Page 31 - HaMizrachi Australia Sukkot 5781

Our
Ushpizi

ya a kov

Two-Part Harmony

Rabbi Noam Sendor

And Yaakov journeyed to At his time of triumph, it was reason- But on the other hand, Yaakov teaches
Sukkot and built himself able for him to finally feel settled and us not to become too set in our ways,
a house, and for his live- stable in his own home, confident in too stuck, too static.
“Astock he made sukkot; himself and in his mission. And so it
he, therefore, called the name of the was precisely at this moment that he We must step outside of our comfort
zones and our homes from time to
place Sukkot” (Bereishit 33:17). built a sukkah, to remember his com- time, and realize that we know abso-
The home is a powerful image for the plete dependence on G-d and the con- lutely nothing and that our lives and
personality of Yaakov. As the Gemara tinuing fragility of life. our very existence are still as myste-
in Pesachim 88a points out, whereas rious as ever.
Avraham and Yitzchak related to the From time to time, we must embrace
Temple Mount as a “mountain” and the knowledge that life is “hevel
“field,” respectively, for Yaakov, it was havalim,” a mere fleeting breath.
a home. “A home built from stones,” Though he was a man of two
Dr. Yael Ziegler states sharply, point- names and many modes of But herein lies the true gift of Yaakov.
ing out how Yaakov seems to live Though he was a man of two names
a life “strewn with stones,” a life being, he could ultimately find and many modes of being, he could
strewn with difficulty and hardship. harmony between them all. ultimately find harmony between
But Yaakov’s gift is that he takes those them all. His Divine expression is that
of tiferet, harmony, balance. His life tes-
moments of hardship and transforms A similar dynamic occurs within
them into a “home” – a stable, inner us every year, continues the Mei tifies to the ability of a human being
to live with contrast and conflicting
world of morality and ethics whose Hashiloach. Emerging from Rosh modalities and maintain a sense of self
building blocks were hewn from the Hashanah and Yom Kippur, one might throughout it all.
lessons he learned. feel victorious and confident. Rather,
one should feel victorious and secure, It is easy to live in one way or another
Yaakov, however, also understands the holding the four species aloft like a tri- – to live with stability and consistency,
danger of permanence, the illusion of umphant warrior! But to temper any or to reject physicality altogether and
stability.
possibility of arrogance or pride and to embrace a life of transience. But to live
His was a life of uncertainty and was ensure we understand how dependent simultaneously in both worlds, well,
subject to the brutality of sudden we are upon Hashem’s kindness, we there’s the rub. The life of Yaakov and
shifts in fortune. “And Yaakov immediately step out of our homes and the festival of Sukkot teach us that it
answered Pharaoh, ‘The years of my into the sukkah, embracing instability, is not only possible, but it is the very
sojourn [on earth] are 130’” (Bereishit with the knowledge that everything is purpose of our lives.
47:9). Yaakov knew he was simply a in the Hands of G-d.
sojourner in this ever-changing world, This movement between the home and
never settled, never set. So he built a the sukkah represents an essential ele-
sukkah for his livestock, showing us the ment of real spiritual growth.
importance of embracing vulnerability
and impermanence. We must build inner lives of stability
founded upon truth and morality and
Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Ish- lived experience. Rabbi Noam Sendor is a rabbi at Blake Street
bitz in the Mei Hashiloach points out Hebrew Congregation and Leibler Yavneh
that Yaakov purposely built the sukkah We must become grounded like a rock, College in Melbourne, Australia, as well as a
after his encounter with and victory faithful, stable, dependable and deeply father to four, husband to Sara, jazz musician
over Esav. committed. and aspiring novelist.

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