Chag HaSukkos/Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah/Parshas Bereishis 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Oct 16, 2024
- 3 min read
Segulos and Minhagim for the Yom Tov of Sukkos
Chag Ha’asif: The Festival of Gathering. Chag Ha’asif is one of the names the Torah ascribes to the holiday of Sukkos (1). This refers to the “gathering-in” of the harvested grains which had been drying out in the fields during the summer. This is a time of joy about parnassa, since one was able to store a year’s supply of food after toiling during the seasons of the year. This is also why we celebrate Sukkos in the month of Tishrei, and not in the time of Nissan when Bnei Yisroel left Mitzrayim and merited the protection of the ענני כבוד. The month of Tishrei is more conducive to celebrating with great joy and happiness, since our homes are full of food and parnassa for the coming year (2).
Thanking for Parnassa. The Abarbanel (3) writes that the Yom Tov of Sukkos was given in order to thank Hashem for the parnassa that enabled Bnei Yisroel to store away a year’s food (and also for the atonement of Yom Kippur). It would seem that even though in our non-farming society, when Sukkos is not a parnassa milestone season, it is still a good idea to use this time to thank Hashem for the past and present parnassa that He has granted us. This is a merit to have future success in parnassa.
The Mitzvah of Lulav, Esrog, etc. The Medrash (4) says that fulfilling the mitzvah of Arba Minim can bring a person good parnassa. This is learned as follows: "משכר לקיחה אתה לומד שכר לקיחה" - “From the reward given for the mitzvah of taking (the אזוב plant in Mitzrayim), you can learn the reward for taking (the four minim).” If, for taking the cheap אזוב plant and doing one mitzvah with it (putting the blood of the Korban Pesach on their doorposts), Bnei Yisroel merited the wealth of spoils that washed up on the shores of the Yam Suf, the spoils from the war with Sichon, as well as the spoils of the conquest of the 31 kings, certainly the mitzvos of the Arba Minim - which is not cheap and one does many mitzvos with them - can bring wealth. The Eitz Yosef (5) writes that the Medrash explains the posuk regarding the four mitzvos of lulav, esrog, hadas and arava of "ולקחתם לכם" to mean “You should take - 'לכם' - for your own benefit,” which refers to the wealth that can come along with it.
Hoshanos. There is a segulah for good parnassa to take - after Sukkos - some of the leaves from the Hoshanos that were banged on Hoshana Raba, and carry them around in one’s wallet or pocket. This is brought down in the famous "דבר בעתו" calendar from R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l (בשם ספרים).
Shemini Atzeres: Geshem. On Shemini Atzeres, we “Bentch Geshem” - the lengthy tefillah for rain which is an introduction for us as we now begin mentioning, in the second beracha of shemona esrai during the entire winter, about the benefits of rain. One can have in mind various aspects that bring about parnassa, as symbolized by the rain: 1) Just as rain comes down from heaven to earth, so too, all parnassa “comes down” from heaven to us. 2) Just as the falling rain depends upon our actions and merits (as we say in the second parsha of Krias Shema), so too, parnassa depends upon our actions and merits.
Hakafos on Simchas Torah. I have heard - although I have not found in any written source - that participating fully in the sixth hakafa on Simchas Torah is a segula for good parnassa. It is in this hakafa that we say, "עוזר דלים הושיעה נא" - “(Hashem) Who helps the poor (with parnassa), please save us.” It is possible that this might be connected to the idea (mentioned in the hakafa tefillos of the Chida) that the sixth hakafa corresponds to Yosef HaTzaddik - המשביר - who sustained and ensured parnassa for all of Bnei Yisroel while they were in Mitzrayim.
(1) שמות כג:טז (2) באר יוסף (3) ויקרא כג:מ (4) פרשת אמור ל:א (5) שם