בס"ד
Succos is associated with humanity's last war. The source is the last chapter (14) in the book of the prophet Zachariah, which is the haftarah for the first day of Sukkot. It describes a cataclysmic war in which all the nations of the war march against Jerusalem. Peculiarly Judah is mentioned as one of the nations attacking Jerusalem. They all lose because G-d strikes them with a horrible plague. However those that survive this carnage will make an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to observe the holiday of Sukkot (see verse 16). Similar ideas are expressed in the reading from the prophets, Ezekiel 38:18 - 39:16, for Shabbat Chol HaMoed. The stories do end happily with the survivors gathering huge material wealth and being imbued with great faith.
The question is why should Sukkot be associated with the war that is a harbinger to the messianic age. Ideas can be gleaned from the practices of the holiday. A major mitzvah of it is to dwell in a succa for seven days as a remembrance of the shelters the children of Israel lived in when they were in the wilderness, after leaving Egypt, en route to the promised land. A succa is a temporary dwelling. The roof must be sufficiently flimsy to let in the rain. It is basically a small shack. Nevertheless the Jews decorate them, eat in them, and specifically invite guests. The holiday is a very happy one with many parties and is given the appellation, "the day of our joy".
After living a week in this hut, the Jews enter their homes for the holiday of Shmini Atseret, שְמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת. Shmini means eighth and Atseret means a festive party. The halacha is to make seven circular processions. In practice it is vigorous singing and dancing that goes on for hours. It is common for yeshivas to set aside a half hour for each hakafa. A buffet is often set aside with plentiful hard liquor. An additional theme is the completion and restarting of the annual cycle of the reading of the Five Books of Moses. It is considered a high honor to make the blessings over the final reading or the first reading, among other honors.
Another prominent mitzvah of Sukkot is to wave "the four species". The first is an ethrog (אֶתְרוֹג - citron). This is the Talmudic interpretation of the phrase the fruit of the hadar (הָדָר) tree. Hadar often means splendid but also means citrus like an orange or a grapefruit. Among the ideas is that it is nutritious and tasty. The second is a palm branch because of the acute sweetness of dates. The third is the myrtle which is notable for its pleasing fragrance. The fourth is a willow because it requires much water. The overall theme is to brag about the greatness of the land of Israel. So to speak to say look at these great plants and it's water rich.
This brings us to the third theme of Sukkot which is water and rain. In Israel spring and summer are dry. It only rains in the fall and winter, which start with Sukkot. The tradition is that on Sukkot the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the world concerning rain, and it says in the reading from Zechariah that nations that shirk their obligation to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot will have no rain. Rain is also a symbol for the study of Torah. Just like the body thirsts for water, the soul thirsts for the word of G-d.
The message of Sukkot as it applies to the War of Gog and Magog is that the days that we are living in now will be like a shack compared to the days after the redemption. The opulence of the poor of tomorrow will far exceed that of even the richest of today. In addition people will be much wiser to the extent that even the most educated of today will seem to be an illiterate by comparison. Most importantly religious knowledge and adherence will be very great and its ideals will be realized. The few thieves and thugs that exist will promptly be set straight. People will have happy families with the person they love. Everybody will be kind and make good decisions. The aggravation and stupidity that makes us crazy and sick will be a thing of the past. Disputes including disputes between nations will be resolved by wise and righteous judges. War will not exist. People will look at the last and most horrible war and say it's gone, and so too are the evil people who made the world into an evil place. Let us rejoice!
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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