SUCCOTH
Succoth is a festival of happiness and celebration, ‘Zman Simchosaynu’, which is generated in the heart, the place of true happiness, and associated with the shaking of the lulav in a succah.
We shake the Lulav pointing to the six different directions of space beyond the Succah, EIN SOF, whilst the movements of the lulav in present time, represent AYIN.
Each movement of the lulav begins at the heart and then returns to the heart
The Torah is considered as the heart of the universe. The heart is called LEV and it is intriguing that the first and last letters of the Torah spell LEV, heart. Lamed Beis (Bereishit and Yisrael).
The Gematria of heart, Lamed Beis, is 32. The Sepher Yetsira tells us, in its opening line, that God creates the universe with 32 paths of wisdom. The embryonic human being is also created from 32 segments, which later become the 32 vertebrae, out of which the embryo develops.
Examining the diagram of the Sephirot shows that the heart is represented by Tiferet which has connections with all the other Sephirot, suggesting that the heart is the centre
Why are we joyous? Because we are alive, because we have had a good judgement on Yom Kippur and because we have had a good harvest. So we strut around like a King with orb and sceptre. The round Esrog or orb resembling the heart and the straight Lulav resembling the sceptre and spinal cord
For your amusement - the central words HEART AND TORAH shows us another aspect of the month of Sukkot. Take away the first and last symmetrical letters of these words, the ‘H’ and ‘T’ and ‘T’ and ‘H’ and you are left with EAR and ORA. Ear refers to the zodiac sign of this month, which is Libra, representing the Scales of Justice. How is that, you may ask? The Hebrew word for ear is ‘oznaim’ which also means scales - Libra. ‘Ora’ is like the Aura which surrounds you, just like a Succah …Like Ein Sof
In other festivals only parts of our bodies are involved e.g. on Rosh Hashanah we hear the Shofar, on Pesach we eat matzo, at Chanukah, we look at the lights etc. On Succoth our whole being is enclosed in the succah, but, not limited by the Succah as the shaking of the lulav points the way beyond the succah to the infinite space of the creator.
Enjoy the festivities and share a little of your joy with others to multiply it.