B"H
Tuesday, Tishrei 18, 5784 / October 3, 2023
Today (Tuesday) is the fourth day of the holiday of Sukkot.
Q.What is the reason given in the Torah for celebrating the holiday of Sukkot?
A. The Torah tells us in Leviticus (23), “You shall dwell in Sukkot (booths) for seven days… so that your generations shall know that I have caused the Children of Israel to dwell in booths (Sukkot) when I brought them out from the Land of Egypt.”
There are two opinions in the Talmud what were the booths in which G-d caused the Children of Israel to dwell when they left Egypt, during their forty-year journey through the Sinai wilderness.
One opinion holds that the “booths” (Sukkot) refers to the clouds of glory which surrounded the Jewish people in the desert to protect them from the unbearable desert elements. They also protected them from enemies and other dangers along the way.
Another opinion is that G-d provided them with actual booths (huts) which they set up in the desert to provide them with shelter from the elements.
Sukkot is also the time of year when the crops of the field and the fruits of the trees are gathered inside. It is the time when people reap the reward of their labor in the fields. It is a holiday of rejoicing and thanksgiving to G-d.
Lesson:The holidays of Sukkot, when we leave the comfort of our home and dwell in the Sukkah – a temporary hut, is a reminder that what really matters in life is not our physical wealth and comfort, but our spiritual wealth. It also reminds us to be mindful of those who have less than us and as a result we will share our G-dly blessings with them.
Q. As mentioned above, the holiday of Sukkot is intended to recall the booths in which the Jewish people dwelt forty years in the desert. Why then is the holiday celebrated at this time of the year?
A. Many answers are given to this question: 1) G-d gave us this mitzvah to be observed in the fall, to emphasize that we are doing this for the mitzvah and not for self-comfort due to the warm weather.
2) The Torah also calls Sukkot “Feast of the harvest, when you have gathered in all your labor from the field.” Thus, as mentioned above, we celebrate the holiday at this time as it also celebrates G-d’s blessing of the bounty we have gathered from the field.
3) The Midrash says, “We celebrate Sukkot right after Yom Kippur, in case there was a bad decree upon us to be exiled from our homes, as happened too many times in Jewish history, by leaving the comfort of our home for the Sukkah, we would meet that requirement and not have to endure a real exile.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY & MOADIM L’SIMCHA