168 - Simchas Torah

As we come towards the end of the festival of Sukkos, a time dedicated to celebrating and our feelings of joy, it is relatively easy to gravitate towards those feelings of joy when we internalize just how much Hashem loves us and wants to be close with us. This is the King of the world, the Creator of the world. He cares about you personally. Not only does He care, but He wants to be close and intimate with you. The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that if we would know just how much Hashem loves us and wants to be with us, we would run so fast with the audacity and passion of a lion because we would be so in love and motivated to move towards Hashem. 

There is a heartwarming teaching about the law of the Sukkah. We know that the basic requirement in order to have a kosher Sukkah requires one to build two complete walls as well as a third wall which can be a smaller wall. If you stretch out your arm and then bend your elbow at 90 degrees and then bend your hand again at 90 degrees, you will see you have a shape of a Sukkah with two full walls and one smaller wall, the same shape that you give somebody a hug. When we sit in the Sukkah, we are receiving a hug and a kiss from Hashem.

And as always, our job in this world is to believe. If Hashem would come in a way that we were able to actually witness His hug and kiss, we would have no more free choice anymore. All of us would stop doing any form of sin and just run to Hashem with all of our might. But Hashem desires that in this world we should have free choice, and therefore we have to believe what we are taught. When we sit in a Sukkah, sometimes we might feel that motivation and inspiration, and sometimes we might feel very strong and close feelings of love and intimacy with Hashem. 

But other times, we might feel unmotivated. But as always, we should not fulfill our mitzvahs and live our lives just based on what we feel, because as human beings, we have ups and downs. But rather, our job in this world is to live lives of emunah, of belief. Whether we feel or we don't, we are walking into a Sukkah now and receiving a giant hug and kiss from Hashem.

Sukkos being the time of Zman Simchaseinu, the Gemara says that anybody who didn't see the celebration that would take place during the days of Sukkos has never truly witnessed Simcha in their lives, because there was so much joy and celebration and happiness, singing and dancing, and all forms of celebrating, ultimately, all due to the feelings of love that the Jewish people would express to Hashem. 

Let us remember the famous teaching of the Arizal, that a mitzvah that is performed with Simcha is completely different to that same mitzvah that is performed without Simcha. And as he testified himself, that although his service to Hashem in many forms was beyond anything we could begin to imagine, from his dedication to learning, to his pious practices and many other things, nevertheless, as the Arizal testified himself, the reason he achieved his greatness was due to his simple joy and happiness that he would express when performing mitzvahs, something that is available to every single one of us. Let us remember the Torah passage that outlines the curses that might befall the Jewish people. And as the Torah states, all due to the fact because we didn't serve Hashem with Simcha.

"Hashem, as we move now towards the end of the Chag of Sukkos, and in Your great kindness You gifted us with a new Chag, the festival of Shemini Atzeret and Simchas Torah, You have taught me that one of the most important foundations of all of the mitzvos is to perform the mitzvahs with enthusiasm and joy and gratitude. Thank You for all these incredible days of Sukkos that facilitated me an opportunity to be joyful. And thank You, Hashem, for the festival of Simchas Torah, where You have specifically prescribed that the way we celebrate the Torah is by singing and dancing throughout the festival. Thank You, Hashem, for all of the wonderful festivals that You have gifted us with, and ultimately for the opportunity to have a close and intimate relationship with You."