이사야 9:2의 인용 해설

The prohibition of things a mourner must not do mentioned in that chapter comprises five items: 1) washing oneself, 2) anointing one’s skin with oil or other lotions; 3) sexual intercourse, 4) attending to one’s business, 5) study of Torah. Anyone of the aforementioned activities comes under the heading of שמחה, an activity which causes joy. Seeing that joy is the opposite of mourning, it stands to reason that these items are forbidden to people observing mourning. Attending to business and the study of Torah are lumped together in a single verse when David said in Psalms 119,162: שש אנכי על אמרתך כמוצא שלל רב, “I rejoice over Your words as one who has found a great spoil.” This proves that both pursuits are described as resulting in joy. Isaiah 9,2 also makes it plain that joy, גילה, is associated with the acquisition of spoils.

Three times a year you shall hold a festival for Me: There are three times for joy in the year, so make Me a festival on the three of them, so that your joy will be for the sake of the Heavens: On the Festival of Matzot, since you went free out of Egypt on it. And on the Festival of Harvest, at the time when a person begins to reap the harvest, he is happy, as it is written: They have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at the harvest, as they exult when dividing spoil (Isaiah 9:2). And you should make a festival there so that the joy will be for the sake of the Heavens. And the Festival of Ingathering, when a person gathers in his grain, brings in his figs, and harvests his olives, he is then joyful. So make your Festival then, as I want to be involved in your joy. That is why it is stated about the Festival of Huts (Sukkot) in a different place: and you will only be happy (Deuteronomy 16:15). Meaning to say, since you have gathered everything in, you have no other thought but to rejoice.

ושמחת בחגך, “you shall rejoice on your festival;” “rejoicing” has been mentioned already in connection with the festival of weeks (verse 11); The reason why it was mentioned there is that it is the period of harvesting a major part of the grain harvest. (Isaiah 9,2.) At the time of Sukkot, such joy is increased greatly as everything that the fields and orchards produce is now being gathered in. Joy is not mentioned in connection with Passover as the season of ingathering produce has not yet started. Furthermore” we have been taught in the Mishnah Rosh hashanah 16,1 that one of the four days on which the world is being judged concerning the produce for the coming year is Passover. In other words, the fate of the harvest still hangs in the balance, and it would be premature to rejoice therefore.