Why do we celebrate Sukkos for seven days? After all, the Sukkah commemorates the Clouds of Glory that shielded us in the desert for a full forty years when we came out of Mitzraim. How does seven days commemorate and connect to forty years?
The Sefer Matamim answers succinctly that the seven days symbolize the seven sets of clouds that surrounded us in the Midbar. There were four clouds encircling us on all four sides. There was another above us that protected us from the sun during the day and the frost at night. A sixth cloud was below us in order to level the ground and kill the venomous snakes and scorpions. The seventh preceded us to direct us and lead the way.
We find the theme of seven repeated often on Sukkos. Besides the seven days and seven clouds, there are the seven parts of the lulav and esrog; namely, one lulav, one esrog, three hadasim, and two aravos. There are the seven Ushpizin; Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and Dovid. There are seven special mitzvos; namely the Four Species, the Sukkah, Simchas Yom Tov, and the Water Libation. All of these allude to the central theme of Sukkos – the commemoration of the seven Clouds of Glory that accompanied and sheltered us throughout our stay in the wilderness.
This commemoration is considered so vital that, while for most mitzvos it is sufficient simply to have in mind that one is doing the command of Hashem, this is not good enough when it comes to the precept of Sukkah. As the Bac”h poskens, since the Torah expressly states, “L’maan yeidun doroseichem ki baSukkos hoshavti es Bnei Yisrael – In order that your generations shall know that I sheltered Bnei Yisrael in booths (i.e. the Clouds of Glory),” it is insufficient to merely sit under the schach with the mere thought of fulfilling G-d’s will. Rather, one must actively consider Hashem’s miracle of the Divine Clouds while eating in the Sukkah.
Why such an insistence on recalling this event? Furthermore, why do we commemorate specifically this miracle when, during that era, there were so many other wonders like the miraculous manna? Or, like the incredible well of Miriam which wasn’t a mere well? Rather, it was a giant reservoir sufficient to quench the thirsts of three million people. Indeed, it was more like a traveling Niagara Falls following us around for forty years. Or, like the great miracle that our shoes never deteriorated? And these are naming but a few!! Why indeed do we zoom in and concentrate solely on the miracle of the clouds? The Chida answers by pointing out that the shield of the clouds was the only gift we received in the desert without first complaining. Our food and drink came only after murmuring and complaining. Therefore, they did not merit notice in future generations.
The lesson is clear. We will only attach significance and importance to that which comes about without complaints. What a contemporary lesson this is for our daily lives! How easy it is to complain in shul. “The aliyas are not equitably distributed.” “Seudah Shlishis is not to our liking.” “The leining is not up to snuff.” There is never any shortage of complaints. Indeed, your shul doesn’t need further donations of complaints and criticisms. It already has more than its share. If you want to stand out, make a difference and be remembered in the future. Give ideas instead of complaints. Roll up your sleeves and help instead of just offering your constructive criticism.
As an aside, if you never sweated over preparing the leining, don’t shout out your corrections with irritation. Better yet, when you stop complaining, you might even try out a compliment or two instead. Here are some examples. “I don’t know how you prepared this double parsha. It would have taken me months, if I could have done it at all.” “Rabbi, you’ve done it again! That drasha really hit home!” Don’t wait to go to the Rabbi and tell him how good his pinch hitter’s drasha was while he himself was away.
The Mishna Berurah explains that since the Clouds of Glory were the first miracle that occurred as we left Mitzraim, they became the springboard to generate in us a memory of all the other miracles. Therefore, according to the saintly Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, we should indeed commemorate and discuss, right in the Sukkah, all the many miracles that occurred in the desert. Indeed, the Gemara in Sukkah tells us that they used to hang on the schach clusters of grapes and other delicious fruits with garlands of wheat, etc. This was not only to symbolize that Sukkos is the Chag HaOsuf, the Festival of Ingathering when we thank Hashem for the bounty that we are able to gather into our homes for the winter. Rather, I believe it is also to highlight the miraculous mon that tasted like any fruit or sustaining wheat. If you want to be adventurous, you might even hang some cosmetics on your schach since the Medrash tells us that Hashem miraculously rained down tachshitei noshim, adornments for women with the mon. How fitting that Hashem considered shalom bayis so important that, in a place where there were no cosmetic shops, He miraculously sent beauty aids down from Heaven. We can point out to our families that this is really no surprise since Heaven is known as the Place where Hashem makes Peace. Like we say in our thrice-daily Shemoneh Esrei, “Oseh Shalom Bimromav.”
Here is another vital point to ponder while enjoying the rarified and happy atmosphere of the Sukkah. When someone enters a diet center for a three-week program, he is not trying to lose all the weight in the three weeks. Rather, he is engaging in a training program to condition himself to acquire new habits and attitudes that he hopes will remain with him long after he finishes the program. Similarly, when we sit in the Sukkah contemplating that we are together with the Holy Ushpizin, under the tzeila d’heimnusa, the Zohar’s phrase for the schach’s symbolism of Hashem’s Divine protection, we are very careful not to get angry, to not speak about others, or even to indulge in wasteful chitchat. Nor can we say, “It is too holy in here. Let’s go inside.” for during the Sukkos festival we are charged to make the Sukkah our primary place of residence and live in it as if it were our house.
Thus, we are forced to look for fruitful activities to do in the Sukkah. Reading the daily news about the Mets and the Yankees just doesn’t feel right in the presence of Avraham Avinu. So, we are ‘forced’ to take out a sefer, study with our children, or spend meaningful time with our mate. After living this way for seven days, the hope is that, through the conditioning we had in the ‘airlock’ of the Sukkah, we will continue this careful behavior throughout the rest of the year.
In this vein, the Sukkah commemorates exactly our sojourn through the wilderness when Hashem put us in the great training camp of the desert where we studied Torah uninterruptedly for forty years as an intensive preparation for our entry into normal life in Eretz Yisrael. Hashem wanted that, after the practice of forty years of learning, it would become part of us and continue to be with us even after we left the Midbar. We use that same system every year on Sukkos as we explained above.
So, we have a lot to think about in the Sukkah. May we use its atmosphere wisely, and merit the blessings of a healthy and joyous Sukkos.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley Zeitlin.
