Two weeks ago we introduced that our present month of Tishrei is created through the vessel of the letter Lamed ( recall that according to Sefer Yetzirah every month has an associated Hebrew letter ). The two concepts we will continue to explore are the word Lamed, which means learning ( to teach and to learn ) and the word Lev, meaning heart.

We pointed out that the heart theme continues in Sukkot in our returning the Lulav and other species to our heart after each outward shaking of the four species. The word Lev also appears as we tie together the last letter of the Torah and the first letter of the Torah on Simchat Torah (the letter Lamed of the word Yisrael and the the Beit of Beresheet).

Everyone who hears that the word Lev is created from the final and first letters of the Torah, smiles. Perhaps they are relating to the message that at the heart of Torah learning is its ever continuing spiral of inspiration and insight. Another interpretation is based on the context of the end and beginning of the Torah. The Torah ends with the death of Moshe and its impact on the Jewish people ( The whole Sefer Devarim is Moshe's "devarim", words, to Israel ). The beginning of the Torah is, of course, the beginning of the world. In the instruction of our tradition to join Devarim with Beresheet we see a confirmation of our mission as a Jewish people: to be a partner in creation and rectify the entire world, to be a light unto the nations.This is the heart of our mission.

Two weeks ago we asked, why does Rosh Hashana precede Yom Kippur? It made sense that the order should be reversed. We can also ask, why doesn't Simchat Torah come before Sukkot? As we mentioned last week, we celebrate on Yom Kippur the return of the Tablets. Wouldn't it make more sense then to follow this with rejoicing over the Torah? What is the purpose of the "intervening" holiday of Sukkot?

As a condensed idea; an answer is that before one can shine outward, ( be a light unto the nations) one must first refine what is needed to be refined on the inside ( in the self, one's family and community).And what is to be purified and refined is our intimacy in relationships.

If there is one message from the Ten Days of Repentance it is that we have an intimate relationship with G-d. While there is an element of communal repentance and much of the wording of our prayers for forgiveness is in the plural, ultimately each of us is alone, facing our own inadequacies and pleading, personally with G-d, to restore an intimacy we forfeited along the way. This work is the most soul searching and intimate we can be with ourselves. The effort is very personal.

Then, immediately we are called to construct a Sukkah and gather the four species. The Sukkah by definition is outside! The individual is moving outside with their family and receiving guests- both in the flesh and in the spirit. Yet it is not required that the Sukkah be visible to the public ( in contrast to the lights of Chanukah that need to illuminate to the street ). There remains a certain insular feeling. The light that is being refined seems more focused on the family and the community. This is true as well for the gathering of the four species. The famous teaching is that the four species represent four types of Jews and that we bring them together to acknowledge our valuing all types of Jews ( people). This idea is reinforced by an impressive Gematria found in Rav Ginsburgh's Sod Hashem : when you add the numerical value of all the letters of the four species ( Lulav, Etrog, Hadas and Aravah ) it equals 1024. This equals the square of the Gematria for Lev ( heart ), 32 times 32 [ it is interesting to note that the heart is four chambered]. A square number reflects a state of inter inclusion, meaning here that as we bring the four species to our heart it is our intention to truly value the entire community of Jews.

Can we burn brightly for the world if we are blackening each other with inflammatory comments? Sukkot is the preparation for our mission- to rejoice in Torah for the sake of bringing it outside, sharing its light with the peoples of the world. First, we must purify ourselves as a people. Perhaps that is also why we circle around and around the Torah with the four species in hand the entire Sukkot. Again their is this image of insularity and cohesiveness in the circle. In contrast, we explode in dance, a dance with the Torah that may start out in a confined and orderly circle and inevitably moves in all directions, including pouring out into the street!

And on that day when we have refined our selves and our relationship with each other in the community of Jews we can share the light of what we all learned on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and learn constantly, that a personal, intimate relationship with G-d is possible. We bring to the world our teaching that our relationship with G-d is not dependent on any intermediary, human or natural, for Beresheet is connected to the death of our greatest leader. And we do not even know his burial place.

Along the lines of repairing our relationships a Shabbaton was held in Denver for people from BMH-BJ (Traditional), Temple Emanuel (Reform) and TRI-BMKY (Orthodox) including the Rabbis of each synagogue on Shabbat Shuva. We applaud the courage and vision of the Rabbis and participants. Ye Yashar Kochachem.