Parsha Paragraphs
Rabbi Naftali Kassorla
Parshat Emor 5778
Beyond The Basics
The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in memory of:
ר׳ אלחנן יעקב בן מו״ח ר׳ שמואל פנחס ז״ל
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The Parsha tells us of the festival of Sukkot: You shall dwell in Sukkot for a seven day period; כל אזרח בישראל - every citizen in Israel shall sit in Sukkot” (Vayikra 23:42). By sitting in Sukkot, we commemorate the ענני הכבוד that accompanied the Jewish people in the wilderness.
The Chid”a in Birkei Yosef (תרכ״ה) asks: Of all the things that G-d did for us in the desert, why do we commemorate the ענני הכבוד? Shouldn’t we make a remembrance of the מן – the miraculous, angelic food? Or the myriad of other miracles performed for us in the desert: the באר מרים that accompanied the Jewish people as they travelled, the clothing that G-d kept fresh, clean and the proper size for each person etc. What is uniquely special about the Clouds of Glory which G-d placed around the Jewish people that warrants their commemoration, as opposed to the other needs for which G-d provided?
The Chid”a* (ראש דוד פרשת אמור) answers in the name of the Chacham R’ Chaim Kaufusi that the Sukkah is a symbol of something much deeper than G-d providing for our needs. The other miracles provided for necessities, things that the Jews could not live without. A person cannot survive without food, drink or clothing, and of course G-d would not bring them to the desert without giving them these basic things. But for G-d to also protect the Jews with shelter from the sun and the wind showed a strong love and care for the deeper needs of the people. That extra show of love is what we commemorate.
To illustrate this idea: Picture a wife who sends her husband out to the store for the groceries, handing him a list of everything she needs to make Shabbat. Were the husband to robotically go down the list checking off each item, and bring home exactly what she asked for (no simple feat!) no one would complain or claim he hasn’t fulfilled his errand; on the contrary – he is a dutiful husband. But let's say he was going down the list, and sees that his wife did not write dish soap – something she hadn’t noticed they were running low on. Were the husband to return with this extra item, it would most definitely elicit tremendous love from the spouse. For he didn't go about providing for her apparent, expressed needs; rather he was sensitive to something deeper. His goal was to make sure she would have everything she needed, not just to fulfill his obligation and avoid complaints.
This is what Hashem did by providing shelter for the Jewish people. For had He not given them the ענני הכבוד (although they would have benefited greatly from it) no one would have complained, as there was no expectation for such a thing. It wouldn’t be as though G-d was withholding a major necessity, something for which the Jewish people did in fact complain about (e.g. food and water).
By providing us with the ענני הכבוד, Hashem showed that He does not just want to fulfill a responsibility to us as our Provider. Rather He loves us, He cares deeply about us, and He wants to fill any need we may have. Just like the husband, who knows he can easily get away with simply checking everything off his wife’s list. Instead he goes above and beyond the list and buys something that was never even requested, which he knows will be of great benefit to the one he loves.
This idea can give us further insight to the concept of הידור מצוה during Sukkot. Mimicking G-d, and reciprocating what He did for us, we do the mitzvot in a way that goes beyond the letter of the law. We don’t just buy any etrog; rather we look for the most beautiful one. We don’t just build a plain Sukkah, we go much further as we beautify it with pictures, decorations and more. Our approach to mitzvot isn’t to just check them off a list, dutifully doing exactly what was asked. Rather we perform them in a way that bespeaks of our attitude towards the mitzvah, one of חביבות, of love for the מצוה and for Hashem.
The Pele Yoetz (81) echoes this message for us:
הידור מצוה מורה על האהבה, כי העובד מיראה אינו מבקש אלא לצאת ידי חובה, אבל העובד מאהבה לפי רב החבה מדקדק בה שלא תחסר כל בה. והמוסיף להתנאות זה לו
למופת ולאות שהוא אוהב את ה' בכל לבבו ובכל מאדו ומרבה בכבודו
Hiddur Mitzvah bespeaks of the love [of G-d], for someone who serves [G-d] from fear only desires to fulfill his obligation. But one who serves with love, out of his tremendous affection, is careful that nothing is lacking [from his mitzvah]. And when he additionally beautifies [the mitzvah] it is his demonstration and sign that he loves G-d with all his heart and means, and this adds
to G-d’s honor
to G-d’s honor
Perhaps this is also connected to why we have the extra day of Shemini Atzeret. This is when Hashem “begs” of us to stay “with Him” for one more day. G-d tells us: קשה עלי פרידכתם, עכבו עוד יום אחד – “Your departure is difficult for me, stay one more day” (Bamidbar 29:36). Shmini Atzeret as well shows that our relationship with G-d is not matter-of-fact. It involves a deep love, making it difficult for us to part.
On the special Yom Tov of Sukkot, Hashem expresses that He wants a relationship with us which goes beyond the basics. And all the more so now, as we approach Shavuot, commemorating the acceptance of the Torah on Mount Sinai, we are beckoned to re-accept the Torah, let us also re-examine our approach to Mitzvah observance, out of love and excitement, rather than simply just checking off our daily to-do list.
Shabbat Shalom
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