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Holy Days -
Sukkos
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Written by Moshe Kormornick
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Where do we see in the Torah that there is a mitzvah to be happy all the time?
The Torah writes “You shall love Hashem”[1]. The Rambam explains in different places that this mitzvah is fulfilled by contemplating the existence and nature of the world, and also the way that life turns out for us in particular. If we follow the Rambam’s advice, and we conclude that Hashem is infinitely intelligent, does that make us love Him? If we were to meet an incredibly intelligent professor from the world’s top university, would we insist on being his friend because we recognize his brilliance? Our love for Hashem does not come about from our appreciation for His greatness, it comes from our appreciation of what He does for us. When we contemplate that the world is so vast, and so wonderful, we are right to praise Hashem, but when we feel that it is all for us, we will come to love Him. Succos is a time for that
appreciation. After Rosh Hashana when we proclaim His greatness, and Yom Kippur when we admit our lackings and strive to change, we approach Succos, the time of rejoicing. And why are we rejoicing? Because we know that Hashem created this whole world with all its beauty and almost infinite intricacies...just for us!
Chag Sameach
[1] Devarim 6:5
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