14 Oct THOUGHTS TO HAVE WHILE IN THE SUKKAH

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 mitzvahs; namely the Four Species,
the Sukkah, Simchas YomTov, 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 mitzvahs 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 B’nei Yisroel – In
order that your generations shall know that
I sheltered B’nei Yisroel 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 mon, the 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
aliyos 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 Mishnah 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 Gemora 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 Shemone 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 Yisroel. 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.