process of the Days of Awe are fulfilled in joy: joyous waving, joyous circling, joyous dancing, and joyous parties.

What does the above mean for your Sukkot, and why is it being revealed to you now?


Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
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