Sukkot: The Secret of the Baal Shem Tov's Sukkah and the Surrounding Light

Class No. 2054 | Purim 5747 / Parashat Ki Tisa 5747

When a person feels broken and is unable to open his mouth, he should begin saying the words slowly, until he merits supernal illumination. Out of this spiritual attainment, the Baal Shem Tov acted when he built a sukkah full of halachic doubts, with the goal of drawing down light and loving-kindness to all the invalid sukkahs in the world and opening the gates of Heaven.

A person makes an effort to wake up for Chatzot (midnight), but he feels broken. He makes an effort for an hour of hitbodedut (personal prayer), and he is broken. He wants to stand before his Creator with strength, with a loud voice and with intention, but he feels crushed. As the 'Meor Einayim' brings regarding the words of the Gemara that Rabbi Yosi entered a ruin, sometimes a person reaches a state where he simply cannot open his mouth.

What should you do when you wake up in the morning and are unable to speak? Say one verse, slowly. Start with "Ma tovu ohalecha Yaakov" ("How goodly are your tents, O Jacob"). Word by word. When we asked Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender when to say "Ma tovu," he related that the custom in Ukraine was to say it on the way to the synagogue, whereas inside the synagogue they started from "Adon Olam." But a person can start from "Ma tovu," slowly. Say it word by word, even if it takes two, three, or four hours. What could be? What will happen?

Say it slowly, word by word, and Eliyahu HaNavi will help you. So says the 'Meor Einayim'. A person who starts like this suddenly discovers that four hours are too little for him. Eliyahu HaNavi begins to ignite him, giving him such words, such enthusiasm and vitality, until he feels that he is not opening his mouth by himself at all, but rather the words illuminate on their own.

Acting Out of Ruach HaKodesh

When a person merits such illumination, he connects to a supernal knowledge. The Gemara discusses the question of whether Megillat Esther "defiles the hands," meaning whether it has the holiness of the Holy Scriptures that were given to be written down. The Sages argued that one cannot rule halacha based on prophecy, but Esther argued with them.

"Esther is the end of all the miracles... it was given to be written, we say."

Esther knew through Ruach HaKodesh, based on prophecy, that the Megillah must be written down for all generations. She acted out of supernal attainment and a broad spiritual vision, beyond what was visible on the surface.

The Invalid Sukkah of the Baal Shem Tov

Similar to that supernal attainment of Esther, it is brought in the name of the holy Baal Shem Tov (and so too acted Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh of Alik), that he would build a special sukkah for the holiday of Sukkot – a sukkah that had all the possible halachic questions and doubts.

When the Baal Shem Tov moved to live in Medzhybizh, there were great rabbis and opponents there. When they saw his sukkah, they cried out and claimed that it was invalid. It had empty space between the schach (roofing), a crooked wall (dofen akuma), and all sorts of doubts. They said to him: "Master of the Universe, the sukkah is not kosher! Look, here is a question, and here is a question." The Baal Shem Tov did this on purpose, in a way that would arouse as many questions as possible, right on the exact borderline of halacha – a gap in the schach that is less than three handbreadths, more sun than shade, and more.

After they argued with him, the Baal Shem Tov rested his head on his hand and remained like that for a few moments. Suddenly, when he lifted his head, they saw that he had a note in his hand, a piece of parchment on which was written:

"This sukkah of R' Yisrael the Baal Shem Tov is kosher. The declaration of Metat[ron], the Prince of the Presence."

This note from Heaven confirmed that the sukkah was kosher despite all the questions. The note remained as an inheritance with his grandson, the author of the 'Degel Machaneh Ephraim', who would place it under the heads of the sick and they would be healed. He used it for two years, until one day it was revealed to him from Heaven that they did not want him to conduct his leadership through notes, and the note disappeared.

Drawing Down Light to All the Sukkahs in the World

Why did the Baal Shem Tov really make a sukkah with so many questions and doubts? For great and lofty reasons hidden with him.

The Baal Shem Tov revealed that through the mitzvah of the sukkah, one must draw down the loving-kindnesses and the lights to all levels, even to the lowest ones. There are people in the world who make sukkahs with all sorts of questions, putting up blankets, not placing enough schach, and making mistakes. The Baal Shem Tov wanted to rectify all the sukkahs in the world, and to draw down light to each and every sukkah, so that there would be no separating screen between Israel and our Father in Heaven.

An additional secret was hidden in this: The more empty space there is in the schach, the more a person stands directly facing the gates of Heaven. On the holiday of Sukkot, the gates of Heaven are open, and the more one sees the stars through the schach and the more empty space there is, the more "Surrounding Light" (Ohr Makif) enters, and there is no separating screen between a person and his God.

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