The power of Sukkot to unite the Jewish people

The power of Sukkot to unite the Jewish people The concept of unity is found in a special commandment of Sukkot: the four species. In the Gemara it is stated that every Jew can—theoretically—use the same Sukkot. This reflects the fact that we are all the same, and everyone belongs to the same Sukkot. In reality, if one would practice a long and wide Sukkot, the entire Jewish people—without exception—would be able to enter and eat in it at the same time. This concept of unity is also found in a special commandment of Sukkot: the four species. The Torah instructs us that on the first day of Sukkot we should take an atrog, alulav (a two-branched palm), three hadassim (three branches), and two ervot (hushnan), in order to free ourselves from above. What do the four species bring with them? The atrog has a good smell, which is a good reason; the lulav has a reason—leaves—but no smell; the hadassim have a good smell but no reason; and the ervot (hushnan) have no reason and no smell. Smell is responsible for good things, good deeds, which—like a smell—have an effect on the surroundings; while reason is responsible for Torah study, which nourishes the soul just as physical food nourishes the body. Each of the four species represents a different kind of person: there are Jews who identify themselves by the wisdom of the Torah, others by their good deeds, others by both, and others by neither. The idea is that we are all dependent on one another, and each one complements the other. Only when we all are together can we make the blessing and fulfill the commandment. It is understood that the learning of this commandment is that the one who finds himself in the higher spiritual level of "atrog," distinguished by wisdom, by good deeds, must—in a narcissistic way—relinquish himself to what he finds in the category of "ervot," without any special spiritual elevation. According to the seventh Lubavav Rabbi Rabin, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneorsohn ZT"L, there is yet another dynamic: the one who finds himself in the level of "atrog" can and must also learn something valuable from the category of "ervot." The one who finds himself in the state of "ervot," without any special spiritual elevation, and consequently feels "very Jewish," emerges a deep, unembellished Jewish state, not looking at what is missing from him in Jewish education and knowledge. The one who has learned much can understand and feel through his personal development; consequently, it is often difficult for him to grasp and express the essence of his soul. For this examination of his own essence, he can arrive only by learning from the Jewish "ervot" type, which he does not feel Jewish because of his Jewish education, but rather because of what is missing from him. His Jewish feeling stems from his true soul, the "pure Jew," which is entirely dependent on no reason. The Lubavav Rabbi Z"L knows that the four species represent the unity of the Jewish people, not only because they represent the togetherness of four different categories, but also because each species represents unity within its own category. The atrog grows and is nourished over the four seasons of the year. The leaves of the hadassim grow so much that long after the main stem, groups of three leaves from the same stalk come out. With the lulav, the leaves must be made pliable and tender and not pressed together—apart from the fact that each leaf is nestled between two helpers—and the ervot grow together in a kind of unity. This also represents an aspect of unity, because it is less difficult to unite with someone who is different from us than with someone who is similar to us and appears as a competitor. Thus, on Sukkot, we move out of three levels of unity within the Jewish people: one level that stems from the common essence, which is higher than differences; another level that emerges through differences; and a final level—the unity between those who are similar to one another. In reality, one comes out of the second. If a person's ambition is egocentric, it is difficult for them to unite with others. But if their ambition is to achieve the desired goal, they will underestimate and scorn the success of everyone who strives to achieve that righteous mission. It is the unity that emerges in the commandments of Sukkot that enables the true joy of "Simchat Torah." The weak, straight structure of the Sukkot has survived thousands of years of history and repetitions—in the pogroms and in the concentration camps. Today—to this day—one can see in a type of community across the world how Lubavav Yeshiva boys celebrate the streets of the city with a mobile Sukkot, in order to observe the Jewish custom of eating in the Sukkot and to make the blessing over the four species. So, you will enter into one of them; please give them a large one!