We’re approaching the holiday of Sukkot, and the theme of Sukkot is to be happy. As we say in our tefillot (prayers), it’s a time for us to be happy. So the question is: What are we so happy about?
A couple of years back, I prayed on Yom Kippur with my holy rabbi, Rabbi Ezra Dan. After the whole day’s prayer, he started dancing around the shul (synagogue) with all the people who were there. He explained, “Why are we dancing? Because there’s no greater happiness than to have all of your sins erased so easily.” The sefarim (books) do explain that having all your sins wiped away is the greatest happiness. Because if we knew in Shamayim (heaven) what we had just freed ourselves of, we would know why it’s such happiness.
So the reason to be happy on Sukkot is that we just had all our sins wiped away on Yom Kippur, which is right before Sukkot. Another reason why we should be happy is because it’s all under perfect control. We recently read in the Torah a pasuk (verse), which means everything Hashem does is perfect. There’s a story with Rabbi Aharon Kotler, the starter of Lakewood, who made it religious when he was suffering on his deathbed. He was screaming and kicking his legs due to the terrible illness he had. His wife tried to comfort him. She came over to his bed and said, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” So the rabbi said, “No, everything is okay.”
We have to realize this: We’re in such great control. Everything is so meticulous by Hashem. Okay, have a great day. Have a wonderful Sukkot, and everything should be well, and you should have a wonderful year, full of salvation and full of happiness.