According to the following Midrash, victory is the theme of Sukkot: The divine judgment on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is comparable to a civil dispute being judged in a court of law. And the first day of Sukkot is akin to the end of the court case when the disputants walk out of court, the one who walks out still clutching his weapons is assumed to be the victorious party. Holding the Lulav and Etrog on Sukkot – says the Midrash – is symbolic of us clutching our weapons signaling our victory in the heavenly court (Midrash Raba, Leviticus, 30:3).
From the beginning of the month of Ellul until Yom Kippur Jews go through a grueling period of introspection and repentance, transforming oneself into a better person. Personal transformation takes tremendous inner strength. How is one to find that strength? The aforementioned Midrash contains the answer. However, to explain this let us first analyze a present day phenomena.
Much has been written about the problems inherent in today’s celebrity driven culture. However, there is much that can be learnt from the celebrities. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected as governor of the state of California – the world’s fifth largest economy. Schwarzenegger – a bodybuilder turned actor – is known neither for his brilliance in economics nor for his political suaveness. Why did people vote for him? The answer is – according to media reports at the time – that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man who has determination, drive, discipline, enthusiasm and an inbuilt desire to come out on top – to be victorious.
As much as celebrities’ inordinate desire for publicity and their inflated opinion of their own importance is detestable, their drive for success is admirable. Successful people are those who leave no stone unturned in order to succeed. They put all their energy into coming top of their field. True they have talent but nobody ever succeeded on talent alone. To quote an age-old Jewish saying: He who says “I did not work hard but nevertheless succeeded” – is not to be believed; he who says “I worked hard but did not succeed” – is not to be believed; he who says “I worked hard and succeeded” – is to be believed.”
Success comes to those who work hard and are not deterred by failure. It comes to those people who do not allow themselves to be distracted from their goal. Achieving this is difficult and we admire those who have it within themselves to live accordingly.
But how do they achieve it?
The great Hassidic masters explain that the attribute of victory is one of the most powerful of human urges. This is illustrated by the fact that when a country is at war they will spare no expense to ensure victory.
Have you ever noticed the excessive amount of award giving ceremonies that celebrities arrange for themselves to compete in? A quick internet search tells that besides all the annual competitions that music, movie and TV stars can enter, there are fifteen different award giving ceremonies for movies, five for music and seven for broadcasting. By competing to win the pop stars, the movie stars and the TV personalities are tapping into their inner attribute of victory. When the attribute of victory is on display almost anything is achievable.
The above mentioned Midrash is teaching us to view life as a series of contests, even repentance on Yom Kippur must be viewed as a competition, and we must compete to win. By tapping into our desire for victory we are able to overcome all the difficulties that are inherent in self-improvement and repentance. On Sukkot we celebrate our Yom Kippur victory, we kept our eye on our goal, we achieved repentance and we became better people. Thus, we leave the courthouse clutching our Lulav and Etrog signifying our victory.
To succeed we must apply this competitive attitude to all areas of life. Life is like a series of games – we must play to win.