לֲא בָ
תּוְֹו אִ שְׁ
תְמ חַ
אְֵו
הָו צְִמ
אֲכִַמ
שִֶׂא לָּ א
לְ תוֹתַדּ
חַ תְמ
צֵ רוֲֹח
הֶק
רְֵכּ
לְו א וֹ כֵ עֲנִיִּיםַל
שׁוֹתֶ הְו
פֶשֶׁנ
ִמ י שֶׁ נּ וֹ עֵ ל
יל וּמַ שְׁ ינוֹ
ה וּ א וּבָ נָיו וּלְמָ רֵ י ֵאין זוֹ
ס וֹ
ִשׂ
“ But one who locks their courtyard and eats and drinks ( that person , their children , their spouse ) and does not feed the poor and the marei nefesh - the people who might be bitter of soul – that is not simcha shel mitzvah but the rejoicing of the gut .”
We must not be satisfied with merely reaching for our own joy . Instead , simcha shel mitzvah requires noticing and reaching out to others . For me , it is key that those who are more able at any given moment are required to assist those who need some help at any given moment in accessing simcha . Especially during times , like this past year , when an entire community is caught in a storm , we all go through moments of being more able to be caregivers and moments of needing to be care receivers . Rambam is conscientious in noting that need can manifest as either financial challenges or struggles of the soul , and that the simcha of sukkot involves satisfaction in addressing the need of others however they manifest . This kind of simcha is undoubtedly within our reach .
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