סוכות

What is the Mitzvah of sitting in the Sukkah? That he should eat, drink, sleep, lounge, (Tur) and reside in the Sukkah all seven days, both in the day and in the night, in the same manner in which he resides in his house the rest of year. And all seven days a man makes his house temporary and his Sukkah permanent. How so? The fine dishes and linens, should be in the Sukkah; and drinking vessels, such as glass cups and mugs, in the Sukkah; but eating vessels after eating (Tur), such as pots and plates, outside of the Sukkah. The lantern should be in the Sukkah. And if it was a small Sukkah, he puts the lantern outside the Sukkah. Rem"a: And he must not use the Sukkah for disrespectful things, so that the Mitzvot not be contemptible in his eyes. (Bet Yosef in the name of the Orchot Chayyim)

All seven days of Sukkot, a person renders his sukka his permanent residence and his house his temporary residence. If rain fell, from when is it permitted to vacate the sukka? It is permitted from the point that it is raining so hard that the congealed dish will spoil. The Sages told a parable: To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a servant who comes to pour wine for his master, and he pours a jug [kiton] of water in his face to show him that his presence is not desired. So too, in the sukka, rain is an indication that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not want the person to fulfill the mitzva of sukka.

Leaving our secure homes and entering the sukka on Sukkot allows us to absorb all these foundational lessons. It is for this reason that the sukka is referred to as “the shade of faith” (tzila di-mehemnuta). The timing of Sukkot is precise. Just before the winter arrives, and just as we are about to return to our homes for protection from the cold, wind, and rain, we are commanded to sit in the sukka and remember that God is our true guard and protector. “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain on it; unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman keeps vigil in vain” (Tehilim 127:1).

Another matter: “The fruit of a pleasant [hadar] tree” – this is Israel; just as the citron has taste and has fragrance, so Israel has people among them who have Torah and have good deeds. “Branches of date palms” – this is Israel; just as the date palm has taste but has no fragrance, so Israel has people among them who have Torah but do not have good deeds. “A bough of a leafy tree” – this is Israel; just as the myrtle has fragrance but has no taste, so Israel has people among them who have good deeds but do not have Torah. “Willows of the brook” – this is Israel; just as the willow has no taste and has no fragrance, so Israel has people among them who do not have Torah and do not have good deeds. What does the Holy One blessed be He do to them? To eradicate them is not possible. Rather, the Holy One blessed be He said: Let them all be bound together in a single bundle and they will atone for one another. If you do so, at that moment, I will be ascendant [mitaleh]. That is what is written: “Who built His upper chamber [maalotav] in the heavens” (Amos 9:6). When is He ascendant? When they are made into a single group, as it is stated: “And established His group upon earth” (Amos 9:6). Therefore, Moses exhorts Israel and says to them: “You shall take for you on the first day.”

למען ידעו דורותיכם, the plain meaning of the text is in agreement with the view expressed in Sukkah 11 according to which the word סוכה is to be understood literally. The meaning of the verse then would be: “construct for yourselves the festival of huts when you gather in your grain and grape harvest (Deuteronomy 16,13) You are to do this at the time you gather in the produce of the earth and your houses are filled with all the good things the earth produces such a grain, grape, wine and oil (olives). This is to be done in order that you will remember” כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל, in the desert for a period of 40 years when they neither owned land nor found themselves in a cultivated part of the earth. Remembering all this you will have ample reason to be grateful to the One Who has provided you with all of your present wealth and comfort. You must not fall into the trap of thinking that all this success is due to your own efforts. We find a similar thought expressed in Deuteronomy 8,2-3 “you shall remember all the way which the Lord your G’d has led you for these last 40 years…and He fed you the manna, etc.” Why do I command you to do all this? For the Lord your G’d brings you to a good …and you will eat and be satisfied, etc. As a result your heart may become haughty and you will credit yourself with all this as your own achievement. (Deuteronomy 8 7-18) In order that this will not happen and to show that the Israelites G’d’s part in their success they will move out of their solid houses as a reminder to the time when they had not been blessed with any of these benefits which they enjoy ever since inheriting the land of their forefathers. They acknowledge that it is G’d Who provides the Jewish people with the ability and valor.

And there is also another matter with these four things — that they are similar to precious limbs in a man (see Vayikra Rabbah 30:14; Midrash Tanchuma, Emor 19): As the citron is similar to the heart, which is the dwelling place of the intellect, to hint that he should serve His Creator with his intellect; the lulav is similar to the backbone, which is the essence of a person, to hint that he should straighten himself completely for His service, blessed be He; the myrtle [leaves are] similar to the eyes, to hint that he should not stray after his eyes “on the day of the rejoicing of his heart”; and the willow [leaves are] similar to the lips, with which a man completes all of his acts of speech, to hint that he should put a muzzle to his mouth, calibrate his words and fear God, may He be blessed, even at a time of joy. And the reason that it is only practiced one day in the country (outside of the Temple) is well-known — since the main joy is on the first day. And if you should ask, “Why would one not take it on Shemini Atseret, which has great joy on it for Israel” — the answer is that the day of Shemini Atseret is completely for God, may He be blessed. And [it is] as they, may their memory be blessed, said (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:22; Midrash HaGadol, Shemot 29:36), “A parable of a king who made a feast, etc.,” as it is [found] in the Midrash. And at the end, He said to them, “Remain with Me one day, as your departure is difficult for Me.” And therefore, it is called atseret (a stopping). And if so, there is no need for any other reminder. And the holiday of Pesach does not require another reminder with the lulav, as behold the matsah and marror and the body of the Pesach sacrifice are between his hands; and further since it is not a time of joy as [much as is] the holiday of the gathering. And the holiday of Shavuot also does not require another reminder, since the essence of [that] festival is only from the angle of the giving of our Torah — and that is the great reminder to straighten our ways. And this is what appears to me in these matters from the side of the simple understanding. And I have come to believe that the kabbalists (mystics) have wonderful secrets about the commandment of the lulav and the three [other plants].