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Sukot: Four Levels of Joy

The holiday of Sukkot ("Tabernacles") is the most joyous holiday of the year. There are four levels of joy on this holiday, corresponding to the four letters of God's Essential Name, Havayah.

1. The Celebration of the Drawing of Water (Simchat Beit Hashoevah): In this festive ceremony in the Temple, water was drawn from the Shiloach spring, simultaneously drawing God's Holy Spirit (ruach hakodesh) into the souls of Israel. This level of joy corresponds to the letter yud of God's Name and to the attribute of (the fountain of) chochmah.  
2. The joy of the sukkah ("tabernacle") that protects us, both physically and spiritually. This level of joy corresponds to the first hei of God's Name and to the attribute of binah.
3. The joy of the Four Species, which activate the emotions of the heart with love and unity of Israel. This level of joy corresponds to the vav of God's Name and to the emotions of the heart.
4. The joy of the harvest, the natural joy of the farmer when he reaps the bounty that God has showered upon him. This level of joy corresponds to the final hei of God's Name that enlivens all nature.

The Joy in our Hearts on Sukkot

All joy is manifest in the heart (in Hebrew: lev). The word lev has many associations with the holiday of Sukkot:

• When we write out the letters of the word lev (לב, spelled lamed, beit) in full (למד בית Lamed, mem, dalet; Beit, yud, tav) they equal 486, which is also the numerical value of sukkot (סכות).

• When we sit in the sukkah, we bless God for having commanded us to sit inside. The distinguishing words of this blessing are leshev basukkah ("…to sit in the sukkah"). The first letters of the words Leshev Basukkah are lamed and beit -- another allusion to lev.

• The lulav ("palm branch"), one of the four species, is spelled lamed, vav, lamed, beit. This word can be read as lo lev, "he has a heart."

• Our sages say that the etrog ("citron fruit"), another of the four species, resembles a heart.

• The numerical value of all the four species--etrog, aravah, lulav, hadas (אתרוג ערבה לולב הדס) equals 1024 or 32² which is lev (32) times lev!

On this Sukkot, may our hearts experience the true joy of the redemption of all the Jewish People and of the entire world!

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