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A Temporary World
Part I. The Visitor
Itās a Hotel World
In his Shaar Cheshbon Hanefesh, the Chovos Halevavos speaks about the necessity for every person to consider what he callsĀ tzuras omdo bāolam,Ā the essential character of his existence in the world. It means that among all of the attitudes of the mind that every person must develop, he must also take time to think about this burning question: What does my state of existence in this world look like?
Now when a child is born he knows right away the state of his existence. Heās here to stay. If you tell him stories about people who die, he doesnāt really believe it, or at least it doesnāt apply to him. He thinks he knowsĀ tzuras omdo bāolam;Ā heāsa permanent resident.
Actually, almost everybody retains this juvenile attitude all his life. Of course, he knows all aboutĀ misah,Ā but itās very far from his mind. He has ten thousand years left, at least. Thatās his recognition ofĀ tzuras omdo bāolam;Ā heās here and heās here to stay.
And thatās why the Chovos Halevavos reminds us that itās of the utmost importance to ārecognize the actual form of our existence here,ā that weāre only visitors. This is a hotel and we areĀ orchim;Ā we spend a little time here and then we move on.
A Temporary Dwelling
Now, one of the experiences that Hakodosh Boruch Hu presents to us for the purpose of acquiring this attitude is theĀ sukkah. ×Ö·Ö¼×”Ö»Ö¼×Ö¹Ö¼×Ŗ תֵּשְ×××Ö¼ ש֓××Ö°×¢Ö·×Ŗ ×Öø×Ö“×× āĀ For seven days go out from your home and live in the sukkah.Ā Itās aĀ mitzvahĀ that if used the way Hakodosh Boruch Hu intended, will have the most far-reaching results in our lives; not only on Sukkos but in Cheshvan and Kislev and all the rest of the year. Sitting in theĀ sukkah, if you learn how to do it, affects our entire attitude and our entire success in this world.
Letās study that. First we note that one of the most important features of theĀ sukkahĀ is that itās aĀ diras arai.Ā By its very nature, in itsĀ halachaĀ requirements, itās supposed to be a temporary dwelling. Why canāt you make aĀ sukkahĀ thatās higher than a certain height? Because ×”Ö»×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö“Ö¼×רַת עֲרַ×× ×Ö°Ö¼×¢Öµ×× Öø×;Ā it has to be a temporary dwelling and too high a wall around theĀ sukkahĀ gives the impression that itās permanent; if itās too high youāll be forced to build very strong walls,
And so we see that a fundamental requirement of a kosherĀ sukkahĀ is that it should be a temporary dwelling.
Now itās not merely for convenience, so that we shouldnāt have to spend too much money in building permanentĀ sukkos. No, itās much more than that. The purpose is to tell us ×¦Öµ× ×Ö“×Ö“Ö¼×רַת ×§Ö°×Ö·×¢ ×ְשֵ×× ×Ö°Ö¼×Ö“×רַת עֲרַ××;Ā for this certain amount of time, for these seven days, Hashem wants you to move out of your permanent residence, and go into a temporary dwelling. And in that little hut, in that flimsy home, you will be encouraged to reflect on the temporary nature of your existence in this world, on your actualĀ tzuras omdo bāolam.
Remember Those Days
Of course, we shouldnāt forget to keep in mind what Hakodosh Boruch Hu told usĀ befeirush,Ā that we are sitting in theĀ sukkahĀ ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö·× ×Öµ×Ö°×¢×Ö¼ ×ֹרֹתֵ××Ö¶× ×Ö“Ö¼× ×Ö·×”Ö»Ö¼×Ö¼×Ö¹×Ŗ ××ֹשַ××Ö°×ŖÖ“Ö¼× ×Ö¶×Ŗ ×Ö°Ö¼× Öµ× ×֓שְ×רָ×Öµ× ×Ö°Ö¼××ֹצ֓××Ö“× ××Ö¹×ŖÖø× ×Öµ×ֶרֶׄ ×֓צְרָ×Ö“×Ā ā in order to remember how we sat in huts for forty years when Hashem took us out of MitzrayimĀ (Vayikra 23:43).
Thatās another reason why theĀ schachĀ canāt be too high. When theĀ schachĀ is too high, ×Ö¹× ×©Öø××Ö°×Öø× ×ÖøÖ¼×Ö¼ ×¢Öµ×× Öø×, the eye ordinarily doesnāt look up that highĀ and youāll miss the point. We want theĀ schachĀ to be within your normal eyesight so that even without craning your neck youāll see whatās overhead and youāll be reminded about that miraculous period in our history. It was miraculous when the entire nation dwelt only inĀ sukkos, in little flimsy dwellings. and still we were more secure in theĀ midbarĀ than at any other time in our history. And itās only because Hakodosh Boruch Hu was ourĀ sukkah.Ā He was protecting us.
So when you go into theĀ sukkahĀ and youāre thinking, āIs it kosherĀ schach? Are the dimensions good? Is it big enough? Is it under a tree?ā The ones who know more are thinking aboutĀ lavudĀ andĀ dofen akumah,Ā otherĀ dinim.Ā Very good! Itās wonderful if they have all these things in mind, but you have to add on something more. You have to spend some time thinking about the forty years that we lived in the Midbar under the protection of Hashem. How can you neglect such a thing when Hakodosh Boruch Hu says openly, ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö·×Ā ā itās for this purposeĀ that I commanded you to live inĀ sukkos.
Always Traveling
And yet included in that thought, theĀ sukkahĀ reminds us of how temporary was our existence in theĀ midbar.Ā Every day they had to be on the alert, maybe theyāll hear the blast of theĀ chatzotzrosĀ summoning them to pull up the stakes of their tents and start moving. And so they never felt settled; they were like visitors, like people who are just passing through.
And it was intended by Hashem to be that way. The forty year journey through the Midbar was meant to teach them that lesson.Ā vayisu Bnei Yisrael,Ā weāre traveling all the time, never resting for too long in one place ā thatās a symbol of our existence in this world,Ā weāre just passing through.
We see it today too. When the immigrants came to this country, when they arrived in New York,Ā first they lived on the East Side and then Brownsville and then Crown Heights, then they moved some place else. Thatās Hashemās plan.Ā Vayisu Bnei Yisrael,Ā weāre always on the move, traveling throughout our history. We went to Bavel. From Bavel we went to Spain and North Africa. Then we went to Europe. Then from Italy and France we went to Germany, from Germany to Russia; and then to America and Australia. And so weāre always traveling;Ā vayisu.
And whatās one of the purposes? Itās not the only reason but one of the purposes is so we should always feel weāre not permanent residents anyplace because the wholeĀ olam hazehĀ is temporary.
Traveling in Greatness
Now it doesnāt mean they didnāt succeed in Spain. Traveling doesnāt mean failure. So many of ourĀ rishonimĀ were there. Without Spain we wouldnāt have the Rambam and the Rashba and the Ritva and the Ran and all the otherĀ gedolei Yisroel.Ā TheĀ KuzariĀ andĀ Chovos HalevavosĀ were all from Spain.
It wasnāt a failure; just the opposite ā they succeeded more because they had in mind that they came from someplace and theyāre going someplace else; they wonāt be here forever.
They werenāt deceived like American Jews who think ×Ö¹××Ŗ ×Ö°× ×Ö¼×Öø×ŖÖ“× ×¢Ö²×Öµ× ×¢Ö·× ×¤Ö¹Ö¼× ×ֵשֵ××Ā ā weāll be here forever and ever.Ā Like Alabama means in the Indian language, āHere we rest forever.ā Oh no, itās no Alabama for us. Donāt make any mistake about it; we wonāt rest here forever. The German Jews thought so too. Donāt make that same mistake.
Traveling Happily
Now, this understanding of ourĀ tzuras omdo bāolamĀ will have the most far-reaching results. It affects our entire attitude and our entire success in this world. Even inĀ gashmiyus, even in the way we enjoy this world, it will make a tremendous difference. Iāll prove it to you. Because donāt you enjoy yourself in the temporaryĀ sukkah?Ā You singĀ zemirosĀ in theĀ sukkah,Ā and you can eat goodĀ seudosĀ in theĀ sukkahĀ with your family. You enjoy yourself very much!
In fact, you enjoy it more. Itās like an outing. You know,Ā melamdimĀ many times go to the country for the summer. Now when you come to the bungalow for two months, you know you have plenty of time and so youāre not in a hurry to enjoy it and it becomes boring too after a while. But while youāre in the country you notice there are people who are coming for a two week vacation, some for a one-week vacation.
Now, these one-weekers, they come along with fishing rods. They come along with hiking boots. They come with plans how theyāre going to do everything during that week; theyāll go here and theyāll go there. Because they know theyāre only here for one week, they come with the intention of getting the most they can out of it. And so they go swimming all the time and fishing and hiking and looking and jumping. Theyāre busy all the time because they know time is short and they want to get the most out of this one week.
Itās A Fun World
So when you knowĀ Olam HazehĀ is only for a short time, you will enjoy it more. Itās not a silly idea Iām telling you. When a man knows ā like all of us know ā that heās in this world for the next 65 million years, itās boring. The whole world is boring, not interesting when you still have 65 million years ahead of you! But when you know itās a little less than 65 million years then you think, āMaybe I should enjoy it.ā
Why not? Why shouldnāt you enjoy the world? Itās aĀ mitzvahĀ to look at the world and say ×Öø× ×ØÖ·×Ö¼×Ö¼ ×ַעֲשֶ×××Öø ×ַשֵּ××.Ā We have to thank Hashem for everything. And how can you thank Him if you donāt enjoy? If you donāt like it, you canāt thank Him. So you have to enjoy the sun. You have to enjoy the blue skies. You have to enjoy the fresh air. You have to enjoy the glass of water. There are wonderful things to enjoy, and youāll enjoy it much more because you know youāre only here a short time.
Youāre The Winner
Not only enjoyment. Youāll accomplish more too when you know that youāre not here forever.I once gave aĀ mashalĀ like this. There was once a contest, and the winner of the contest was given the privilege of going into Tiffanyās jewelry safe for five seconds and grabbing whatever he could.
So one man wins and the big day comes. Heās escorted up to the safe, a big safe that opens with a clock. Everyone is waiting until the bell rings and the door to the safe swings open. So letās say youāre the winner and the chairman of the company says to you, āHurry up, my friend,ā and he pushes you into the safe.
Youāre so astonished by what you see inside. On all sides are glittering stones. You donāt know where to start. But before you know it, the five seconds are over already and heās pulling you out with your feet. You say, āWait a second! I didnāt take anything yet! Wait!ā But heās already pulling you out.
Grab The Diamonds
And thatās this world. TheĀ Malach HamavesĀ is going to be pulling you out by the feet and youāll be crying, āAlready?!ā You didnāt use your five seconds in this world. But when you know itās only five seconds, youāre prepared and so youāll grab all you can as soon as you can.
This world is full of diamonds. On every side there are diamonds, so many things you can enjoy and accomplish in this world, and therefore when a man knows that itās only a very short time that heās here, heās going to enjoy it more than anybody else and heāll also achieve more than anybody who didnāt learn this lesson of theĀ sukkah. The one who never recognizedĀ tzuras omdo bāolamĀ and thinks that the world is a permanent residence for him loses out in the end.
Part II. The Guest
The Year-Round Sukkah
Now, once a person gets used to this idea ā once he understands that heās only a guest here, that heās just passing through ā so his entire attitude changes. A man who knows heās living in anĀ olam sheāeina sheloĀ (Sanhedrin 100b) lives an entirely different life.
But theĀ mitzvahĀ ofĀ sukkahĀ is not enough. Itās very important and a person who is ambitious can gather a great wealth of the mind during the seven days of Yom Tov but this attitude is too important to be relegated to one week of the year. Hakodosh Boruch Hu expects us to take the lessons of theĀ sukkahĀ back into the house at the end of the Yom Tov and live with this reminder all year long.
Napkin Etiquette
Now Iām going to enumerate some of the means of reminding ourselves that we are only visitors here. There are more; Iām just going to choose a few at random. Theyāre good for practicing up in theĀ sukkahĀ and for all year long.
One is not to waste materials. Letās say youāre a visitor in somebodyās home. You sit down at his table for Shabbos and there are napkins. You want to take one napkin? All right. Another napkin? You should think about it before you take a second napkin.
Suppose youāre taking two napkins, three napkins, four napkins. TheĀ baāal habayisĀ begins to look at you. āWhat kind of business is that? Youāre only a visitor here. Napkins donāt grow on trees.ā
But weāre learning now that even your own napkins you shouldnāt waste. Even when youāre in your own home you have to know: itās not your own napkins. Youāre a visitor here, and you shouldnāt waste materials. Thatās something! Even your own napkins arenāt yours. Youāre a guest in this world and you have to behave like a guest.
The Giving Tree
There was once a very great man, in the times of the Gemara. He had a son named Shivchas who died young. So the father said, āI know why my son died young. ×Öø× ×©Öø××Ö“×× ×©Ö“××Ö°×Ö·×Ŗ ×Ö°Ö¼×ØÖ“× ×Ö¶×ÖøÖ¼× ×ְּקַׄ ×ŖÖ°Ö¼×Öµ× Ö°×ŖÖøÖ¼× ×Ö°Ö¼×Öø× ×Ö“×Ö°× Ö·×Ö¼,Ā he chopped down a fig treebefore its time.ā (Bava Kamma 91b).
When a fig tree gets so old that it produces almost no figs anymore then you can use it for wood. Otherwise you have no business chopping down a fig tree. Itās not yours.
But Shivchas needed wood for some purpose and he forgot this lesson; he chopped down the fig tree while it was still producing figs. So Hashem said, āWhatās going on here? Youāre chopping down My good fig tree?!ā It was Shivchasās fig tree but itĀ wasnātĀ his. āYouāre a visitor in My house,ā Hashem said, āand youāre chopping down My good fig tree? And since you chopped it before the time, therefore Iām going to take you out of the world before your time.ā And so Shivchas passed away, a young man.
āIf you donāt recognize yourĀ tzuras omdo baāolam, your state of existence in this world,ā Hashem says, āthen youāre missing the fundamental understanding of your purpose here and you donāt belong.ā When you have a visitor who doesnāt recognize his place in the home so sometimes heās booted out.
A good guest is stingy with Hashemās property. Not because youāre stingy. Weāre talking about something else altogether. Youāre always reminding yourself that itās not yours anyhow ā youāre only a guest in Olam Hazeh and a good guest doesnāt waste in the home of his host.
Donāt Waste Time
There are other things too, other things that a guest in this world is careful with.Ā If youāre here only temporarily so you donāt waste time. Time doesnāt belong to you ā itās borrowed time and you canāt afford to waste any of it.
Sometimes onĀ motzaei shabbosĀ people might go over to theirĀ mechutanimĀ or the cousins just to shoot the breeze, to sit for hours talking. A waste! But not only a waste of your life but youāre showing that you donāt recognize your place in this world. Someone who knows heās a guest in this world doesnāt shoot the breeze for no reason.
And so we see now how important it is for us to remember that we are only guests here. When people go back and forth to Eretz Yisroel for nothing, back and forth, back and forth, itās a waste. They want to visit their child. Itās aĀ terutz. Itās the same as a Caribbean cruise only that theĀ hechsherĀ is āitās Eretz Yisroelā. That covers it up. Youāre wasting time and wasting money.
There are plenty of things to do with your money and plenty of things to do with your time and the more careful you are, the more you remind yourself that this is anĀ olam sheāeino shelcha.
Watch Your Words
The Rambam tells us anotherĀ chiddushĀ about our status as visitors in this world. In Avos the Rambam says that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives us only so many words to speak in our lives. You hear this? Itās a bigĀ chiddush.Ā You were invited into this world as a guest and you were given only a certain amount of words to speak. And therefore youāre always careful; always on guard that youĀ shouldnāt use your words up too quickly.
×Ö“× ×Öø×Ö“××©× ×Ö¶×ָפֵׄ ×Ö·×Ö“Ö¼××?Ā You want to stay longer in this world? Talk less. If you use up the amount of words in a short time then you have no right to keep on living.
You hear thatĀ pshat? You have to spare your words because itās not given to you to waste. Words are money.Ā Milah bāsela,Ā eachword is worth a dollar; more than a dollar (megillah 18a). Even if youāre rich, you canāt just take dollars and throw them out of the window. Same thing, you canāt take words and use throw them out of your mouth.
Even inĀ divrei TorahĀ the Rambam says. If you can say aĀ halachahĀ in five words, donāt say it in ten words because five words are wasted. ×Ö°×¢×Ö¹×Öø× ×֓שְ×× Ö¶× ×Öø×Öø× ×Ö°×ŖÖ·×Ö°×Ö“×××Ö¹ ×ֶּרֶ×Ö° קְצָרָ×, a man should teach Torah in the briefest, most short possible mannerĀ Pesachim 3b), the Rambam says itās for the purpose of saving words. Of course it helps also to make it clearer to understand. When you talk a lot, he gets confused. But besides that. The Rambam says because itās a waste of words. We canāt afford to waste words. Words are our life.
A guest understands that. A good guest tiptoes around the house. He doesnāt open up his big mouth and let loose. He understands that in front of the host heās as quiet as possible.
Watch Your Tears
Now, the next thing is a bigĀ chiddushĀ to most people and therefore I want you to understand it. Among the things we have to keep in mind is that we canāt waste emotions. Even emotions are given only for a purpose and someone who knows heās passing through understands that emotions are like napkins ā theyāre meant to be used only as needed, only as the Host expects.
When people weep, they have a responsibility. What are you weeping for? If itās ×Ö°Ö¼×Ö“×ÖøÖ¼× ×©Ö¶×× ×Ö“× ÖøÖ¼×,Ā if youāre weeping for nothing, so Hashem says āYouāre wasting tears. Youāre wasting sadness.ā
He weeps because he didnāt get a goodĀ aliyahĀ in theĀ beis haknesses.Ā He weeps because he put money on the wrong horse. He invested in stocks and the stocks lost. He weeps.His whole life he was weeping but so much of it was wasted tears. Hashem says, āWeep only when I tell you to weep.ā
There are things you can weep for. Weep for theĀ churban Beis Hamikdash.Ā Kumi roni balaylah,Ā wake up and cry out at night. Yes, why not? Thereās no harm. Even young people once in a while,Ā tikun chatzos.Ā Everybodyās asleep. You get up, sit down on the floor. Nobody has to know. Youāre in your own room. And weep for theĀ churbanĀ BeisĀ Hamikdash.Ā Thatās something to weep for. But donāt waste emotion.
Happiness With Reason
Also happiness, excitement, is not yours to waste. Some people sit at a cafĆ© on New Yearās night and they make revelry. Wooh ahh!Ā Simchah shel chinam.Ā Being happy over nothing is aĀ cheit.Ā Youāre utilizing emotions for nothing. You say, āWhatās wrong?ā Whatās wrong?! Itās wrong that youāre wasting emotions.
āWhat are you happy about?ā Hashem says, āI invited you into My house as a guest and youāre goingĀ meshuga, rejoicing in nothing.ā
Yes, happiness is important. Be happy onĀ Yom Tov.Ā Sukkos,Ā zman simchaseinu.Ā Itās aĀ mitzvahĀ then. Be happy Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave you good health. SayĀ āBoruch atah HashemĀ that I moved my bowels today.ā Ahh! Thatās aĀ simchah.Ā Youāre happy because you have two good kidneys. Ay yah yay! Be happy that you have aĀ pi hatabaasĀ instead of having a hole in the side, a colostomy. You can dance and sing for that. āAh,Ā boruch Hashem. Iām so full of joy.ā Nobodyās doing it but thatās what happiness is for.
If youāre grateful to Hashem, youāre utilizing your happiness properly. Otherwise Hashem says, āWhat are youāre wasting what I gave you? I gave you emotions for certain things. You canāt waste them. If you want to be a good guest in this world, you have to save your emotions.
Excitement In The World
Excitement too. You want to be excited? Be excited about Me only. Like Dovid Hamelech said,Ā Halleli nafshi es Hashem. HalleliĀ means to be excited. It means, āMy soul, you want to be excited?Ā Es Hashem!Ā Only about Hashem.ā Donāt be excited about anything else.
Some people get excited about music. They go into music stores and you see inside theyāre jumping up and down to the tune of the music. What are you so excited about?!
Music is aĀ meshugasĀ unless you use the music inĀ avodas Hashem.Ā Then yes. And people learnĀ mussarĀ from music.Ā Oy yoy yoy yoy yoy! Music fromĀ mussar. Wonderful. I heard in Slabodka learningĀ mussarĀ there were some specialists who used to have specialĀ nigunimĀ forĀ mussar.Ā It was a pleasure to hear it. Music of theĀ LeviāimĀ in theĀ Beis Hamikdash. Oh yes! It could induceĀ ruach hakodesh. It broughtĀ ruach hakodeshĀ to the listeners when they heard that music. ButĀ stamĀ youāre excited about music? Itās so silly. Itās a waste of emotions.
The Natural World
Even to be excited about nature. What is nature that you have to be excited? If you look at nature to see theĀ yad Hashem, if you get excited about seeds, thatās something. Every seed, itās known today, has millions of bits of wisdom. Get excited about a seed. Ever eat an apple and as youāre eating the seeds fall into your beard, whatās the purpose? Youāll take a walk later, and youāll be thinking someĀ divrei TorahĀ and youāll stroke your beard, the seeds will fall out and remind you to get excited about the seeds.
Yes. ButĀ stamĀ to be excited about nature like theĀ meshugaimĀ and atheists are excited? Itās a waste of energy. Hakadosh Baruch Hu didnāt give you excitement to be wasted on nothing at all. And itās serious business; you have to know thatĀ asid liten es hadinĀ becauseit means you think youāre the boss here. Youāre the host and youāll decide what yes, what no.
And so thereās so much to practice up with as we pass through this world as guests. And the more a person uses these opportunities to remind himself of hisĀ tzuras omdo bāolam,Ā that heās here as a visitor. Heās always careful with his time and money and words and emotions; and heās enjoying the world the Host expects him to enjoy, and accomplishing in this world the way the Host expects him to accomplish.
Part III. The Exporter
The New King
And now weāre coming to the most important phase of tonightās words. Everything we said is aĀ hakdamahĀ to what weāre going to learn now. The Chovos Halevavos gives a very importantĀ mashal.Ā He tells us about a man who was traveling on a ship, and the ship was shipwrecked. He fell into the water and the waves carried him up on the shore of a foreign country. He was lying on the shore naked now, he had lost everything in the water.
As he lay there on the shore of that new country he saw people approaching him, a whole committee of people. And when they reached him they said, āWelcome our king!ā and they dressed him in royal garments and placed a golden crown on his head. And then they took him to the palace and sat him on a throne. He was a king.
Now this man didnāt ask too many questions, but he was enjoying himself. All the trappings of royalty, the good times. But something was gnawing at him. He wanted to find out whatās this all about. And so he was biding his time, looking around among the courtiers in the palace, until finally, he saw one man who looked like someone whom he could trust.
So he made himself close to him; he became friendly with him and one day he called him in and said, āTell me, whatās this all about? Whatās the whole story here?ā
The Old Kings
So the man said, āIāll tell you. Every year it happens that there are shipwrecks around here because there are sharp rocks underneath the water near our island. And every year we take the first man who washes up on our shore and we make him king. We donāt tell him, but itās only for one year. And during the year we treat him like a king; we feed him like a king and everything else.
āAt the end of the year, we take all his clothes off of him ā just like he came to us ā and we put him into a wooden box, a boat, and we shove him out to sea. Goodbye! He flows out to the ocean.ā
Now, this man, this king, said to himself, āAll the fools who washed up and thought they were going to be kings forever, that this is their Alabama, they were all in error. They didnāt ask any questions, āWhatās doing here on this island? Am I really a king here? Nobody asked.
Sowhat did they do? If they had any property outside of the island in other countries, they sent messengers to bring their property to the island. Whatever property they could import, they imported. All their jewelry and cash they brought to the island. And whatever land or homes they had back home, they sold it all and converted it into money to bring to the island. And they brought their wives and their children to the island too.
And at the end of the year when they were shoved out in a boat all by themselves, they had to leave everything over. Their wives they left over and their children and their money; everything was left on the island and they went out all alone in a little boat into the ocean.
The King of Export
So this man said, āI canāt do that. I wonāt be so foolish.ā And so he started exporting.
Now listen to this word. Exporting. He started exporting from the island. As much as he could he was sneaking merchandise out of the island. He sold as much as he could of the jewelry they gave him. He made it into cash, and he sent it out stealthily to other places, other countries. The whole year thatās all he focused on.
Finally the end of the year came. The island nobles came to him and in one fell swoop they took off his royal clothing, put him into a box and pushed him out in the boat.
But he went with confidence. Heāll paddle. Heāll paddle his way someplace, and heāll hail a passing ship, and heāll tell them, āTake me to this and this place. Iāll give you a big reward.ā
And thatās what happened. The man who understood that he wasāt really a king, that it was only aĀ diras araiĀ that island, he went to his big reward that he had piled up in the place that really mattered.
Munbaz Is Attacked
So now we understand theĀ mashalĀ of theĀ Chovos HalevavosĀ about this world. Thatās this world. A child is born and he thinks heās a king. Itās his world and thereās nothing to talk about. But itās not so. Weāre only visiting; one year or seventy years, whatever it is, itās only a visit.
And thatās why itās so necessary to obey theĀ Chovos HalevavosĀ and to get busy exporting things out of this world like the visitor to the island. Instead of being the fool whoās importing fancy carpets and expensive toys and new cars and big bank accounts into this world, we have to get busy exporting from this world all we can.
We have to do what Munbaz did. You know there was once aĀ gerĀ named Munbaz. Munbaz was a king of Chadayav, a gentile country, and he became aĀ ger.Ā And so he began to spend money onĀ tzedakah;Ā he gaveĀ tzedakahĀ to the Jewish people, poor Jews.
×Öø×ְר×Ö¼ ×¢Öø×Öø×× ×Ö¶×Öø×× ×Ö¼×Öµ××Ŗ ×Öø×Ö“××Ā āĀ all his brothers and his fatherās family came together to protest. What are you doing? Your fathers were busy saving money in the royal treasury and now youāre depleting the royal treasury. Youāre spending it all. Thatās the claim they had against him. Youāre giving away the money toĀ tzedakah.
The Heavenly Account
So he said ×Ö²××Ö¹×ŖÖ·× ×ÖøÖ¼× Ö°××Ö¼ ×Ö°×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×,Ā my forefathers saved money down below, ×Ö·×Ö²× Ö“× ×ÖøÖ¼× Ö·×Ö°×ŖÖ“Ö¼× ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö°×Öø×,Ā Iām exporting money to a different place. Iām sending money to the bank above (Bava Basra 11a). This world is a place where we have to export as much as possible and deposit in the bank above.
Itās like being inside aĀ yeshivah. Youāre not in theĀ yeshivahĀ forever and therefore the purpose of being inside of theĀ yeshivahĀ is not merely to be inside. Itās to take something out of theĀ yeshivahĀ with you so that when you leave youāll be a different person.
Of course you have to export the Torah thatās in theĀ seforim,Ā not theĀ seforimĀ themselves. I once had in my oldĀ mesivtaĀ forty years ago a half retarded young man. So he probably heard somebody say you should take out from theĀ yeshivahĀ all you can. One day somebody called me from the East Side and he tells me that this fellow is selling ourĀ seforim. Heās on the street with a little table and heās selling the yeshivahāsĀ seforim.
He got the wrong idea. He didnāt take anything out of theĀ seforim ā heĀ exported theĀ seforimĀ themselves. But we have to get busy exporting the real merchandise. We have to get into our heads that theĀ sukkahĀ is telling us, āBecome an exporter in this temporary world!ā
Goods To Export
You should exportĀ tefillahĀ from this world.Ā TefillahĀ is a very big accomplishment. The moreĀ tefillosĀ we send to Hakodosh Boruch Hu and the better yourĀ tefillosĀ are, the more you accomplish in your exporting business. Thatās a very big achievement when people spend their lives accomplishing inĀ tefillah.
Now, I canāt resist reminding you about one of the most important of goods you have to export ā itās the necessity to export thank-yous. As many thank-yous as we can, we have to export out of this world and send it to Hashem.
××ֹרֵ×Ö· ××Ö¹× ×Ö·××Ö¼ ××Ö¹×ֵר, What does a good guest say?Ā A good guest says ×Öø× ×Ö·× ×©Ö¶Ö¼××ÖøÖ¼×ØÖ·× ×Ö·Ö¼×¢Ö·× ×Ö·×Ö·Ö¼×Ö“×Ŗ ×Ö¹× ×Öø×ØÖ·× ×Ö¶×ÖøÖ¼× ×ּ֓שְ××Ö“××Ö“×Ā ā everything that the host prepared, he prepared for meĀ (Brachos 58a). So we see a function of the good guest is to generate gratitude to his host. And so make up your mind, youāre going to be a good guest.
Thank Your In-Laws
Letās say, youāre going to be in your father-in-lawāsĀ sukkahĀ now; so you go with the idea of being grateful. Youāre going to be grateful to him because he gave you a wife. And now heās giving you a place to eat on Yom Tov and your mother-in-law is bringing into theĀ sukkahĀ all types of good food. So make sure to have that in mind ā it doesnāt hurt to say it too. You should have that in mind. While youāre in theĀ sukkahĀ youāre constantly saying thank you to your host.
And thatās a symbol of the gratitude we have to feel to the real Host. Weāre grateful to the great Host who took us into this world and we have to send Him our thanks constantly for everything. Thatās one of the achievements in Olam Hazeh, to export from this world our gratitude.
Every day you should sayĀ brachosĀ and you should be grateful to Hashem because thatās your achievement in this world, to exportĀ brachos.Ā The more gratitude you feel, the more times you say thank you to Hashem while youāre still in this world, thatās going to be your deposit in that bank that belongs to you forever and ever.
You know what youāre sending to the bank of the next world? Ahavas Hashem. Saying thank You is the best way to exportĀ ahavas HashemĀ from this world. Whatever you get in this world should be translated in terms of love.
If Hashem gives you food, love Hashem for your food. Love Him for breakfast. You ever thought about that, to love Hashem because of breakfast? Iām very serious. Itās the best merchandise. Whatever He gives you in this world, you should exportĀ ahavas Hashem,Ā as muchĀ ahavas HashemĀ as you can generate.
In Summation
Now donāt underestimate it. Donāt think itās a small thing. Itās our major achievement in this world. And now to sum up what we spoke about tonight. This world is aĀ sukkah. Itās a temporary dwelling, and weāre passing through for a purpose ā to be exporters. Weāre expected to be busy exporting out of theĀ sukkahĀ of this world all the good things that we can accomplish.
But because Olam Hazeh gives us the appearance of being permanent ā itās always fooling us ā so we need to find ways of reminding ourselves that weāre only here for a short time; constantly we have to remember that weāre only visitors here. Thatās why as much as possible we practice up acting like guests by not wasting our money and our time and our words and emotions.
And yet, even though this attitude of Olam Hazeh being aĀ diras araiĀ is something we can practice up year-round, Sukkos is the best time to learn this lesson. Thatās what itās made for. When you sit in the temporary dwelling for seven days, itās a very good opportunity to utilize this great lesson and think, āThis whole world is one bigĀ diras arai. And therefore when I get back into my house, Iām going to remember that even my brick home is aĀ diras araiĀ and Iāll get busy exporting to Olam Habo as much Torah,Ā mitzvos, yiras shamayim,Ā chesedĀ andĀ tzedakahĀ as possible.
āAnd not only from my house. Once I learn the lesson of theĀ sukkah, then wherever I go in this temporary world Iām going to be busy exportingĀ avodas Hashem. And when it finally comes time to leave this Sukkah World after 120 years, Iāll be going to the real world where everything I exported will be waiting for me.
Have A Wonderful Shabbos
Letās Get Practical
Utilizing the Sukkah
This Yom Tov, whenever I enter the Sukkah I will remember that it commemorates the temporary huts our forefathers lived in, and that this is Hashemās Plan for us, to remind us that weāre visitors here. As a temporary guest, I will be careful not to waste the resources of this world. This will remind me to get busy exporting Torah and Mitzvos from this world.