Wrap Up for the Yom Tov Season

• First, I asked a Rabbi about what this person with the Teshuva dilemma should do - do we pasken like the Chafetz Chaim or Rav Yisrael Salanter?  He seemed to come out like Rav Salanter, and said to tell all of the people that she originally told the מוציא שם רע to that it was wrong, and to ask for general מחילה  from the victim the next time it won't make her assume that there is something specific behind the request.
• At the Simchat Beit Hashoevah, Allison asked me about the phrase that we add to bentching on Sukkot asking Hashem to rebuild the "סוכת דוד הנופלת" - King David's fallen Sukkah, a strange way of referring to the בית המקדש, and a seemingly unrelated request to the holiday it celebrates.  I'm not sure it fully answers it, but over Yom Tov, Dr. Kook (Leora's Dad) pointed out the following explanation from Rav Amital ZT"L (the former Rosh Yeshiva of Gush who recently passed away), citing the Maharal.    

  The Davidic dynasty is referred to as “sukka,” [even though] royalty in general is referred to as a “house”... because something that has a powerful existence in the world is referred to as a house, which is a permanent structure.  Similarly, a royal dynasty is referred to as a house, because of its strength and permanence....

   But when a house falls, its original essence is negated.  When it is later rebuilt it becomes a totally new house.  That rebuilt house is not referred to as the house that had fallen, for the original house has already been negated.  Rather, it is as if a totally new house has now been built.

   A sukka, though, is not a house, not a complete and permanent structure.  If it falls, it can easily be put up again; if it falls, it is can appropriately be referred to as being reestablished.  It returns to its original essence.

   Thus, the Kingdom of the House of David, always ready to be reestablished after having fallen, is referred to as the Kingdom of “David’s fallen sukka.”  Even after its fall it retains its identity as a “sukka.”  This is because a sukka is always ready to be put back up, and it is easy to do so. (Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 35)

  

   A house’s fall is complete and final, and putting it back up is impossible. A sukka, on the other hand, even though it can easily fall, can be put up again.

  

   This is what typifies Israel and Israel’s kingdom.  A house is stable, and has the ability to withstand nature’s violent storms; but once it falls, it is no longer possible for that house to be put up again.  What is reconstructed is something new.  A sukka, by contrast, isn’t stable; any unusually strong wind will knock it down.  The same is true for the Kingdom of Israel: it is fragile, falls easily, and doesn’t resist storms and shocks.  But it always rises back up and stands on its feet again."

• The submissions aren't all in yet for this first month, and certainly haven't gone to the judges, but for all of the different, creative and original submissions we've had for the Avodah Sheb'lev contest (see here, here, here, here, and here for some examples), we had never had anyone bake, until yesterday when our freshman halacha class enjoyed Adina Cohen's submission on Tashlich.  Here it is.