The holiday of Sukkot

271. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). "You shall dwell in booths (Heb. Sukkot) seven days" (Vayikra 23:42). It is a commandment to dwell in a Sukkah. We explained that its purpose is to show that Yisrael dwell in the secret of Faith, THE SECRET OF THE SHADOW OF THE SUKKAH entirely without fear OF DENOUNCING, since the prosecutor has already separated from them ON YOM KIPPUR THROUGH THE GOAT GIVEN TO AZAZEL. Whoever is in the secret of Faith dwells in a Sukkah, as we explained from the words, "all that are home born in Yisrael shall dwell in booths" (Ibid.), THAT IS, whoever is in the secret of Faith of the seed and root of Yisrael shall dwell in Sukkot. This mystery was brought in several places.

272. The following commandment is to offer a daily sacrifice ON THE SEVEN DAYS OF SUKKOT. Everyone should have a part in that sacrifice, in His children's joy, SINCE THE SEVENTY BULLOCKS CORRESPOND TO THE SEVENTY MINISTERS OF THE NATIONS. They are all attached to the tree, ZEIR ANPIN, since the branches below that come from the root of the tree are all blessed because of the tree. Even though they are useless, THEY are all ALSO blessed. Yisrael rejoice in their Father in heaven, NAMELY IN THE ROOT OF THE TREE, and they give a portion of the blessings to the rest of the nations, who can hold and do hold to Yisrael.

273. All those offerings, THE SEVENTY BULLOCKS, were made to give nourishment to all the ministers appointed over the other nations, since for the love the Holy One, blessed be He, has for His children, He wants all THE MINISTERS to be their friends. This is the meaning behind, "When a man's ways please Hashem, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Mishlei 16:7). THAT IS, even the highest prosecutors become again friendly with Yisrael. When the celestial forces again become friends to Yisrael, those below do so even more.

274. You may say that the sacrifices were offered to them, TO THE SEVENTY MINISTERS. This is not so, but everything was offered and sacrificed to the Holy One, blessed be He, and He divides the nourishment among the multitudes of the other sides, NAMELY THE MINISTERS OF THE SEVENTY NATIONS, so they will enjoy His children's gift and again become their friends. Thus it shall be known above and below that there is no nation like Yisrael, who are the portion and lot of the Holy One, blessed be He. And the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, rises above and below as it should and all the celestial multitude start by saying, "And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, like Yisrael" (II Shmuel 7:23). End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).

275. Rabbi Elazar opened with, "Thus says Hashem; I remember in your favor, the devotion of your youth..." (Yirmeyah 2:2). This verse was said about the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS MALCHUT, when she was walking with Yisrael in the wilderness. "I remember in your favor (lit. 'Chesed')" refers to Aaron's cloud, WHICH IS CHESED that traveled with five other CLOUDS, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD that joined over you and shone upon you. "Your love as a bride" (Ibid.) AS THOSE CLOUDS that incorporated you, adorned you and bedecked you as a bride wearing her jewelry: why all that? Because, "you did go after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown" (Ibid.), BECAUSE SHE WALKED WITH YISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS.

276. Come and see, when man sits in this apartment, IN THE SUKKAH, which is the shadow of Faith, the Shechinah spreads her wings over him from above and Abraham, WHO IS CHESED and five other righteous, THE SECRET OF GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD fix their dwelling with him. This is the meaning of, "You shall dwell in booths (Heb. Sukkot) seven days" (Vayikra 23:42). It is written, "seven days," WHICH ALLUDES TO CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, instead of, 'in seven days.' Similarly it is written, "for six days Hashem made heaven and earth" (Shemot 31:17), INSTEAD OF 'IN SIX DAYS.' THEY TOO INDICATE THE SUPERNAL SIX DAYS, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD THAT MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH. One should rejoice every day with a joyful countenance in those guests, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT that dwell with him.

277. Rabbi Aba said, It is written, "You shall dwell in booths (Heb. SUKKOT) seven days," and then, "shall dwell in booths" (Vayikra 23:42). IT first SAYS, "You shall dwell" and then, they "shall dwell." HE ANSWERS, The first one is for the guests, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, AND THEREFORE THE TEXT SPEAKS IN THE SECOND PERSON. The second is for people in general, FOR WHICH REASON THE TEXT SAYS IN THE THIRD PERSON, "SHALL DWELL." The first is for the guests. Rav Hamnuna Saba, for example, when he entered the Sukkah, used to stay happily on the inner threshold of the Sukkah, and say, Let us invite the guest. He set the table, stood up and blessed, 'TO DWELL IN THE SUKKAH,' then said, "You shall dwell in booths seven days." Sit down, lofty guests, sit you down. Sit down, guests of Faith, sit you down. He joyfully raised his hands and said, 'Happy is our lot, happy the lot of Yisrael, as it is written, "for Hashem's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9). Then he would sit down.

278. The second MENTION IN THE VERSE, "SHALL DWELL" IN THE THIRD PERSON is for people in general, NAMELY, for whoever has a share in the nation and the holy land; he dwells in the secret of Faith to receive guests and rejoice in this world and in the World to Come. It behooves us to gladden the poor. The reason is that the portion of the guests he invited TO HIS MEAL belongs to the poor. He that sits in the shadow of Faith and invites these lofty guests, the guests of Faith, yet does not give them, NAMELY THE POOR, their share OF THE MEAL, all THE GUESTS stand back from him and say, "Do not eat the bread of him who has an evil eye..." (Mishlei 23:6). Thus the table he set is his, THE ONE WHO HAS AN EVIL EYE, and not of the Holy One, blessed be He. Of him it is written, "and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts" (Malachi 2:3). Woe to that man when those guests of Faith stand back from his table.

279. Rabbi Aba said, Abraham throughout his life used to stand at the crossroad to invite guests and set the table for them. Now, ON SUKKOT, if one invites him and all the other righteous and King David but does not give them their share, Abraham stands up from the table and cries, "Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men" (Bemidbar 16:26), and everyone walks away after him. Isaac says, "but the belly of the wicked shall feel want" (Mishlei 13:25), and Jacob says, "The morsel which you have eaten shall you vomit up" (Mishlei 23:8). The rest of the righteous, NAMELY MOSES AND AARON, say, "For all tables are full of vomit and filth, so that there is no place clean" (Yeshayah 28:8).

280. King David said, And He completes the execution of His punishments, as it is written, "And it came to pass about ten days after, that Hashem smote Nabal, and he died" (I Shmuel 25:38). HE ASKS, What does this mean, AND HE ANSWERS, This is because David asked Nabal to accept him as a guest, but he declined. Also he WHO SITS AT THE SUKKAH invited him, KING DAVID, yet did not give him his share. THEREFORE KING DAVID RECITED OVER HIM THIS VERSE ABOUT NABAL. During the ten days, when King David, MALCHUT, judges the world, DURING THE TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE, that man is punished for it, for rewarding him worse than Nabal, BY INVITING HIM YET NOT GIVING HIM HIS SHARE. NABAL AT LEAST DID NOT INVITE HIM.

281. Rabbi Elazar said, The Torah did not trouble man TO GIVE more than what he can afford, as it is written, "every man shall give as he is able" (Devarim 16:17). One must not say, Let me eat and be full and slake my thirst first, and give the rest to the poor. The first part belongs to the guests. He who gladdens the guests and gives them to drink, the Holy One, blessed be He, is happy with him and Abraham says about him, "then shall you delight yourself in Hashem" (Yeshayah 58:14), and Isaac calls, "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" (Yeshayah 54:17). Rabbi Shimon said, King David, WHO IS MALCHUT, recited this VERSE to him, because all the weapons of the King and the King's wars were delivered to David's hands. But Isaac says, "His seed shall be mighty upon earth...Wealth and riches shall be in his house..." (Tehilim 112:2-3).

282. (A) Jacob said, "Then shall your light break forth (Heb. Yibaka) like the morning" (Yeshayah 58:8), BECAUSE YIBAKA IS SPELLED WITH THE SAME LETTERS AS JACOB. The other righteous say, "and Hashem shall guide you continually, and satisfy..." (Ibid. 11). King David said, "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper," because he was appointed over all the weapons in the world. Happy is the lot of the man who merited all this. Happy is the lot of the righteous in this world and in the World to Come. Of them it is written, "Your people also shall be all righteous..." (Yeshayah 60:21).

(B) Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). It is a commandment to take a Lulav on that day with its kinds. We explained this secret, as did the friends. Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, takes Yisrael during those days and rejoices in them, so do Yisrael take the Holy One, blessed be He, as their portion and rejoice in Him. This is the secret of the Lulav and the kinds in it, the secret of the form of man, NAMELY THE SECRET OF THE SEVEN SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT. THE THREE MYRTLE BRANCHES CORRESPOND TO CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, THE TWO WILLOW BRANCHES TO NETZACH AND HOD, THE LULAV TO YESOD AND THE ETROG TO MALCHUT. We already learned this. End of Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd).