Torah Teasers
SUCCOS — V’SOMACHTA
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. Then on the fourth once again it is called S’ir Izim and 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 lead 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.

Why Is Succos On The 15th of Tishrei? Chazal tell us that Succos should really be on Pesach because that is when we came out of Mitzrayim. The Vilna Gaon says however that the 15th day of Tishrei is really the appropriate time. Succos commemorates the Nes that Hashem surrounded us with the Ananei HaKavod and protected us in the harsh desert. When did we get the Ananei HaKavod? Originally, when we came out of Mitzrayim but after the Cheit HaEgel they went away. Only when Hashem forgave the Cheit HaEgel and we started to build the Mishkan did they come back. That of course happened on the 15th of Tishrei.
Here is the calculation according to the Gra. On Yom Kippur Moshe came down from 40 days in Shmayim with the second Luchos. The day after that he gathered Bnei Yisroel and commanded them to build the Mishkan. For the next two days they brought all the material they donated. The day after the materials were distributed to the workers and on the 15th they began to work.

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.

The World’s Most Beautiful Succah… The reasons for going into the Succah, as given by the mefarshim, all center around the idea that we leave our permanent abode to live with Hashem. It is a reminder that the world is temporary, it is symbolic of us going into galus. Nevertheless, we find that it is a mitzva to beautify the succah. We decorate it. We must bring out all our expensive dishes. Why? Shouldn’t we keep it plain and simple. Why have the gashmiyus which we are trying to escape follow us into a ruchniyos dwelling?
There are a number of answers to this question but I’d like to share one with you that I heard from a (now terminally ill) Yid in Bnei Brak. The succah symbolizes our short time on earth. The seven days represent the seventy years of a person’s life. The temporary walls and leaky roof remind us that life is very flimsy and can end any moment. The only thing important is serving our creator who looks down on us at all times and is clearly visible if we bother looking up through the cracks.
By beautifying the succah we see the joke of our pursuit of life’s luxuries. Look around, are we not fooling ourselves? No matter how much money we have or where we live or what we drive, no matter how much we spoil ourselves and indulge in life’s decorations we are still living in a world that is as flimsy as a succah

Trade A Beautiful Esrog For A Three Legged Table In Olam Haba The perfect beautiful clean esrog is way out of budget for most of us ordinary citizens. Should we feel bad? Yes but no, says Rav Yehonoson Eibushitz. He explains his position with the famous story in the gemara about Rebbi Chanina Ben Dosa who was very poor until his wife begged him to plead to Hashem to send some money and gold leg came down from Shamayim. Afterward she had a dream that they sat in Gan Eden at a table with only two legs. What happened?
Rav Yehonoson Eibushitz says that tzaddikim only want money so that they too can give tzedoka. They don’t want to miss out on any mitzvos. This is why Rebbi Chanina’s wife wanted money. The two legs she saw in her dream were two of the three pillar of the world, Torah and Avodah, which they were mikayem to perfection and therefore had a table with golden legs. The third leg would have been gemilus chasadim which they were able to perform with their newfound wealth. The dream taught them that it is better not to have money. Why? Before they had money they dreamed about doing Chesed. Their intentions were perfectly lishma and 100% pure. For this they would have received the third leg in Gan Eden since they had no means to perform the mitzva their intentions substituted for their lack of action. Once they received their wealth and they were able to do the mitzva, it could not have been perfect. They somehow would have fallen short in performance of the mitzva. They may not give one person as much as they should. They might have had fleeting prideful thoughts about doing the mitzva. People can never be perfect. Only in their dreams! Therefore if you cannot do the mitzva, yet in your heart you yearn for it in the worst way, you are better off.
So when the fellow sitting next to you in Shul is showing off his spanking clean and beautifully shaped esrog, just smile and keep on dreaming for the day that you can have an esrog just like it. Hopefully for you it will never happen. And by hoping and praying year after year that next year will be your lucky year, you will be far better off.

V’Zos Habrochos Test Me! I Dare You. I Double Dare You.
1. Before giving the Torah, Hashem went to Seir and Mount Paran. Why? – In order to offer the Torah to the people of Seir (Eisav’s descendants) and the people of Paran (Yishmael’s descendants).
2. Why is Yehuda blessed immediately after Reuven? – Because both of them admitted their sin.
3. What covenant (brit) did Levi keep? – Bris Mila (circumcision).
4. Why was Binyamin blessed before Yosef? – Because the Beis Hamikdash, built in Binyamin’s portion, was “more beloved” than the Mishkan built in Yosef’s portion.
5. Which Tribe received the “best” portion of Eretz Yisrael? – Yosef.
6. Besides the sun, which celestial body helps fruit to ripen? – The moon.
7. If there were only 7 Canaanite nations, why did Yehoshua need to conquer 31 kings? – Since the Land was so desirable, all foreign kings and governments acquired palaces and property there.
8. What three things did the land of Zevulun possess? – Taris, a type of fish; Chilazon, a mollusk whose blood was needed for the techeles; and a type of sand needed for white glass.
9. What did visiting merchants see that inspired them to convert to Judaism? – They saw that the Jews serve one G-d and follow a unified kashrus code.
10. The tribe of Gad saw “the beginning — reishis.” The beginning of what? – They saw the beginning of the conquest of the land, and chose that as its portion.
11. The source of the Jordan River was in the territory of which tribe? – Dan.
12. Which tribe possessed the Kinneret? – Naftali.
13. The daughters of which tribe married High Priests and Kings? – Asher.
14. Who wrote the last eight verses in the Torah, starting with the verse “and Moshe died” – According to one opinion, Yehoshua wrote it. Rabbi Meir says Moshe himself wrote it with tears.
15. Who buried Moshe? – According to one opinion, Hashem buried Moshe. Accordin g to Rabbi Yishmael, Moshe buried himself.

Did you know….There are many midrashim and interpretations for the lulav and etrog. The Kabbalists say that the four species of the Lulav represent four different types of Jews:
1. The Etrog has a good taste and a good fragrance. It represents a person with both wisdom (Torah learning) and good deeds.
2. The Hadas (myrtle) has a good fragrance, but is inedible. It represents a person who has good deeds, but lacks wisdom.
3. The Lulav (date palm) is edible, but has no smell. This represents the person with wisdom, but without good deeds.
4. The Aravah (willow) has neither taste nor smell. It represents a person with neither good deeds nor Torah learning.
The Sefer Bahir, a kabbalistic work almost 2,000 years old, describes the four species as four parts of a human being:
1. The Etrog represents the heart, the seat of our emotions.
2. The Hadas (myrtle) has leaves shaped like an eye.
3. The Lulav (date palm) represents the spine, from where our actions emanate.
4. The Aravah (willow) represents the lips, our speech.

Created By Avrohom Sherman
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