FOR SUKKOS
PROTECTION IN THE CITY
The name “Lubavitch” may be familiar to you, dear friends, and for good reason. This little village, out in White Russia, or today’s Belarus, was the home of the Chabad Chassidic movement for 102 years. As tiny and primitive as this place may have been, it was the seat of royalty in the fullest sense of the word. Some of those who lived there or visited there, were still with us just a few decades ago. They described this little town, either in writing or by way of mouth, as a most glorious and powerful beacon of light.
In 1915, during the First World War, the Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe of the time decided to relocate due to the advancing German forces. The Chabad movement, though, continues to be synonymous with the town of Lubavitch despite its headquarters never having returned there in almost 100 years.
Whatever was left of the Jewish community in Lubavitch after the seat of the movement left, was gathered into a field in 1941 by the most evil Nazi thugs. All men, women, and children were slaughtered and dumped into the ground there.
Since then, not a single Jewish individual has lived there.
This past week, one of my brothers decided to celebrate a milestone birthday right in that town. He sent pictures which showed mud roads, and each primitive, rickety home with an assortment of chickens and goats roaming on the lawn. Running water still does not seem to have reached there, and it would not surprise anyone if electricity has yet to make it there. This village was established in the 17th century, and it looks as though it still is in that century.
The lure of this place seems irresistible. I was envious. One day I hope to follow in his footsteps.
Being physically present in a place that holds not merely so much history, but also the very name of the most widely-known Jewish movement, evoked much imagination and vivid memories of memoirs, books and articles read by him.
At the same time, disturbing thoughts were shared by him with me: From the “empire” that once was the most dominant feature for hundreds of miles around, animals, birds and dirt roads are the foremost prevailing features remaining. The Chabad movement represents so much to so many around the world. Its foundation, its style, and its future were shaped in that town, amid the most sacred of atmospheres. It does not seem right how absent all those things are now.
The little villages and towns which, in pre-War Eastern Europe, could have been very Jewish, are part of a vanished world. Those “shtetls” are no more. Judaism was driven away from those places. Today, Judaism is, for intent and purposes, found in larger towns and cities across the world.
Everything that happens is guided and inspired by the Almighty, Divine Creator of the world. The Almighty has not shared His reasons, but it is obvious that, as a result of the Jewish people living in larger cities around the world among a majority of non-Jews, the message Judaism has for the world must be shared with all.
The prophet Isaiah describes the mission of the Jewish people relative to human beings as carrying a “Light to the Nations.” (See Isaiah 42:6. See also 60:3.) There are aspects of the Jewish religion that are meant to be shared with the rest of the world, primarily the famous Seven Noahide Laws.
If the Jewish people were still cooped up in little, hard-to-access, primitive towns, it would be obviously impossible for any meaningful interaction with the rest of the world’s people.
The focus on the nations of the world is also a major theme of the upcoming festival of Sukkos, beginning Wednesday night, for seven days. During this festival in ancient Temple times, Jewish people were required to celebrate in Jerusalem as one of the “Pilgrimage Festivals.” During the daily service in the Holy Temple, several bulls were offered. By the seventh day of the festival, it reached a total of seventy. According to the Talmud, these seventy bulls represented the “seventy nations” of the world.
The Temple service on behalf of all people was so significant that the Sages declare in the Midrash: “If the nations of the world would only have realized the importance of the Temple service for their own wellbeing, they would have surrounded it with legions of soldiers, for protection. (Bamidbar Rabah, 1:3.)
Even these days, in the unfortunate absence of the Temple in Jerusalem, the mere fact that the Jewish people dwell in the “Sukkah,” a booth-like structure that is required to be outdoors under the skies, indicates that this festival contains a message not merely for the Jewish people, but also for people throughout the entire world.
And this message is one of Divine protection. By following in the ways the Almighty mapped out for all people, one can create a vessel with which to receive special attention and focus from the King of the Universe.
Perhaps this is why this festival is the most joyous of all: when all people conduct themselves in the Divine-mandated manner, the entire world will be occupied with doing what is right in the eyes of G-d. This thought and hope alone is worth celebrating.
The word of the Almighty has been moved out of the village and town, and into the mainstream world. Soon the whole world will be like one big and happy Sukkah, with joy and gladness. As the prophet Zecharia prophesied: The Lord will be king over the whole earth... all who survive from all the nations who have attacked Jerusalem will go up, year after year, to bow down to the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the festival of Sukkos. (Zechariah 14: 9, 16-17.)
In the meantime, pockets of this world require Divine protection from people not following what is right in the “eyes” of G-d. Still, this world is closer than ever to the ultimate time of peace and tranquility, when the entire world will be elevated. May this happen speedily in our days.
SUMMARY: The message of the Almighty to the rest of the world must get everywhere. It is time to leave the spiritual “shtetl” for the city.