Why We Rejoice
讬诇拽讜讟 驻专砖转 讗诪讜专 [专诪讝 转专讻讜]
讗转讛 诪讜爪讗 砖诇砖 砖诪讞讜转 讻转讬讘 讘讞讙 讜砖诪讞转 讘讞讙讱, 讜讛讬讬转 讗讱 砖诪讞, 讜砖诪讞转诐 诇驻谞讬 讛’ 讗诇讛讬讻诐 砖讘注转 讬诪讬诐, 讗讘诇 讘驻住讞 讗讬谉 讗转讛 诪讜爪讗 砖讻转讜讘 讘讜 讗驻讬诇讜 砖诪讞讛 讗讞转, 诇诪讛. 讗转讛 诪讜爪讗 砖讘驻住讞 讛转讘讜讗讛 谞讬讚讜谞讬转 讜讗讬谉 讗讚诐 讬讜讚注 讗诐 注讜砖讛 讛砖谞讛 [转讘讜讗讛] 讗诐 讗讬谞讜 注讜砖讛 [诇驻讬讻讱 讗讬谉 讻转讜讘 砖诐 砖诪讞讛] . . . 讜讻谉 讗转讛 诪讜爪讗 砖讗讬谉 讻转讜讘 讘注爪专转 讗诇讗 砖诪讞讛 讗讞转 讚讻转讬讘 讜注砖讬转 讞讙 砖讘讜注讜转 诇讛’ 讗诇讛讬讱 讜砖诪讞转 讗转讛 讜讘讬转讱, 讜诇诪讛 讻转讘 讘讛 砖诪讞讛 讗讞转 [诪驻谞讬] 砖讛转讘讜讗讛 谞讻谞住转 讘驻谞讬诐. 讜诪讛 讟注诐 讗讬谉 讻转讜讘 砖诐 砖转讬 砖诪讞讜转 诇驻讬 砖驻讬专讜转 讛讗讬诇谉 谞讬讚讜谞讬谉, 讗讘诇 讘讞讙 诇驻讬 砖讛转讘讜讗讛 讜驻讬专讜转 讛讗讬诇谉 讘驻谞讬诐 诇驻讬讻讱 讻转讘 砖诇砖 砖诪讞讜转 讜砖诪讞转 讘讞讙讱, 讜砖诪讞转诐 诇驻谞讬 讛’ 讗诇讛讬讻诐, 讜讛讬讬转 讗讱 砖诪讞.
Yalkut, Emor 654
You find three verses that command to rejoice on Sukkot . . . For Passover, however, you will not find even one command to rejoice. Why not? Because in the season of Passover, judgment is being passed on field crops, and nobody knows whether the year will bring forth crops or not. So, too, you find that for Shavu’ot there is only one command to rejoice . . . Why? Because the field crop has already been brought into the house. Then why not two commands to rejoice? Because judgment is then being passed on fruits of trees. For Sukkot, however, when both field crops and fruits of the tree have been brought into the house, three commands to rejoice are set down.
We are blessed with so much鈥攗ntil we are not. Which is why we don’t count chickens before they hatch or rejoice before the crops are in: it ain’t over till it’s over.
Sukkot comes on the heels of Yom Kippur, and while there is a tradition that holds that the gates of judgment are not completely shut until Hoshanah Rabbah in the middle of the week, a more mainstream approach is that Ne’ilah ends the Season of Repentance. How fitting then that the holiday of celebration, designated by three separate commands to “rejoice,” should come only after those gates have closed.
Moreover, it is not until it is time for Sukkot that the crops and the fruit have been “brought into the house.” Having committed to our new year’s resolutions on Yom Kippur, we have needed these few days to internalize鈥�”bring home”鈥攁ll that we’ve set out to do.
After spending the month of Elul in spiritual preparation for the Yamim Nora’im, and then observing Rosh Hashanah and the ensuing Ten Days of Repentance, capped off by Yom Kippur, we feel ready to begin again. The joy that comes with that new beginning is exuberant, meriting a holiday designated by a threefold command for celebration.
