Sukkos
Why Sukkos, and not Shavuos, carries the title zman simchaseinu, traced to a second, greater Matan Torah that took place specifically on Yom Kippur.
Part of Sukkot
Works out why the Torah names simcha three times by Sukkos and not at all by Pesach, then asks why that extra joy attaches to Sukkos rather than to Shavuos, the actual zman matan Toraseinu. Answers that the joy of Sukkos flows from the luchos sheniyos given on Yom Kippur, richer than the first luchos and preceded by accepting Hashem's kingship on Rosh Hashanah, layered on top of the plain joy of walking out of Yom Kippur forgiven.
Audio Transcript
A vort of the Rebbe for Sukkos. We know the description of Sukkos, as we say it in davenen and in Kiddush, which was established by the Chazal, is that we call it 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜, the time, the season of our rejoicing. Now, the truth is that every Yom Tov there is an obligation of having simcha. 诪讜注讚讬诐 诇砖诪讞讛, 讬诪讬诐 讟讜讘讬诐 are for simcha. That goes on Pesach, goes on Shavuos. Nevertheless, they are not called 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜. Pesach is called 讝诪谉 讞讬专讜转谞讜, the time of our freedom. Shavuos is called 讝诪谉 诪转谉 转讜专转谞讜, the time of 诪转谉 转讜专讛, and only Sukkos is called 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜, which obviously tells us that as much as there is an obligation of being happy on the other 讬诪讬诐 讟讜讘讬诐, Pesach and Shavuos, but Sukkos, there is a special obligation of being simcha, we have to have a 砖诪讞讛 讬转讬专讛, an extra simcha on Sukkos. And that's why, taka, we find it says in the Midrash, the 诇砖讜谉 of the Midrash is, 讘驻住讞 讗讬谉 讗转讛 诪讜爪讗 砖讻转讘 讘讜 砖诪讞讛 讗祝 讗讞转. Pesach actually doesn't even say in the Torah once that you have to be 讘砖诪讞讛. We learn it out from the others. 讘注爪专转, 砖诪讞讛 讗讞转, 讘注爪专转 which is Shavuos, it says once. 讗讘诇 讘讞讙 讛住讜讻讜转 讻转讘 砖诇讜砖讛, 砖诇讜砖 砖诪讞讜转, we find three times the word simcha. So Sukkos is an extra, we have to be extra happy. That means that Sukkos is the time of happiness more than Pesach and Shavuos. But we have to understand, lichorah, the greatest simcha a Yid could have is for 诪转谉 转讜专讛. Like we say in the 讘专讻讛, 讗砖专 讘讞专 讘谞讜 诪讻诇 讛注诪讬诐, You chose us from all nations, 讜谞转谉 诇谞讜 讗转 转讜专转讜, and gave us His Torah. The greatest joy a yid could have is 诪转谉 转讜专讛. So why is it that Sukkos, which is not 讝诪谉 诪转谉 转讜专转谞讜, not the time of 诪转谉 转讜专讛, there is a greater joy than Shavuos? The main one should be on Shavuos, cuz Shavuos is 讝诪谉 诪转谉 转讜专讛, it's the greatest joy a yid should have is the inyan that you received the Torah. Why is it that Sukkos is the 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜, the extra simcha is only on Sukkos?
So the Rebbe explains it like this. The simcha that we have to have on Sukkos is also because of 诪转谉 转讜专讛, but in a higher level of 诪转谉 转讜专讛. Shavuos is the time the Eibershter gave us the Torah, but it was the first 诇讜讞讜转. Yom Kippur was the time when the Eibershter gave us the second 诇讜讞讜转. That's why when it says in the Gemara Taanis on the 驻住讜拽 讘讬讜诐 讞转讜谞转讜, the day of our ch asuna, so the Gemara says 讝讛 诪转谉 转讜专讛, that refers to 诪转谉 转讜专讛, that's the ch asuna of the Eibershter and yidden. And Rashi says there that means 讬讜诐 讛讻讬驻讜专讬诐 砖谞讬转谞讜 讘讜 诇讜讞讜转 讗讞专讜谞讜转, that refers to Yom Kippur when the Eibershter gave us the second 诇讜讞讜转. And when the Eibershter gave us the second 诇讜讞讜转, He gave us much more than the first 诇讜讞讜转. It says in a Midrash, 讗诪专 诇讬讛 讛拽讚讜砖 讘专讜讱 讛讜讗, 讛砖诐 said to 诪砖讛, 讗诇 转爪讟注专 讘诇讜讞讜转 讛专讗砖讜谞讜转, don't feel bad about what happened to the first 诇讜讞讜转, 砖诇讗 讛讬讜 讗诇讗 注砖专转 讛讚讬讘专讜转 讘诇讘讚, the first 诇讜讞讜转 they only had the Ten Commandments, 注砖专转 讛讚讬讘专讜转. 讘诇讜讞讜转 讛砖谞讬讬诐, the second 诇讜讞讜转, 讗谞讬 谞讜转谉 诇讱, I'm giving them to you, 砖讬讛讗 讘讛诐 讛诇讻讜转, 诪讚专砖, 讜讗讙讚讜转, I'll give you, you'll have more 讛诇讻讛, 诪讚专砖, and 讗讙讚讛. And the Midrash quotes a pasuk where it says, 讜讬讙讚 诇讱 转注诇讜诪讜转 讞讻诪讛 讻讬 讻驻诇讬讬诐 诇转讜砖讬讛, that by the second 诇讜讞讜转, 讻驻诇讬讬诐 诇转讜砖讬讛, there's double. And when it says 讻驻诇讬讬诐, it doesn't mean double just two times as much. Double can mean many, many fold. So the second 诇讜讞讜转 has much more than even the first 诇讜讞讜转 of 诪转谉 转讜专讛. And that happened on Yom Kippur. And the celebration of Sukkos being 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜 is the simcha for the fact that we received the Torah on Yom Kippur. But then one might ask, so then why don't we have Yom Kippur to be the 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜? Well, because Yom Kippur, it can't be so strong because the main thing of Yom Kippur is the fact that we're asking Hashem to forgive us for our 注讘讬专讜转 and Hashem forgives us for our 注讘讬专讜转. 讘诪讬诇讗, 讘讙讬诇讜讬, on a revealed open way, you can't have the simcha because we're involved in another matter. But when it comes to Sukkos, which is right after Yom Kippur, then we have the simcha of the fact that the Eibershter gave us the Torah on Yom Kippur. And the simcha continues for the whole Yom Tov of Sukkos. Every day it's part of that simcha of 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜 that we received the Torah. And it goes on even further, comes to Shemini Atzeres, which is also called 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜. And then Simchat Torah, which is even a greater simcha than Sukkos, and it's all the simcha of Torah. Okay, Simchat Torah we have to feel it in connection to the finishing of the Torah, but it's not only that, it's also 讘谞讜讙注 the fact that we received the Torah from the Eibershter on Yom Kippur. So we celebrate all these days as 讝诪谉 砖诪讞转谞讜 for 诪转谉 转讜专讛.
There is a maalah also, the Rebbe says, in the 诪转谉 转讜专讛 of Yom Kippur besides of what we said before, and that is: the Gemara says 诇讙讘讬 a few things The Eibershter says, \"拽讘诇讜 诪诇讻讜转讬 讜讗讞专 讻讱 讗讙讝讜专 注诇讬讻诐 讙讝专讜转.\" The Eibershter says, \"First accept me as king, and then I will give you the mitzvot.\" When do we really see it is in the 诪转谉 转讜专讛 of Yom Kippur, because Rosh Hashanah, which is before Yom Kippur, is the time when we accept Hashem as 诪诇讱, as king. As the Gemara says, Hashem says, he is begging us, \"讛诪诇讬讻讜谞讬 注诇讬讻诐, make me your king.\" So on Rosh Hashanah we accept Hashem as the king, as being our king. Yom Kippur is the Torah that was given, so here we have the Torah and mitzvot that came after we accepted Hashem as king. So this expresses even more the real giving of Torah, that it comes after the fact that we were 诪拽讘诇 the 诪诇讻讜转. Mimela there is a maalah in the 诇讜讞讜转 讗讞专讜谞讜转 and a maalah in the 诪转谉 转讜专讛 of Yom Kippur that the time, the simcha after that, is a greater simcha, more zman simchateinu than even Shavuos, which is officially the zman matan torateinu, but there is a ma'alah here, and that's why we have the simcha here.
And this is all in addition to the simple thing why Sukkos is zman simchateinu, and also because it comes after Yom Kippur, but for a simple reason, because Yom Kippur Hashem forgave us for all our aveirot, so what could be a greater simcha than that? And that's why after Yom Kippur, when Hashem is 住讜诇讞 讜诪讜讞诇 all all our aveirot, so we are so happy and we thank Hashem for that, and that's why this is zman simchateinu, this 讝诪谉 砖诪讞讛. But as we said before, it's not only for that, it's also in connection to matan Torah, because Yom Kippur is the day Hashem gave us the Torah, the 诇讜讞讜转 砖谞讬讜转, and the greatest simcha is that we received the Torah, and therefore this is a time of zman simchateinu.