October 30, 2024|כ"ח תשרי ה' אלפים תשפ"ה Sukkot: The Biblical Yom Haatzmaut By Rabbi Jonathan Muskat

In March 2024, the World Happiness Report ranked Israel as the fifth happiest country globally. This ranking was based on data from 143 countries over three years, assessing performance in categories like GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Israel was the outlier among the top seven countries, surrounded mostly by Northern European nations. But what else makes Israel an outlier? How about being surrounded by enemies? How about Palestinian terrorism, Hezbollah, the Iranian nuclear threat, or the October 7th attacks? Despite all this, Israel ranks fifth. Perhaps it’s connected to the unique joy of nisuch hamayim, the water libation ceremony.

The Tosefta in Masechet Sukkah explains that nisuch hamayim, performed on Sukkot, is a plea for rain: הבא ניסוך המים בחג כדי שיתברכו עליך גשמים - “Bring the water libation so that you will be blessed with rain.” Rain was critical for survival, as stated in the Mishna in Rosh Hashana: בחג נידונין על המים - “On Sukkot, we are judged for water.” Yet this plea, which essentially prays for life, is tied to one of the most joyous celebrations—simchat beit hashoevah. Nowadays if I were to ask you what joyous celebrations take place during Sukkot, you would say, well, there’s a trip to Six Flags, Hershey Park or Adventureland, maybe there’s an Eitan Katz concert, maybe we pick seasonal fruit, maybe Modi is performing somewhere, and these can all be joyous events, but there’s nothing like a simchat beit hashoevah. The Mishna says, מי שלא ראה שמחת בית השואבה לא ראה שמחה בחייו – "One who hasn’t seen the joy of simchat beit hashoevah has never seen joy in his life" (Sukkah 51a). This celebration, which involved music and dancing, was performed to accompany the water libation.

But isn’t it strange that a ritual meant as a prayer for something as essential as water is associated with such boundless joy? Usually, when we pray for something as vital as survival, it’s a serious, solemn moment. Why is this prayer for water, for life itself, paired with the most joyous celebration of all?

To deepen the mystery, consider Hillel's famous statement during the celebration. Hillel said,ואם איני כאן מי כאן  אם אני כאן - הכל כאן "If I am here, everything is here. If I am not here, who is here?" (Sukkah 53a). What is Hillel saying? Is he saying, “Here I am, the life of the party! When I walk in, everyone shouts, ‘the party has arrived!’ What is he really saying? And why was the simchat beit hashoevah so different from typical Jewish celebrations, which revolve around meat and wine? That is how we observe the mitzvah of ושמחת בחגיך during the chagim of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot – with meat and wine. The Rambam famously writes in this context אין שמחה אלא בבשר וביין – there is no happiness except for meat and wine! The joy of nisuch hamayim involved no meat, no wine—only water and music. What does this tell us?

Rav Hutner, in his work Pachad Yitzchak on Sukkot (maamar #25), offers a profound insight. He contrasts two aspects of creation—Adam's creation as a living being, and his placement in Gan Eden, his home. Similarly, the Jewish people have two foundational moments: our birth as a nation on Pesach and our journey to find a home, symbolized by Sukkot when God protected us for forty years during this journey. This home is not just physical; it’s Eretz Yisrael, our spiritual center.

On Yom Kippur, we pray for life—Who will live and who will die. On Sukkot, we pray for water. But these prayers are fundamentally different. While water is essential for life, it’s more than that—it’s a prayer for our ability to remain in Eretz Yisrael. If it doesn’t rain, we could, theoretically, do what Avraham did in a time of famine—leave the land and find sustenance elsewhere like in Egypt which relies on the Nile River. But nisuch hamayim represents our prayer to stay in our homeland. It’s not just about survival—it’s about belonging in our home.

This is why the joy of simchat beit hashoevah was so overwhelming. It wasn’t just a celebration of rain, but a celebration of our home. When we are connected to Eretz Yisrael, as Hillel said, אם אני כאן - הכל כאן   if I am here, everything is here. When we are home, we don’t need external pleasures like meat or wine to find happiness. The pure, unadulterated joy comes from simply being in our land. Sukkot then becomes a Biblical Yom Haatzmaut, a holiday celebrating our home, but we do it differently than modern Israelis. Modern Israelis do it על האש, with a grill, a barbecue and probably some alcohol as well. After all, אין שמחה אלא בבשר וביין. We need picnics and barbecues to celebrate our happiness. And the truth is for most of Jewish life that is the case. But in Biblical Israel, the simchat beit hashoevah, a celebration of our home, was devoid of meat and wine or wine libations. It was as pure and unadulterated as water.

This may also be why the Sadducees rejected nisuch hamayim. On one level, they rejected this ritual because it is not explicitly commanded in the Torah. It is either hinted or according to some opinions, it is a halacha l’Moshe mi’Sinai. But perhaps there is another reason. They couldn’t comprehend a celebration centered on something as basic as water. To the Sadducees, who embraced the hedonistic Hellenistic values, joy needed the trappings of wealth, luxury, and indulgence. But for the Pharisees, the tradition of nisuch hamayim reflected the true, simple joy of being at home in Eretz Yisrael.

Even today, this joy persists. Despite the dangers and threats surrounding Israel, Israelis are deeply happy—because they are home. This was evident after October 7th, when instead of fleeing, thousands returned to Israel, ready to defend the land. This deep, unshakable connection to Eretz Yisrael, the sense of belonging and being present, is what fuels our happiness. That is why Jews from all across the world are naturally drawn to Eretz Yisrael, why we all want to visit Eretz Yisrael if we are not fortunate to live there at this time and this is why our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael are always on the forefront of our minds.Simchat beit hashoevah teaches us that we don’t need anything more than that. Being home is enough.