Sukkot 5786
Being All In
Rabbi Gabi Gittleson
Director
Being All In. It’s a common goal for many individuals, and in many areas of life. We want
to be all in as individuals, as spouses, friends, parents and children. We want to be all in
at work, at home, in our community, in our spiritual endeavors and in our growth. Being
all in is a great goal and one we should strive for.
The Vilna Goan (the leader of Polish Jewry in the 1700’s) points out something very
interesting when it comes to being “All In” in the realm of Mitzvos. There are only 2
Mitzvos you can do with your entire body, where you can really be all in – the Mitzvah of
going into a Sukkah over Sukkot and the Mitzvah of living in Israel. And then he
continues to expound with a lesson, that in my opinion, is a game changer.
When it comes to going into a sukkah – you need to spend time before Sukkot ensuring
you have a sukkah to go into. You can’t just wait around for a sukkah to magically
appear – you need to be an active, intentional participant in building the sukkah. The
Vina Goan then extends that to Israel – we can’t just sit around and hope for the
ultimate redemption and the return of the entire Jewish nation to Israel. We need to be
active builders and participants, readying the land and ourselves, both physically and
spiritually, for us to facilitate the Jewish redemption.
Being all in for the land of Israel and future ultimate redemption can be difficult to do
from America. But it’s possible with proper focus and planning. Aside from making sure
you visit Israel at least once in your life (I strongly encourage you to go, especially if you
can go with you family!), we can also help build Israel in many ways. Do an extra
mitzvah, send a letter to a solider, pray for Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beis
Hamikdash, Daven for all the remaining hostages and all those who have been affected
by the war.
This Sukkot, lets be all in. Sit in a Sukkah. Daven for Israel. And be ALL IN as a Jewish
person and nation.
Chag Sameach!
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