A Counter-Intuitive Idea
Exploring how shifting our perspective can help us connect more deeply with Hashem. Print and enjoy over Shabbos.
A local minyan held Hakafos this week in honor of Shlomo Carlebach’s yahrzeit and for the chayalim at war over Sukkos. It was an intriguing initiative—I'm not sure who came up with it or why, but it got me wondering: what does Sukkos have to do with this week’s parashah?
At first, the connection wasn't obvious. As I started to reflect on the themes of Sukkos—Simchas Beis HaShoeva, the kida of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, and the Ushpizin—it all began to tie together. Sukkos, like this parashah, is about flipping perspectives, seeing Hashem’s hand in everything, and finding joy even when life feels upside down.
The Talmud1 describes the Simchas Beis HaShoeva, an unparalleled celebration in the Beis HaMikdash during Sukkos. The Chachamim would perform incredible feats of movement and acrobatics, but none were as famous as the kida. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel was renowned for his kida, an act so difficult that no one else of his time could perform it. He would press his thumbs into the ground,…
