Weekly Story: A Sukkos Farbrengen

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Being that I posted throughout Sukkos about the ushpizin, I was excited to hear the following anecdote in a Simchas Beis Hasho’eiva farbrengen led by Rabbi Telsner about them. As always your feedback is always appreciated.

As long as Rebbetzin Nechoma Dinah was alive, the Rebbe continued to eat the Yom Tov meals upstairs of 770, in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s apartment. On Sukkos there was room for only ten guests and it was by invitation only. The sukkah was on the porch.

The following occurred during one of the days of Sukkos of 5629 (1968).

One of the guests at the table was Reb Yankel Katz of Chicago. When the meal concluded, he came downstairs and related to the bochurim the following short conversation he had with the Rebbe.

The Rebbe mentioned something about the ushpizin and I said, why discuss something that no one sees?

The Rebbe replied, “Isn’t it nice to be in a Sukkah where one of the attendees does see them?”

The bochurim were flabbergasted, how often does the Rebbe reveal his abilities?

Being that the farbrengen was about Sukkos, he mentioned the following insight.

The Halacha is that a dried-out lulav or Esrog is not acceptable. Although there is nothing else wrong with them; as they are completely intact, just they are just dried out. In order to be permissible to be used they need to retain some of their water or hydration. In Loshon Hakodesh that is called lachloochis.

The lesson we all can learn from this is simple. Sometimes a person fulfills a mitzvah, but he does it mechanically, out of rote, without any feelings or vitality. He did the mitzvah, but it is dry, and that is not how a mitzvah is supposed to be done.

One could carry the Torah around the Shul by hakafos, but without enjoyment, that is not celebrating Simchas Torah.

There was a chossid of the Alter Rebbe who was extremely poor. Yet, every time he came to the Alter Rebbe his focus was on how he can improve himself spiritually and forgot to ask for a blessing to ease his monetary situation and difficulties.

One year before he left his house his wife told him “Ask the Rebbe for a blessing that our financial situation improves. If it doesn’t bother you and you forget to ask for a blessing, then you could stay there. Don’t come home!”

The chossid went to the Rebbe and was elevated spiritually by what he saw and heard and now as was preparing to return home, he entered the Rebbe’s room for a yechidus.

As always he asked for the Rebbe’s guidance in improving his spiritual development and then as he was about to leave, he said Rebbe, can I ask one more question?

When the Rebbe replied in the affirmative, he described his financial situation and requested a blessing.

The Alter Rebbe placed his head in his hands for a few moments and then said to the chossid, “There are numerous souls (neshomos) that are waiting and hoping that they will be chosen and allowed to descend into this physical world and have the opportunity to fulfill a mitzvah and fulfill Hashem’s will and desire. Your neshomah was given the opportunity, that in itself shall fill you with happiness [and override any hardship that you are dealing with].

We have what to be joyful about, and let us focus on our blessings, primarily that Hashem chose us to fulfill His mission.

Rabbi Telsner then related the following story.

There were three friends that were captured by the Germans and were sent to a work camp. To their luck the commander there was not so rough with them and sometimes engaged them in conversation.

It was after Yom Kippur and one of them asked his two friends what are we going to do for Sukkos, how are we going to fulfill the mitzvah of eating in a Sukkah?

His friends replied, be happy that you survive until Sukkos and get a sukkah out of your head. A sukkah in a work camp will never happen.

But this man really wanted a Sukkah. After thinking it over for a while he came up with the following solution. When he was captured he had managed to smuggle in a large piece of gold. He was thinking that in case he is in danger he would offer this gold as a bribe, to save himself.

Going over to the commander he asked him if he would like to have a new automobile. The mans’ face shined with happiness.

So he said if you take us in the back of a van or truck into the next town I will give you something that would enable you to buy a new automobile. Of course, we will have to be covered by something so the sentry doesn’t see us.

The commander thought for a moment and replied, “Tomorrow night meet me by the gate at midnight.”

The man informed his friends that it was arranged. Although they were somewhat skeptical, they went along and at midnight they were commanded to fill up the back of the vehicle with bags which they then climbed under.

Arriving in that town they began searching for some boards and branches to create a sukkah. To their delight, they found a hut without a roof and were able to cover it with some branches, made a brocha on the food they brought along, and returned to the vehicle.

On the way back to the camp the vehicle came to a sudden stop as they heard a high-ranking officer demanding an explanation from the commander as to why he left the camp in the middle of the night.

They thought this was their end and they began saying Shema and vidui (confession).

All of a sudden they heard gunfire as the Partisans began attacking the Germans. The Germans tried to take cover beneath their vehicles and the three men decided to go for it.

Boruch Hashem they all survived, and after the war they were able to come together.

Initially, he didn’t want to tell them how he convinced the commander to agree to take them, but after they relentlessly pressured him he said: “I had this piece of gold which I was planning on using in case my life was in danger, but fulfilling the mitzvah of eating in a Sukkah was so important that I was willing to give it away for the mitzvah.

That is the fervor one should have when fulfilling a mitzvah.

Now that we holding at the time when we proclaim, “V’Yaakov Hulach L’darkoi” we should take this lesson and whatever other lesson you took from the month of Tishrei, and make it part of your everyday life.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com