“You shall dwell in Sukkot for a seven day period; כל אזרח בישראל - every citizen in Israel shall sit in Sukkot” (Vayikra 23:42). The question is asked: seemingly בישראל is superfluous; what is it meant to include? Rashi says this is coming to include converts.
Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky זצ״ל asks: why is there a need for a limmud to tell us that a convert is included? Are converts not just like any other Jew? The need for a special limmud gives the impression that, if not for the drasha, a convert would not be obligated in the mitzvah of Sukka! Why would this be so?
Rav Yaakov explains, the reason can be found in the very next verse: “So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in Sukkot when I took them from the land of Israel.” (ibid. 43). The Sukka would stand as a reminder that G-d protected our ancestors in the Wilderness. If so, one might have thought that this applied only to those who were actually in the wilderness; but a convert, whose ancestors were not in the Midbar, may not be obligated. Thus, the need for a special drasha: even converts are included in the obligation, for they are equal to the rest of the nation.
In light of this, we can ask another question. We find in the Mishna in Bikkurim (1:4) that when the farmer brings his first fruits, he must read from the “Parshat Habikkurim.” In that parsha, the farmer gives thanks to G-d for the fruit of the Land that “He [G-d] swore to our ancestors to give us.” The Mishna disqualifies a convert from this reading. Because in fact, the convert’s ancestors were not promised the land.* Why is there no drasha here to include a Ger in the mitzvah of Kriat Parshat Habikkurim? Should this not be similar to the mitzvah of Sukka, where despite the lack of the converts’ ancestors’ presence in the midbar, they are nonetheless included? Both mitzvot are seemingly stating a fact i.e. “my ancestors were present at the time of the mitzvah,” thus excluding a convert from claiming the same thing. If so, what is distinct about the mitzvah of Sukka, that the Torah goes out of its way to include converts as well?
Perhaps the distinction lies in the ultimate message of Sukkot. The miracle of Sukkot in the desert was that G-d protected the Jewish people from all outside forces; as the prophet says the Sukkot would serve “as a shade from heat in the daytime, as a protection and refuge from storm and from rain” (Yishaya 4:6). The Jews, dwelling in utter isolation, were shielded by G-d Himself from the harsh weather and elements. But this protection was not a one-time occurrence. Rather, this care and love that He bestowed upon us exists for all times and generations. “So that your generations will know…” – what Hahem did then, and what He will continue to do for us! By remembering the miracle He did then, we can know that we can rely on His protection always.
We see a difference in the statement made by Sukkot versus that of Bikkurim. With Bikkurim, the farmer is stating a historical fact - the focus is on what actually happened. It would be incorrect for a convert to make a statement such as this, which is false. Hashem did not promise the land to his ancestors. However, by the mitzvah of Sukkot, we see from the pasuk that the emphasis is not on what happened, but on the implications it has for our emunah in Hashem’s care for us. The message of G-d’s divine protection is something that is not only timeless, but universal as well; a love that crosses all genealogies and backgrounds. Of this love, a convert is surely part of the “family.”
There are many things which can “shake” our emunah and make us feel like we are not experiencing, or not worthy of G-d’s care. It is at those times which we can find strength in connecting to the past – our own, and that of our collective history – to recall when we have seen G-d’s personal care for us. Every person in the nation, no matter his background, needs to ingrain this message in himself so that he will never lose hope or faith.
*The Yerushalmi (ibid.) disagrees with this Mishna and cites the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda that any Ger can recite the Bikkurim text, as Avraham Avinu was “the father of all the nation (Bereishit 17:5), and hence as the father of all future Geirim. Thus every Ger is included within that original oath to Avraham. The Rambam (Bikkurim 4:3) rules like the Yerushalmi.
Shabbat Shalom
