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The Hidden Layer

of Sukkot’s Beauty

Rabbi Josh Harris

aintaining the high we reach on as a completely new person. That’s the beautify our actions towards our fellow
Yom Kippur can be very difficult. awesome power of Yom Kippur. Using man. We do that by emulating Hashem.
Just hours after Ne’ilah, we’re back the blueprint of the first Yom Kippur, our Yes, we can have a beautiful etrog. Yes,
Mto the mundane routines of our immediate command as a “new person” we can have a magnificent sukkah. But if
daily lives. I’d like to suggest a framework is to build ourselves a Mishkan. How do we do not treat our fellow man in a way
in which Sukkot is the starting point for we do that? that emulates G-d, we have not fulfilled
taking the spiritual elevation of Yom The Sha’arei Teshuva writes that there is the entire meaning of the verse ‘This is
Kippur and transferring it to the rest of a custom to increase the giving of charity my G-d and I will adorn Him.’ Sukkot is
the year. therefore the most opportune time to give
on Erev Sukkot. What’s the connection charity. On Erev Sukkot, having invested
Let’s use the first Yom Kippur in history as between giving charity and Sukkot?
a blueprint. After sinning with the Golden After the splitting of the Red Sea, Am Yis- so much time and money in beautifying
Hashem’s mitzvot, we ensure that we also
Calf, Am Yisrael were granted atonement
on Yom Kippur and then immediately rael sang the words “ּוה ֵו ְנ ַא ְו י ִל- ֵא ה ֶז, This beautify our behavior towards our fellow
man. We can have a beautiful etrog, but
is my G-d, and I will adorn Him.” The
commanded to build the Mishkan. Rashi Gemara (Shabbat 133b) offers two possi- not at the expense of our brothers and
explains that the root of the word kappa-
rah, atonement, also means “wiping away” ble meanings for these words. One is that sisters in need.
we must adorn ourselves before Hashem
or “removal” (Bereishit 32:21). Similarly, The Nefesh HaChaim explains that each
the Siftei Chaim translates the word viduy by beautifying His mitzvot – by building person is a microcosm of the Mishkan –
a beautiful sukkah, acquiring a beautiful
(commonly translated to ‘confession’) as lulav and etrog, and writing a beautiful that each of us is tasked with making
“throwing.” On Yom Kippur, we totally rid ourselves into a mini-Mishkan. This is our
ourselves of all our sins and negative sefer Torah. The second approach inter- goal once Yom Kippur is over. We stand
prets the passage as “This is my G-d and
traits and come out of in shul after Ne’ilah as new people. At
the day I will be like Him.” The Gemara explains that moment, we take on the command-
that a person can be like G-d by imitating
His attributes (Sotah 14b). Just as He is ment to make ourselves into a Mishkan,
gracious and compassionate, so to become vessels for revealing Hashem
too should we be gracious and in this world. That revelation can only
compassionate. happen if we beautify our actions towards
our fellow man as much as we beautify
Immediately after conclud- the mitzvot between us and G-d. Sukkot is
ing Yom Kippur, we dive the perfect festival to set this in motion.
into the mitzvot of Sukkot.
We build a sukkah and dec-
orate it so that it is truly a
sight to behold. We spend
time selecting a beautiful
etrog, looking for a fruit
with a beautiful shade of
yellow, with no blemishes
and perfect symmetry. We
search through collections
of lulavim, hoping to find one Rabbi Josh Harris
as straight as an arrow, meeting is the Community Rabbi at Finchley United
all of the halachic stringencies. We Synagogue, London. He completed his
do all of this in order to adorn and Semicha with the Mizrachi Musmachim
glorify the name of Hashem through Program and is a graduate of the Mizrachi
beautifying His mitzvot. However, UK Fellowship Program. Josh and his
this is not the only aspect in our rela- wife Tali are also graduates of Mizrachi's
tionship with Hashem. We also must Shalhevet Leadership Program.

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