Sukkot: The Anxieties of Universalism

(12) On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you shall observe a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations.—Seven days you shall observe a festival of God.— (13) You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to God: Thirteen bulls of the herd, two rams, fourteen yearling lambs; they shall be without blemish.

"Your eyes are doves" - Just as a dove atones for evils, so Israel atones for all the nations; for all of the 70 bulls that we/they sacrifice on Sukkot corresponds to the 70 nations, so that the world will not be hurt by them.

(35) On the eighth day you shall hold a solemn gathering; you shall not work at your occupations. (36) You shall present a burnt offering, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to God; one bull, one ram, seven yearling lambs, without blemish;

Rabbi Elazar said: These seventy bulls that are sacrificed as additional offerings over the course of the seven days of Sukkot, to what do they correspond? They correspond to the seventy nations of the world.

Why is a single bull sacrificed on Shemini Atzeret? It corresponds to the singular nation, Israel.

This is a comparable to a sovereign of flesh and blood who said to their servants: Prepare me a great feast that will last for several days. When the feast concluded, on the last day, the sovereign said to their beloved: Prepare me a small feast so that I can derive pleasure from you alone.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Woe unto the nations of the world that lost/destroyed something and do not know what they lost/destroyed. When the Temple is standing, the seventy bulls sacrificed on the altar during the festival of Sukkot atones for them. And now that the Temple is destroyed, who atones for them?

In exchange for my love, they loathed me: Without Israel, there would be no blessing in the world, as is said: God shall command a blessing with you (Deut. 28:8).

And if not for Israel, the luminaries would not shine, as is said, If not for My covenant day and night (Jer. 33:25).

And no rain would fall, as is said, "God shall open for you God's good storage (Deut. 28:12)

Israel said to the pagan nations: God does all this for you on our account, and yet you hate us.

In exchange for my love, they loathed me:

I sacrifice 70 bulls on Sukkot for the 70 nations, and I pray for them that rain will fall. This is what is meant by "In exchange for my love, they loathed me." "Will bad be paid for good? (Jer. 18:20)." Therefore, "And I, my prayer (is to You) (Psalms 69:14)."

...In Your presence is perfect joy (Psalms 16:11)...These are the 7 mitzvot of Sukkot: 4 species in the lulav, the sukkah, simcha (lit., joy; refers to a particular sacrifice) and hagiga (lit. celebration; refers to a particular sacrifice).

If we offer the simcha, why also offer the hagiga, and vice versa? Rabbi Avin said: This is like two who went before a judge, and we did not know who won. When one of them carries off the palm (bayyin), then we know that he is the victor.

So, too, when Israel and the heavenly counterparts (sare) of the nations enter before the Blessed Holy One on Rosh Hashana, bringing charges (meqatregin) against each other, we do not know which ones are victors.

But when Israel depart from the presence of the Blessed Holy One with their lulavs and their etrogs in their hands, we know that Israel are the victors.

Therefore, Moses warns Israel and says to them: And you shall take for yourselves on the first day (Lev. 23:40)

(16) All who survive of all those nations that came up against Jerusalem shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the Sovereign LORD of Hosts and to observe the Feast of Booths. (17) Any of the earth’s communities that does not make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow low to the Sovereign LORD of Hosts shall receive no rain.

(First, the members of the Roman Empire enter. The Blessed Holy One says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before God in response: Ruler of the Universe, we have established many marketplaces, we have built many bathhouses, and we have increased much silver and gold. And we did all of this only for the sake of the Jewish people, so that they would be free to engage in Torah study.

The Blessed Holy One says to them: Fools of the world! Are you attempting to deceive Me? Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established marketplaces to place prostitutes in them; you built bathhouses for your own enjoyment; and as for the silver and gold that you claim to have increased, it is Mine, as it is stated: “Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, said the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8).

The gentiles say before God: Ruler of the Universe, give us the Torah afresh and we will perform its mitzvot. The Blessed Holy One says to them...I have an easy mitzvah to fulfill, and its name is sukkah; go and perform it...

And why does God call the mitzva of sukkah an easy mitzvah to fulfill? Because performing the mitzvah involves no monetary loss. Immediately, each and every gentile takes materials and constructs a sukkah on top of their roof. And the Blessed Holy One sets upon them the heat of the sun in the season of Tammuz, i.e., the summer, and each and every one who is sitting in the sukkah cannot stand the heat, and kicks their sukkah and leaves...

But doesn’t Rava say that one who suffers in the sukkah is exempt from performing the mitzva of sukkah, and under these circumstances even a Jew is permitted to leave the sukkah? If so, why are the gentiles criticized for leaving?

Granted that one is exempt from performing the mitzvah and is permitted to leave his sukkah, but should one kick it?