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It is customary to open with blessing. [The Rebbe Shlita then announced "Gut Yom Tov" three times.] It is appropriate that the "opening with blessing" be repeated three times on the present day, because the concept of happiness is mentioned three times in relation to the holiday of Sukkos.

A series of three creates a chazakah, a sequence associated with strength and permanence, causing the influence to continue to be drawn down in the future. There is added emphasis on this on Sukkos, for Sukkos is the first festival of the new year.

Sukkos is referred to as Chag HoAssif, "the harvest festival." This name also relates to the Jews' gathering together with ahavas Yisrael. Such gatherings precipitate the ultimate gathering of the Jewish people which will take place at the time of the Redemption. For when division and strife, the cause for the exile, are nullified, the exile itself, the effect, will be nullified. We will proceed together "with our youth and our elders... our sons and our daughters" to our Holy Land, to Jerusalem, to the Beis HaMikdash, and to the Holy of Holies.

Within the Holy of Holies is the Foundation Stone, which serves as the basis for the existence of the entire earth.[80] The fact that the foundation of the earth is in the Holy of Holies affects the nature of the world and elevates it. Although a foundation (and thus the effects of a foundation) is hidden and is not openly seen, it, nevertheless, affects the entire structure that is erected upon it, Surely, this applies in relation to the Foundation Stone, for it is openly revealed.

The effect of the Foundation Stone is that it emphasizes that the entire existence is based on the twenty-two letters of the Alef-Beis.[81] The first letter of the Alef Beis, the Alef (Ç) and the final letter, the Suf (Ü), form the word es (ÜÇ). According to Hebrew grammar, the word es is used to refer to an entity which is secondary in importance. Similarly, the world is secondary in importance to, and dependent upon, the letters of the Torah. Similarly, the world is secondary in importance to, and dependent on, the Jewish people. For as stated in Tana d'Bei Eliyahu, the existence of the Jewish people preceded even that of the Torah itself.

The precedence of the Jewish people, however, also affects speech and deed. Indeed, it is "the ultimate deed" which "first arose in thought." Thus, it is through the quality of deed that the essential prominence of the Jewish people is revealed. This is particularly relevant at present, for we have already gone through all the levels in the spiritual order of worlds until the lowest level of deed.

Similarly, the letters alef and suf form the sah (ÇÜ) which in Aramaic means "arrived," indicating that the influence from above has arrived at its intended destination.

The above relates to the concept of the ushpizen, the seven honored guests who are associated with the Sukkos holiday. In particular, this relates to the seven ushpizen mentioned[82] in the Zohar (Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David[83]) and the Chassidic ushpizen[84] (the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab) who were mentioned by the Previous Rebbe. (In the latter instance, the Previous Rebbe pointed to a place and stated, "Here the Baal Shem Tov sat. Here the Maggid sat."[85])

The ushpizen are guests. In an ultimate sense, the concept of a host refers to G-d, for the world is His dwelling and every Jew is G-d's guest. Although a Jew is "a son at His Father's table" and a son must serve his father, when a son is a guest at his father's home, the father serves the son. A Jew is only a guest[86] in this world, for each Jew is veritably "a part of G-d" and thus he is by nature above the limits of the world. And therefore, G-d, the host, must care for him and show him honor.

A guest is obligated to bless his host. In the above context, this refers to the Jews' activities which reveal G-d's influence in the world at large. In particular, the ushpizen of the present day, Avraham our Patriarch, shares a connection to the above concept, for he revealed the existence of G-d through meditation on matters of this world. He revealed that G-d created the world from absolute nothingness and that, in essence, material existence is one with G-d's essence. The ultimate revelation of these concepts will be in the Era of the Redemption, when "G-d will reign forever," and "On that day, G-d will be One and His Name, One."

As mentioned above, it is necessary to honor one's guests. The greatest honor we can give our guest, Avraham, is to endeavor to resemble him. In regard to Avraham, we find the expression "Avraham was one." Similarly, each Jew has the potential to reflect this oneness, for the Jews are referred to as "one nation in the world."[87]

This will allow us to enter Sukkos[88] with great happiness, a happiness which "breaks down barriers." This will be enhanced by the fact that everyone has resolved to celebrate in Simchas Beis HaShoevah and to spread this rejoicing with others.[89]

And together with the influence of the ushpizen and particular, the ushpizen of the present night, Avraham and the Baal Shem Tov, we will approach the ultimate Redemption. And this will be in a wondrous manner, as characteristic of the Baal Shem Tov. Without any delay, we will proceed to Eretz Yisrael, to Jerusalem, to the Beis HaMikdash, and to the Holy of Holies. May this take place in the immediate future.

[The Rebbe Shlita again announced "Gut Yom Tov" three times and began singing his father's Hakkafos niggun.)

   

Notes:

80. (Back to text) Similarly, in one's personal life, a Jew has to make the Holy of Holies the foundation of every element of his thought, speech, and deed.

81. (Back to text) There are two orders in which the letters of the Alef-Beis can be read, from the beginning to the end or vice versa. From the word hashtia ('ëÜÖä) (foundation), there is an emphasis on the order beginning from the end, for it contains the final two letters of the alef-beis.

82. (Back to text) Although it is not Chabad custom to mention the names of the ushpizen verbally as is done in other communities, it is customary to think about them.

83. (Back to text) According to another passage from the Zohar, Shlomo is also mentioned.

84. (Back to text) In addition, there is also the influence of the Previous Rebbe who is associated with the day of Shemini Atzeres.

85. (Back to text) Although the Previous Rebbe made this statement using the past tense, this was only because he was speaking to people about a previous occurrence. Every night of Sukkos, this statement applies in a present tense in every Jewish home.

86. (Back to text) The Hebrew word for "guest," oreach, shares the letters of the word orach, "way." This implies that this world is a "way," a channel to reveal and express G-dliness.

87. (Back to text) The potential to reveal this oneness is enhanced by the influence of the thirteenth of Tishrei, the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Maharash, for thirteen is numerically equivalent to the Hebrew word echad meaning "one."

88. (Back to text) Thus on the first night of Sukkos, the influence of the entire holiday is already present. Similarly, the influence of Simchas Torah, when we begin the reading of the Torah anew, is also felt.

    The beginning of the Torah speaks about the creation of the heaven and the earth. Each year, there is a renewal of that creation. This year, we can expect a revelation of "the new heaven and the new earth" that will become manifest in the Era of the Redemption.

89. (Back to text) The importance of sharing one's happiness with others is emphasized by the Rambam in Hilchos Shivitat Yom Tov which states that happiness must be extended to include others including even "the convert in your midst."