Building a Spiritual Home

R. Samuel the son of Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: He was called Besalel because of his wisdom: for at the time that the Holy One said to Moses, "Go, tell Besalel, 'Make for Me a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'," Moses went and inverted the order, saying to him, "Make an ark and vessels and a tabernacle." He replied, "Moses, our teacher, it is the way of the world for a man to build a house and afterwards furnish it ; but you said, 'Make for Me an ark, vessels and a tabernacle'! Where shall I place the vessels which I make? Perhaps this is why the Holy One, said, 'Make a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'." Moses replied, "Perhaps you were in the shadow of G-d (besel el literally translated, the shadow of G-d) and you understood this."

(5) Yose ben Yochanan, man of Jerusalem, says, "May your home be open wide, may the poor be members of your household

Let your house be opened wide - what does that mean? It means that a man's house should be opened wide to the north, to the south, to the east, and to the west, like Job, who provided his house with four doors. And why did Job provide four doors for his house? In order that the poor should not be put to the distress of having to go around the entire house: he who came from the north could enter directly [through the north door], he who came from the south could enter directly [through the south door]. and likewise from the other directions.

(12) Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this citron (etrog), which has taste and has smell, so too Israel has among them people that have knowledge and have good deeds. "The branches of a date palm" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this date, which has taste and has no smell, so too Israel has among them those that have knowledge but do not have good deeds. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this myrtle, which has smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them those that have good deeds but do not have knowledge. "And brook willows" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this willow, which has no smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them people that have no knowledge and have no good deeds. And what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? To destroy them is impossible, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, said "bind them all together [into] one grouping"

Although they said that one cannot fulfil his obligation on the first day of the Festival with the lulav belonging to his fellow, he may nevertheless fulfill his obligation with the Sukkah of his fellow, since it is written, "All that are homeborn in Israel shall dwell in Sukkot" (Leviticus 23:42) this teaches that all of Israel are fit to sit in one Sukkah.