As we know, Succos is a continuation of the Yom Hadin that concludes with Hoshana Raba. The mitzvah of lulav is a representation of our victory in din, akin to someone raising their hands high in victory upon leaving a courthouse victorious.

The obvious question, asked by Rav Nosson Wachtfogel Zt”l, is what shayches does Succos have to the yom hadin? There seems to be no connection between the fasting and praying of yom kippur and the feasting and joy of Succos.

Rav Wachtfogel gives a beautiful and inspiring answer.

There’s a gemarah that tells of the terrible yesurim of Rebbi. The gemarah says that the yesurim came because of a certain ‘incident’ and it left because of a certain ‘incident’. How did the suffering start? What was this ‘incident’? The gemarah says that Rebbi was walking one day and a small calf had run away from the slaughterhouse and crawled under his coat. Rebbi looked at the little calf and he said ”go…shew….for this is what you were created for.  You have to be shechted.” It was because of this incident that he suffered terribly his entire life.  However, the gemarah states that “the end result for an animal is to be killed.”  So what was the terrible sin of Rebbi, if he was speaking the truth?

The yesod is as follows: even if a person is undeserving of such great hospitality, once he comes into your house and wants to be taken under your wings, you have to show rachamim. There’s a different level of responsibility once someone’s in your domain. You have to treat him properly and respect him. The little calf WAS created to get killed but when he came under the coat of Rebbi, into Rebbi’s domain, Rebbi should’ve been extra sensitive and showed special rachmanus. But because he didn’t, he ended up suffering terribly for the rest of his life. When Succos follows Yom Kippur, we have just finished a day of forgiveness and judgment and we don’t know what our fate will be.  But we quickly jump and move into a Succah, into the house of Hashem. Why? What’s the connection? Because no matter what our judgment is, when we’re in the house of Hashem, the baal habayis has to show us mercy even if we’re undeserving. And while we are in the Succah, we can rest assured that we will get that extra special mercy!

When we’re sitting in the Succah this year, on all the days, we need to remember this and know that when we’re in the house of Hashem he will treat us with extra special care.  We should try to behave like we’re in his house as well; the two go hand in hand. With this I hope we all had an easy and meaningful fast and with the help of Hashem this should be the last yom tov in golus and iy”h next year we should all be in Succos Bais Dovid….in Yerushalayim habnuya with Moshiach.

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