In Parshat Mishpatim, the celebration of the Shalosh Regalim, of Pesach, Succot, and Shavuot is commanded. As it says in כג :יד-יז
"שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים, תָּחֹג לִי בַּשָּׁנָה אֶת-חַג הַמַּצּוֹת, תִּשְׁמֹר--שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב, כִּי-בוֹ יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם; וְלֹא-יֵרָאוּ פָנַי, רֵיקָם. וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה; וְחַג הָאָסִף בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה, בְּאָסְפְּךָ אֶת-מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מִן-הַשָּׂדֶה. שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, בַּשָּׁנָה--יֵרָאֶה, כָּל-זְכוּרְךָ, אֶל-פְּנֵי, הָאָדֹן יְהוָה".
What other source can explain why succot was not given any detail? Do you think all of the shalosh regalim equally important, or is one greater than the rest?
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Mishpatim #1- Sukkot?
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Rabbi Levi says: Hashem planned to give the Jewish people a yom tov every month of the spring and summer. (Ex: Pesach occurs in Nissan, Pesach Sheini in Iyar, and Shavuot in Sivan.) When the Jewish people sinned in Tammuz with the golden calf, Hashem canceled yamim tovim for the months of Tammuz, Av and Elul. In Tishrei, however, He gave Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, which were really supposed to be during Tammuz, Av and Elul respectively, and also Shemini Atzeret for the month of Tishrei.
ReplyDeleteIn this parshah, Hashem is talking about the yom tov of Sukkot, before the Jews sinned with the golden calf. At that time the festival of Sukkot was designated to be at the end of the year, during the month of Elul. The sin of the golden calf is recorded in Parshat Ki Tissa. After the sin was committed, the yom tov of Sukkot was moved up to the beginning of the new year — the month of Tishrei.
Elianna Ashendorf
Dalia Adams:
ReplyDeleteMenachem Posner writes an article on chabad about the significance of sukkot. He says that sukkot is a unique holiday because it is not based on a specific event that occurred in history. The sukkah represents the sukkot that we had to use in the desert after we were taken out of Egypt. There really is no special reason for the holiday other than that. The fact that it wasn’t mentioned, shows how special it is.
Leah Markowitz
ReplyDeleteIt appears from different proofs in the Torah that Sukkot holds or held the most importance out of the three holidays. For instance, Sukkot is mentioned in the torah far more times than the other holidays, it is referred to as simply "chag" more often than not which indicates it is of the most value, and it required the most amount of Karbanot. For this reason, it was assumed that if you are going to go to Eretz Yisroel for one of the three holidays, you would go for Sukkot.
I agree that Sukkot might have held the most importance back when the Beit Hamikodosh stood, but I feel that Pesach now holds the most importance because it requires so much preparation and signifies some of the biggest miracles discussed in Judaism.
Leah Markowitz
ReplyDeleteIt appears from different proofs in the Torah that Sukkot holds or held the most importance out of the three holidays. For instance, Sukkot is mentioned in the torah far more times than the other holidays, it is referred to as simply "chag" more often than not which indicates it is of the most value, and it required the most amount of Karbanot. For this reason, it was assumed that if you are going to go to Eretz Yisroel for one of the three holidays, you would go for Sukkot.
I agree that Sukkot might have held the most importance back when the Beit Hamikodosh stood, but I feel that Pesach now holds the most importance because it requires so much preparation and signifies some of the biggest miracles discussed in Judaism.
meira baum:
ReplyDeletethe rashbam says that the reason we sit in succot is because in the midbar we sat in succot. but right now they're already in the dessert so they don't need to focus on that while pesach happened in the past and shavuot will be in the future.
Link for Leah-
ReplyDeletehttps://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-the-history-of-sukkot-1.5312225
Rav Yehudah Shaviv thinks that not one of the Shlosh Regalim is better than the others, but that they all represent and signify different things all regarding Israel. Pesach is the "festival of freedom" for Israel from slavery in Egypt. Shavuot
ReplyDeleteis the "festival of the giving of the Torah", and it is given to
Israel specifically. Sukkot is a "festival for Israel", and that all future generations will know that Hashem provided the children of Israel with huts. Sukkot is also one of the "festivals of Tishrei", the "festivals of judgment" so it has a more important part to it than the other two of the Shlosh Regalim.
I really like this idea because it is not that the Shlosh Regalim can be compared in a better or worse way, but they are all created for different reasons and are important in their own way.
eden schechter-
ReplyDeletethought from BBC chief Rabbi
"You shall dwell in sukkot seven days...in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the Lord your God."
Leviticus 23:42
Spending time in a fragile hut in the garden, or under a roof of leaves rigged up on a balcony gives them the experience of living exposed to the world, without a nice comfort and security around them. It reminds people that there is only one real source of security and protection, and that is Hashem. The holes in the roof of the sukkah reveal the sky, representing, God's heaven, the only source of security. Another meaning: a Jew can be in God's presence anywhere. The idea here is that the person, having abandoned all the non-natural protections from the elements has only God to protect them
The Tanach study center, by Menachem Leibtag, says that there is not an obvious reason for celebrating Sukkot. In the Torah, it explains Sukkot in a very general way. He explains that Sukkot does not commemorate a single event, but rather an entire time period of our national history. He explains that we don't sit in the sukka to only remember that God provided for our needs in the dessert, rather the Torah commands that we sit in the sukka in order to remember why that entire desert experience was necessary! It does not go into detail about it in the pasuk because Hashem wants us to think on our own why it was necessary for us. I think all of these holidays are important and all teach us different things.
ReplyDeleteMeira Cohen
ReplyDeleteThe Maharal says that each of the Shalosh Regalim correspond to one of the three cardinal sins in which we were able to overcome: idolatry, murder, and sexual immorality.
Pesach was given to us at the time that we strayed away from the Egyptians’ ways and idolatry and chose Hashem. By eating Matzo, we symbolize the way of life we chose, the humble spirit, which is opposite to the arrogant ways of the idol worshipers.
Shavuot was given to us as a reward for accepting the Torah. When we accepted the Torah, we rejected sexual immorality. As the Ramban says, “inappropriate sexual thoughts fill the heads of those empty of wisdom. The solution is to engage oneself and one’s thoughts in Torah.”
Finally, Sukkot was given to us as a reward for overcoming hatred and jealousy. On Sukkot, we put all material differences aside and sit in the same sukkah. We then tie the four species together as a symbol of an acceptance of all types of Jews coming together. Once we realize that we can be a “Klal” when we work together, we can overcome the hatred and jealousy that causes us to sin.
I think that this is a very powerful lesson and reason for why Hashem designated these three specific Chagim to be the Sahlosh Regalim. When we think about what we and our forefathers have done to the us to this place, it can inspire us to continue to join together as a Klal to serve Hashem.