Tehillim 145 and David’s Falling Sukkah

Tehillim 145 and David’s Falling Sukkah

\r\nTehillim 145:14\r\n\r\n- “Somekh Ado-nai lekhol hanoflim, vezokef lekhol hakefufim” - (The L-rd supports all who have fallen and straightens all who are bent.)\r\n\r\nThe Maharal of Prague, in his book Netzach Yisrael (section 35), compares the Davidic kingdom to a falling sukkah.\r\n\r\nAlthough falling is not the best state, it is sometimes preferable to other states, such as apparent prosperity or stagnation.\r\n\r\nFalling is a temporary state: sooner or later, one can rise and stand. At the same time, what has been destroyed through deeds and words must be rebuilt from the beginning.\r\n\r\nClearly, if a sukkah has fallen in a gust of wind, it is easy to lift it and set it up again. If a house has been destroyed, however, it must be rebuilt from scratch. Comparing the fall to a sukkah—a temporary dwelling—hints at causes that are not particularly severe.\r\n\r\nThe Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Nitzavim (1), commenting on the verse from the prophet Micah (7:8), “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy: though I have fallen, I will rise; though I sit in darkness, the L-rd is a light for me,” says that the verse in Devarim (29:9), “You are all standing today before the L-rd, your G-d,” is as it is written in Mishlei (12:7): “The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will endure.” Whenever the Creator looks upon the deeds of the wicked and overthrows them, they have no salvation... but the Jewish people fall and rise again.\r\nThis is the essence of the Davidic dynasty.\r\n\r\nIt has fallen, but it has not been destroyed. This means that it continues to exist in its entirety, although during the exile it is in a state of falling.\r\n\r\nWhen the time of the final Redemption—the Geulah—arrives, it will not need to be rebuilt from scratch; it will simply need to be lifted and set up again.\r\n\r\nThat is why the prophet Amos speaks of David’s sukkah, rather than David’s house.\r\n\r\nRabbi Yochanan said:\r\n\r\n“Why did the Psalmist, David, not compose a verse beginning with the letter ‘nun’ in Ashrei (Tehillim 145)?\r\n\r\nBecause it contains an allusion to the downfall of Israel’s enemies (according to Jewish tradition, one does not utter negative words about oneself or Israel), as it is written: ‘The virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall rise no more.’ (Amos 5:2)\r\n\r\nIn the Land of Israel, they interpreted it as follows: “She has fallen, but she will fall no more—rise, O virgin of Israel!” David said: “The L-rd supports all who have fallen and straightens all who are bent”—this verse begins with the letter “samekh”, which follows the letter “nun” in the alphabet. Thus, although David omitted the verse about the downfall of “Israel’s enemies,” he prophesied—long before the birth of the prophet Amos, who uttered the terrible words about Israel’s fall—that the Almighty would support all who have fallen.\r\n\r\nThe Zohar HaKadosh (on Vayikra) says that in all the exiles endured by the Jewish people, a time and limit were set for the exile, and the virgin of Israel returned to her place. But the final exile is different, and she will not return as she did in earlier times.\r\n\r\nThis is like a king who became angry with the queen and banished her from the palace for a specified period. Once that period had passed, the queen would return. This time, he banished her for a long while, but he also said: “This time, I myself will go with all my courtiers to search for her.”\r\n\r\nWhen he found her lying in the dust, he took her in his arms, lifted her, carried her to the palace, and swore that he would never part from her again.\r\n\r\nSo too, each time the virgin of Israel returned from exile at its appointed time. But in the final exile, He Himself will lift her and return her to the Palace: “On that day I will raise up the fallen sukkah of David.” (Amos 9:11)\r\n\r\n“She will not rise on her own—I will lift her.”\r\n\r\nFrom this we learn that there is hope for the Davidic kingdom—the fallen sukkah—to rise, and for every Jew who finds himself in a state of “falling.”\r\n\r\n“The L-rd supports all who have fallen and straightens all who are bent”—Hashem Himself will raise them up at the appointed time.\r\n\r\nThe same idea is expressed in Hannah’s prayer:\r\n\r\n“The L-rd puts to death and brings to life; He brings down to the grave and raises up.\r\n\r\nThe L-rd makes poor and makes rich; He humbles and He also elevates.\r\n\r\nHe raises the poor from the dust, from the refuse He lifts the needy,\r\n\r\nto seat him with princes and grant him a throne of glory.”\r\n\r\n (Based on the book Ein Yaakov by Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habib, Asher Rochberger)