Although we are commanded to rejoice on each of the shalosh regalim (three festivals)1 , in this week’s parsha, the Torah articulates this commandment specifically in the context of Succos.2 The Torah’s literary emphasis is echoed in the halakhic realm by the Rambam, who states that the mitzvah to rejoice is predominantly relevant to Succos.3 What is the unique connection between joy and the festival of Succos?

The commentators point out that each of the shalosh regalim parallels an important event in the agrarian calendar. Pesach occurs at the beginning of the barley harvest. Therefore, the first harvested barley is offered as the korban omer on Pesach. Shavuos takes place at the beginning of the wheat harvest4 , and the first harvested wheat is offered as the shtei haLechem on Shavuos. Succos, however, corresponds to the gathering of produce from the field where it was left to dry over the summer, the culmination of the planting and harvesting effort.

According to this analysis, the rejoicing of Pesach and Shavuos is connected to beginnings, while the rejoicing of Succos springs from completion. Indeed, the Rambam mentions that the Torah obligates us to rejoice on festivals in the context of the shelamim offerings. The root of shelamim (shalem) means complete. The unique status of simchah (rejoicing) on Succos implies that culminating a task generates an elevated level of joy, while starting a task generates an ordinary level of joy.

The verse states that “the dying day is better than the day of birth5.” The Yalkut Shimoni (973) provides a parable to explain this seemingly anomalous statement. When a ship embarks on a voyage, its owners are nervous since it might not succeed in its mission. When the ship returns successfully, however, the owners rejoice. Analogously, the fate of a child’s future is uncertain, and the joy of its birth is therefore tempered with trepidation. In contrast, the shivah (seven day mourning period) is designed to help appreciate and to celebrate the life of the departed.

Jewish minhagim (customs) tend to blend the two levels of joy. On Simchas Torah, we rejoice in the completion of the yearly Torah-reading cycle. At the same time, however, we begin to read the Torah anew, to blend the happiness of embarkation with the rejoicing of culmination. A parallel minhag governs the celebration of a siyum upon completing a major Torah-study project, such as finishing a tractate of gemara. At the siyum, both the last mishna of the completed tractate and the first mishna of the following tractate are read.

Succos contains a similar blend of completion and beginning. Counting from Nissan, the first month, Succos is the final festival. Counting from Tishrei, the universal birthday, Succos is the first festival. Agriculturally, Succos represents both the end of the gathering process and the beginning of planting.

The custom of conflating these types of rejoicing is not random. Rather, it is symbolic of continuity, a central concept in the Jewish weltanschauung. In the Talmud, the theme of continuity is sometimes symbolized by a snake eating its own tail.6 This image represents the continuity of tradition, which the Rambam sums up in his principle of belief: “I fully believe that the Torah which we presently possess is the same Torah that was given to Moshe.” The continuity of Succos also suggests that our work is never done; our world is dynamic, and we can always take another step in service of Hashem. By adhering to tradition and striving for untrammeled progress, we can merit rejoicing in the shechinah (divine presence) with Moshiach’s speedy arrival.

1 Rambam, hilchos Yom Tov 6:17
2 Vayikra 23:40, Devarim 16:14
3 Rambam, hilchos lulav 8:12
4 Rashi to Shemos 9:31-32 points out that barley is ready for harvest earlier than wheat.
5 Koheles 7:1
6 Bava Metzia 59b, 85a