Every Jewish holiday is infused with a special energy to help us work on a particular character trait, and to develop a certain aspect of our lives. The mitzvahs of the holiday are tools to help us achieve the goal of the time.

Often, the key to discovering this focus is found in the prayers. The Siddur (prayer book) refers to Sukkot as "Zman Simchaseinu," "the Time of Our Joy." Sukkot is designed as a one-week workshop on joy!

For seven days, we move out of our wall-to-wall carpeted, air-conditioned house, into a little hut called a Sukkah. But how is this supposed to make us happy?!

The lesson is that the physical objects with which we surround ourselves are not what make us happy. A person can live in a gorgeous home and be absolutely miserable. Or, he can live in a shabby hut and be ecstatically happy. The key to happiness, to joy, is success in our "relationships." This includes relationships with other people, a relationship with ourselves, and a relationship with G-d.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS

The Lulav gives us some important cues as to how to achieve joy through relationships. (Note that "Lulav" refers to the date palm leaf, but since it is the largest, the term refers also to all four species together.)

The Kabbalists say that the four species of the Lulav represent four different types of Jews:

1.The Esrog has a good taste and a good fragrance. It represents a person with both wisdom (Torah learning) and good deeds.

2.The Hadas (myrtle) has a good fragrance, but is inedible. It represents a person who has good deeds, but lacks wisdom.

3.The Lulav (date palm) is edible, but has no smell. This represents the person with wisdom, but without good deeds.

4.The Aravah (willow) has neither taste nor smell. It represents a person with neither good deeds nor Torah learning.

On Sukkot, we gather these four species, bind them, and wave them all together. The Lulav is only kosher if all four species are taken together. If one of the species is missing, the entire Lulav is invalid.

A similar principle is taught by the composition of the incense brought in the Holy Temple. The different ingredients of the incense also represent different types of Jews. There were 11 ingredients, of which one, the "chelbanah" spice, smelled terrible. Yet, the incense was only valid if all the ingredients were included together. This teaches us that we must look at the Jewish People as a unit, working together. We are only kosher if we have all the types of Jews together, even the "stinkers" among us!

There may be people we don't like, but we have to deal with them. We cannot simply say that certain people are not part of our world, or that they do not belong to us. On the contrary, the Jewish people are one indivisible unit. This recognition is basic to happiness because when we realize that we are all interconnected, we can be more patient and tolerant of others.

Note that when the Lulav is held, the Esrog is held next to the willow. The one with the "most" should position himself to be near the one with the "least" in order to favorably influence him.

This idea finds expression also in the mitzvah of inviting guests into our Sukkah. This year, try inviting some friends over - perhaps even someone who you don't know very well. The results will astound you!

RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF

Another way to look at the Lulav is mentioned in the Sefer Bahir, a kabbalistic work almost 2,000 years old. It describes the four species as four parts of a human being:

1.The Esrog represents the heart, the seat of our emotions.
2.The Hadas (myrtle) has leaves shaped like an eye.
3.The Lulav (date palm) represents the spine, from where our actions emanate.
4.The Aravah (willow) represents the lips, our speech.

The four species must be taken together as a unit. So too, to achieve happiness, one must use all of his faculties in unison. You cannot say one thing and feel another. You cannot be looking in one direction and yet acting in an opposite direction. We must unify our feelings, our actions, our speech and our outlook. With all of these working together, we are well on the path to self-esteem, tranquility and joy.

RELATIONSHIP WITH G-D

The four species also represent the Name of G-d: The Aravah (willow), Hadas (myrtle), Lulav (date palm) and Esrog represent the Yud and Heh and Vav and Heh of the four-letter Name of G-d.

Again, the key here is unity. As we say in the Shema daily, "G-d is One." Whether things may appear to us as good or evil, we must realize that it all comes from G-d. One must deal with various pleasant or unpleasant circumstances - ultimately for one's maximal growth, but at the root everything comes from G-d. Being aware of this keeps our focus and helps us to deal with the issues of life. When we relate to G-d's unity, we come closer to achieving joy in the world.

The message of the Lulav is unity. We must first view the Jewish people as a working unit. Next we must unify our "self" in order to maximize our effectiveness. And we must relate to G-d as a unity. All of these are ingredients for achieving joy. Without them, we are misdirected, and ineffective. With them, we are focused and vibrant.

Sukkot is a one-week opportunity to build these aspects and incorporate them into our lives. May we all enjoy great success in this venture!