Judaism stipulates that not only does Hashem reveal Himself to the prophets, but to all creation. Hashem’s magnificent revelation shines through Maasay Breishit, nature. Hashamayim M’Saprim Kvod Kel U’Maasay Yadav Maggid HaRakiya. Sunrise, sunset, the movement of the universe, the chirping of a bird, all reflect Hashem. Revelation through nature is described in Birchot Kriat Shma, Hashem creates light and darkness, He renews daily all of creation. As His revelation to the prophets is through a cloud, His revelation through nature is shrouded in an impregnable cloud. Hashem does not reveal Himself for all to see Him clearly, otherwise we would not have to pray on the High Holidays that Hashem reveal His greatness to the world and rule over creation. Man observes the regularity of nature and foolishly believes it is self-perpetuating. His perception is limited to the surface; he does not appreciate that Hashem orchestrates everything. The same cloud shrouds Hashem communicating with a prophet, obscures his relationship with the rest of intellectually limited mankind. Only the sharp perceptive eye pierces the cloud and recognizes Hashem as all encompassing.
While Abraham was the first patriarch, Moses is considered the greatest prophet. Moses’ greatness was his ability to pierce the cloud more deeply than any other prophet. Abraham’s greatness was in being the first to reveal Hashem in nature. He planted an Ayshel and called B’Shem Hashem Kel Olam, proclaiming that through nature, through planting of a tree, man can encounter Hashem. Midrash says Abraham was the first to sit in a Sukkah. Whatever Abraham did for the three visiting angels Hashem repaid to his children. When Abraham sat them under the shade of the tree, a Sukkah; his children were repaid with Mitzvat Sukkah. People incorrectly describe Sukkah as the prohibition to eat in one’s house. The Jew may also not dwell outdoors under the sky; he must specifically sit in a Sukkah. The main part of a Sukkah is the Schach, covering. Sukkah shade must exceed sunlight to be acceptable. Sitting in the Sukkah, man should contemplate not simply the Schach above him, but the great sky above the Schach representing Hashem that not all can see. L’Chatchila one must be capable to see the sun and stars through the Schach. Rabbeinu Tam says that the Sukkah is minimally acceptable if rain can penetrate and enter the Sukkah. I.e. to improve his perception of Hashem even slightly. The ideal of Sukkah is to sit in a flimsy booth without feeling constrained by its restricted dimensions and recognize Hashem Himself is to be found above that booth.
Few peer through the Schach and appreciate there is something vastly more significant above. Man’s entire life is one small Sukkah. The individual, and society, exist in a small insignificant booth, foolishly thinking there is nothing beyond it. Man’s essential boundary is his family. What does he know about the world outside his natural boundary? Secrets of nature and the mystery of life? We delude ourselves thinking we are scientifically advanced. The honest scientist will admit how little he truly knows about life and nature’s secrets. No matter how much we advance scientifically we will never discover the secret of creation. Even with the most powerful telescopes that can peer deep into space, we find ourselves confined to that small booth, a Sukkah. Man must realize that beyond his small familiar Sukkah, lay a great infinite universe. The problem of the world, from the time of Avraham, is man’s personal Schach obscures his vision. Modern man is stubborn and haughty. He can’t see the world, Hashem; his understanding of physical sciences is the complete corpus of his knowledge; nothing else exists. He believes the world is on auto-pilot. Everyone takes pride in believing he has discovered the deepest secrets and is all-knowing and all-capable. Modern man sits in a little booth where the Schach is so thick that even the rain can’t penetrate. Such a closed Sukkah grows increasingly tighter and claustrophobic. As additional neighbors enter, it feels restricted culminating in fights and wars. Abraham was the first to build a true Sukkah and look through the Schach and recognize the wonders of Hashem. He perceived the three approaching angels as nomadic Arabs who bow to the dust on their feet; people with limited vision who can only bow to what they can feel and see before their eyes. He told them to sit under the tree; appreciate that everything comes from Hashem. Cast off your idolatrous shortsighted shackles. Wash your feet, recognize the greatness of Hashem. Abraham planted an Ayshel from whence he proclaimed the greatness of Hashem, Creator of the world. Hashem always appears to man through a Levush, Schach; our task is to see Hashem through the cover, like Abraham.
