Thursday, Nov 30, 2023

Chagigah 18: Vitality of Yom Tov

This daf brings verses about various moadim.

Rav Aharon of Belz said, “Every Yom Tov should make an indelible and lasting impression on each Jew. This should be so strong that the Yom Tov stays with him the entire year.”

The Rashash of Kabbalistic fame made a similar comment: “The Yomim Tovim are called the three regalim, literally legs, for several reasons. The most famous is because people performed aliyah l’regel. Another reason is that tables in antiquity stood on three legs. The three regalim are the three foundations on which the year stands. For this reason, our main yearly avodah is during these days.”

Some tzaddikim worked on a particular Yom Tov or one of its mitzvos the entire year. Rav Naftoli of Ropshitz especially connected to mitzvas sukkah and delved into this mitzvah the entire year. Every day, he mentioned the sukkah with great longing, since it alludes to our portion in Olam Haba formed by every mitzvah that we do throughout our life, as explained in the Zohar. One day, he hammered a nail into his sukkah. On another, he delved into Maseches Sukkah, from the Gemara to the poskim, to study this Yom Tov in depth.

The Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz focused throughout the year on Pesach. It is hard to describe the depths of his devotion during the Seder. As he ate the matzoh, he shined like an angel, eyes streaming tears of joy and love. He resembled someone who had just won an immense fortune for life (Tziyumim Yekorim).

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