INTERNALIZING THE TRANSCENDENT INTELLECT ON SUKKOT

BH




As a child is born, he cries and cries not knowing a thing as to what he is or what he is going through. As the child slowly develops, he begins to know a little of who he is and what he is doing. As the child grows into a young adult his awareness grows and grows. This process is meant to continue endlessly, since there are endless levels of depth to discovering who a person really is and what his mission is in life - i.e. what is he meant to do and accomplish in his lifetime.

Knowing what to do in life - i.e. proper advice and guidelines - is absolutely necessary since this is the key to living life properly. It gives you direction and confidence to continue after every difficulty, and the strength to stand up and face any challenge. Frustration, which is basically not knowing what to do, is the main reason and key for people falling into despair and giving up in life.

However, not everyone knows how to properly awaken and internalize these "transcendent" levels of knowledge and awareness. This is done in a two-stage process:

1. By crying and screaming out, specifically in prayer and Torah study. This crying arouses the hidden levels of intellect to be "born". This is compared to the woman crying and screaming during the birth-pangs, and the constant cries and screams of a baby. Both are crying to give "birth" to a new level - the mother to a new child with his new intellect that he carries with him; the baby crying profusely which aids and assists for his brain to properly develop and expand. So too, when praying profusely, asking Hashem to open up the "unknown" - those levels which are presently beyond and transcendent to him - this "crying and screaming" gives birth to the undiscovered levels of understanding needed to continue in life. So too, Torah study in a crying and screaming format - i.e. with the intent to discover your personal depth through the depth of the Torah which is presently beyond you - you give birth to the advice and counsel "hidden" within the Torah which is desperately needed to help you advance to the next level in life.
2. Once "born" these new levels of transcendent intellect/advice/counsel must be internalized, just like a newborn child must be nurtured and developed in order for him to internalize his newer levels too. This internalizing is through a system and process known as sanctifying the "Seven Candles". These seven candles are the seven apertures of the head: the 2 eyes, the 2 ears, the 2 nostrils and the mouth. They are called candles since, when properly adjusted, they enlighten and internalize the mind with the newly born level of transcendent intellect. Furthermore, these seven apertures are responsible for the interaction between man and his environment - i.e. the world - which bridge him to his purpose in life. Their proper adjustment and attuning is accomplished by sanctifying them. This is as follows:

• The 2 eyes - by guarding what you see, specifically from immoral and explicit images.
• The 2 ears - by blocking your ears from hearing slander and gossip, and by allowing your ears to hear and accept the words of the Sages and Tzaddikim.
• The 2 nostrils - by taking a deep breath and not getting angry or intolerant to anything happening in life, thus reflecting one's level of Fear of Heaven which is the key to help a person not get angry or intolerant.
• The mouth - by being careful not to speak improper and impure words such as slander, curses, foul language, and by speaking holy and pure words of Torah and Prayer.

In summary: crying out and screaming to Hashem gives birth to the hidden levels of intellect presently beyond a person, and sanctifying the seven apertures of the head known as the Seven Candles serves to internalize these new levels.

(for more on these concepts see Likutey Moharan lesson 21)

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ROSH HASHANAH

On Rosh Hashanah, the main service is the blowing of the Shofar. These Shofar blasts commemorate the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai which was also presented with Shofar blasts.

Thus, are main service on Rosh Hashanah is to "cry out and scream" - i.e. the Shofar blasts - in Torah study which was given at Mt. Sinai. For this reason, Rosh HaShanah is two days - the first day to arouse the sounds and screams of the Written Torah study, and the second day to arouse those of the Oral Torah study. Our purpose is to give birth/reveal the hidden levels of transcendent intellect found in the Torah in order to give us guidance/advice/direction as to how to continue living our life.

YOM KIPPUR

Crying and screaming in Torah Study is not enough. We must also cry and scream in prayer that we arouse the right and proper advice/counsel found within the Torah, since the Torah is vast and there is room for error, Heaven forbid.

Thus the main service on Yom Kippur is our crying and pleading in prayer to Hashem to forgive us for our sins, so that they don't serve as an impediment in our properly receiving the true light/guidance/counsel found within the Torah. Indeed, the Second Tablets were given to Moshe on Yom Kippur to signify that the deeper level of counsel/advice found within the Torah to properly arouse the compassion needed to help the Jewish nation after the sin of the Golden Calf, was specifically after the forgiveness pleas and prayers of Moshe on Yom Kippur.

SUKKOT

The seven days in the Sukkah commemorate the seven Clouds of Glory which surrounded the Jews while in the desert. Besides serving as a protective shield while in the desert, the Clouds also reminded and boosted the Jewish Nation that they must internalize that which is still beyond them - i.e. their transcendent intellect. For just as a cloud connotes non-clarity and fogginess, so too one's levels of counsel/advice/transcendent intellect are presently beyond a person and must be internalized. However, just as the Clouds surrounded the Jews, so too these intellects are just surrounding a person (after revealing them through "loud" Torah study and prayer) waiting to be internalized.

For this we sit "inside" the Sukkah to be absorbed and united with these surrounding levels of intellect. We sit inside the Sukkah for seven days, each activating the strength and force of one of the seven apertures of the head - the Seven Candles.

THE FOUR SPECIES - SEVEN IN TOTAL

However, since sitting in the Sukkah, enjoying the festive meals, sleeping, entertaining oneself etc. are all passive, comfortable and joyful activities with no thrust or force issued by the person to attain them, the Evil One still presses forward to test a person in losing these amazing attainments. Sitting in the Sukkah is not enough! A person also needs a weapon to combat and subdue the enemy who constantly tries to prevent the stage of internalizing that which is beyond him - i.e. his goals/advice/counsel/transcendent intellect.

These weapons are the four species which correspond to the seven apertures of the head - the Seven Candles - as follows:

• The three Hadassim/myrtle branches correspond to the eyes (which is why they are "eye-shaped"). Although three in number, they correspond to the two eyes, since sight is most associated with wisdom (as in Genesis 3:7 and Rashi there) with its three components: Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge.
• The two Aravot/willow branches correspond to the two ears in the sense that we are expected to accept, listen to and believe in the words of our Sages and True Tzaddikim "even" if we don't understand the reasoning behind them. This is similar to the Aravot which have no taste and no smell - only Emunah!
• The Lulav/palm branch corresponds to the two nostrils [which eventually join into one in the throat passageway]. The faculty of breathing connotes purity and Fear of Heaven. To expound this idea: breathing, unlike eating and drinking, is an externally controlled intake, totally governed by the airwaves, wind-pressures etc. which are constantly in motion to promote pure and clean oxygen intake. Thus, they connote purity and control. On the other hand, eating, drinking and unfortunately lustful intakes such as drugs, alcohol etc. are governed by a person's physical cravings and lusts which are not so purely motivated. The Lulav brance connotes purity and self-control due to Fear of Heaven, as the verse in Psalms states (92:13): "A tzaddik [is likened] like a date tree that blossoms...".
• The Etrog corresponds to the mouth. Asides from being edible, the intricate details and laws of having a kosher Etrog (i.e. no holes, scratches, nicely shaped etc.) connote pure and "selected" speech, with no flaws attached. 

These seven items are meant to strengthen and boost a person in his personal quest to sanctify his Seven Candles.

HOSHANA RABBAH

On this holy day, the culmination of all our additional devotions since Rosh Chodesh Elul (hinted to in the word Hoshana which can be broken into two words: Hosha - Save, Na - numerically equal to 51, the total of days of Elul and Tishrei leading up to Hoshana Rabbah - i.e. save us on behalf of these 21 days), we brace ourselves for our final attempt to arouse and internalize our transcendent intellect needed to guide and help us for the upcoming year's devotions as a collective whole unit. This time we join the crying and screaming of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur along with the Four Species to activate and give birth to the new transcendent intellects and to fully internalize them. 

Thus, the custom is to recite the entire Book of Devarim from the Chumash along with the entire Book of Psalms on the night of Hoshana Rabbah. Devarim, being a brief summary of the entire purpose of the Torah and life (i.e. the Torah of Rosh Hashanah), while Psalms being the ultimate expression of crying and screaming out to Hashem in prayer (i.e. the crying prayers of Yom Kippur).

On the day of Hoshana Rabba we encircle Torah scrolls seven times with the Four Species in order to fully internalize the new transcendent intellects through the Seven Candles collectively, as a nation, for the upcoming year.

SIMCHAT TORAH

On Simchat Torah we joyously dance with and for the Torah, confident and happy that we have and will successfully receive and internalize all the personal and collective guidance/advice/counsel/transcendent intellect needed to fulfill our goal and mission in life in the upcoming year.

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May we merit this year, and every year to tap into the deeper meaning and purpose of our lives, discovering ever closer the greatness, compassion and love of Hashem. Amen.

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Since helping the poor and needy for the Sukkot festivals is a big mitzvah cited in the code of Jewish Law, to send help and support to needy families in Jerusalem, please follow this link: SUKKOT SUPPORT

WITH BLESSINGS FOR SUCH A HAPPY AND JOYOUS SUKKOT THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CARRY THIS JOY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR - THROUGH ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE. AMEN.