Those of us with young children at home (or those of you who remember having young children) know that even on Yom Tov, when davening does not begin until 9:00 am, we don’t get to sleep in. There is no sleeping in with little kids! So this morning at about 5:50 am I found myself awake with all three kids. Johanna (age 6) decided that she wanted us to play a game called “human lulav.” I had to pick her up and shake her in all of the directions while joyously singing “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo” (“Give Thanks to G-d for He is Good, His Kindness endures forever”).
Amollia (age 3) saw this and was jealous so I had to pick her up and do the same! Then Reuven (14 months) was also jealous so I had to do it with him as well. Johanna then informed me that I was not doing it correctly. “You see,” she said, “I am just the lulav, and Amollia is the Hadasim (myrtle) and Aravot (willows) and Reuven is the Etrog. You have to pick us all up together!” So at about 5:55 am I found myself picking up all three kids and shaking them joyously singing “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
It was at that moment, that I finally understood the Mitzvah of Lulav and Etrog.
Let me explain in a roundabout way. One of the most bizarre things that we do with the Etrog is turn it upside down when we make the bracha. Why do we turn it upside down?
This bizarre practice is actually done to solve a major halakhic dilemma. There is a principle that states that one makes a blessing on a mitzvah immediately before performing the mitzvah (“over le’asiyasan”). The challenge with Lulav and Etrog is when should one make the blessing. If the blessing is made before the lulav and etrog are removed from their cases, it will take a minute or two before they are picked up and the bracha will not be immediately before the mitzvah. If one makes the bracha after they are already in his/her hands, it is too late because the mitzvah has already been fulfilled. This is because while most people believe that the main mitzvah is the Na’anuim (shaking the lulav and etrog), in reality the mitzvah is fulfilled by simply taking and picking them up.
The posuk says, “It will be on the 15th of the month, when you gather in the produce, take the 4 species and rejoice before Hashem....”
Taking the Lulav and Etrog is equivalent to when someone starts a new business and takes the first $100 bill that is earned, tapes it to the wall with a sign that says, “Thank You Hashem.”
So why do we do the shaking of the lulav bundle if the primary mitzvah is simply picking it up?
In order to answer this we have to look at the section of Hallel where we actually do the shaking, chapter 118. The first line of the chapter is “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo” (“Give Thanks to G-d for He is Good, His Kindness endures forever”). The last line of the chapter is (“Give Thanks to G-d for He is Good, His Kindness endures forever”). It is bookended with saying Thank You to Hashem! The word Thank you appears in the chapter 5 times!
So at 5:55 this morning, I was not simply playing a game with my kids. I was literally enacting the meaning of the Lulav and Etrog. We take “our fruit” and we say Thank You Hashem “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo”. When we pick up the Lulav and Etrog, we are metaphorically picking up our children (and grandchildren and family members) and saying even though sometimes they cause us so much “agmas nefesh” (stress and tension), we are so happy that we have them. They are alive. They are with us. We sing “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
And when we pick up the Lulav and Etrog, we also pick up our parnasah (livelihood). Many of us our struggling, work is hard, the commute is difficult, some of us our underemployed or even unemployed, but we have a roof over our heads. We are not starving. We sing “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
And when we pick up the Lulav and Etrog, we also pick up our Health. While some of us are suffering from various illnesses (some more than others), we are still breathing. We are alive. We can smile. We can talk to our family. We thank Hashem for our health. We sing “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
The next time you pick up your lulav and etrog, pick up all the things in life that you have to be grateful for. And when you shake that lulav, sing with your entire heart and soul “Thank You Hashem! “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
I would like to conclude with a story about Rabbi Shmuel Aba of Zichlin who was a great Chassidic Master from the 19th century. One year before Sukkot, there were no fish to be purchased in the market of Zichlin. Rabbi Shmuel was very distressed because having Fish on Yom Tov is considered very important for a Chosid. He said, how can I have the Ushpizin (Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov etc) visit my sukkah and I won’t even have Fish. Every day he would go into the kitchen and ask, “did they have fish in the market today?” The answer was no and we will not have fish for Yom Tov.
On the first night of sukkot, Rabbi Shmuel comes home from shul and goes out to the sukkah. It is set so beautifully but everyone only has one plate and one fork. (When you have fish, you are supposed to eat it on a separate plate with a separate fork.) Rabbi Shmuel says, “please bring out an extra plate and fork for everyone.” They say, “but rebbe, dont you remember that there is no fish this year.” The rabbi says, “just bring out an extra plate and fork.” (There is another custom that after fish, you are supposed to wash away the taste with a “l’chayim.”) Rabbi Shmuel says, “where is the shnopps for the lechayim?” “but rebbe”, they respond, “there is no fish.” “I do not care,” says the rabbi, “bring out the lechayim.” So they bring it out.
After Kiddush and Hamotzie, it is time for fish, but there is no fish. Rabbi Shmuel starts delivering a dvar torah (torah discourse) the likes of which nobody has ever heard all about, fish. He talks about Fish in the Torah, fish in the Talmud, fish in the Kabalah and he weaves together an amazing teaching all about the importance of fish in Judaism (who knew!). Everyone is amazed and enjoying it so much. When the rabbi is done, they clear away the fish plate, everyone drinks a l’chayim and then the rabbi turns up to heaven and says, “Ribono shel Olam (Master of the Universe): Thank you for giving us the most delicious fish that we have ever tasted.” “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.”
Rabbi Shmuel was not going to let the lack of fish get in the way of thanking Hashem for the fish.
Children and relatives our sometimes complicated and difficult but we have to focus on the fact that we have them and say Thank You. Parnasah is not always complete and the way we would like it to be but we have to figure out a way to say Thank You for what we do have. And our health sometimes suffers but we should try be grateful for every breath that we have and say Thank You. Lets all pick up our Lulav and Etrog, and pick up all of the blessing that we have and say “hodu L’ahashem Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam chasdo.” (“Give Thanks to G-d for He is Good, His Kindness endures forever”).
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