More than any other Yom Tov, Sukkos is a time of simcha. Simcha isn’t just a requirement; it’s the essence of the chag. At first glance, it seems simple enough. The novelty of sitting in the sukkah is exciting, and the very sight of the lulav and esrog brings a smile to our face. We sing Hallel, have festive meals, and enjoy Simchas Beis Hashoeva celebrations. Yet the Rambam in the end of Hilchos Lulav tells us that “rejoicing in doing the mitzvos and in the love of Hashem who commanded them is a great avodah.” Simcha in avodas Hashem isn’t just a question of being in a good mood when we do a mitzvah. It requires a deep personal connection to our avodah.
Now we understand why real simcha in avodah is so elusive. But it’s not just for the great tsaddikim. If Hashem commanded all of us to attain it, it must be within our reach. Rav Yisrael Salanter in Or Yisrael (s. 30) teaches us that simcha in avodas Hashem comes naturally to everyone, if their path in avodah is in tune with their spiritual nature. Every person has a unique makeup of middos, tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. We need to get to know our spiritual selves, and find a path in avodas Hashem that fits us. Then, when our avodah resonates with us personally, it will be sweet to us.
What is a path in avodah, and how do we find one that suits us? Rabbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avos (2,9) tells us that the key to spiritual growth is attaining perfection in one positive middah (for example, generosity). The same is true regarding mitzvos. The Gemara in Shabbos 118b relates that the Amoraim chose one mitzvah in which they were singularly meticulous: Rav Nachman fulfilled the three seudos of Shabbos with tremendous care; Raba’s devotion to tsitsis was unbelievable. It goes without saying that Chazal kept all the mitzvos with all their halachic details. But they chose one mitzvah to keep to their utmost ability, far beyond their obligation. That mitzvah was their personal connection to avodah.
In a more contemporary example, Rav Aryeh Levin and his son-in-law Rav Elyashiv, zichronam livracha, were both great in Torah and in chessed. But for Rav Levin, chessed was his central mitzvah, while Rav Elyashiv, it seems, made perpetual Torah study his center. We all have at least one mitzvah or positive middah which comes to us naturally. Most people don’t work on it much, because it’s already strong. But if we take that mitzvah or middah and give it our all, we can make it the backbone of our avodah, our individual “path” in serving Hashem. Then, since our avodah appeals to our spiritual nature, it will be exciting and fulfilling.
All of these Gedolim teach us an essential principle: Avodas Hashem isn’t one-size-fits-all! The concept of paths in avodah is surprising to us. In our eyes, Yiddishkeit is pretty uniform. We all need to keep the mitzvos and try to improve our middos. It’s true ‒ the destination is the same. But there are countless ways to get there. One path may be perfect for one person but detrimental to another. We need to know ourselves, and find the path in avodah that’s right for us. Then, says Rav Yisrael, our avodah will be full of simcha.
In Parashas Ki Savo, the Torah warns us that terrible calamities may come “because you did not serve Hashem your G-d with simcha and good-heartedness, while there was an abundance of everything.” This final phrase seems like an oxymoron. You can’t have a lot of everything! We may use what we learned from Rav Yisrael Salanter to understand this verse: Avodas Hashem is a giant edifice. It has innumerable floors and wings ‒ the mitzvos and middos. But it has one foundation, which has to be stronger than any other part of the building. “Everything” means the foundation that supports the whole structure. And each mitzvah or positive middah can be that foundation. Hashem rebukes us: you didn’t serve Me with simcha, even though you had such an abundance of foundations to choose from! I gave you so many possibilities to base your avodah on, and you didn’t even find one that fits you! That’s why your avodah lacked simcha! Had you bothered to find the foundation that fits you, your whole avodah would be infused with simcha.
During the past weeks of soul-searching, we’ve come up with a laundry list of our flaws. Now it’s time to find our spiritual forte! The Mesillas Yesharim tells us that it’s just as important to be aware of our strengths as it is our weaknesses. By finding our main strength and making it our “foundation,” we can elevate our whole avodas Hashem and fill it with simcha.
Finding our center of avodah isn’t as easy as it might seem. The yetser hara often deludes us into thinking that the mitzvah that fits us most just happens to be the one that gives us the honor we crave. A yeshiva bochur who dreams of being a famous lamdan may be quick to decide that in-depth learning is his center. A philanthropist who thrives on public acclaim may be convinced that his center is donating extravagant sums to popular institutions. But now, after Yom Kippur, we’re as close as we can be to perfect self-vision. The process of teshuvah has shown us the deceptions of the yetser, and we see ourselves in a more real light. Now we’re ready to find the center of avodah that fits us, not our yetser hara.
Then comes Sukkos. In Sukkos we leave our homes and enter the sukkah, a mitzvah which encompasses us and becomes our home. We experience the mitzvah not as a duty, but as our “habitat,” where we belong. Even the halacha reflects this idea: someone for whom being in the sukkah causes discomfort is exempt, a leniency we don’t find in other mitzvos. Why? Chazal explain that we must dwell in the sukkah the same way we dwell in our house all year, and we always make our home in a place where we’re comfortable. During Sukkos, we make the mitzvah our home. But soon, this dear mitzvah will be over. Our job during these days is to experience the real simcha of avodah and search for our permanent “home” in the mitzvos, the center of avodah which fits us and can foster a lifetime of growth. Then, when our path in avodah is in tune with our natural strengths, we will discover that serving Hashem with simcha isn’t so distant after all.
Hashem is waiting for all of us to find our own path in avodah, which makes serving Hashem resonate with us personally. Hashem wants us to experience His service as a joy, not a burden. Let’s take advantage of every minute of the special week ahead of us to find our central mitzvah or middah and make it the heart of our avodah. May we succeed, and experience true simcha that will enliven our avodah for the whole year!
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