Sukkot: An Abundance Of Mitzvah Opportunities

As our lulav and etrog orders are coming in, and the Home Depot staff are stocking up on all of our sukkah needs, the aura of Sukkot is already in the air. I was reading through the book Sukkos: Season of Joy and Thanksgiving by Rabbi Zachary Fendel and was very moved by the following letter written by the great Rav Michoel Dov Weissmandl in 1944:

“In the name of the Rebbe, shlit”a and in the name of us all, I plead with you my dear friend, to send us immediately a kosher etrog, kosher hadassim and if possible a kosher lulav. We here offer thanks each day to G-d, and if He will keep us in life until Sukkot, we would like to praise him with “the four species” the arba minim. “If you can only send one etrog, we will send it all over the land, as we did last year when thousands of Jews made a brachah on one etrog amidst a sea of tears. But perhaps you could send us four or five.” Always your friend, Michoel Dov. (The letter was found in the archives of R’ Michoel Dov Weissmandl, as cited in Bais Yaakov monthly magazine Vol. XIV, Tammuz 1963.)

Despite the torturous and difficult times of the Holocaust, these Jews had a burning desire, drive, and love to do mitzvot. They so badly wanted to have those  z’chuyot, those opportunities to come close to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Every day throughout the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say “Avinu malkeinu kasveinu b’sefer z’chuyot,” Our Father our King, write us in the Book of Merits.

Rav Matisyahu Salomon quotes Rav Doniel Movshovitz asking what the purpose of the t’filah ‘Write us in the Book of Merits?’ is. If you have done mitzvot then you have merits and are deserving of being written in the Book, and if you did not perform good deeds then you do not have virtues and you will not be written in the Book. So, what exactly are we asking of Hashem?  Rav Movshovitz answers so beautifully, in truth this is a t’filah for the future. We are requesting Hashem that over the course of this coming year to please give us the opportunities to fulfill mitzvot that will be rewarded with merits and in turn bring us closer to our Creator. Every time Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives us the chance to do a mitzvah that is a chesed from Hashem to be able to further develop our relationship with Him.

During the time periods of the Holocaust, they may not have had so many physical mitzvah opportunities but look at their fiery desire and how desperately they wanted those special opportunities to come close to Hashem.

We must be so grateful that we are living in a time and a place where we have full and constant access to the mitzvot. Let us be cognizant of all the numerous mitzvah chances we are about to be granted as we head into Sukkot. Every single moment that we are in the sukkah is another possibility to fulfill the will of Hashem. Every day when we grasp the lulav and etrog in our hands, we are granted another gift to recognize Hashem in our lives and further develop that connection. Now is the time for us to zero in on the meaningful mitzvot that are about to come our way, and to recognize the great importance of taking advantage of these precious gifts over the entire Yom Tov. B’zrat Hashem, through this deeper understanding over Sukkot we will come to further appreciate and take advantage of all the mitzvah options yearlong. I wish our esteemed readership a beautiful chag.

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Rabbi Yaakov Moskowitz is a motivational speaker who has inspired Jews around the world through his engaging lectures and videos on a wide array of practical Jewish topics. To receive Rabbi Moskowitz’s short clips, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..