Sukkos: peace, ingathering, and the joy of Torah

כתיב יפתח ה' לך כו' אוצרו הטוב כו'.

It is written, "Hashem shall open for you … His good treasury …" (Devarim 28:12).

The Sefas Emes opens with the verse promising Hashem's "good treasury," which he will connect to the festival of Sukkos.

וקאי על זה החג שבו ניסוך המים.

And it refers to this chag (festival), on which there is the nisuch hamayim (water libation).

This "good treasury" alludes to Sukkos, the festival of the water libation, on which the rains of the coming year are decided.

כדאיתא בגמ' כדי שיתברכו לכם גשמי שנה.

As it is brought in the Gemara: "so that the rains of the year may be blessed for you" (Rosh Hashanah 16a).

The water libation on Sukkos is the means by which the year's rainfall is blessed.

וז"ש והלוית גוים רבים היא התקרבות האומות ג"כ.

And this is the meaning of "and you shall lend to many nations" (Devarim 28:12) — this is the drawing near of the nations as well.

The verse's promise that Yisrael will "lend to nations" hints that on Sukkos even the umos ha'olam are drawn closer to holiness.

כמ"ש ע' פרים על ע' אומות.

As it is said: the seventy bulls [of Sukkos] correspond to the seventy nations.

The seventy bulls offered over Sukkos bring atonement and blessing upon the seventy nations of the world.

ואתה לא תלוה פי' שאין הקורבות שלהם יכול להזיק עתה כמו בכל עת שצריכים שמירה שלא להתקרב לרשעים.

"But you shall not borrow" (Devarim 28:12) — meaning that their drawing near cannot harm [us] now, as it can at all other times, when one requires protection so as not to draw near to the wicked.

Ordinarily, contact with the nations and the wicked poses a spiritual danger requiring guarding. On Sukkos, however, their drawing near cannot damage us — Yisrael "borrows" nothing harmful from them.

ובחג הזה הסוכה מגין על בנ"י ויכולין לקרב גם האומות כנ"ל.

And on this festival the sukkah protects Bnei Yisrael, and they are able to bring near even the nations, as above.

The protective shade of the sukkah secures Bnei Yisrael, and from within that safety they can even draw the nations closer to Hashem.

ז"ש לתת מטר ארצך כו' ולברך את כל מע"י כי חג זה נותן ברכה בכל מעשה בראשית.

This is the meaning of "to give the rain of your land … and to bless all the work of your hands" (Devarim 28:12) — for this festival gives blessing to all of ma'aseh bereishis (the work of Creation).

Sukkos is a wellspring of blessing extending to the entire created world, not only to Bnei Yisrael.

כי הנה כמו שבר"ה מתחדש הבריאה.

For just as on Rosh Hashanah the creation is renewed,

Rosh Hashanah is the moment when all of creation is renewed and re-established.

וכתיב בשלימות הבריאה וירא אלקים כו' כל אשר עשה והנה טוב כו' ויברך כו' ויקדש כו'.

and it is written, regarding the completion of creation, "And God saw … all that He had made, and behold it was [very] good …" and "He blessed …" and "He sanctified …" (Bereishis 1:31, 2:3),

The Torah marks creation's completion with seeing it as "good," followed by blessing and sanctification — a sequence of culmination, blessing, and kedushah.

כן בכלל אחר התחדשות הבריאה יש ברכה זו.

so too, in general, after the renewal of creation there comes this blessing.

Following the renewal of creation at Rosh Hashanah, the same pattern unfolds: a blessing flows into the world, expressed on Sukkos.

והיא בחי' פריסת סוכת שלום כמ"ש בכל ש"ק פורס סוכת שלום.

And this is the aspect of "the spreading of the sukkah of peace," as we say each Shabbos, "Who spreads the sukkah of peace."

This post-renewal blessing is the "sukkah of shalom" we invoke on Shabbos — a canopy of peace and wholeness spread over creation.

כי הכלל גמר השלימות צריך להיות בעזר אלקי.

For the rule is that the completion of wholeness (shleimus) must come about through Divine help.

The final perfection of anything cannot be reached by human effort alone; it requires Hashem's assistance.

כמ"ש במ"א מזה כמה פעמים.

As I have written elsewhere on this several times.

The Sefas Emes notes this is a recurring theme in his teachings.

ויש עזר וסיוע לצדיק וכן לבעל תשובה.

And there is help and assistance for the tzaddik, and likewise for the baal teshuvah.

This Divine aid in reaching wholeness is granted both to the righteous and to the penitent.

ועל זה נאמר שלום לרחוק ולקרוב.

And concerning this it is said, "Peace, peace, to the far and to the near" (Yeshayahu 57:19).

"Peace to the far and the near" corresponds to these two: the baal teshuvah who was "far" and the tzaddik who was "near" — both receive the assistance toward shleimus.

וזה השלימות נותן השי"ת בזה החג.

And this wholeness Hashem gives on this festival.

Sukkos is the time when Hashem grants this completing wholeness.

ועי"ז יש ברכה דאין כלי מחזיק ברכה אלא השלום.

And through this there is blessing, for there is no vessel that holds blessing except shalom (peace).

Peace is the indispensable vessel for blessing (Uktzin 3:12); since Sukkos grants this shalom, it becomes the channel through which all blessing can be received and retained.

והיא הסוכה דאיתא כל ישראל ראוין לישב בסוכה אחת.

And this is the sukkah, of which it is brought that "all of Yisrael are fit to dwell in a single sukkah" (Sukkah 27b).

The sukkah embodies this peace and unity: in principle all of Bnei Yisrael could sit together in one sukkah, expressing their essential oneness.

ונק' חג האסיף.

And it is called Chag HaAsif (the Festival of Gathering).

Sukkos is the "festival of ingathering," a name the Sefas Emes will tie to the gathering of both Yisrael and the year's scattered deeds.

וגם מינים שבלולב שמקרבין בנ"י להיות אחד.

And also the species of the lulav, which bring Bnei Yisrael near to be one.

The four species, bound together, symbolize and effect the unification of all types of Jews into a single bond.

ונקרא כנסי' שהיא לשם שמים וסופה להתקיים בשמיני עצרת תהי' לכם.

And it is called a "gathering" (kenisiyah) that is for the sake of Heaven, whose end is to endure — [as in] "on Shemini Atzeres it shall be for you" (Bamidbar 29:35).

The ingathering of Yisrael on Sukkos is an assembly "for the sake of Heaven," and (per Avos 4:11) such an assembly is destined to endure — which is why it culminates in the intimate "for you" of Shemini Atzeres.

פי' כי גם להאומות יש התאספות בימים אלו שמתבטלין לבנ"י כדי לקבל ברכה.

The meaning is that the nations too have a gathering in these days, in that they nullify themselves to Bnei Yisrael in order to receive blessing.

During Sukkos the nations also "assemble," subordinating themselves to Bnei Yisrael so as to draw down blessing through them (via the seventy bulls).

והיינו השורש שלהם.

And this is their root.

This temporary nullification reflects the nations' true root, which is to be subordinate to and dependent upon Bnei Yisrael.

אבל אין כינוס שלהם לשם שמים רק לקבל כל אחד חלקו והולך לו.

But their gathering is not for the sake of Heaven — only that each one receives his portion and departs.

The nations' assembly is self-interested: each comes merely to collect his own share of blessing and then leaves, so it is not "for the sake of Heaven."

אבל בנ"י בסוכה נקראים כנסי' לש"ש.

But Bnei Yisrael in the sukkah are called a gathering for the sake of Heaven.

Yisrael's gathering in the sukkah, by contrast, is purely for Heaven's sake — selfless and unifying.

לכן עצרת תהי' לכם פי' שהכנסי' סופה להתקיים כנ"ל והבן היטב.

Therefore "Atzeres shall be for you" — meaning that this gathering is destined to endure, as above; understand this well.

Because Yisrael's assembly is for Heaven's sake, it endures into Shemini Atzeres, "for you" — a lasting closeness with Hashem, unlike the nations' fleeting gathering.

וכתיב וחג האסיף בצאת השנה באספך כו'.

And it is written, "and the Festival of Gathering at the going out of the year, when you gather in [your produce] …" (Shemos 23:16).

The Torah calls Sukkos the festival of ingathering "at the going out of the year," a phrase the Sefas Emes now examines.

ועמדו חז"ל ע"ז מה בצאת השנה ע"ש בר"ה (י"ג) אסיף קציר וקרי לי' בצאת השנה כו'.

And Chazal addressed this — what is meant by "at the going out of the year"? See there in Rosh Hashanah (13b): it is a gathering of the harvest, yet it is called "at the going out of the year."

The Gemara asks why the harvest-gathering is described as the year's "going out," since it occurs in Tishrei. The Sefas Emes will give a spiritual reading.

והענין הוא כי ע"י תשובה מאהבה בימים אלו מתקנים כל השנה העברה.

And the matter is that through teshuvah me'ahavah (repentance out of love) in these days, one repairs the entire past year.

The teshuvah of love performed during this season retroactively rectifies the whole year that has passed.

וגמר תיקון כל מעשה שנה שעברה נעשה עתה ע"י שמתהפכין שגגות לזכיות.

And the completion of the rectification of all the deeds of the past year is accomplished now, in that unintentional sins (shegagos) are transformed into merits (zechuyos).

Because teshuvah from love converts even sins into merits, the final repair of the entire past year is achieved specifically now, on Sukkos.

וז"ש באספך כו' מעשיך מן השדה.

And this is the meaning of "when you gather in … your deeds from the field."

The Sefas Emes rereads "gather in your produce from the field" as "gather in your deeds from the field" — collecting one's scattered actions of the year.

הוא התפזרות כחות ורצונות כל השנה במקומות לא טובים כמו שדה שהיא הפקר.

This is the scattering of [one's] powers and desires throughout the year in places that are not good, like a field that is ownerless (hefker).

Over the year, a person's energies and desires become dispersed into unworthy places — like an open, ownerless field where things lie strewn about.

ובזכות החג הזה יכולין לאסוף הכל ולכן נקראת תקופת השנה.

And by the merit of this festival one is able to gather everything in; therefore it is called "the turning point of the year" (tekufas hashanah).

The power of Sukkos lets a person ingather all those scattered energies, which is why it marks the year's turning point — the seam where the old year is gathered and sealed.

והוא החיבור והתקשרות סוף השנה בתחלת שנה הבאה.

And it is the joining and binding of the end of the year to the beginning of the coming year.

Sukkos is the point of connection that ties the close of one year to the start of the next.

וע"ז נאמר ה' ישמר צאתך ובואך.

And concerning this it is said, "Hashem shall guard your going out and your coming in" (Tehillim 121:8).

This verse — guarding both "going out" (the departing year) and "coming in" (the new year) — captures the linkage Sukkos forges between them.

וזה שרמזו שכל המעשים שהתחילו בשנה שעברה נגמרים ונתקנים עתה כנ"ל.

And this is what they hinted: that all the deeds that began in the past year are completed and rectified now, as above.

Chazal's phrase "the going out of the year" hints that whatever was begun in the prior year is brought to completion and repair specifically now.

ולכן אחר זה שמחת תורה.

And therefore, after this comes Simchas Torah.

This ingathering and rectification leads directly to the joy of Simchas Torah, which the Sefas Emes now explains.

דכתיב ברכו ה' כו' גבורי כח עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו.

As it is written, "Bless Hashem … you mighty in strength, who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word" (Tehillim 103:20).

The verse describes those who first "do His word" and thereby merit "to hearken to the voice of His word" — a sequence the Sefas Emes maps onto the festival season.

שאחר ימי ר"ה ויוהכ"פ וסוכות שהוא תיקון הנהגתו ית' את העולם.

For after the days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos — which constitute the rectification of His conduct of the world (hanhagah) —

The whole arc from Rosh Hashanah through Sukkos is about re-establishing and accepting Hashem's governance of the world.

שזה נקרא עושי דברו שבנ"י ע"י קיום המצות בזה החודש דתקיפי במצות ממליכין עליהם ועל כל העולם את מלכותו ית'.

this is what is called "those who do His word" — that Bnei Yisrael, through fulfilling the mitzvos of this month, in which they are "mighty in mitzvos," crown over themselves and over the whole world His kingship, may He be blessed.

By heaping up the many mitzvos of Tishrei, Bnei Yisrael are the "mighty ones who do His word," coronating Hashem as King over themselves and all the world.

כמ"ש אמרו לפני מלכיות כו'.

As it is said, "Recite before Me [verses of] Malchiyos (Kingship) …" (Rosh Hashanah 16a).

This coronation echoes the Malchiyos verses of Rosh Hashanah, in which we proclaim Hashem's sovereignty.

וכל המשך הימים אלו הכל תיקון כל ההנהגה.

And the entire span of these days is all a rectification of the whole [Divine] governance.

The full stretch of the Tishrei festivals serves to set right Hashem's governance of the world.

לכן זוכין אח"כ לשמוע בקול דברו.

Therefore one merits afterward "to hearken to the voice of His word."

Having "done His word" through the mitzvos of the season, Bnei Yisrael then merit the higher level — "hearkening to the voice of His word," the light of Torah on Simchas Torah.

והרי הוא מנהג חכמים ז"ל.

And indeed it [Simchas Torah] is a custom of the Sages.

Simchas Torah is not a Torah-mandated festival but a custom instituted by the Chachamim.

אף שאין רמז בכתוב.

Even though there is no hint of it in the written Torah.

No explicit Scriptural source establishes Simchas Torah — yet, as he will explain, the Sages sensed its appropriateness.

רק שרבותינו הקדושים הרגישו בלבותם הארת התורה אחר ימים אלו.

Rather, it is that our holy teachers sensed in their hearts the illumination of the Torah after these days.

The Sages perceived in their hearts that, after the avodah of the season, a special light of Torah becomes accessible — and so instituted Simchas Torah.

לקיים מ"ש לשמוע בקול דברו.

To fulfill that which is said, "to hearken to the voice of His word."

The institution of Simchas Torah realizes the verse's promise that "doing His word" leads to "hearkening to the voice of His word."

וגם אנו ע"י אמונה יכולין כל אחד ג"כ להרגיש מעט מזה.

And we too, through emunah, each one of us can also feel a little of this.

Through faith, every person — not only the Sages — can sense at least a measure of that Torah illumination.

והנה בנ"י צריכין מקודם לתקן כל הטבע בבחי' עשי' אח"כ זוכין לתורה.

Now, Bnei Yisrael must first rectify all of nature in the aspect of asiyah (action), and afterward they merit Torah.

The order is: first repair the natural world through deeds and mitzvos, and only then attain the higher gift of Torah.

וכענין שכתבו דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה.

And this is like that which they wrote: "Derech eretz preceded the Torah" (cf. Vayikra Rabbah 9:3).

Just as proper conduct and worldly rectification (derech eretz) must come before Torah, so too the deeds of the season precede the light of Torah on Simchas Torah.

וימי החג הם תיקון ז' ימי הבנין.

And the days of the festival are the rectification of the seven days of building (i.e., the seven days of Creation).

The seven days of Sukkos correspond to and repair the seven days through which the world was constructed.

לכן כתיב ז' ימים בשנה שהם תיקון הזמן.

Therefore it is written "seven days in the year," for they are the rectification of time.

The "seven days" of the festival rectify the dimension of time itself, paralleling the seven days of Creation.

וגם כתיב ושמחתם לפני ה' אלקיכם שבעת ימים.

And it is also written, "and you shall rejoice before Hashem your God for seven days" (Vayikra 23:40).

The Torah commands rejoicing "before Hashem" for seven days — a phrasing the Sefas Emes notes is deliberately not "on the seven days."

ולא כ' בז' הימים כמבואר בזוה"ק דיוק זה במקומות רבים.

And it does not write "on the seven days," as this precise distinction is explained in the Zohar in many places.

The phrase "for seven days" rather than "on the seven days" hints, per the Zohar, that the joy reaches beyond the seven days into something higher.

ואח"כ זוכין לשמיני עצרת שהוא למעלה מהטבע והזמן.

And afterward one merits Shemini Atzeres, which is above nature and above time.

Beyond the seven days of Sukkos (which rectify nature and time) lies Shemini Atzeres, which transcends both nature and time entirely.

והיית אך שמח שהיא השמחה בעצמה בלי התלבשות הטבע והיא שמחת תורה:

"And you shall be only joyful" (Devarim 16:15) — this is joy in itself, without the garbing of nature, and this is Simchas Torah.

"You shall be only joyful" describes a pure, unmediated simcha that needs no natural garment — the essential joy of Torah celebrated on Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah.

Summary: Sukkos is the channel of Hashem's "good treasury" of blessing, drawn down through the water libation and the protective sukkah of peace — for peace is the only vessel that holds blessing, and the completion of all wholeness comes through Divine help. Within the sukkah's unity, even the nations draw near, yet only Yisrael's gathering is "for the sake of Heaven" and therefore endures into Shemini Atzeres. Through teshuvah me'ahavah the festival gathers in the year's scattered deeds, transforming sins into merits and binding the old year to the new. Having "done His word" through the mitzvos of the season and rectified nature and time across the seven days, Bnei Yisrael then ascend to Shemini Atzeres — above nature and time — to the pure, unclothed joy of Simchas Torah.