Z’MAN SIMCHATEYNU – THE SEASON OF OUR REJOICING

Z’MAN SIMCHATEYNU

THE SEASON OF OUR REJOICING

Almost every “thing” in life has no innate value – the value is only what we assign to it. All the money, gold, and precious jewels in the world are absolutely valueless on a far-flung desert island with only one inhabitant, scarce food, and no trade. The only “things” of true value are things that cannot be purchased – like time, health, and relationships.

We must recognize that wealth is only a tool, one that we must utilize to improve certain aspects of our lives. Wealth is only a means to an end, not an end unto itself. Only the most foolish of people would waste the precious commodities of time and real relationships to collect vast sums of wealth that they will never even be able to spend.

The great medieval philosopher known as Maimonides addresses the futility of human beings striving to build lasting monuments (and homes) while neglecting the eternal cultivation of the soul. In his magnum opus on philosophy known as Moreh Nevuchim – The Guide for the Perplexed (III:12), Maimonides critiques human vanity: “Man’s days are numbered, and his existence is fleeting. Yet he builds lofty structures, the endurance of which he cannot guarantee for even a few years. He imagines that his name will be remembered forever by means of these edifices, but his soul departs, and he knows nothing of what becomes of them.”

Maimonides is highlighting one of life’s greatest contradictions: a short-lived being devotes his life to erecting structures intended to last centuries, instead of being far more concerned with the cultivation of his immortal soul. This Parallels Kohelet 

(Ecclesiastes), where King Solomon laments that a man toils and amasses, only for another to inherit. “For what has man of all his labor […] all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief” (2:22-23).

Maimonides interprets these verses to mean that human achievements in the physical realm, no matter how lasting in appearance, are ephemeral compared to the eternal pursuits of knowledge and virtue. He similarly writes in his introduction (Shemoneh Prakim Chapter 5) to Pirkei Avot – Ethics of our Fathers, “Foolish people weary themselves all their days with building palaces, collecting wealth, and seeking honor. Their souls are consumed by vain desires, until they die without attaining wisdom.”

It is for this reason that we read the book of Kohelet on the Shabbat of Sukkot. A major theme of Kohelet is the futility of mundane pursuits and pleasures, and the search for a deeper meaning to life. Kohelet jars us from our contentment with the reminder that mundane accomplishments are fleeting and empty. Even at the close of the harvest, we must seek real achievement and fulfillment.

This is the message of the holiday of Sukkot. It takes place during the season of the gathering of all our produce, a payday of sorts. Yet we are commanded to move into a temporary dwelling – one that represents the temporary and transient nature of both our lives and our world. According to our sages, the sukkah represents the sheltering embrace of the Almighty. We are made to recognize that the true purpose of our lives is to connect to the Almighty and live by His eternal value system.

When the baseline for happiness in our lives isn’t measured in terms of wealth acquisition, but rather by acquiring and maintaining a relationship with God, spending time with our loved ones, and living true Torah lives we can begin to appreciate all that we have, not what we do not.

In this way we are given the opportunity to focus on all the blessings in our lives. We should all try to internalize how fortunate we are to be living at a time that our ancestors could not even begin to imagine; the overall peace and tranquility we have experienced for the majority of our lives and the creature comforts and personal power that we take for granted far exceeds anything previous generations might have ever dreamed possible.

As we see in the book of Kohelet – life itself is dangerous and fragile. It is therefore doubly important to appreciate what we have when we have it – and be thankful to the Almighty for all the blessings in our lives.