Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Touching and Eating G-Dly Energy

Judaism is simultaneously the least demanding and the most demanding religion. It is the least demanding because even one Mitzvah lasts a lifetime. Yet, Judaism paradoxically demands that we never limit ourselves. It demands of us to do everything with our “everything.” This paradox is represented by the Sukkah.

SEEING, HEARING, SMELLING, TOUCHING AND EATING

G-DLY ENERGY

Anything and Everything

It has been noted that Judaism is simultaneously the least demanding and the most demanding religion. It is the least demanding because whatever good we do is said to have cosmic and infinite value. Even one Mitzvah lasts a lifetime and is therefore cherished. And where can we find a person who did not perform even one Mitzvah in his or her lifetime?

Yet, Judaism paradoxically demands that we never limit ourselves. It not only wants us to do everything, it also wants us to give our “everything” to all that we do. It is not enough to do a Mitzvah, or, for that matter, all of the Mitzvot; we must apply every sense and power we have to that Mitzvah.

Nowhere is this paradox more pronounced than in the Holiday of Sukkos and its primary Mitzvah: dwelling in a Sukkah.

Light and Heavy

On the one hand, the Talmud describes the Mitzvah of Sukkah to be a “light” or easy Mitzvah. It is considered an extremely easy Mitzvah to fulfill because one can construct a Sukkah with incurring virtually no expenses.

On the other hand, it is the only Mitzvah that encompasses all of our bodies. No part of us is left out of the Sukkah; even our clothing. It is a Mitzvah that hallows even the most minimal of efforts even as it demands the maximum; involving the totality of our being and “giving-it-all-wehave.”

Another reflection of the all encompassing nature of Sukkos is the way this Holiday uniquely involves all of our senses.

The Visual Sukkah

First, the visual sense is alluded to in the very word Sukkah that is etymologically connected to the word socheh, which means to see. To dwell in the Sukkah affords us the opportunity to see G-d’s providence. This vision aspect of the Mitzvah is the basis for the law that we not place the covering of the Sukkah known as “schach” higher than 20 cubits, for the eye will not easily see it. We must see the protective covering of the Sukkah because it reminds us of G-d’s protection of us in the past when we sojourned in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and invokes His protection over us in the present.

The Audio Sukkah

The auditory sense is also represented on this Holiday. The word Sukkah is also etymologically connected to the word hasket, which means listen. Indeed the sitting in the Sukkah exposes us to all the sounds of the outside world that are blocked out of our consciousness when we celebrate other holidays in our homes. We can also hear the rustling of the branches of the Sukkah in the autumn wind. In addition, we can hear the rustling of the Lulav (palm) leaves when we take it and shake it, as is required during this Holiday.

Hearing also has the connotation of understanding. The word Shema, which we translate as “Hear” is also interpreted to mead “understand.” And with regard to Sukkos the Torah indeed states that the reason we must dwell in Sukkos is so that “the future generations shall know that I settled the Children of Israel in booths.” There is an emphasis on “knowing” that comes through hearing and understanding.

The Touchy Feely Sukkah

The sense of touch applies to the Mitzvah of shaking the Lulav. The Torah expresses itself concerning this Mitzvah with the words: “And you shall take… the fruit of a beautiful tree, leaves of date palms etc.” In other words the Mitzvah is to hold the “four species” in our hands. There is to be nothing interfering with our hand and the Lulav. We must touch the Lulav and Esrog.

A case can even be made that the word Sukkah is etymologically related to the word “sach,” which means to anoint, or to cover—the sense of touch.

The Culinary Sukkah

The sense of taste is also prominently experienced in the Sukkah. The preeminent Mitzvah of the Sukkos Holiday is to eat our meal the first two nights in the Sukkah. We are further enjoined not to eat any substantial meal out of the Sukkah for the entire Festival. And whereas all other Holidays have a more specialized menu (Rosh Hashanah: sweet and symbolic foods; Chanukah: latkes; Purim: Hamantashen; Passover: Matzah, bitter herbs etc.; Shavuos: Dairy foods), on Sukkos, the Mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah extends to and incorporates all food.

The Olfactory Sukkah

Which sense have we left out? Ah it is the sense of smell. However upon closer examination even this sense is ubiquitous during Sukkos. This Holiday, with its abundance of fragrant greens hovering over us, contributes its fair share of the olfactory side of Judaism as well.

Furthermore, the Midrash in its description of the Esrog’s characteristics emphasizes its good fragrance. The same is said of the myrtle leaves that are bound to the Lulav.

Fragrance is said to be the only sense that was not defiled by Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. While they were tempted by its sight and enticed by the cunning words of the serpent, touched the tree and ate of its fruit, nowhere does the Torah mention that they were seduced by its captivating aroma.

It is therefore fascinating to note that according to one opinion in the Midrash, the forbidden fruit was actually an Esrog. By us taking the aromatic fruit we counter the effects of the sin of Adam and Eve and thereby bring an end to the effects of that sin: physical and spiritual death.

Moshiach, is therefore described in the Book of Isaiah as one who will sense justice with his acute sense of smell. It is the one sense that was not tainted. And while, according to the great Kabbalist the Arizal, all souls are said to be part and sparks of Adam’s soul, Moshiach soul is said possess a soul that was not included in Adam’s soul and thus free from the deleterious effects of his sin. This is all expressed in the sense of smell that is prominently on display during Sukkos.

Sukkos Anatomy

This all-encompassing nature of the Holiday of Sukkos is also the underlying theme of the Mitzvah to take the Four Kinds (Lulav-Palm leaves; Esrog-Citron; Hadasim-myrtle; Aravot-willows), recite a blessing over them, hold them together and shake them in all six directions.

The four species are said to represent four disparate parts of our anatomy: our spine (Lulav), heart (Esrog), eyes (Hadasim) and the mouth (Aravot). This symbolizes the need to invest our backbone, or our tenacity in the observance of the Mitzvah. We also need to instill our Mitzvah with heart and emotion. We must also delve more deeply into the deeper layers of meaning, as the word eye in Hebrew also means to examine or probe. And finally, the Mitzvah needs our power of speech to: a) recite the blessing before the performance of the Mitzvah, b) to study the laws and deeper explanations of the Mitzvah that are found in Torah literature, c) we must use our power of speech to teach this Mitzvah and impart its message to others.

Unites All Classes

Alternatively, according to a well-known Midrash, these four kinds represent four classes of Jews: The leaned and pious (Esrog, which has a good taste the symbol of knowledge and a good fragrance, the symbol of good deeds); learned but not so pious (Lulav, that comes from a date tree that produces good tasting fruit but no fragrance); pious but not so learned (corresponds to the myrtle that has fragrance but no taste); not so pious and not so learned (represented by the willows that have neither taste or smell).

The object of the Mitzvah is to take all four kinds and hold them together. The Mitzvah is not complete until we combine all of these diverse categories into one. In addition to its message of Jewish unity, this can also be personalized in the sense that we all have aspects of all four personality types that we must involve in the performance of this Mitzvah.

Here again, we see the idea of marshalling all of our resources for the performance of the Mitzvah.

Symbol of Messianic Age

There is no wonder then that the symbol for the Messianic Age is the Sukkah.

The difference between the present period of Galus-exile and the imminent coming of Moshiach and the Redemption he will usher in is that exile, by definition, compromises our ability to be whole and to give “our all” to any effort. Redemption, by contrast, removes all distractions and facilitates the marshalling and unification of all our faculties and resources in the pursuit of a Mitzvah.

Let us hope and pray that we get a taste of the unification of our resources during the upcoming Sukkos Festival; a taste that will whet our appetite for the whole feast, the imminent coming of Moshiach!

From the book Light from the Future: Sukkos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.