English translation — חה"ס

1.

Regarding the joy of the festival of Sukkot we find,

that in addition to the obligation of joy which exists already from its being a Yom Tov¹

(Yom Tov in general,

and "Zman Simchaseinu" in particular),

there are also joys which are connected with specific actions that are done on Sukkot:

The joy which is connected with the mitzvah of taking the Four Species on this festival,

as it is written²

"And you shall take for yourselves on the first day etc. <b>and you shall rejoice </b>before the Lord your God seven days" — joy of the lulav³

; and the joy which is connected with the water libation.

The drawing of the water

(which they would pour as a libation on Sukkot upon the altar,

and they would draw it on the night before the libation)

was with joy⁴

— "And you shall draw water with joy from the springs of salvation"⁵.

The order of the two celebrations,

which of them comes first,

is connected and depends on the dispute of Tannaim⁶

when the water libation began: according to one opinion, the water libation began on the second day of Sukkot

(in the morning),

and according to this,

the water drawing was for the first time on the second night,

after the time of taking the Four Species which was on the first day; but the halacha is like the second opinion⁷

that "the water libation all seven days"⁸

(also on the first day),

consequently the water drawing

(before the first libation)

was on the night⁹

the first of the festival — before taking the Four Species,

whose commandment is during the day¹⁰.

B.

Torah states the principle that "these and those are words of the living God"¹¹.

From this it is understood,

that both opinions have a place in spirituality — also the opinion that the water drawing begins on the second night of the festival.

Further: also according to the halacha,

that the drawing of the water was also on the first night of the festival,

but the

(completeness

h)

joy of the rejoicing of the water-drawing,

the "extra joy"¹²,

which was revealed through the "flute"

(and musical instruments),

only began at the conclusion of the first festival day¹³.

And although this is ostensibly due to a side reason,

ארי׳ הוא דרביע עלי׳¹⁴,

That "the flute ..

does not override neither Shabbos nor Yom Tov"¹⁵

— That therefore in the present time,

when the Simchas Beis HaShoevah is not connected with "flute",

it can be said

(as discussed several times)

"our ruin is our remedy"¹⁶

— the Simchas Beis HaShoevah begins with several matters immediately with a storm already from the first night of Sukkos¹⁷

Nevertheless,

since every matter in Torah is precise,

it is understood that that which the "extra joy"

(in the Temple)

actually began "at the conclusion of the first festival day",

it is because this is more fitting to the content of the joy — that the "extra joy"

(as it was in the Temple)

can only be in its true essence "at the conclusion of the first festival day" and thereafter.

3.

One will understand it with an introduction of the explanation of the connection

(in the inner dimension

the matters)

of the libation of <b>water</b>

(specifically)

to the festival of Sukkot:

one of the differences¹⁸

between the joy of the libation of wine

(we do not recite song except over wine¹⁹)

and the joy of the libation of water is:

The joy of the wine libation is connected also with human nature,

similar to the joy that comes from wine in general,

because wine is by nature a thing that gladdens²⁰.

That

is,

although by the wine libation it is a holy joy,

is connected with the service of the Temple,

nevertheless it has a connection with human nature.

And along these lines, as by the commandment of rejoicing on the Festival,

which must be connected with wine literally — "There is no joy except with wine"²¹

— the drinking of wine of a Jew is nevertheless not for the sake of desire, heaven forbid,

but for the sake of fulfilling the commandment; and consequently,

also the joy that comes through this,

is not from the wine itself

(as by a non-Jew),

but from the commandment in this,

joy of a commandment and moreover — the drinking of wine is the commandment.

Jews are "one nation in the land",

d.

h.

that also from the side of the physical body

(land)

they are a "one nation" and a "holy nation",

from which it is understood,

that also the joy which the Jewish <b>body</b> feels then truly derives from the holiness and mitzvah between them.

Nevertheless,

since the joy is connected specifically with wine

("there is no joy except with wine"²¹),

and the reason in the plain sense of the Torah is because it is <b>by its nature</b> arousing joy²²,

it is understood,

that the joy from the aspect of the mitzvah has a connection to nature and the existence of the world

(the nature of his life²³)].

But the joy that is connected with the pouring of water upon the altar — which water, by its nature, is not a thing that brings joy — shows,

that the joy at the drawing of the water has no connection to matters of nature,

it comes entirely from the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, "And you shall draw water with joy."

And this is the superiority of the pouring of water over the pouring of wine: by the pouring of wine,

since the joy has a hold in the nature of creation,

it is measured and limited within the limitations of the nature of creation; but by the pouring of water,

where the joy comes entirely from the command of the Holy One, blessed be He,

which is infinite,

so too the joy is beyond measure and limitation.

4.

It is explained and known,

that by every Jew there exists a "spiritual altar"²⁴

— it is understood,

that the two modes of joy of the wine libation and the water libation upon the altar,

are also present in spiritual service by every Jew:

The joy of the wine libation means in the service of man — a joy of a mitzvah which comes through contemplation in the intellect: when a Jew contemplates in that

the greatness of the merit,

that the Most High gave him the ability to fulfill a commandment,

and in the greatness of the elevation that is brought about through his fulfillment of the commandments

(that he becomes through the commandment united and attached with the Most High)

— it arouses in him a great joy.

Since however that the joy is connected with intellect and contemplation,

it is in a manner that in it is heard,

in addition to the commandment,

also the existence of the person who fulfills the commandment

(like the joy that comes through wine,

as above).

And since the joy is "composite in comprehension" this is a joy "limited according to the manner of comprehension"²⁵.

However, the joy of the water libation is an example of a joy of a commandment which is above intellect and contemplation: at the time that a Jew stands in a movement of self-sacrifice,

he gives himself entirely away to the Above — he does not need to arrive at intellectual explanation

(in the greatness of the elevation of the commandments)

; immediately when he hears that this is a command from the Above

("and He commanded us"),

it arouses in him a great joy.

And the joy is a "true joy",

which has no limitation

(because it is "reaches in the essence of the soul above the revealed faculties"²⁵)

; and therefore specifically about <b>that </b>joy

(of the water libation)

say Chazal²⁶

"Whoever has not seen the joy of the water-drawing has not seen joy in his days."

5.

And this is also the general connection of the joy of the water-drawing to the festival of Sukkot:

The joy of Sukkos,

the time of our rejoicing,

comes from the service and matters that were initiated on Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Repentance and especially on Yom Kippur.

And as known²⁷,

that the matter of the covering of the sukkah

(which comes from the clouds of glory²⁸)

is drawn from the repentance and the cloud of the incense of Yom Kippur.

The service of Yom Kippur — "once a year" — is from the aspect of yechidah²⁹

in the soul,

the connection of the essence of the soul with His Essence,

"yechidah to unite with You"³⁰

; and the initiation of Sukkos is,

that <b>this </b>connection to the Above should be drawn down in a revealed way until it encompasses the Jew entirely with all his matters.

And this also expresses itself in the mitzvah of sukkah in its simple sense — "In sukkot you shall dwell seven days

— you shall dwell as you reside"

: all matters which he does in his home

(eating, drinking, etc.)

are encompassed by the mitzvah of sukkah

without any limitations].

And therefore Sukkot is the time of the water libation and the rejoicing of the house of drawing,

which is a joy that is above reason and intellect,

as above,

because Sukkot elicits the joy that is above measure and limitation.

6.

It is known³³,

that the mitzvah of lulav is in its content not a separate mitzvah that needs to be done in the <b>time</b> of the seven days of Sukkot,

rather it has a connection and comes as a continuation to the mitzvah of sukkah

that "the mitzvah of taking it

(the lulav)

in the sukkah is the optimal mitzvah"]

Sukkah encompasses within itself the Jew with all his matters in a manner that it surrounds them from the outside,

and in the language of Chassidus — makif,

and the effect of the mitzvah of taking the four species is — "And you shall take <b>for yourselves</b>": the makif of sukkah is taken "for yourselves",

it becomes <b>yours</b>,

it is drawn into a pnimiyus.

so that their matters should be drawn also into

(the feeling of the)

heart,

and "the heart goes out to all the limbs"&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

— into all

(the faculties that are in all the)

limbs,

including the intellect in the head].

And specifically through this is the matter of <b>Sukkot </b>

(revelation of the encompassing light)

in completeness: although

That the avodah from the aspect of internal powers is within measure and limitation,

for which is therefore required avodah of mesiras nefesh above the measure of intellect

(as mentioned earlier the advantage of the water libation over the wine libation)

— nevertheless, the perfection of the avodah of mesiras nefesh is when the bittul and mesiras nefesh come through the internal powers,

intellect and emotions,

so that also they should necessitate the matter of mesiras nefesh; because

(a)

specifically through this the movement of mesiras nefesh becomes absorbed in the <b>person</b> in an internal way,

and consequently it has a permanence; and

(b)

this is a proof of the absence of limitation of the bittul and mesiras nefesh,

that there is no place in the soul where they have not reached and permeated³⁷.

7.

According to all the above one will also understand the inner reason of the opinion that the drawing of the water

(with the joy of the house of drawing)

begins

(the second night of Sukkos),

after the taking of the four species³⁸

Just as the completeness of the service of self-sacrifice in general is brought about through that the movement of self-sacrifice passes through the inner powers,

so all the more so that this is so regarding the <b>joy</b> that must be from the service — since

(a)

that the arousal of joy is specifically from a thing that is

felt openly³⁹,

and

(b)

true joy is when it has no limitations — the completeness of joy from a matter that is above the grasp of his intellect is when the matter is taken not only in the manner of encompassing,

but specifically when it comes down into an inwardness.

With this is understood what the joy of the Drawing of the Water

(which is inherently the content of the joy that comes from the matter of the sukkah as above in section 5)

begins

(the second night of Sukkot,)

after the service of "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day" — after this that a Jew has performed "on the first day" through the four species,

that the encompassing light of the sukkah has been drawn "for yourselves",

into an inwardness,

then there is for him

(on the night of the second day of Sukkot)

"And you shall draw water with joy

(which is above intellect)

"; the service of self-sacrifice which is above intellect takes through all his inner powers and arouses a true and revealed joy.

8.

But nevertheless the halacha is,

that also on the first day of Sukkot there was the water libation and consequently there was the Drawing of the Water⁴⁰

— and since it must be "And you shall draw water with joy",

is

It is understood that also the drawing was with a joy

(permitted⁴¹).

For since that also for the fulfillment of "and you shall take",

from the first moment of the first night there is already the action of the sechach of the sukkah in the aspect of makif,

which this is the reason for the joy of the festival of the first night⁴²

Sukkot — therefore,

is also already relevant the matter of the joy of the house of drawing,

that there should be joy of drawing and the aspect of water,

which is above the comprehension of the intellect.

Only because the matter of the sukkah is only in the aspect of makif,

therefore also the aforementioned joy is not a complete one,

and not so revealed⁴³.

Specifically after the service of taking the four species — "And you shall take <b>for yourselves</b>",

the drawing down of the makif into pnimiyus — is the joy of the water-drawing with the entire storm,

with the "chalil"

(and other musical instruments⁴⁴).

9.

With this one will understand what now,

in the time of the exile,

is as the custom of Israel in every place the beginning of the rejoicing of the house of drawing water on the first night of Sukkot:

The main matter of drawing down the encompassing light into inwardness was in the time of the Temple,

when Divinity shone in a revealed way and in inwardness,

and the service was

(mainly)

from the side of the inner powers;

But not so in the time of exile&lt;sup&gt;45&lt;/sup&gt;,

when "our signs we have not seen, etc."&lt;sup&gt;46&lt;/sup&gt;,

the beginning and preface of the service is not

(so much)

with the internal powers; the main service and its beginning is from the aspect of self-sacrifice

(and encompassing powers)

And simply — do not&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;

be ashamed before those who mock,

be bold as a leopard, etc., as an eagle, etc., as a deer, etc., as a lion

(more than human intellect)

— and consequently,

one does not now begin

(so much)

the superiority and advantage of the second night of Sukkot

(when there already is the drawing down of the encompassing into the internal,

through "And you shall take for yourselves, etc."&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;)

over the first night.

therefore the superiority of the Joy of the Water-Drawing of the second night is expressed also in this time — in the greatness of the joy itself — one increases the joy of the second night,

until — greater than the joy of the first night; until

In such a manner,

that as if the matter of the joy of Beis HaShoevah begins on the night of the second].

But from this same reason it turns out,

that there is an elevation in the joy of Beis HaShoevah in this time relative to the joy of Beis HaShoevah in the time of the Temple:

Just as it is explained regarding the matter of mesiras nefesh itself,

that in the time of exile,

when there is not

(by so much)

the revelation of inner powers,

the power of mesiras nefesh is &lt;b&gt;more&lt;/b&gt;

revealed than in the time of the Temple&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

; so too regarding the &lt;b&gt;joy&lt;/b&gt; that comes from this service — which is the joy of the water libration,

as above — in the time of exile there is a higher joy,

from the essence of the soul.

(From the talk of the second night of Sukkot — after the evening prayer — 5741)