During Maariv we say “ufros aleinu succas shlomecha – and spread over us the shelter of Your peace.”
HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv asks: Why do we use the expression succas shlomecha? What is the connection between a sukkah and peace? Rav Elyashiv expounds that from the very first day that Kayin and Hevel were born they were unable to coexist in this world – even if the entire world could be split between the two, and they would each have an equal half.
Even the angel of peace argued against the creation of humankind, because there would always be strife among them. Indeed, the discordance of war has always been present. Countries expend money and energy intensifying their military prowess, setting up strong defense systems, and upgrading their technology to keep pace with its untimely obsolescence.
The Medrash Eicha Rabbah states, “If a person tells you there is wisdom among the nations of the world, believe him. If a person tells you there is Torah among the nations of the world, do not believe him.” The nations of the world often direct their ingenuity and resources for the sole purpose of destroying the world. According to halacha, a sukkah is kosher with only two walls and a partial third wall, and the roof may be constructed of branches and leaves. There is nothing as open, defenseless and penetrable as a sukkah, yet the Jewish people “protects” itself with a sukkah.
During the High Holidays we pray, “Instill Your awe on all Your doings, and Your terror upon all You have created… and all of them shall be bound together to perform Your will wholeheartedly.” When these prayers are answered, the entire world will, indeed, be able to dwell together, in peace, in the sukkah of the Jewish people.
The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 3) states that in the future, when the nations of the world complain that they were not given the opportunity to do mitzvos, Hashem will test them with an “easy mitzvah,” namely sukkah. Our sages ask why this particular mitzvah was chosen.
Rav Elyashiv answers that it is specifically this mitzvah that will indicate whether the nations of the world are qualified to dwell in the sukkah, to embrace peace and the concept of the sukkah.
In Tehillim (140:8), Dovid HaMelech asks Hashem, “sakosah l’roshi b’yom nashek – protect my head on the day of armed battle.” One of the explanations offered by the Talmud Yerushalmi (Yevamos 78a) is that this verse refers to the battle of Gog and Magog.
HaGaon HaRav Elazar Shach cites the Ponovezher Rav who asks: Why did Dovid HaMelech request protection specifically for his head, more than any other part of his body? After all, when one is afraid of the dangers of the battlefield, every limb and organ is vulnerable to attack.
His explanation sheds light upon the battles we are waging on a daily basis – in our communities, in our homes, and in our hearts. Dovid HaMelech foresaw that preceding the arrival of Mashiach there would be an intense conflict with Gog and Magog. Moreover, their weapons of war would be unusually destructive and would be targeted to damage the “head.”
Dovid HaMelech was, in fact, not referring to physical danger, but rather to a spiritual threat.
Foreign troops had invaded the town where Rav Zusha of Anapoli was residing, and a rowdy group of soldiers decided to overrun the local winery which was owned by a Jew. They raided the cellars, drinking the contents that were stored in the barrels and pouring out that which they didn’t consume.
Drunk and wasted, they began to look for more wine. They threatened the owner with death, and terrified his family with similar intimidation, but the man insisted that the soldiers had completely depleted his stock. Disgruntled and frustrated they vandalized everything in sight, beating and thrashing anyone who was within striking distance.
One of the family members who had managed to escape before all this began to go down, ran as fast as he could to the great tzaddik Rav Zusha and breathlessly related what was happening.
Rav Zusha immediately arose and hurried to the winery. He stood by the window and stared intensely at the crazed soldiers. He then called out three times, in a strident voice, the words we recite in the beginning of the Yomim Noraim shemoneh esrei, “Instill Your awe on all Your doings, and Your terror upon all You have created….”
Suddenly there was a great commotion inside the building. The soldiers abandoned their weapons, threw aside their rucksacks and streamed out the doors in a mad rush, terrorized and shouting in alarm.
Their commanding officer was baffled by his troops’ disorderly behavior and reprimanded them. One of the soldiers, finally, calmed himself enough to explain what had occurred. “When we were in the winery, a man came and stared into the window at us, shouting about terror and awe. We were suddenly overcome by an overwhelming fear of death, the likes of which we have never experienced. We are still shaking and frightened.”
The commanding officer was curious about the identity of the powerful individual who had engendered such terror in his men, and he asked to be taken to the winery. The commanding officer walked through the havoc that had been wreaked on the winery and then, suddenly, observed the visage of Rav Zusha with fiery eyes looking through the window.
The commanding officer immediately ordered his troops to pay for all the damage they had caused, and instructed them to ask Rav Zusha’s forgiveness.
With best wishes for a joyous yom tov!
