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Q:

How can we focus on simchas Yom Tov when the matzav in Eretz Yisroel is so terrible?

A:

And the answer is that you shouldn’t utilize that as an excuse to not fulfill the mitzvah of simchah.
The truth is when it comes to other things, you’re going to have plenty of simchah.  Only when it comes to a mitzvah then people say, “Well, how can we have this mitzvah of simchah?”
I’ll tell you a story.  Once upon a time we were talking here about spending time to learn Torah, about coming to shiurim.
So a man said, “Why do you spend so much time on coming to shiurim?  Why shouldn’t you go out and help other people? Spend time on chessed to other people.”
So I said, “Suppose I was playing cards, would you ask me that kashah? Would you say, ‘Why are you playing cards? Get up and go help other people.’ No. When you’re playing cards nobody will say anything. Only when you sit down to learn, the yetzer hara opens his mouth and tells you to go help other people.
Sukkos is the time of simchah. It’s the time to fulfill the mitzvah of simchah and all of the ideals that are connected to the happiness of the yom tov of Sukkos. To say that you can’t because of the matzav in Eretz Yisroel is only an excuse.
Of course, you can have in your mind a tefillah that you’re mispallel for them. If you can do something about it – I don’t know what you can do but you can try.  But it shouldn’t have any kind of bearing on your Yom Tov.  Yom Tov is Yom Tov.  And all the great lessons of Yom Tov are waiting for you to learn no matter what the situation is.
I see on the slips of paper that there are many questions about Eretz Yisroel.  And so I must say this once more.  We have to live our lives! In Eretz Yisroel they’re building sukkos right now and they’re buying esrogim. They’re standing and looking at the tips of the lulav, is it kosher or not? They’re preparing tachshitim, ornaments, for the sukkah.
The frum Jews in Eretz Yisroel are preparing their simchas Yom Tov. They’re going to sit in their sukkos with the children and grandchildren.  They’ll have nachas when they look at them. They’ll be happy that they’re all going bederech haTorah. No question there’s going to be a simchah of Sukkos there, a simchas Yom Tov, more than the Jews in America will have.
The spirit of the frum Jews in Eretz Yisroel is so much stronger than our spirit here, with all our liberty and safety. You know why? Because we live among goyim. We talk like goyim. They don’t like goyim. They talk Yiddish. They talk Yiddish, the frum Jews. The Sefardim talk their language. Nobody talks a gentile language in Eretz Yisroel. But we, we’re saturated with the environment. We have to fight back.  We’re in galus.
Now, they’re also in galus. Eretz Yisroel is also galus today, but at least they’re among frum Jews, very frum Jews. Maybe Williamsburg is something like Eretz Yisroel today, could be. But whatever it is, Eretz Yisroel Jews I guarantee you, I assure you, will be enjoying this Sukkos no less and maybe much more than we’re going to enjoy ours.
I wish everybody here, that we should all enjoy Sukkos; ושמחת בחגך והיית אך שמח! And you should know in Eretz Yisroel they will certainly be mekayem that mitzvah to the fullest extent.
TAPE E-250 (October 12, 2000)

Rav Avigdor Miller on Simchas Yom Tov in Difficult Times

print

Q:

How can we focus on simchas Yom Tov when the matzav in Eretz Yisroel is so terrible?

A:

And the answer is that you shouldn’t utilize that as an excuse to not fulfill the mitzvah of simchah.
The truth is when it comes to other things, you’re going to have plenty of simchah.  Only when it comes to a mitzvah then people say, “Well, how can we have this mitzvah of simchah?”
I’ll tell you a story.  Once upon a time we were talking here about spending time to learn Torah, about coming to shiurim.
So a man said, “Why do you spend so much time on coming to shiurim?  Why shouldn’t you go out and help other people? Spend time on chessed to other people.”
So I said, “Suppose I was playing cards, would you ask me that kashah? Would you say, ‘Why are you playing cards? Get up and go help other people.’ No. When you’re playing cards nobody will say anything. Only when you sit down to learn, the yetzer hara opens his mouth and tells you to go help other people.
Sukkos is the time of simchah. It’s the time to fulfill the mitzvah of simchah and all of the ideals that are connected to the happiness of the yom tov of Sukkos. To say that you can’t because of the matzav in Eretz Yisroel is only an excuse.
Of course, you can have in your mind a tefillah that you’re mispallel for them. If you can do something about it – I don’t know what you can do but you can try.  But it shouldn’t have any kind of bearing on your Yom Tov.  Yom Tov is Yom Tov.  And all the great lessons of Yom Tov are waiting for you to learn no matter what the situation is.
I see on the slips of paper that there are many questions about Eretz Yisroel.  And so I must say this once more.  We have to live our lives! In Eretz Yisroel they’re building sukkos right now and they’re buying esrogim. They’re standing and looking at the tips of the lulav, is it kosher or not? They’re preparing tachshitim, ornaments, for the sukkah.
The frum Jews in Eretz Yisroel are preparing their simchas Yom Tov. They’re going to sit in their sukkos with the children and grandchildren.  They’ll have nachas when they look at them. They’ll be happy that they’re all going bederech haTorah. No question there’s going to be a simchah of Sukkos there, a simchas Yom Tov, more than the Jews in America will have.
The spirit of the frum Jews in Eretz Yisroel is so much stronger than our spirit here, with all our liberty and safety. You know why? Because we live among goyim. We talk like goyim. They don’t like goyim. They talk Yiddish. They talk Yiddish, the frum Jews. The Sefardim talk their language. Nobody talks a gentile language in Eretz Yisroel. But we, we’re saturated with the environment. We have to fight back.  We’re in galus.
Now, they’re also in galus. Eretz Yisroel is also galus today, but at least they’re among frum Jews, very frum Jews. Maybe Williamsburg is something like Eretz Yisroel today, could be. But whatever it is, Eretz Yisroel Jews I guarantee you, I assure you, will be enjoying this Sukkos no less and maybe much more than we’re going to enjoy ours.
I wish everybody here, that we should all enjoy Sukkos; ושמחת בחגך והיית אך שמח! And you should know in Eretz Yisroel they will certainly be mekayem that mitzvah to the fullest extent.
TAPE E-250 (October 12, 2000)

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