R' Norman Lamm, pg. 1:
The Halakhah is generally rich in the use of illusions, and especially so in the treatment of the laws of Sukkot.
Part A: Some Examples
1) Lavud
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 1:
There is, for instance, the law of lavud. This means that even if there exist empty spaces in the sekhakh or the covering of the Sukkah, if these spaces are less than three tefaḥim (about fifteen inches), then we consider the empty space as if it did not exist, but was covered by branches or other sekhakh. Lavud means that we accept the illusion that any distance less than three tefaḥim does not exist; it is as if it were attached.
2) Dofen Akuma
The Gemara asks: What is this halakha teaching us? Is it that we say that the halakha of a curved wall applies to the halakhot of sukka? We already learned this halakha in a mishna (17a): In the case of a house that was breached by a hole in the middle of the roof, and one roofed over the breach, if from the wall to the roofing there are four or more cubits of the remaining original roof it is an unfit sukka. By inference, if the distance is less than that, it is a fit sukka. That is due to the halakha of a curved wall. The intact portion of the roof is considered an extension of the wall. As this halakha was already taught with regard to sukka, what is novel in the halakha of the platform?
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 1:
Another example is the law of dofen akumah. This means that if four cubits or less of an invalid type of covering or sekhakh was placed on the roof of the Sukkah contiguous to the wall, we do not regard it as invalid, thereby disqualifying the entire sekhakh, but rather imagine as if the wall were bent over and inclined for that distance, thus causing us to regard the Sukkah as kosher.
3) Tzurat haPetach
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 1:
A third example would be that of tzurat ha-pe[t]aḥ. This means that if a Jew does not have sufficient material to build the requisite number of walls, then it is sufficient to place two poles on either end and a beam across them. We consider this a tzurat ha-pe[t]aḥ, the figure of a doorway, and imagine that the doorway constitutes both an entrance and a wall. We accept the illusion that this empty space is really a complete wall.
4) Atzei Asheirah
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 6:
Finally, there is another law of Sukkot that beautifully expresses the noble idealism that informs the Jewish mentality in its use of illusion. The Halakhah states that if a man builds his Sukkah and makes the walls from atzei asherah, from the wood of a tree which was used as an idol by idol-worshippers, th[e]n the Sukkah is invalid. Then reason that is given is ketutei mikhtat she'ureih -- since an idol must be destroyed, then we consider this wood as if it had been totally demolished and therefore there is no sheur, the wall is not big enough -- since it does not even exist! Here is a heavy, solid wall before me -- and the Halakhah says: it is non-existent! What a marvelous expression of the great Jewish illusion that evil does not really exist, that all that is wicked and cruel and unseemly and anti-human can be considered as unreal because, ultimately, it will be destroyed in the great triumph of the good over the evil and the holy over the profane and the pure over the defiled! The halakhic principle which accepts the illusion that idolatry is already non-existent is the basis and expression for the great Jewish optimism that has kept us alive throughout the centuries. Teshvu k'ein taduru!
Part B: The Philosophical Significance of Illusions in Laws of Sukkot
גְּמָ׳ מַאי טַעְמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר? ״תֵּשְׁבוּ״ כְּעֵין תָּדוּרוּ.
GEMARA: The Gemara asks: What is the rationale for the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who mandates eating fourteen meals in the sukka? The Gemara answers that he derives his opinion from the verse: “In sukkot shall you reside” (Leviticus 23:42).
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 2:
...you shall "dwell" as if you truly "resided" in the Sukkah. We do not really change our address from home to Sukkah; nevertheless, in our minds, in our practice, in our will, in our intentions, we dwell in the Sukkah as if we really lived there. All of Sukkot is a tribute to the power of a noble illusion.
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 2:
Thus, the Halakhah as a torat ḥayyim, a Torah of Life, tells us something about the importance of illusion in daily life. Normally we use the word "illusion" in a pejorative sense, as a term of derision, as something which is contrary to fact, to reality, to common sense. But my thesis this morning is that that is all wrong. In many of the most significant branches of human endeavor we make use of illusion, and could not get along without it.
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 3:
Pity the man who prides himself upon possessing "common sense," who "sticks only to facts," and who has nothing to do with sentiment or illusion. What a miserable, cold, dull, impersonal, and boring life he must lead! I do not envy the scientist who carries the laboratory, via his mind, into his home and society; who sees men as objects, as chunks of protoplasm, who thinks only in terms of numbers and size, and reduces all relationships to impersonal equations....
Such people sterilize all beauty and sweetness out of their lives by ignoring such real and marvelous illusions as dignity and love and hope and purpose and happiness and humor.
- Can you think of examples of illusions in your life? Have they been positive or negative?
Part C: Some Problems That Could Arise
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 3:
What we must know is this: that illusions are not opposed to fact. Illusions are what the facts add up to in the long run, what give us the ability to understand and interpret facts. Illusions are frequently more consonant with reality than narrow and isolated facts. Illusions are the framework of facts, that which gives them sense and meaning.
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 5:
Of course, there are some illusions that are harmful and dangerous, such as the illusion of race-superiority or that might makes right. But these are myths: they are false; they build upon them and see them from a broader perspective.
- What do you think about R' Lamm's articulation of the relationship between illusion and fact?
- What do you think of R' Lamm's differentiation between illusion and myth? Do you see problems that could arise with this approach?
Part D: Conclusion
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 7:
Indeed so! If we harbor the right illusions about life, if we live life according to the noblest ideals, and observe them faithfully, then God will return the compliment, and accept the illusion k'ilu kiyamtiha, as if our noblest thoughts had been put into practice, as if our most cherished aspirations were realities, as if our errors and sins did not exist, as if our lives were lived on the highest level of humanity and Jewishness.
R' Norman Lamm, pg. 7:
Teshvu k'ein taduru -- what a wonderful holiday is this Sukkoth which teaches us this noble and beautiful and precious exchange of illusion. No wonder it is called zeman simḥatenu, "the time of our happiness," May it indeed continue to be so for us, for all Israel, and for all humanity.
- What do you think makes illusions so 'joyful' for R' Lamm?