Hidden blessing of the sukkah versus the nations

איתא בגמ' אמר הקב"ה נסכו לפני מים בחג כדי שיתברכו לכם גשמי שנה.

It is brought in the Gemara: The Holy One said, "Pour out water before Me on the festival, so that the rains of the year be blessed for you" (Rosh Hashanah 16a).

The Sefas Emes opens with the mitzvah of the water libation (nisuch ha'mayim) on Sukkos, through which Hashem causes the year's rains to be blessed.

שהקב"ה מלמד אותנו איך לקבל השפע הבאה מן השמים.

For the Holy One is teaching us how to receive the shefa (abundance) that comes from Heaven.

The water libation is not only a request for rain; it is a lesson in how a person makes himself a fitting vessel to receive Heaven's flow of blessing.

כי הנה בחג הזה הוא הברכה היורדת מן השמים כי המים כולל כל הברכה.

For behold, on this festival is the blessing that descends from Heaven, for water encompasses all blessing.

Sukkos is the time when blessing comes down from above, and water is its all-inclusive symbol, since everything that grows depends on it.

ובאמת בנ"י לבם לשמים ומבקשים לקבל מימי הדעת והתורה שנק' מים.

And in truth the hearts of Bnei Yisrael are directed toward Heaven, and they seek to receive from the waters of daas (knowledge) and of Torah, which are called water.

While rain sustains the body, what Bnei Yisrael truly long for is the spiritual "water" — Torah and daas — which is the inner content of the blessing.

והאומות מבקשים למלא תאותם בלבד.

But the nations seek only to fill their desires (taavah).

The other nations want the material flow for the sake of physical gratification alone, with no aspiration toward its higher, spiritual purpose.

אך אין מחסור ליריאיו כתיב.

Yet it is written, "there is no lack for those who fear Him" (Tehillim 34:10).

Those who possess yiras Shomayim never truly lack, because their portion is drawn from the inner source of blessing rather than from mere desire.

וכל ההשפעה יורדת לבנ"י בפרט בזמן הבית.

And all the abundance descends to Bnei Yisrael, especially in the time of the Bais Hamikdash.

The flow of blessing into the world comes primarily for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, and this was most evident while the Bais Hamikdash stood and the water libation was performed.

וז"ש שיתברכו לכם גשמי שנה לכם דייקא.

And this is the meaning of "so that the rains of the year be blessed for you" — "for you" precisely.

The wording "for you" stresses that the blessing of the rains is channeled specifically through and for Bnei Yisrael.

וע"ז החג כתיב מה רב טובך אשר צפנת כו'.

And concerning this festival it is written, "How abundant is Your goodness, which You have hidden away…" (Tehillim 31:20).

The goodness of Sukkos is a "hidden" goodness — a treasure stored up for those who fear Hashem, not openly displayed to all.

לכן הוא בהסתר כי סוכה היא הגנה כמ"ש תצפנם בסוכה מריב לשונות.

Therefore it is in concealment, for the sukkah is a shelter, as it is written, "You shall conceal them in a sukkah from the strife of tongues" (Tehillim 31:21).

The sukkah is a place of concealment and protection; its very nature is to hide and shield Bnei Yisrael from hostile forces, like the "strife of tongues."

כי הנה הברכה היורדת משמים לכלל הבריאה כולל גם הע' שרים.

For behold, the blessing that descends from Heaven to all of creation includes also the seventy heavenly princes (sarim).

When blessing flows broadly into the whole world, it reaches even the seventy "ministering angels" of the nations, who then have a claim to a share.

דכ' אסוף את העם ואתן להם מים ויש כלל גם בכל הבריאה.

For it is written, "Gather the people and I will give them water" (Bamidbar 21:16) — and there is a general inclusion also in all of creation.

The giving of water has a universal dimension, embracing the whole of creation, not Bnei Yisrael alone.

אך בנ"י נשארו בהאחדות.

But Bnei Yisrael remain within the achdus (unity).

Within that broad, shared blessing, Bnei Yisrael alone stay bound to the unity of Hashem, the single Source from which all flows.

ואצלם הוא כנסי' לשם שמים.

And by them it is a gathering for the sake of Heaven (l'shem Shomayim).

For Bnei Yisrael, the assembling and receiving of blessing is directed toward Hashem's honor, not toward selfish desire.

משא"כ אותן שאין כוונתם לשם שמים יתפרדו כל פועלי און.

Whereas those whose intention is not for the sake of Heaven — "all workers of iniquity shall be scattered" (Tehillim 92:10).

Those who seize the blessing for their own desires have no enduring bond to its source, so they ultimately splinter and scatter.

והנה עוד מר"ה מתחיל ברכה זו דכ' היוצר יחד לבם כו'.

And behold, this blessing already begins from Rosh Hashanah, as it is written, "He who fashions their hearts together" (Tehillim 33:15).

The process of this blessing starts on Rosh Hashanah, when Hashem "fashions the hearts" of all together in judgment — yet looks upon each according to his deeds.

והתכלית הנה עין ה' אל יריאיו.

And the ultimate purpose is, "Behold, the eye of Hashem is toward those who fear Him" (Tehillim 33:18).

Although all pass before Him, the true aim of the judgment is His special providence over those who possess yiras Shomayim.

הגם כי כולם עוברין לפניו כבני מרון על כל זה עיקר הכוונה בעבור המיחלים לחסדו.

Even though all pass before Him like sheep (b'nei maron), nevertheless the main intention is for the sake of those who hope for His kindness (chesed).

Echoing the Mishnah that on Rosh Hashanah all creatures file before Hashem like a flock, the Sefas Emes stresses that the underlying purpose is His chesed to those who place their hope in Him.

להציל ממות נפשם הוא בר"ה ויוהכ"פ.

"To save their soul from death" (Tehillim 33:19) — this is on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The first half of that pasuk, deliverance from death, corresponds to the Days of Awe, when life itself is decreed.

ולחיותם ברעב הוא בחג הסוכות.

"And to sustain them in famine" (Tehillim 33:19) — this is on Chag HaSukkos.

The second half, sustenance and the provision of food and rain, corresponds to Sukkos, when the year's physical and spiritual abundance is determined.

ובנ"י גורמים לכל הברכה והחסד המתעורר בזה החג וממילא זוכין כל הברואים לחסד.

And Bnei Yisrael bring about all the blessing and chesed that is awakened on this festival, and consequently all creatures merit kindness.

It is the avodah of Bnei Yisrael on Sukkos that awakens the flow of blessing; only as a result does it then spill over to benefit all of creation.

כי מצד החסד יכולין לבוא בטענה גם האומות לכן הקב"ה משפיע לבנ"י בהסתר.

For from the side of chesed even the nations can come with a claim; therefore the Holy One bestows upon Bnei Yisrael in concealment.

Open chesed invites the nations to demand their share, so Hashem channels His blessing to Bnei Yisrael in a hidden way — the concealment of the sukkah.

וזהו הסוכה שמבדיל בין בנ"י להאומות.

And this is the sukkah, which separates between Bnei Yisrael and the nations.

The sukkah's concealment acts as a partition, marking off the unique portion of Bnei Yisrael from that of the nations.

ישלח ה' ברכה באסמיך דרשו חז"ל הסמוי מן העין הוא בסוכה.

"Hashem will command the blessing upon your storehouses (asamecha)" (Devarim 28:8) — Chazal expounded: blessing rests on that which is hidden from the eye (ha'samui min ha'ayin) — this is the sukkah.

Chazal read "asamecha" as "samui," hinting that blessing dwells in what is concealed; the Sefas Emes applies this to the hidden blessing of the sukkah.

ובכל משלח ידך הוא מינים שבלולב דכתיב בהו ולקחתם לכם כו' והוא ביד.

"And in all that you put your hand to" (Devarim 28:8) — this refers to the species of the lulav, concerning which it is written, "and you shall take for yourselves…" (Vayikra 23:40), which is done with the hand.

The continuation of that pasuk, "the sending forth of your hand," alludes to the four minim taken in hand on Sukkos, which are "taken" actively, by the hand, unlike the sukkah's passive concealment.

וכל אלה המצות הם עצות מהקב"ה וב"ש בעבורינו כמ"ש נפלאותיך ומחשבותיך אלינו.

And all these mitzvos are counsels from the Holy One on our behalf, as it is written, "Your wonders and Your thoughts are toward us" (Tehillim 40:6).

The mitzvos of Sukkos are Hashem's loving "advice," devices He fashioned for our benefit to draw blessing to us.

דכ' מושיע חוסים ממתקוממים בימינך.

For it is written, "He who saves those who take refuge from those who rise up, with Your right hand" (Tehillim 17:7).

The Sefas Emes now examines the unusual word order of this pasuk to uncover a deeper meaning about Sukkos.

ומדקדקין המפורשים דהול"ל בימינך ממתקוממים אכן יתכן לפרש ע"ד הנ"ל כי כשימין ה' פתוחה אז גם האומות באין כנ"ל.

And the commentators note that it should have read "with Your right hand, from those who rise up"; however, it can be explained along the above lines: that when the right hand of Hashem is open, then the nations also come, as above.

The pasuk's order teaches that the very openness of Hashem's "right hand" of chesed is what allows the nations ("those who rise up") to press their claim for a portion.

ואז הקב"ה מושיע החוסים בו לבל יגזלו מהם ההשפעה כי על ידיהם נפתח החסד כנ"ל.

And then the Holy One saves those who take refuge in Him, so that the abundance not be robbed from them, for it is through them that the chesed was opened, as above.

Precisely because the open chesed exposes Bnei Yisrael to the nations' demands, Hashem protects those who trust in Him so their blessing is not seized — for they were the ones who unlocked it in the first place.

וענין הע' פרים כי בחודש הזה הישועה באה לבנ"י בתוך כלל הבריאה.

And the matter of the seventy bulls (offered on Sukkos) is that in this month the deliverance comes to Bnei Yisrael within the whole of creation.

The seventy bulls of Sukkos, brought on behalf of the seventy nations, reflect that in Tishrei the salvation of Bnei Yisrael comes bound up together with the rest of the world.

כי ניסן מיוחד רק לבנ"י ותשרי הוא בכלל הבריאה.

For Nissan is designated for Bnei Yisrael alone, while Tishrei is within the general creation.

Nissan, the month of the Exodus, belongs uniquely to Bnei Yisrael, but Tishrei's judgment and blessing encompass all of creation.

ולכן צריכין הרבה יגיעה לתקן זה הדרך והוא ענין באר את התורה בשבעים לשון פירש להם (עמ"ש לקמן בשמ"ע).

Therefore much toil (yegiah) is needed to rectify this path — and this is the matter of "he explained the Torah" in seventy languages he expounded it for them (Devarim 1:5; see what is written below on Shemini Atzeres).

Drawing salvation specifically to Bnei Yisrael from within the universal blessing of Tishrei demands great effort, paralleled by Moshe's explaining the Torah in all seventy languages — refining the holy out of the broad mixture.

וכל זה הי' ענין לוחות אחרונות אחר החטא שאמר הקב"ה אין לך יפה מן הצניעות.

And all this was the matter of the second luchos (tablets), after the sin, of which the Holy One said, "there is nothing more beautiful than modesty (tznius)."

The first luchos were given openly and were vulnerable; the second, given after the Golden Calf, came in concealment — teaching that hidden holiness, like the sukkah, is the most enduring and beautiful.

לכן הוא בכסה ובסוכה ובכלל כל הברואים.

Therefore it is in concealment (ba'keseh), and in the sukkah, and within the totality of all creatures.

This is why the holiness of Tishrei is "covered" (as in "ba'keseh l'yom chageinu"), housed in the concealing sukkah, and woven into the general blessing of all creation.

ובמ"א הארכנו בזה.

And elsewhere we have expanded upon this.

The Sefas Emes notes that he has developed this theme at greater length in another piece.

וכתיב טוב פת חריבה ושלוה כו' מבית מלא זבחי ריב.

And it is written, "Better a dry crust with tranquility than a house full of feasts of strife" (Mishlei 17:1).

The Sefas Emes now turns to a new pasuk contrasting a humble, peaceful portion with an abundant but contentious one, which he will apply to the festivals.

יתכן לרמוז על חג השבועות שתי הלחם שנק' מנחה חריבה בלא שמן ובלא לבונה.

It can be alluded to Chag HaShavuos: the shtei ha'lechem (two loaves), which are called a "dry meal-offering," without oil and without frankincense.

The "dry crust" hints at Shavuos, whose two-loaf offering is plain — lacking the oil and levonah of other minchah offerings.

ושלוה בה שלמי ציבור שאין כל השנה רק בחג השבועות.

And "tranquility" is in it — the communal shelamim (peace-offerings), which occur the entire year only on Chag HaShavuos.

"Shalvah" (tranquility, related to shelamim) fits Shavuos, the one time all year that communal peace-offerings are brought, expressing peace and wholeness.

וזה חביב מחג הסוכות שבה ע' פרים ויש בה ריב לשונות כנ"ל.

And this is more beloved than Chag HaSukkos, in which there are seventy bulls and there is "strife of tongues," as above.

In this respect the modest, peaceful offering of Shavuos surpasses Sukkos, whose seventy bulls and connection to the seventy nations bring with them the "strife of tongues."

ועיין בכזה במד' פ' בלק שבלעם אמר טוב להיות נעבד מע' אומות השיבו הקב"ה טוב פת חריבה ע"ש.

And see something like this in the Midrash on Parshas Balak, that Bilaam said it is better to be served by the seventy nations, and the Holy One answered him, "Better a dry crust" — see there.

The Midrash records a similar exchange: Bilaam preferred the grandeur of being worshiped by all the nations, but Hashem countered with this very pasuk, valuing the humble, peaceful portion over the contentious one.

והוא כנ"ל:

And this is as above.

The Sefas Emes concludes that this Midrash confirms the principle he has developed — that hidden, peaceful holiness is dearer to Hashem than open abundance entangled with the nations.

Summary: The water libation of Sukkos teaches how to receive Heaven's abundance as a fitting vessel. Because open chesed allows the nations to claim a share, Hashem channels His blessing to Bnei Yisrael in concealment — the sheltering sukkah and the "hidden" goodness of Tishrei. Bnei Yisrael, who alone stay bound to Hashem's unity and seek Him l'shem Shomayim, awaken the blessing that then overflows to all creation; yet Hashem guards them so it is not seized. The seventy bulls reflect Tishrei's universal scope, demanding great effort to refine the holy out of the mixture, while the modest, peaceful offering of Shavuos shows that hidden, tranquil holiness is more beloved before Hashem than open abundance tangled in strife.