אַ֡ךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּאָסְפְּכֶם֙ אֶת־תְּבוּאַ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֶת־חַג־ה' שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֖י שַׁבָּתֽוֹן׃ וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃ וְחַגֹּתֶ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ חַ֣ג לַֽה' שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָ֑ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃ לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the LORD [to last] seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your G-d seven days. You shall observe it as a festival of the LORD for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages. You shall live in booths [sukkot] seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I caused the Israelite people to live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the LORD your G-d.
A. According to the text, what reason or reasons are given for the celebration of Sukkot?
That I made the Israelite people live in booths — These [sukkot] are "Clouds of Glory".
(10) And as Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there, in a cloud, appeared the Glory/Presence of the LORD.
(16) The Glory/Presence of the LORD abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day G-d called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
(34) The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Glory/Presence of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.
A. According to Rashi, what does the sukkah signify?
B. According to this understanding of what the sukkah represents, what should we be thinking about when we are in the sukkah?
(א) למען ידעו דורותיכם - פשוטו כדברי האומרים במסכת סוכה סוכה ממש. וזה טעמו של דבר: ... למען תזכרו - כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל במדבר ארבעים שנה - בלא יישוב ובלא נחלה ומתוך כך תתנו הודאה למי שנתן לכם נחלה ובתים מלאים כל טוב ואל תאמרו בלבבכם כחי ועוצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה... ולכך יוצאים מבתים מלאים כל טוב בזמן אסיפה ויושבין בסוכות לזכרון שלא היה להם נחלה במדבר ולא בתים לשבת.
So that your generations will know— The simplest explanation of this is according to those who say in Masechet Sukkah that סוכה refers literally to a סוכה [booth]. And here is the reason... In order that you will remember that “I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in booths” in the desert for forty years without a place to settle and without property, and therefore you should give thanks to [G-d] who gave you property and your houses full of good things, and so that you won’t say in your heart “my strength and the power of my hands made these great things for me”... therefore we leave our full houses that are full of good at the time that we gather our crops and we sit in סוכות to remember that our ancestors did not have property in the desert and no houses to sit in.
A. According to Rashi, what does the sukkah signify?
B. According to this understanding of what the sukkah represents, what should we be thinking about when we are in the sukkah?
- Now that you have seen two different explanations of what it means to sit in the sukkah during Sukkot, which one works better for you? Can we have it both ways and have both meanings in mind when we sit in the sukkah?
- What does it seem like is the true meaning of the holiday?
- Why might the holiday, according to each understanding, fall now at the beginning of the Fall season?