The Kingdom Of Yishmael Gets A One Day Reprieve On Succos each day we bring Parim, oxen for a Korban. On the first day we start with 13 and bring one less each successive day, for a total of 70. We also bring other korbanos with them, including a Sa’ir or goat for a Chatos. On the first two days the Torah calls this goat a S’ir Izim. On the third just plain Sa’ir. The on the fourth once again it is called S’ir Izim with the rest of the days it only calls it a Sa’ir. Why the different term on these particular days?
It is said in the name of Vilna Gaon that we know the 70 oxen represent the seventy nations who will ultimately cease to hold power over us. The two chief nations are Yishmael and Edom which is Eisav. Each of them head a contingent of 35 nations apiece. Yishmael is called S’ir Izim and Eisav Sa’ir.
First we bring korbanos for the 35 nations of Yishmael since as the son of Avrohom Avinu he goes first. The first two days we bring 13 and 12 oxen respectively for a total of 25, and we also bring a S’ir izim. Being that Yishmael only has ten more left and the third day when we bring 11 which would be too many for Yishmael, we bring it for Eisav instead together with the Sa’ir. The fourth day we bring 10 oxen and a S’ir Izim to finish up Yishmael. The rest of the days are for Eisav and we a bring a Sa’ir.
On Succos Hashem Demands A Recount! The Medrash Tanchumah says that the first day of Succos is called “Rishon L’Cheshbon Avonos”, the first day that Hashem starts to count our aveiros since we did Teshuva on Yom Kippur. What about the aveiros we commit in the days in between Yom Kippur and Succos? Do they not count?
The gemara in Yuma (86b) says that when we do Teshuva out of fear “Zidonos Na’aseh K’Shgagos”; Hashem considers the aveiros we did intentionally as if we did it without intent and does not punish us. However when we do Teshuva out of love “Zidonos Na’aseh K’Zichuyos”; our aveiros turn into mitzvos. That is the power of Teshuva Mi’Ahava.
Rav Levi Yitzchok MiBeridchev (Kedushas Levi) explains that on Yom Kippur we do Teshuva out of fear. We want to have a good year and know that our fate will be sealed on that day. Therefore Hashem ignores our aveiros and we are granted a good year. Succos on the other hand is a Yom Tov of Simcha and great joy. It is a time when we do Teshuva out of extreme love for Hashem. We sit in the Succah and enjoy Hashem’s presence. Therefore all our old aveiros are now turned into mitzvos.
Therefore explains the Kedushas Levi when Succos starts and we do Teshuva Mi’Ahava, Hashem takes out all the aveiros that he “threw away” after Yom Kippur when he forgave us and starts to count them again. Why? Because now that they turned into mitzvos Hashem wants to recount them in order to credit us for these “mitzvos”.
The Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Succos Connection The Baalei Mussar say that the three Yomim Tovim in Tishrei, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Succos are all one long continuous Yom Tov, all with the purpose of fully returning to Hashem.
Rosh Hashana is the day we start this process by reflecting and contemplating where it is that we stand in our relationship with Hashem. After realizing that we are not where we should be and how far we have drifted, we spend the week between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur regretting and repairing the damage. On Yom Kippur Hashem forgives us and we start our relationship anew.
Succos we leave our home and go on a second honeymoon where we enjoy Hashem’s company in Hashem’s honeymoon getaway; alone together in the quiet of the succah, free from the distractions of the rest of the world.
A Succah Screaming From The Rooftop At the end of time, Hashem will give all the nations one last chance to earn eternal life. He will challenge them to perform the mitzva of Succah. The gemara (Avodah Zara 3a) says they will all go out and build succos on their roofs. Hashem will then take out the boiling hot sun until they all run away from their succos and fail their last test. If Hashem is being so kind to give them another chance after all they have done then why spoil it with an unnaturally hot sun? Moreover the gemara says they are allowed to leave the succah under extreme temperature and they were only punished for kicking the succah on the way out.
The Ben Ish Chai explains that they didn’t really want to sit in the succah in the first place. They purposely built them on the roof where the sun is at its hottest rather than the cool courtyard that is protected from the sun. Hashem gives every person what he really wants. He didn’t punish them with a hot sun, rather He gave them the excuse to leave that they were looking for.
Maybe we can offer another explanation B’derech Drush. The gemara in Succah 49b says that even mitzvos that are performed in public like Hachnosas Kallah must be done as discreetly as possible, since the Pasuk of Hatzei’a Leches to go modestly is written in the same pasuk as the mitzva of Hachnosas Kallah. Succah is the most private of Mitzvos. It cannot be performed publicly but only in your own private succah, as we leave everything and everyone and have Yichud with Hashem. It is purely Lishma with no neighbors watching.
Succah was the test of the other nations to see if they are ready to be alone with Hashem even with no one watching. What did they do? They went out and built the succah on their roofs so everyone can see that they are doing a mitzva. To
this Hashem said no thank and turned up the heat, chasing them all away.

We do so many things for public recognition. Mitzvos are not meant to be done while shouting from the rooftop. One time a year we are trapped. On Succos it is just us and Hashem. Halevai we can take succos with us the whole year and perform
all our mitzvos in a succos like atmosphere, caring only about serving Hashem and not looking over shoulder to see who is
watching.
On Succos We Learn To Hide From Yom Kippur There are a number of reasons given for the connection between Succos and Yom Kippur and why they are so close together. Some say that Galus is Michaper and therefore if we have been given any harsh punishments,our Galus and leaving our house should be a kapara instead.
Rav Shimshon Pincus answer answer that after Yom Kippur we are Baalei Tshuva. Like any Baal Tshuva, after being bitten by the bug we must take measures to make sure that it lasts and we don’t quickly revert back to our old ways. The biggest challenge is when we go back to our old surroundings and hang out with our old friends. They certainly won’t take our change in stride, and after the initial ridiculing, many are bound to just throw in the towel and go back to their old self. The best course is to leave your social network and find a new one. Similarly after Yom Kippur we leave our home and our lives and go live with Avrohom, Yitzchok, Yaakov, and all the Ushpizin who encourage our change.
Another possible explanation may lie in the minhag to say L’Dovid Hashem Ori until Hoshana Rabba as it says “Ki Yizpineini B’Sucoi B’Yom Ra”, because Hashem concealed me in his Succah on the evil day. This is a remez to the Succah. Maybe the lesson here is that often during the year we will find ourselves in a tough spot. No one has a perfect year. But Hashem teaches us the secret to making it through the year no matter what our fate has in store. “Hide in my tent! Conceal yourself in my shadow.” When we are with Hashem, no matter what is going on around us life is always perfect. In good times and in troubled situations the best place to be is near Hashem. It doesn’t matter what is going on outside or what your Chasima was, inside with Hashem it is always pleasant.
Lulav & Esrog – Small Investment, Amazing Returns The Medrash says that it says by Yetzias Mitzrayim – “V’Lakachtem” you should take a piece of “Eizov”, grass and dip it into the blood of the Korban Pesach. The medrash then says that the eizov costs but a few pennies yet it earned us the reward of the wealth of Mitzrayim, first when we left, then again at the Yam Suf, and then again from Sichon and Og and all the nations that lived in Eretz Yisroel.
By Lulav and esrog it also says “V’Lakachtem”. A good Lulav and Esrog which can cost a small fortune will return a far greater reward then the very appealing reward we received for the little blades of grass. If you spent a lot of money on your Arba Minim, you may not be smiling now – but when the rewards start coming….ahhhh!

Created By Avrohom Sherman
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