Preparation Greater Than Mitzvah
בטור הביא המדרש שבין יוהכ"פ וסוכות עוסקים במצות לולב וסוכה ואין עושין עונות והקב"ה אומר מה דאזיל אזיל כו'
In the Tur, the Midrash is brought that during the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos, Bnei Yisrael are occupied with the mitzvos of lulav and sukkah and do not commit sins, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, says, 'Whatever has gone, has gone' — meaning, the sins of the past year are set aside.
The Tur cites a Midrash teaching that in the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos, Bnei Yisrael are so busy preparing the lulav and building the sukkah that they have no opportunity to sin, and Hashem responds by letting the previous year's sins fall away.
והקשה בטו"ז איך יהיו ימים אלו יותר [גדולים] מסוכות עצמו שמקיימים גוף המצוה ונאמר ראשון לחשבון עונות ע"ש
The Taz raised a difficulty: how can these days be even greater than Sukkos itself, when one actually fulfills the body of the mitzvah, regarding which it is said that Sukkos is 'the first day for the reckoning of sins' — see there.
The Taz challenges this: how can the preparation days outrank Sukkos itself, when on Sukkos one actually performs the mitzvah, and the Gemara calls Sukkos the day from which the reckoning of sins begins anew?
אבל אין הדבר רחוק שיותר כח והצלה יש בהכנת המצוה מגוף קיום המצוה
But it is not far-fetched that there is greater power and saving force in the preparation for the mitzvah than in the actual fulfillment of the mitzvah itself.
The Sfas Emes answers that it is entirely reasonable that preparing for a mitzvah carries more spiritual force and saving power than the act of the mitzvah itself.
אחד כי עשיות המצוה הוא רק לשעה וההכנה הוא לעולם
Firstly, because the performance of the mitzvah is only for a moment, whereas the preparation is something that endures forever.
His first reason: the actual performance of a mitzvah lasts only a brief moment, but the ongoing preparation for it is a constant, enduring avodah.
וע"ז נאמר ושמרתם ועשיתם וכפי מה שאדם שומר עצמו תמיד כדי שיהי' מוכן לקיים מצות השי"ת
Concerning this it is said, 'And you shall guard and you shall do' — and it all depends on how much a person guards himself constantly so that he will be prepared to fulfill the mitzvos of Hashem Yisbarach.
The verse 'And you shall guard and you shall do' teaches that everything hinges on how a person continually guards himself so as to remain ready to do Hashem's mitzvos.
כי בודאי כל היגיעה לשמור מהבלי עולם צריך להיות כדי להיות מוכן לקיים מצות השי"ת וכפי הטהרה יוכל לקיים המצוה
For certainly all the toil of guarding oneself from the vanities of this world must be for the purpose of being prepared to fulfill the mitzvos of Hashem Yisbarach, and according to the measure of one's purity will he be able to fulfill the mitzvah.
All the effort a person invests in keeping away from the empty distractions of this world is meant to leave him prepared and pure for the mitzvah, and the purer he is, the better he can fulfill it.
וע"י השמירה זוכה לקיימה ונשמר מכל דבר כמ"ש שומר מצוה לא ידע רע
And through this guarding a person merits to fulfill the mitzvah and is protected from every harmful thing, as it is written, 'One who guards a mitzvah will know no evil' (Koheles 8:5).
This constant guarding is itself what enables him to fulfill the mitzvah and shields him from harm, as the pasuk states that one who guards a mitzvah will know no evil.
ועוד כי מי יוכל לקיים המצוה כמשפטה
And furthermore, for who is truly able to fulfill the mitzvah in its proper and complete fashion?
His second reason: in truth, who can ever fulfill a mitzvah perfectly, exactly as it should be done?
אבל הרצון והכנה להמצוה הוא לעשותו כרצונו ית' ולזאת ההכנה והשמחה לבוא להמצוה חשוב מאוד כנ"ל
But the will and the preparation for the mitzvah is to perform it according to His will, Yisbarach, and therefore this preparation and the joy of coming to the mitzvah is exceedingly precious, as explained above.
But the sincere will and preparation to do the mitzvah is aimed purely at fulfilling Hashem's ratzon, so that the eager readiness and joy in approaching the mitzvah is itself enormously valuable.
ויש לדון קו"ח ממ"ש ז"ל הרהורי עבירה קשים מעבירה
And one may derive a kal vachomer from that which our Sages, of blessed memory, said: 'Thoughts of sin are harder than the sin itself.'
He brings a kal vachomer from the Sages' statement that thoughts of sin are even harder and more damaging than the sin itself.
כש"כ מדה טובה הרהורי מצוה שאדם מהרהר ומשתוקק לקיים פקודת השי"ת טובים מהמצוה ושומרים האדם ועי"ז אין עושין עונות כנ"ל:
All the more so with a positive measure: thoughts of a mitzvah, when a person contemplates and yearns to fulfill the command of Hashem Yisbarach, are better than the mitzvah itself, and they guard the person, and through this Bnei Yisrael do not commit sins, as explained above.
If this is true of sin, then all the more so on the side of good: thoughts of a mitzvah, when a person yearns to carry out Hashem's command, are better than the mitzvah itself, they protect him, and this is why Bnei Yisrael remain free of sin during these days.
Summary: The Sfas Emes addresses the Taz's question of how the preparation days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos can surpass Sukkos itself, when Sukkos is when the mitzvah is actually performed. He answers that the preparation for a mitzvah can carry greater power and saving force than its performance, for two reasons: the act of the mitzvah lasts only a moment while the preparation endures constantly, and no one can ever fulfill a mitzvah perfectly, yet the pure will and yearning to do Hashem's ratzon is itself precious and protective. He grounds this in the pasuk 'And you shall guard and you shall do,' showing that guarding oneself from the vanities of this world keeps a person ready and pure for avodah. Through a kal vachomer from the teaching that thoughts of sin are worse than sin itself, he concludes that thoughts of a mitzvah — the yearning to fulfill Hashem's command — are even better than the mitzvah itself and guard a person from sin. This is why, during the days of preparing the lulav and sukkah, Bnei Yisrael do not come to commit sins.