Dvar Torah for Emor 6th Aliyah: Actual text: https://tinyurl.com/5fyprnd9 We are introduced to the holiday of Sukkos and told that we should live in sukkos (huts) for seven days so that future generations should know that God had the Jews live in tents when they left Egypt (23:41–43). The word “sukkos” is missing the letter vav both times it is mentioned in pasuk 42. After sowing, watering, harvesting, and storing crops, the farmer finally finishes in time for winter and probably looks forward to settling down. Why are we being displaced right as the fields are harvested, and is there a deeper significance to the different spelling of the word “sukkos”? Meshech Chochmah frames Sukkos as a holiday meant to take us out of our comfort zone. It serves to remind us why we engage in all of this hard work: To connect with a higher purpose and do more than what we have grown accustomed to being and doing. Having the proper perspective can help forge that connection. When the Jewish people traveled the desert, having sukkos to live in was an upgrade to having nothing, hence the full spelling of the word “sukkos.” However, once the Jews settled in their homeland, having to uproot themselves for a week to live in temporary sukkos may have seemed to be more of a burden than a blessing. This could explain the missing letter in “sukkos.” No matter how we perceive the obligation to sit in a sukkah, the goal is for all of us to be happy, as the Torah says “V’samachtem lifnei Hashem — Rejoice before God” (23:40). It doesn’t matter if the glass is half empty or half full; we are happy to have a glass to fill and something with which to fill it. Please consider forwarding this to others so they can join! https://chat.whatsapp.com/I7IHQNPpKLF0adHHXTUYda