Title: Sukkos: A Symphony of Joy
By: Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein
Mosaica Press
After the Torah discusses the laws of the moadim in Parshas Emor, it then discusses the laws of the menorah. Many commentators attempt to explain the segue between these two subjects. The Ba’al Huturim writes that it teaches that we say the entire Hallel on all eight days of Chanukah just as we say the entire Hallel on all eight days of Sukkos. With this idea in mind, it seems fitting to review Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein’s new book Sukkos: A Symphony of Joy in the days following Chanukah.
With seven previous books to his credit, this is not the first time Rabbi Bernstein has covered the holiday of Sukkos. The final four chapters of his book Teshuvah also cover Sukkos. While the ideas presented in the earlier work do make an appearance in this work, they are all in slightly different and at times expanded form instead of being simply cut and pasted. In particular, in his essay about beautifying the lulav and esrog, Rabbi Bernstein adds an idea about the significance of the Torah’s requirement for beautifying this mitzvah when discussing the esrog, which symbolizes the heart. All of the other parts of the body are carried by the beauty that rests within a person’s heart.
In addition to the old wine in new vessels, Sukkos contains about twenty new chapters. These chapters are divided into four sections: the holiday of Sukkos, the mitzvos of Sukkos, Sukkos in the Beis HaMikdash, and the concluding days of Sukkos. Of these four sections, the third one seems to be the most unique for a sefer about the holiday of Sukkos. Usually, Divrei Torah about the sukkah or the lulav and esrog abound. However, less common is a completely new way of looking at the sacrifices brought on the holiday. Rabbi Bernstein explains that the decreasing number of bulls brought on Sukkos, going from thirteen on the first day to seven on the seventh day, represents the Jewish people’s increasing comfort in being in Hashem’s presence. Such closeness requires less hospitality represented by the larger number of offerings.
Rabbi Bernstein argues that this closeness between Bnei Yisrael and Hashem is the central message of the holiday of Sukkos and why the Torah describes this holiday as zman simchasaynu, the time of our rejoicing. Indeed, from the first chapter of Sukkos about the clouds of glory reappearing on Sukkos until the Afterword about carrying the blessings of Sukkos beyond the holiday, Rabbi Bernstein demonstrates the specialness of Bnei Yisrael’s relationship with Hashem. Keeping this relationship in mind throughout the year can help people overcome anxiety about the future, consumerism, and fixation on material success. Rabbi Bernstein’s message seems particular relevant for the dark winter that Bnei Yisrael currently finds itself in.
Sukkos always seems like a holiday that gets less attention since it follows on the heels of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. That is why I was so delighted to see Rabbi Bernstein’s first ideas on Sukkos seven years ago in Teshuvah. Since then, I have tried to find other meaningful English works on Sukkos with only minimal success. That is why I felt my own inner symphony when I saw Rabbi Bernstein’s Sukkos in my local Jewish bookstore shortly before Sukkos. While I did get a chance to read the entire sefer during Sukkos this year, I look forward to doing so next Sukkos.
