Sukkot 5786: The Endgame of Lies

In the closing verses of the Book of Daniel, as he receives a prophetic vision of the events of the end of days, Daniel admits, “I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, ‘My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?’”

He is then instructed by God to stop inquiring further, for “these words are secret and sealed until the time of the end.”

Yet notwithstanding this, G-d grants Daniel — and through him, all of humanity — a glimpse into the period preceding the Messianic age with the following verse:

“Many will be purified and purged and refined; the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand; but the knowledgeable will understand.”

As events unfold before our eyes, many Jews feel growing anxiety and confusion — anxious because the trajectory looks grim, and confused by how so many Western leaders seem blind to the rising influence of hateful, destructive forces in their midst.

Like an onion, each layer peeled back reveals another beneath it. On the surface, this struggle involves many forces and agendas directed against the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. But at its core, it is a battle between truth and its distortion.

Truth is the ultimate reality — timeless and universal. It can be manipulated only temporarily; like light piercing darkness, truth ultimately prevails.

At creation, there was only light. God concealed that light within the Torah, then created humanity to reintroduce it into the world.

As we approach the Messianic age, the cosmic struggle between truth and falsehood intensifies — just as darkness is strongest before dawn. As divine light begins to break through, the forces of falsehood fight back with growing desperation. Truth becomes ever clearer, while distortion grows more frantic.

As Jews, we stand at the very center of this struggle. To get lost in its many surface layers is both distracting and draining. At its core, this is a battle of truth versus lies, light versus darkness. The surest way to prevail is to shine the light of Torah into the world.

Tisrei is a month of two halfs. The high holidays are intense and serious, marked by reconnection through introspection and forgiveness.

The second half, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, is when we celebrate the reconnection on its most intimate level as it transcends the possibility for an alternative. 

As a people, let us shift gears: from the Yom Kippur mindset to the Sukkot and Simchat Torah spirit—an exuberant celebration where light triumphs over darkness.