Hello everyone! I'm back from a long hiatus, ready to serve up new Divrei Torah. Background for this one:
Vayikra Perek Kuf Gimmel: Nine different Mo'adim, each one has its own Mitzvat Hayom (or Mitzvot, eng. commandment/s of the day) and each one of them symbolizes a past event (for a 5-10 minute activity, try to figure them all out. They're not all in that one Perek; look all throughout the Torah).
However, one Mitzva's reasoning isn't there. What are we remembering though the Daled Minim?
(לט) אַ֡ךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּאָסְפְּכֶם֙ אֶת־תְּבוּאַ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֶת־חַג־יְהוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֖י שַׁבָּתֽוֹן׃ (מ) וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃ (מא) וְחַגֹּתֶ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ חַ֣ג לַֽיהוָ֔ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָ֑ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ (מב) בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃ (מג) לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(39) Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. (40) And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. (41) And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. (42) Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; (43) that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
It's abundantly clear from the text that pasuk 43 (italicized), which is an explanation, only appertains to the Mitzva of Sukkah (underlined), not the Daled Minim (bolded). Thus, for our answer, we will have to look for other sources.
Rabbi Eliezer said, "Seeing as these four species are only brought to find favor regarding water; and just like it is impossible for these four species to (to survive) without water, so too it is impossible for the world (to survive) without water.
We still cannot yet ascertain the historic remembrance, but we do find the symbolism here: The Arba Minim are about our need, and prayers, for water. This is strengthened by Gematria:
גמטריא
אתרוג- תרי"ג חסר שלוש, שהן לולב, הדסים וערבות. ובכך, ד' מינים מסמלים את המצוות.
Gematria (Letter Mathematics)
Etrog (400+200+6+3+1=610) is 613 (the total amount of mitzvot), and they (the missing three) are the Lulav, Hadasim and Aravot. And so, the Four Species symbolize the Mitzvot.
Although these may seem like two divergent ideas, they are intrinsically tied:
(יג) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺתַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ וּלְעָבְד֔וֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃ (יד) וְנָתַתִּ֧י מְטַֽר־אַרְצְכֶ֛ם בְּעִתּ֖וֹ יוֹרֶ֣ה וּמַלְק֑וֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ֣ דְגָנֶ֔ךָ וְתִֽירֹשְׁךָ֖ וְיִצְהָרֶֽךָ׃
(13) And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
The Lulav and Etrog are brought to remind us of the common feature of the covenants formed at Sinai, the valley opposite Beit Pe'or, and Mount Gerizim: reward comes at a quid-pro-quo. If you follow G-d's laws, you will get rain (and everything you need).
Part #2: Rosh Hashanah Tie-in
(כג) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (כד) דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֜י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֗דֶשׁ יִהְיֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן זִכְר֥וֹן תְּרוּעָ֖ה מִקְרָא־קֹֽדֶשׁ׃ (כה) כָּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃ (ס)
(23) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: (24) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convocation. (25) Ye shall do no manner of servile work; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Rosh Hashanah also doesn't have a reason listed for its Mitzvat Hayom. However, the language of 'Zichron Tru'ah', 'a remembrance of [shofar] blasts', seems to suggest that we're remembering a time when the shofar was blown. One might think that this refers to Ma'amad Har Sinai, but indeed we may be able to suggest a different answer.
Public fasts, particularly ones that have to do with crops, are very big on Shofar blowing. This is also found in the Mishnah:
(ד) על הראשונה הוא אומר: מי שענה את אברהם בהר המוריה, הוא יענה אתכם וישמע בקול צעקתכם היום הזה, ברוך אתה ה' גואל ישראל... על השלישית הוא אומר: מי שענה את יהושע בגלגל, הוא יענה אתכם וישמע קול צעקתכם היום הזה, ברוך אתה ה' שומע תרועה...
(ה) מעשה בימי רבי חלפתא ורבי חנניה בן תרדיון, שעבר אחד לפני התבה וגמר את הברכה כלה, ולא ענו אחריו אמן. תקעו הכהנים תקעו, מי שענה את אברהם אבינו בהר המוריה הוא יענה אתכם וישמע בקול צעקתכם היום הזה. הריעו בני אהרן הריעו, מי שענה את אבותינו על ים סוף, הוא יענה אתכם וישמע בקול צעקתכם היום הזה. וכשבא דבר אצל חכמים, אמרו: לא היינו נוהגין כן אלא בשער המזרח ובהר הבית.
(4) Upon the first blessing he shall say [in conclusion], "He who answered Abraham on Mount Moriah, may He answer you, and listen to your cry on this day. Blessed art thou, O Lord, Redeemer of Israel!"...
Upon the third he shall say, "He who answered Yejoshua in Gilgal, may He answer you, and listen this day to your cry. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who deigns to listen to the sound of the shofar!" ...
(5) It happened in the times of Rabbi Halaphta and Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion, that a minister advanced to the reading-desk and finished the whole of the blessing without any [of the congregation] answering thereupon, "Amen:" [a minister called], "Sound, O priests! sound!" [the minister who said the prayers continued], "May he who answered our father Abraham on Mount Moriah answer you, and listen [favourably] to your prayer this day:" [a minister called] "Sound an alarm, sons of Aaron! sound an alarm!" [the minister who said the prayers continued], "May he who answered our ancestors on the Red Sea answer you, and listen [favourably] to your cry this day." When the sages were informed of this, they said, "This was not our custom, except at the eastern door [of the Temple], and on the Temple-mountain [Mount Moriah]."
Now, why is there a need for fasts in the first place? Why are things so bad?
So the Mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah is about remembering the when we sinned and things were bad, where as the Mitzvah of Sukkot is about when times were good. What divides the two? Yom Kippur, on which all our sins are atoned for. In light of the Rosh Hashanah- Sukkot connection, the timing of Yom Kippur makes perfect sense.
To sum up: The month of Tishrei is one of transformations. In fifteen short days, we go from the Shofar of the bad times, the days of sin, to the Arbah Minim of the good times, the days of virtue. May we all see days like the second kind, speedily in our time.