One of the themes of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is that of the unity of the Jewish People. But it is on Sukkot that this motif finds its highest expression.
On Rosh Hashona, we all stand as equals before G-d in prayer, accepting His sovereignty and crowning Him King over us all. And on Yom Kippur we are equally aroused to do teshuva (repent) and return to G-d.
Our unity during the High Holidays is a unity based on the common denominator inherent in every Jew. On Sukkot however, we reach an even higher level of unity than before.
One of the most important mitzvot of Sukkot is the taking of the 'Four Kinds'. These four species symbolize the four different types of people which exist within the Jewish nation. The etrog symbolizes one who possesses Torah learning and also does good deeds; the lulav stands for one who possesses only Torah learning. The hadas (myrtle) symbolizes one who performs commandments and does good deeds, but does not have Torah learning, and the arava (willow) symbolizes the Jew who possesses neither Torah nor learning.
On Sukkot we take these four different species and bring them together to perform a mitzva. Despite all our differences we are all bound together. And this is the highest degree of unity we can achieve.
Thus on Sukkot we verify and confirm the unity which was achieved during the High Holidays. This realization sustains us throughout the year and gives us the strength to live in harmony and solidarity with one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment