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Rabbi Arthur Segal’s love of people, humanity, and Judaism has him sharing with others “The Wisdom of the Ages” that has been passed on to him. His writings for modern Jews offer Spiritual, Ethical, and eco-Judaic lessons in plain English and with relevance to contemporary lifestyles. He is the author of countless articles, editorials, letters, and blog posts, and he has recently published two books:

The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew

and

A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud

You can learn more about these books at:

www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org
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Saturday, August 16, 2008

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:TALMUD+SUKKOTH:LULUV FIGHTS:DIAPHANOUS WATER LIBATION FEST

 Shalom:
 
Many times in the Talmud the Tractate that the main topic is supposed to be about,
 finds the rabbis teaching less about ritual  minutia, and more about spiritual
 principles. We see this in Tractate Sukkoth.
 

''How did people use the lulav?  If the first day of the holiday fell on Shabbat,
 they took their lulavs to the Temple Mount and the superintendents took
them and put them in an orderly fashion on the roof of the balcony but the
 elders put theirs in an office and taught about them, saying,'Anyone who
comes upon my lulav should consider it a gift.'
 
The next day, they came early and the superintendents threw the lulavs
before the congregation and it turned into a fight. When the cour found that
these lulavs caused a danger the ruled that every person should take their
 lulav home with them.''
(Talmud Bavli Tractate  Sukkah 4:4).
 
The Gomorrah of Tractate Succoth spends much time in edifying we Jews
 on proper behavior and decorum. There are a number of stories in this
Tractate of examples of behaviors our sages would prefer us not to do,
and why. The Tractate equates this holiday no longer with the biblical
harvest feast, with human indulgences, but with a more esoteric 
Messianic message. As we will learn, leaving a luluv over night is not a good deed.
 
It relates a story about Rav Nachman who had a disagreement with Rav
Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna regarding the decorations of a succah.
According to Rav Nachman decorative sheets that were hung below the
succah covering, the scach, (the roof of the succah which is made from
branches of trees), does not cause the succah to be invalid, even if the
distance was more that four tefachim, (a measure which is about 16 inches).
 
 Rav Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna disagreed; they were of the opinion
that decorative sheets which were suspended from the succah scach
were acceptable only if they were within four tefachim of the scach, but
 greater than this distance it was considered to be a separate covering
over the succah and caused the succah to be invalid and unfit for fulfilling
one's obligation to dwell in a succah.

As it happened on one day of the Succoth holiday Rav Chisdah and Rabba

 bar Rav Huna came to pay their respects to the Exalarch, the leader of the

 Jewish communities in Babylonia. Rav Nachman was the official Rabbi in

the Exalarch's court and everything was done according to his rulings.

 When Rav Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna came to visit they were

 given a succah in which to rest; a succah that was built according to

 the opinion of Rav Nachman and against their own opinion. There were

decorative sheets hanging more than four tefachim below the scach.

According to Rav Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna this was not a fit

 Succoth to use during the Succoth holidays.

When Rav Nachman saw that these two rabbis who disagreed with

 him on this point resting in that succah, he asked them if they had

 changed their minds in regard to the halachic ruling. They replied no,

 they had not retracted from their opinion, but rather since they were

 performing a mitzvah of visiting the Exalarch and therefore the principle

of being occupied with one mitzvah exempts them from another performing

 another mitzvah, they were exempt from performing the mitzvah of Succoth,

 therefore there was no reason that they could not rest in a succah such

 as the one that was provided for them.

Now the question arises that since Rav Nachman was aware that Rav

Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna said that a succah with such

 decorative sheets was not a proper succah and that they were of the

belief that one did not fulfill there obligation in such a succah, why

did he bring them into this type of succah? Would it not been more

 considerate of him to have hosted them in a succah that met

their halachic perspective?

What would you have done in a similar case when you do not eat

some food, and your host knowingly brought you food of this type?

 Would you not consider your host grossly inconsiderate? If so,

 how could Rav Nachman, who was one of the greatest rabbis

of his time, have been so inconsiderate of his guests?

The answer is that as long as your guests can see clearly that

 the product does not meet their personal criterion, there is no

 inconsideration on the part of the host. It is only when the host

 knowingly gives them food which he knows they do not eat and

that they can not easily determine the status of this food, only

 then has the host's behavior exceeded proper bounds.

In our case, both Rav Chisdah and Rabba bar Rav Huna could

easily determine that the succah did not meet their specifications

and could have gone elsewhere. Therefore there was no impropriety

on the part of Rav Nachman.

Succah is the time for inviting guests and visiting old friends. Our sages

are teaching us what are the limits of being a good host, and just as

important, to know how to be a good guest.  Showing us how leaving

a luluv, which tend to all look alike, in the Temple, for people, to grab

 for their own, allowing human nature to set in and cause fights, our

sages are teaching us, that we must go out of our way, to pursue peace,

 rodef shalom, and not leave things for the chance occurrence that we

could cause someone to fight.

This is based on the mitzvah of "do not put  a stumbling block before

the blind....'lifnei iveir lo titein michshol,' By leaving your luluv, you may

cause someone to assume it is his, and get into a ownership fight,

hence causing one to sin. One's luluv therefore can be a stumbling block.

One needs to understand what Succoth was like at the Temple. It was not

a simple sit down dinner in a 'booth.' It was a pretty big party, with lots of

wine, and lots of water, making some clothes, diaphanous.  It was called the

 'Festival of the Water Libation.'

Please note what part of the Temple it took place, the Women's Court.

 

One of the main aspects of the holiday of Succoth is the Biblical commandment,

"And you shall be glad on your holiday, and you shall be only joyful" (Deut. 16:14).

 Indeed, the pilgrims who arrived in Jerusalem at the Temple's courtyard

 came to rejoice. The focus of this rejoicing was the ceremony

surrounding the commandment to pour water on the altar - the water

 libation. During this event, which mainly took place in the Women's

 Court, the Levites and played on many musical instruments.

The sages of Israel testify to the celebrations of the water libation

 from the days of the Second Temple, describing the great joy

of the ceremony:

 

 

"Whoever has not seen the celebration of the water libation has

 never experienced the feeling of true joy - great lamps of gold

were hoisted, with four golden bowls at the top of each lamp.

 Four young priests-in-training would climb to the top, carrying

 immense oil jugs with which they would fill the bowls. Once

lighted, there was not a courtyard in all of Jerusalem that did

not glow with the light that emanated from the celebration in

 the Temple courtyard.

As the people sang, the righteous and pious men would dance

before them while juggling flaming torches. The Levites, standing

 on the fifteen steps that descend from the Court of Israel to the

 Women's Court, played on lyres, harps, trumpets and many

other instruments. Two priests who blew silver trumpets stood

at the top of the stairs on either side of the entrance to the

great gate of the Court.

All this was done to honor the commandment of the

water libation."

(Talmud Bavli Tractate Sukkoth, Chapter 5)

 

 

There were so many precious commandments to be fulfilled in the Holy Temple

during the holiday of Succoth, and they were so time-consuming, the Talmud

 notes that there was practically no time left for sleeping!

"Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanina said: During the days of the water libation

 ceremony, we barely got to sleep at all. The first hour of the day saw us

 attending to the daily offering; following this we were engaged in prayer - afterwards,

 the additional offering. Then we ate, and it already became time to attend to the

afternoon service. And this was followed by the celebration of the festival of the

 water libation, which lasted the entire night, and we would begin again"

 (Jerusalem Talmud Tractate Sukkoth 5).

Men, women and children participated in the immense joy of the water

libation - some directly, while others stood and watched. Special

elevated balconies were constructed to enable the righteous women

of Israel to watch the wise men of the Sanhedrin as they danced.

At dawn, the assembly proceeded with melody and song to the

spring of Shiloach, at the foot of the walls of Jerusalem. One priest

 carried with him a special golden decanter and filled it with the

sparkling spring water. Then the congregation ascended again to

 the Temple, led by the priest who bore the golden vessel. Arriving

at the Temple, he brought the decanter up to the altar, and poured

the water into the silver cup at its corner.

This ceremony is connected to the rainfall of the coming year,

and it was accompanied by yearning and prayers for blessing

 on the earth and its produce. On a deeper level, it was also

 directly connected to the reception of prophetic inspiration.

The sages actually ask us to pray as we leave the Succah:

Hebrew
Y'hi ratzon mil'fanekha Adonai
Eloheinu vei'lohei avoteinu
May it be Your will, Lord, our God
and God of our ancestors
Hebrew
K'sheim shekiyam'ti
v'yashav'ti basukah zu
That just as I have stood up
and dwelled in this succah
Hebrew
kein ez'keh l'shanah haba'ah
leisheiv b'sukat oro shel Liv'yatan.
so may I merit next year to dwell in
the succah of the hide of the Leviathan.
Hebrew
l'shanah haba'ah birushalayim
Next year in Jerusalem!

The Talmud teaches that when the messiah comes, the righteous will come to
Jerusalem and the Leviathan (a giant sea creature created on the fifth day)
will be slain. Its skin will be used to make the walls of a giant succah,
and the righteous will dine on the flesh of the Leviathan in that sukkah.
Thus, the essence of this farewell prayer is the hope that the messiah will come
 within the next year.

 
Our sages instituted a prayer in which we ask God to protect us each day from
 bad deeds from those in the Covenant and those not in it. Hence our sages knew
2500 years ago, and more, that some of us have horrific egos, and of those,
some will want to be on Shul boards, and now federation boards, JCC board etc.
 (There are many who do serve out of service, but our sages are not concerned
about them. They were concerned about those with massive ego.)
 
 The Mishna tells us 'not to wear the Torah as a crown', but many rabbis
 and lay people do. Their self esteem is so low, they feel unworthy before
 God, if indeed they actually believe, trust, and have faith in God. They
need strokes from many humans. They do not give tsaddakah the way
 we are taught, anonymously, but must do everything, to get their
 names in a Shul or JCC newsletter. Our Talmud tells us of Rabbis
 who were like this, and our Tanach tells us of people, e.g. Korach,
 who were like this.
 
Our history records Kings, priests, and others who let their ego reign
and were doing their will and not God's. There is
'nothing new under the sun', and why many a rabbi taught that it is
 'better to pray at home where God can see and hear you,
then go to the synagogue where the hypocrites are.'
 
The rabbis of the Talmud taught that 'God's holy presence, the Shekanah,
 never resided in the Second temple'. By this time, the Talmudic Rabbis had
 not much love or respect for the Hasmonean priests.
 
When two people each doing their own will, and not God's will,
come together, they will find something to bicker over, be it a
luluv or  a rabbi's contract. If Jews followed what our sages taught,
and if we asked each day for God to negate our will do to His, we
 would not toe step on each other.  Of course the Talmud also tells
us that 'when all Jews observe Shabbat two weeks in a row the
 messiah will come.'
 
Jews are not saints. 'Jews are like everyone else, only more so.'(Rabbi Lionel Blue, obm).
 As long as we have a minyon of ten in a Shul, we will have 11 opinions.
 
 
When one discounts something because it 'appears' free to them, one is discounting
God. Nothing is free. Everything is a blessing. Spiritual people share and know
that God is always giving us what we need, hence we can share what we
have as we will never be without. Those who do not understand this basic
principle, discount something that doesn't have a price tag, as valueless.
Our cups are overflowing each day with God's goodness towards us, and
most folks go thru life seeing that cup as half empty.
 
The lesson of Sukkoth, is that rich or poor, we can all live in a booth,
made of prescribed materials, so no ones booth is better than someone's
else, and truly know for that week,(and hopefully learn this for our lives)  
that we are 100% dependent on God. Any other thoughts, are delusions.
We are all equal before God and the things that we discount as free, our
first breath in the morning, the smile of  a loved one, our legs walking,
our teeth chomping, the sun shining on our faces, the rain that helps
bring us crops,  are all gifts from God that have a price tag of infinity.
 


Shalom,
Rabbi  Arthur Segal
Hilton Head Island, SC
Bluffton, SC






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