"Most of the people are mistakenly lenient in this..."
Yesod V’Shoresh Ha’avodah:
The second part of the commandment of “you shall dwell in the sukka” is to sleep in the sukka. Most of the people are mistakenly lenient in this.
This is a matter that is brought in the Mishna and Beraisa, that even a casual sleep is forbidden outside the sukka. Even though the Rema brings two reasons why we are lenient with sleeping in the sukka, certainly the first reason that he writes, because of the discomfort of the chill in cold climates, doesn’t apply in our country because it’s not that cold on Sukkos. It also doesn’t apply to those that have heaters and blankets.
Also the second reason he writes, that dwelling in the sukka should be the same as we do all year round doesn't apply for one taking a nap during the day. It also doesn’t apply to one who sleeps in his house at night alone. For the person who has even a little fear of Hashem in his heart, how is it possible to exempt oneself from a positive Torah commandment with these reasons?
How can one not be embarrassed and humiliated before his Creator? How can fear and dread not fall upon a person for the nullification of this positive commandment, when one sleeps even a casual nap outside the sukka?
The second part of the commandment of “you shall dwell in the sukka” is to sleep in the sukka. Most of the people are mistakenly lenient in this.
This is a matter that is brought in the Mishna and Beraisa, that even a casual sleep is forbidden outside the sukka. Even though the Rema brings two reasons why we are lenient with sleeping in the sukka, certainly the first reason that he writes, because of the discomfort of the chill in cold climates, doesn’t apply in our country because it’s not that cold on Sukkos. It also doesn’t apply to those that have heaters and blankets.
Also the second reason he writes, that dwelling in the sukka should be the same as we do all year round doesn't apply for one taking a nap during the day. It also doesn’t apply to one who sleeps in his house at night alone. For the person who has even a little fear of Hashem in his heart, how is it possible to exempt oneself from a positive Torah commandment with these reasons?
How can one not be embarrassed and humiliated before his Creator? How can fear and dread not fall upon a person for the nullification of this positive commandment, when one sleeps even a casual nap outside the sukka?
6 Comments:
Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov wrote the following in Sefer HaToda'ah, "Sleeping in the sukkah is a greater obligation than eating, for even a short nap should be taken only in the sukkah [whereas one may eat a snack outside the sukkah. We are lenient about sleeping outside of the sukkah only in the cases where it is impossible, e.g., when it is very cold."
Shulchan Aruch HaRav 639:9 states, "At present, people at large have adopted the practice of following a lenient approach, when it comes to sleeping inthe sukkah. Only those who are punctilious in the observance of mitzvos sleep in the sukkah.
The Mittler Rebbe of Lubavitch, however, said "How is it possible to sleep in the sukkah? The makifim (transcendent lights) of the sefirah of Binah shine there!"
Although Chabad's custom is not to sleep in the sukkah, the Lubavitcher Rebbe did not sleep in his house - but he also did not have a bed in the sukkah. He spent the entire yom tov in the sukkah, and if he dozed off in his chair while learning, this is when he slept.
Most other Chassidim today sleep in the sukkah. Here in Williamsburg, 90% of the chassidim sleep in the sukkah. It is well known that the Satmar Rebbe (R' Yoel Teitelbaum) slept in the sukkah as well.
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There is even a story about the Vilna Gaon who said, "Although it is extremely cold and we are not obligated to sleep in the sukkah, let us bundle up really well to make sure that we will not feel discomfort so that we can sleep there anyway. That way, we will provide a living example that one is also obligated to sleep in the sukkah in chutz la’aretz!"
Succot was very strange for me this year. My esrog didn't have the usual blast of fragrance and the myrtle also was not very fragrant.
I didn't have the usual thrill of
Sukkot. In the past there has always been a blast to the
Torah realm, but not this year.
See my article here, which touches on the topic of this post.
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