This Succos has been especially hot in the largest Frum communities in the world. Why this year must we suffer with the oppressive heat? The gemara in Avodah Zara tells us that at the end when it is time for Bnei Yisroel to get their Schar and the Umos haOlam to get their just desserts, the latter will complain that they were not given a fair chance. Despite that they had an opportunity to receive the Torah but rejected it outright, Hashem will give then another chance. He will tell them to do the mitzva of Succah. When they sit in it, it will become very hot and they will leave kicking the succah on the way out. Then Hashem will laugh. The gemara asks why are they punished since the Halacha explicitly says that a Mitztayer, someone who is suffering, is patur from the Succah. The gemara answers that they could have left but who asked them to kick the Succah? What is the meaning of this gemara. Why Succah? If Hashem gave them another chance out of kindness why would He do a trick to make them fail by turning up the heat? The Maharal MiPrague says that leaving our home and going into the Succah represents leaving the physical pleasures of the world and living in the intellectual and spirtual realm which is what is needed for Torah. Hashem told the other nations that they can have another chance to get the Torah but they must give up Olam HaZeh. The gemara says that the sun represents the goodness of Hashem. It shines on everyone good and bad alike. The Tzaddikim find warmth and healing in it while the Resha'im find it scorching and limiting to their pursuit of wordly pleasures. Maybe this is what the gemara means. Hashem tells the nations they must leave the world's pleasures behind and enter a new realm. This is what the reality of what the world will be when Hashem reveals Himself as we will all live in His shadow. Hashem will take out the sun.and constantly shine His Shechina on this world. It will be a permanent state of Succos. While we bask in the glow, the Resha'im will find this heat to be oppressive and will run out giving a kick to the succah on the way, since this setup just isn't for them. There are two ways to view our Succah. It can be viwed as a place where we are forced to eat (and sleep). It is restrictive as we must figure out how to manage to keep our stomachs full while wandering far from our succos for most of the day. The other choice is to bask in our succah and really live there for eight days to the greatest extent possible given our individual circumstances. Maybe this can help us understand the unusually hot temperatures this Succos. The end of time is very near and the big test for the other nations and their Succos looms on the horizon. If you find the Succah too hot, quietly get up and leave without fanfare. Don't make a fuss and certainly don't give it a kick on the way out. If you do, what will Hashem tell the other nations later on? |