“Ufros alainu succot shlomecha” - spread upon us the sukkah (covering) of your peace. The joyous Yom Tov of Sukkos is rapidly approaching. (If you are reading this on Sukkos, well, it’s already here.) The song “v’samachta, b’chagecha, v’hayita…” is more associated with Sukkos than other Yomim Tovim. This is not a coincidence. Why is it that way?
Sukkos comes after the serious time of the Yimei Hadin (judgment days), and we rejoice because we are certain that we’ve received a good verdict. It is also after all the harvest has been gathered into the storehouses before the onset of winter, and we are happy with all we’ve been blessed with, and thank Hashem. From these two reasons we see a big emphasis on seeing and recognizing all the good Hashem has done for us, and that leads us to the main focus of Sukkos: hakaras hatov (recognizing the good).
The Tur describes the emphasis of the mitzvah of sukkah. The Torah says that we should know for all generations that Hashem sat us in sukkos when He took us out of Mitzrayim. We were protected from desert wind and the scorching sun. The ananei hakavod (clouds of His Glory) were surrounding Klal Yisrael. This was besides for the pillar of smoke (at night fire) that led them through the midbar (desert). The entire encampment was surrounded by these clouds from all four directions, and above and below to. Amazing nisim (miracles)!
Were their shelters also made from the ananei hakavod? Or did they live in tents surrounded by the clouds? Didn’t Klal Yisrael receive reward for the packing and unpacking of their belongings, with all the uncertainties involved in whether will it be a short one day-stopover, or a long, multi-year stopover? Is that a proof that they lived in tents, or they just unpacked their belongings in the tent?
Perhaps it was both. The walls were made from clouds, and the roof was made of s’chach. From where did they get s’chach in desert? Was there a special sale on bamboo mats from Egypt?
Among the nisim they had in the midbar, was the water from the rock, the well of Miriam. Each nasi (Prince) of the shevet would make a line in the ground from the rock toward and around his shevet, then the water flowed through there. It was so much water that it became wide and deep, and they needed boats to cross it. Alongside sprouted trees and all types of plants. That was their s’chach!
There are books on biblical archeology from Rabbi Zamir Cohen shlita (Founder of Hidabroot, an Israeli kiruv organization). The purpose of these books is to bring archeological evidence to the validity of the Torah and Jewish history. (This has been a free advertisement for Rav Zamir Cohen shlita and Hidabroot. They deserve it.) In volume one, he discusses these stone huts found in the Sinai desert, called “Nawamis” by the Bedouins. There’s no evidence of any past settlements in that entire desert area. There is no evidence of any food source or storage, no water source or storage. There are indications that the people who lived there stayed for some time, and then left willingly. They date back to the time that Klal Yisrael left Egypt. It would seem that these were the encampments of Klal Yisrael. Many of the Nawamis are roofless. What was their covering? Also, altogether there are about a hundred of these buildings gathered together in groups spread around very large areas, not nearly enough for all of Klal Yisrael.
As far as the coverings, there are pieces of vegetation stuck in the cracks of the stone around the roof, persevered by the dry desert air, suggesting that the roofs were actual s’chach.
A suggestion has been given that these were built by those from Klal Yisrael who were ejected outside of the ananei hakavod, such as elements of shevet Dan (they had the pesel Micha), people with certain avairos, and those with specific tumahs. They needed shelter (much more than everyone inside the clouds), so they built these shelters (they were experienced builders from the slavery in Mitzrayim) and they used s’chach that came from inside the clouds for their roofs.
The Poskim discuss how much kavanah (intent) we need to have when we stay in the sukkah. According to some, you don’t fulfill your obligation of living in the sukkah without the proper kavanah. Which kavanah? One, that I’m doing as Hashem commanded. And two, to remember that Hashem sat in sukkos, the ananei hakavod, when He took us out of Mitzrayim. To say it, not just to think it.
Why so much emphasis? If it’s just to remember, why can’t we just draw a picture, point to it, and say remember the sukkos…?
We’ll answer everything by returning to the earlier statement. The main focus of Sukkos is hakaras hatov, recognizing all the good Hashem has done for us. When we sit in the sukkah and talk about all the amazing miracles Hashem did for our ancestors when He took them out of Mitzrayim, it brings us to recognize everything He has done - and still does - for us. When we realize all the good Hashem has done for us, we should see how much He loves us, and it raises our level of emunah and bitachon in the only one who can do anything for us! It increases our level of happiness, knowing that we have this incredible connection with Hashem! This is why Sukkos is specifically associated more with simchah. V’samachta b’chagecha!
There is so much we need to thank Hashem for! For everything He has already done and given to us. Thank you for health, wealth, family, etc. Even in our difficult times, a time of great hester panim when we don’t understand at all why things are happening, there is still so much we must thank Hashem for! For all the miracles we have seen now!
One person suggested to me that the way we’ve been protected this entire year from the onslaught of rockets and missiles from all directions is similar to the protection Klal Yisrael had from the ananei hakavod. Yes, it’s not “hermetically sealed,” and there has been damage and korbanos. However, the way the tens of thousands of missiles, including hundreds of cruise and ballistic missiles, either missed, landed in “open areas,” or didn’t cause nearly as much death and destruction as their senders hoped for, is simply unprecedented - and miraculous! Thank you, Hashem!
As the Israeli Army advances in Lebanon, we can clearly see the extent of what Hezbollah had planned to do. More than what Hamas managed to do. Perhaps, the biggest miracle is that Hezbollah didn’t join in on October 7, and didn’t join in after, besides for shooting some missiles. Nisim! What Iran planned to do, and what actually happened - nisim!
Let us keep recognizing all the good Hashem has done for us by expressing it verbally with simchah, especially on Yom Tov. May we merit to greet Mashiach very soon, even on this Sukkos, with simchah!
By R’ Dovi Chaitovsky
