Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
During the first phase of the repentance process on Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) most of the rituals that are observed are performed indoors in the synagogue. In contrast to this, the main service on the holiday of Sukkoth is performed outdoors in the temporary shelter - the Sukkah [from whence the name of the holiday is derived]. On the holiday of Sukkoth we leave our homes and reside in these temporary shelters in order to complete the next phase of the repentance process, without which our repentance would not be complete or sustained. How does the often flimsy Sukkah, whose roof consists of plant debree and other severed produce from the lowly ground, aid in our achieving the very lofty and holy level of full repentance and closeness to G-d? What does residing in the Sukkah, which consists of material derived from the lowly earth, accomplish that our intensive prayers in the synagogue were not able to achieve and complete? Why is it necessary for us to leave our homes and dwell in these booths to complete the repentance process? In the following paragraphs we will seek some of the answers to these quest;.ons as explained by Rabbi Nachman and his disciple Rav Noson.
Rabbi Nachman taught that every Jew, from the greatest Tzaddik (saint) to the lowest sinner, is in a constant state of repentance or return to G-d. The repentance process involves returning to G-d either when one is on a spiritual high or when one falls or ebbs and is on a spiritual low. It is necessary to return and connect oneself to G-d when one has risen to a higher spiritual level because success of any kind, including spiritual success, swells a person's ego and causes him to become comfortable with his achievement, making him lose his drive to work toward further spiritual advancement and closeness with G-d. So, since attaining a higher spiritual level can cause one to lose sight of G-d, when this occurs, one must get back on track and return or reconnect oneself with G-d despite the spiritual success.
It is also necessary to return to G-d when one has fallen to a lower spiritual level. Such a fall is actually a necessary part of coming close to G-d, as will be explained later, and occurs to (everyone, including the great Tzaddikim (saints). A person may become discouraged as a result of a spiritual fall and erroneously think that G-d doesn't tolerate such mistakes and no longer desires him or his service. Therefore, in this case one must strengthen himself to return to G-d, for this is what He desires. Even the holy King David, a spiritual expert, had to do repentance from both the "lows" and the "highs". He wrote about it in the book of Psalms to instruct us on what is to be expected when one seeks out G-d: "if I (King David] would ascend to heaven [and I would lose G-d because of my spiritual high], You [G-d] are there Cbecause I returned to You after losing You due to my spiritual success]; and if I were to make my bed in hell [by falling from my level due to my mistakes], You are there [I can return to You no matter how low I have fallen - even if I have fallen to the depths of hell through my sins]" (Psalms 139:8).
G-d causes everyone, even the greatest Tzaddikim,- to perpetually experience ups and downs throughout our lives in order to expose us to the broadest possible spiritual spectrum, maximizing our opportunities to discover G-d. Constant closeness with G-d is not sufficient in discovering everything about G-d. Distance is necessary as well just as one must observe a painting from close and from afar to truly appreciate the artwork. Therefore, G-d constantly throws a person down from a position of closeness with Him in order to further educate and enlighten him. Therefore, when we fall we should not become discouraged - it is all part of learning about G-d from a different perspective. G-d doesn't get upset with us about our fall, as long as we are committed to continue seeking Him out. This is called returning or reconnecting oneself to G-d in a balanced way, allowing the seeker of G-d to experience and perceive G-d in every phase of his life and bringing him to understand G-d both when one has earned closeness, while on a spiritual high, and after having fallen. In this way a person comes to fully experience G-d's mercy. This is wh Sukkoth immediately follows Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and is an integral part of the spiritual cleansing process. During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we spent the majority of our time in the holy environment of the synagogue in serious and intensive prayer. This is synonymous with reconnecting oneself and returning to G-d on a spiritual high, as we described above.
We fulfill the commandment of sukkah only outdoors. This is the place of where the forces of evil are found in abundance which is synonymous with connecting oneself and returning to G-d when one has fallen to a lower level. The service of the Days of Awe and of Sukkoth are both necessary in cleansing ourselves and in returning to G-d. It spiritually injects into our souls the ability to remain connected to G-d no matter where on the spiritual spectrum, we may be, whether on a spiritual high or at a spiritual low.
The desert is where the forces of evil abound. The fact that spiritually impure creatures such as snakes and scorpions, live there attests to the impure nature of the desert - a place of the forces of evil. This was precisely where the holy Jewish nation was required to traverse for 40 years. By adhering to G-d's will while in the realm of evil, they were able to destroy large numbers of evil forces and reclaim the holy sparks (invisible spiritual units of G-d's power that provide its possessor with life and power) that had become trapped there. The desert represents the bottom of the spiritual spectrum, as described above. The Jews had to encounter the evil forces found in the desert before entering the Holy Land, in order to connect the lowest spiritual spectrum to G-d. Upon entering the land of Israel, they would then connect the heights of the spiritual spectrum to G-d. When all ranges of the spiritual spectrum would thus be connected to G-d, it would allow His light to shine throughout the entire world and into every realm, allowing anyone to find G-d wherever they might be, from the spiritual heights of the holy places, to the depths of the filthy places, the spiritual wastelands. Thus every individual would be provided the spiritual powers needed to be able to find and connect to G-d no matter where they might happen to be.
The cleansing process from both the Days of Awe and Sukkoth provides us with the spiritual energy we need to connect ourselves to G-d throughout the rest of the year. Rabbi Nachman teaches that what is done at the start of the year influences the rest of the year, just as the head (Rosh Hashana, lit. head of the year) influences the body as the verse says: "The eyes of G-d your L-rd are on it [the land of Israel] at all times, from the beginning of the year (what. is done at the beginning is compared to the end, meaning what is done at the beginning influences what follows] until the end of the year" (Deut 11:12). The spiritual power we derive from the Days of Awe injects our souls with the desire and ability to find G-d throughout the year within the holy environment of the study-hall (Yeshiva), synagogue, and our homes (these places are protected from most of the forces of evil), and the spiritual power derived from the outdoor Sukkah injects our souls with the desire and ability to serve G-d when we are forced to go to the outside world, the places which are more vulnerable to evil forces. Fulfilling the commandment of Sukkah at the start of the year thus provides us with the spiritual power to be connected to G-d even when we are forced to go into the business environment (where very strong and multitudes of evil forces are found) or into the streets (the sukkah is able to have this influence only if we truly desire G-d to activate its power within us to maintain our connection with Him). Thus the start of the New Year can be defined in terms of reconnecting our severed links to G-d in every aspect of our lives. Which is the definition of true repentance.
As we mentioned above, the sukkah contains the same spiritual power as the Clouds of Glory. These clouds surrounded the Jews and provided them with one of the holiest environments known to man, despite their being in one of the most impure environments, one which is greatly connected to the realm of evil, the desert. As we mentioned, this enabled the Jews to connect the lowest spiritual levels and environments to G-d, to neutralize the evil forces found there and reclaim lost holy sparks that were trapped there. Therefore, sitting in the sukkah allows us to activate and absorb into our souls the actual spiritual power of the Clouds of Glory accessing this power for the course of the entire year. This means that wherever we go, even in the impure and filthy places, we are able to connect ourselves with G-d and reclaim the lost holy sparks that have become trapped in these places. The sukkah allows us to reach awesome spiritual levels, which can only be obtained by remaining connected to G-d in the low and filthy places as the Jews had done in the desert. The lower and filthier the place, the greater the holiness concealed there. [Note: The reason for this is because the greater the light, the more darkness is needed to cover it up so that humans can bear its intensity while maintaining the balance of free choice].
Now we can understand that, contrary to human thinking, it is when a person has fallen to the bottom of the spiritual spectrum, that he is able to absorb the highest and most intensive light of G-d. The darkness at the bottom acts as a filter and allows the individual to safely absorb G-d's most powerful light. This is why Rabbi Nachman taught that one should never be concerned about a spiritual fall. It is part of the necessary process of absorbing G-d's higher light. This higher light enables one to refresh and refuel his soul and reach even higher levels of holiness than would be possible by only being close to G-d. Rabbi Nachman calls this situation "a fall for the purpose of an accent". (Note: one should not intentionally go to the filthy places, for one might become trapped there. The power of the Sukkah can help only if one is inadvertently forced to go to these places].
The Zohar compares the sukkah to a "mother who protects or shelters her children." A mother loves her children no matter what they might have done wrong and tries to protect them whenever they are in danger, even if her children are at fault or unworthy. G-d acts in the same fashion. When any Jew has fallen, G-d injects high doses of holiness into the sinner to prevent him from falling further and to help the sinner recover and bounce back to reach even higher levels of holiness. The sukkah activates this spiritual safety-net at the start of each year, because G-d will never allow His precious children to totally fall away from Him. This is why Rabbi Nachman always emphasized there is never any reason for despair! G-d commanded that the sukkah be covered with the residue and waste material of the leavings of the threshing-floor or other types of plant refuse to show that just as we dwell in a flimsy booth covered by refuse to fulfill the awesomely holy commandment of sukkah, which brings us close to G-d as a child to its mother (Zohar), so too the sinner who is covered with mounds upon mounds of spiritual filth still retains his link to G-d and, when he decides to return, can reach awesome levels of holiness. The refuse that covers and is the main part of the holy sukkah infuses each Jewish soul with the ability to maintain his link with G-d even if he is covered with spiritual filth. By covering the sukkah with filth (this filth is spiritually connected to all other filth in the world) we incorporate all the filth in the world into the realm of holiness. Every person who sits in the sukkah is enabled to connect all the filthy places (which we will encounter during the upcoming year) to G-d.
The power of the sukkah enables us to connect and unify all opposites into one unity with G-d. This includes unifying and bringing peace to the various opposites we encounter in life such as the body with the soul, different groups and types of people, and most importantly, all men, including those who are most estranged from G-d. This is why the main activities performed in the sukkah are eating, drinking, and sleeping. These functions are physical acts and seem to be far removed from the spiritual nature of the sukkah. However, these acts are essential to preserving the health of the body, which enables us to better study the Torah and pray and to fulfill G-d's commandments so these physical activities which sustain the body's health, actually sanctify the body and connect it with the soul, thus joining these two opposites together (the spiritual with the physical), and making peace between them. This is why the sukkah is referred to as the sukkah of peace (Hebrew: Sukkas Shaw'laim), because it provides the spiritual power to enable opposites to live in harmony. The Messiah will bring universal peace by unifying all the opposites of the world together to serve G-d. Therefore, by performing the commandment of sukkah we create the spiritual atmosphere of peace in the world, which partially activates the fallen sukkah of King David (who is the Messiah). When enough of the spiritual power of peace is generated through our performing this commandment, the Messiah will come Amen!
This is why we have the custom to shake the date-palm (Hebre;..,: lulov) in the sukkah. The lulov is similar in shape to the Hebrew letter "vav". The "vav" serves as a conjunction, it links one phrase to another in a sentence. When we shake the lulov, we bind G-d to this world to draw Him closer to us and visa versa, which essentially is what the sukkah does as well. Therefore, we perform like commandments in conjunction with each other to strengthen their effects. (Lekutai Halachoth: orach Chiam: Hilchoth Rosh Hashana 4:7-9)