This Monday night will begin the celebration of Sukkot! As we know, a major part of Sukkot is eating inside a sukkah, a decorative and tropical-looking “hut”. What is the deeper meaning behind this Mitzvah? What can we take away from the idea of sitting in the sukkah?
When one sits in their sukkah, it is like sitting in the embrace of Hashem. This mitzvah is unlike any other. When we are davening to Hashem, we speak to and make requests from Him; whereas, sitting in the Sukkah without having to do an action we are close to Him physically. It is like a hug from Hashem. In one line of the Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, it says, “His left arm lay under my head and His right arm embraces me”. Hashem’s left arm represents integrity and discipline, two major themes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or the “days of awe”. However, Sukkot is a time when Hashem’s right arm embraces us, just like the Song of Solomon says. We are being embraced by Hashem as we sit in the sukkah. We can also apply this message to our daily lives as well as the new year. Just like Hashem shines His light on us by embracing us, we can learn to shine our knowledge and skills onto those around us.
The mitzvah of spending time and eating meals in a sukkah is much holier than many realize. By going into a sukkah, we are leaving our own homes and spaces in order to enter Hashem’s space. To put it another way, we are entering Hashem’s “personal space bubble”. Hashem wants us, Jews, to become close to Him and build a strong relationship with Him, and the sukkah allows us to do that.
Hopefully, when you enter your sukkah this year, you can think differently and newly about the importance and holiness of it.
Chag Sameach!
By: Elizabeth Ebner (9th Grade)