Simchat Beit HaShoeivah

sicha.

Regarding Simchas Beis HaShoeva, what's that? The water drawing festival.

When they would draw water for the Nisach

HaMayim, for the water libation.

But on Sukkos, there was a water offering.

So they would get the water from this spring, and they would have this whole ceremony of drawing the water.

So that's called the Simchas Beis HaShoeva, the water drawing

festival.

And perhaps with this we could answer something that was bothering me.

At the Simchas Beis HaShoeva, we have Tzadikim and Balei Tshuva who are there.

The Gemara in Sukkah Lamed Gimel says, that their youth did not embarrass their old age.

And then there were some who said, And what bothered me over here is that this is a very sensitive thing.

Everyone should know him.

Everyone should serve him.

And we should see Binyan Bayesh Lishi, Bimher V'Yamenu, Misha B'Zecha, this year, to be dancing at the Simchas Beis HaShoeva, where all of us could exclaim after such an incredible Yom HaNorayim, Ashrei Ziknusenu, Shekipras Yaldusenu.

Have a beautiful Yom Tov.

Okay, final point is this.

In the Beit HaMikdash, during this week, and even nowadays in certain places, there's something called the Simchat Beit HaShoeva.

All right, we had it a couple of times.

What is it? They dance in the Sukkot.

Because if you're saying that the Sukkah has to be kva, it has to be your main dwelling place, then, then there's a deficit if you're not gonna sleep there.

So the Rebbe says, "So from this description of Simchas Beis HaShoeva, *Hebrew* from this description itself in the Gemara, *Hebrew* it's proven *Hebrew* that one who sleeps in conformity with what Halakha allows outside of the Sukkah, *Hebrew* If this is what the Tana'im did, if this is how Simchas Beis HaShoeva was set up, then it means that according to all opinions, inclusive of the Alter Rebbe's opinion that sleep is also part of how you observe the mitzvah of dwelling of the Sukkah, that this fulfilled the observance of the mitzvah completely and perfectly.

And even with a hider, even with going above and beyond the letter of the law to beautify the mitzvah.

Why? Because we know that that's how the Tana'im kept every mitzvah.

*Hebrew* They were the Tana'im, and of course, they kept every mitzvah in punctilious fashion in the most beautiful way.

And so if this is how Simchas Beis HaShoeva was set up, *Hebrew* then it means that there's no problem.

*Hebrew* The Rebbe says we might say the explanation is as follows.

*Hebrew* The fact that the mitzvah of ...

But we don't call it that.

What do we call it? Simchat Beit HaShoevah.

What's the Shoevah? What does the word Shoev mean? Drawing it.

To draw the water.

One year I was going to the Simchas.

Wayu usually doesn't have a Simchas Beis HaShoeva, but one year I had a Simchas Beis HaShoeva, and Rabbi Tarragon from Yeshiva HaKotel drove Rabbi Drillman, Zachrona Levracha, and myself from Brooklyn to Washington Heights, and what Erich Juhlman said, Erich Juhlman was a Rosh Hashiva in NYU, he was the Rosh Hashiva in PTA, then in NYU, his son is a very big Tal HaKochem, he was talking about the hijacking of Rav Hutner in 1970, his son was on that plane.

And he said, he asked, he discussed with Rav Chutner once, he says, how come Simchas Beis HaShoeva is the second night of Sukkot? It should be the first night.

It was the first day they brought the water on the Mizbeach.

So then they should have had that whole festivity the first night leading up to the first day.

A tremendous source of joy erupted in the Jewish people.

Taisis tells us from Chazal that Ruach Hakodesh came from the, from the celebration of Simchas Beis HaShoeva.

That joyous celebration, the appreciation that we've returned to Hashem, and we've overcome and worked through that celebration was wild and elevated the Jewish people.

That's Nisuch Hamayim.

Now another connection between Yonah and Sukkot is a statement made by the Jerusalem Talmud that Yonah first achieved prophecy on Sukkot.

He made his standard pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, and when he experienced the Simchat Beit HaShoeva in the Temple, the great celebration over Chol HaMoed Sukkot, he was filled with such joy that he was immediately filled with the prophetic spirit.

The Talmud says that we see from here that only when a person is happy can he or she achieve prophecy.

This is also witnessed as the Talmud by the prophet Elisha, who, when needing to prophesy, summoned a minstrel to play pleasant music so that he could enter into a joyous mood.