A Unique Shabbos

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Haazinu by Rabbi Dovid Sukenik

The lofty nature of these days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos is well-known. The Midrash on the pasuk "וּלְקַחְתֶּם בַּיוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן" – “and you shall take them on the first day” –  tells us that the 15th of Tishrei is not only the first day of Sukkos, but the “first day of the [new] count of sins”, indicating that the four days after Yom Kippur are, in a way, “sin-resistant”.

The Slonimer Rebbe, in Nesivos Shalom, adds another dimension to this special time period by extolling Shabbas Ha’azinu that falls out, as it does this year, between Yom Kippur and Sukkos. He begins by pointing out the dichotomy inherent in every Shabbos: Shabbos bears the spiritual influence of the week before, as well as that of the week that follows. In that way, a Shabbos that follows a Yom Tov still carries the “glow” and power of that Yom Tov. Likewise, the Shabbos that precedes a Yom Tov is already infused with the spiritual influence that is to come.

And while, given this knowledge, it would seem obvious that a Shabbos that follows Yom Kippur and leads up to Sukkos should be bursting with the power of both, when we look deeper we see that this Shabbos needs to incorporate seemingly contradictory characteristics. Yom Kippur is the epitome of Yir'as Hashem; it is a day that we tremble before the frightening awesomeness of the Almighty. Sukkos is the height of Ahavas Hashem; all of its mitzvos, tefillos, and celebrations, are demonstrations of our bond of love with Him. Can one Shabbos bridge these worlds? Can Yir'ah and Ahavah find expression in a single day?

Yes, says the Nesivos Shalom, they can and do meld into one Shabbos experience. It is a Shabbos like none other: A bridge from Yom Kippur and its trembling to Sukkos and its exaltation. After all, he points out, doesn’t every Shabbos exhibit this Yir'ah/Ahavah dichotomy? "שָׁמוֹר וְזָכוֹר בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד נֶאֱמְרוּ". The prohibitions of Shabbos, with their Yir'ah-consciousness, are not at odds with – in fact are unified with – the positive, Ahavah-infused, commandments of Shabbos.

This Shabbos is our great opportunity to bask in the radiance of the Yom Kippur that we just experienced and of the Sukkos that we are about to enjoy. May we take the feelings, knowledge, and light that this Shabbos has to offer and bring that spiritual power to the rest of the year to come.

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Rabbi Dovid Sukenik studied at HTC from 1998 to 2008, first in the Beis Midrash and then in the Bellows Kollel. He received Semichah following his study under Rav Moshe Kenzer and Rav Shlomo Morgenstern. He currently works as a freelance Project Manager and counts numerous local organizations, including HTC, among his clients.