Four Ways to Recognize the Presence

This month we are featuring a special double-length column from Carl Kinbar, who regularly writes the Sofer column.

The month of Tishre is packed with holidays. Four days after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the joyous holiday of Sukkot begins. This year, Sukkot comes at the end of September.

“‘At that time, You shall dwell in booths for seven days . . . .’”(Lev 23:42).

Dwelling in a booth, or Sukkah (the temporary structure set up only for Sukkot), is the most characteristic aspect of this holiday. We eat, drink, and sleep in the Sukkah. Thus, the mitzvot (commandments) that are kept on Sukkot relate deeply to our ordinary physical existence in the world. At the same time, these routine, physical acts of life are transformed in the Sukkah. We are reminded that the Holy One is our dwelling place, by whose mercy we eat, drink, and sleep in this life:

“‘ . . . And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of a beautiful tree [etrog], palm branches (lulav), the branch of a myrtle tree (hadas) and willow branches (aravot), and you shall rejoice before the Eternal One, your God, seven days . . . ’”(Lev 23:40).

These four—the etrog, palm branches, myrtle and willow branches are together called the Four Species. While the Temple stood, the mitzvah of the Four Species was performed there all seven days of Sukkot. Outside of Jerusalem, it was observed only on the first day. But after the Temple was destroyed, the rabbis ruled that the Four Species should be waved in all places for seven days. So, for seven days, we not only eat, drink, and sleep in the Sukkah, but also we wave the Four Species.

But why? The commandment to wave the Four Species is different from all other holiday-related mitzvot in a very important way: The Torah offers no reason at all for this mitzvah. Torah gives us reasons for eating matzah on Passover, for fasting on Yom Kippur, and for

Continued on (Sofer)