Welcoming Guests of the Sukkah

[In Hok L'Yisrael the holy Ari provides readings from parashat Emor as the readings from the Zohar corresponding to parashat V'Zot HaBeracha.]

Come and see, at the time when a person comes to dwell in the shade of the sukkah, which is the shade of faith, the Divine Presence spreads Her wings over him from above and Abraham [representing chesed] and five other tzadikim make their dwelling with him.

Rabbi Aba said, Abraham, and five other tzadikim, and King David make their dwelling with him. The proof for this is in the verse "You shall dwell in booths [sukkot] seven days" (Lev. 23:42). The text reads "Seven days" and not "for seven days" [hinting at the seven sefirot from chesed to malchut]. In a similar way, it is written, "Because six days G-d created the heavens and the earth." (Ex. 31:17)

This shows that the six days are the six sefirot; chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach, hod and yesod - which together are called "six days". Through these sefirot G-d made the heavens and earth.

Now a person should be happy throughout each and every day of Sukkot, and his face should radiate joy in having these spiritual guests dwell with him in the sukkah. Rabbi Aba said that the text reads at first in the present tense and then in the future tense: "You shall dwell seven days in sukkot, all citizens of Israel will dwell in sukkot." The first reference is to the spiritual guests and the second reference is to people of this world.

The first reference is to the spiritual guests, and this is borne out by the custom of Rav Hamnuna Saba: When he entered the sukkah he was happy [in order to show a shining face to the spiritual guests] and he would stand inside the sukkah at the entrance [to show that the guests don't enter unless the householder is present]. Then he would say, "The guests are invited to enter." He would set his table for guests, stand up to greet them, and pronounce the blessing on the mitzvah "…to sit in the sukkah". Afterwards he would say to the spiritual guests, "G-d has commanded, 'You shall dwell seven days in sukkot.' Please be seated, guests from the higher worlds, be seated guests of faith, be seated." Then he would raise his hands [to combine his 10 sefirot as hinted at by his ten fingers, with the seven higher sefirot visiting] and happily say, "How happy is our portion, how happy is the portion of Israel, as it is written, 'For G-d's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.'" (Deut. 32:9)

The importance of a shining and happy face is that happiness is the mechanism to raise these seven sefirot to the level of bina, and the verse quoted engenders humility in that these guests don't come out of one's individual merit; rather they come because G-d has chosen Israel as His people.

Zohar, Emor p. 103b; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online.