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Rejoicing of the Water-Drawing House</title><link rel="stylesheet"
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content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body>Aspaqlaria has posted a new
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href="http://www.aishdas.org/asp/rejoicing-of-the-water-drawing-house">Rejoicing
of the Water-Drawing House</a>'<br />
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<div class="pf-content"><blockquote>
<div dir="rtl">כָּל מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה שִׂמְחַת
בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה – לֹא רָאָה שִׂמְחָה
מִיָּמָיו!</div>
<p>Whomever didn’t see Simchas Beis haShoeivah did not see
<em>simchah</em> in all his days!<br />
–<a
href="https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sukkah.5.1/en/The_Mishna_with_Obadiah_Bartenura_by_Rabbi_Shraga_Silverstein?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en">Mishnah
Sukkah 5:1</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The <em>talmud</em> on this <em>mishnah</em> then continues describing at
length the singing, dancing and juggling that lasted through the night as the
water was brought from the <em>Beis haShoeivah</em> — the water-drawing
house down at the <em>Shiloach</em> spring — up the mountain, through
the <em>Beis haMiqdash</em> courtyard and poured as <em>Nishuch haMayim</em>,
a water libation, into a funnel in the <em>mizbeiach</em>. In the first
<em>Beis haMiqdash</em>, there was no funnel, so the water would run down the
side and into the ground there. However, given that the second Temple’s
<em>mizbeiach</em> was larger than the first, it is likely they were aiming
for the water to reach the same spot of ground.</p>
<p>The following is from notes taken after <em>yom tov</em> of just one
thought from a shiur given by Rabbi Yirmiyahu Kaganoff in 2001. He constructed
his talk from a number of <em>shmuessin</em> from Rav Hutner, along with some
bits recorded by Rav Hutner in print in Pachad Yitzchok. (I started looking
into <em>Pachad Yitchaq</em> myself over the bit of <em>yom tov</em> after the
<em>shiur</em> as well, so some may not be what was originally said.)</p>
<p>In the more detailed description of the creation of Adam,
<em>Bereishis</em> chapter 2, the formation of man is described as:</p>
<blockquote>
<div dir="rtl">וְאֵ֖ד יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה מִן־ הָאָ֑רֶץ
וְהִשְׁקָ֖ה אֶֽת־ כָּל־ פְּנֵֽי־
הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃</div>
<p>A mist arose from the earth and moistened the entire surface of the
land.<br />
–<a
href="https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.2.6/en/The_Rashi_chumash_by_Rabbi_Shraga_Silverstein?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en">Bereishis
2:6</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Where did this occur? Until seeing Rashi I had thought the “mist
arose from the earth” was a feature of <em>Gan Eden</em>, that it
didn’t require irrigation. However, Rashi (ad loc) writes that what is
being described is something specific to the formation of man. In fact, we are
not introduced to the <em>gan</em>, and humanity isn’t placed in it
until pasuq 8!</p>
<p>The mist turned the dirt into mud, which HQBH then formed into the shape of
man, as the Chumash continues (2:7):</p>
<blockquote>
<div dir="rtl">וַיִּיצֶר֩ ה֨’ אֱלֹקִ֜ים
אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה
וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת
חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ
חַיָּֽה׃</div>
<p>Hashem E-lokim formed man, dust of the land; and He “blew” into
his nose a living soul; and the man became a living soul.<br />
–<a
href="https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.2.7/en/The_Rashi_chumash_by_Rabbi_Shraga_Silverstein?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en">Ibid
v. 7</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The water isn’t about irrigation, it’s the first step in the
description of the making of humanity!</p>
<p>Rashi cites two opinions as to where the “dust of the land”
came from — either the entire world, or the location of the
<em>mizveiach. </em>But Rav Hutner turns to the Rambam (<a
href="https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_The_Chosen_Temple.2.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en">Hil
Beis haBechirah 2:2</a>), who says there is a universal tradition that the
location where the earth was formed to make Adam’s body is the location
of the <em>mizbeiach</em>. (As well as the tradition teaching it was the place
of the Aqeidah, of Noach’s <em>qorban</em>, of Qayin and Hevel’s
<em>qorbanos</em>, and of Adam’s <em>qorban</em> at the time of
creation.) And therefore, the Rambam concludes, our sages teach that
“<em>adam mimaqom kaparaso nivra</em><span style="text-decoration:
underline;"></span> — the human was created out of the place of his
atonement.”</p>
<p>R’ Hutner uses this point to explain the significance of <em>Nisuch
haMayim</em>. In <em>Nisuch haMayim </em>we are reproducing the creation of
man, pouring water on the very same location!</p>
<p>The difference is, however, that in <em>Nisuch haMayim </em>it is man who
is creating himself. Thereby making <em>Nisuch haMayim </em>a fitting
conclusion to <em>yemei hadin</em>, where we just focused all of our energies
on recreating ourselves. And this joy, the delight in our ability to
constantly create ourselves anew into better people, is the <em>simchah
</em>of <em>Sukkos</em>.</p>
<p>But what about “<em>vayyipach be’apav nishmas
chayim</em>“? When do we do that step?</p>
<p>I can’t reproduce Rav Hutner’s poetic words about the power of
music. About its ability to animate a person. How a 21st cent CE Jew in the US
(at least this one) can respond to the music of an 18th cent German like Bach
— it goes beyond space, and time. Of the 7 <em>chochmos</em>,
<em>musikah </em>is the one placed right below <em>Chochmah E-lokis
</em>(Theology).</p>
<p>Music, in its power to motivate, the nonphysical moving the physical, is
the nearest we can do to adding a soul.</p>
<p>“<em>Sof ma’aseh bemachshavah techilah</em>” —
although the <em>neshamah</em> was put into man last, it was created first
(even before light). Therefore, <strong>before</strong> <em>nisuch hamayim
</em>we have the music and dancing of <em>Simchas Beis
haSho’eivah</em>.</p>
<p>I’ll leave off here. But you really need to see this inside. Simply
amazing. Much of the long discussion in the <em>gemara</em> about <em>Simchas
Beis haSho’eivah</em> is explained — the songs sung, the
significance of juggling, and of juggling torches, and so on…</p>
<p>While we have not yet merited to witness <em>Simchas Beis haSho’eivah
and</em> thereby know what <em>simchah</em> really is, this <em>vort</em>
significantly gave me joy from the <em>simchas</em> Torah, the joy of
Torah.</p>
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