23 Sep THE CENTRAL THEME OF OUR SUKKAH

We all know that the
Sukkah covering, called
schach, commemorates
the “Ananei HaKavod,”
the Clouds of Glory that
sheltered and protected
our ancestors during the
forty miraculous years we
spent wandering in the desert after the Exodus
from Egypt. This stupendous miracle was in
the merit of Aharon HaKohen. The reason
why it was specifically Aharon who generated
this amazing protection for the Bnei Yisroel
lies in the fact that Aharon was the great man
of peace. As the Mishna teaches us in Pirkei
Avos, “We should be from the disciples of
Aharon, to love peace and pursue peace.” And
because of this, it was through him that we
merited the Sukkas Shelomecha, the Booths
of Peace.
The Chofetz Chaim teaches us that we should
be especially careful not to get angry in the
environs of the Sukkah. This is not simply
because it would be grossly inappropriate to
lose our temper in the presence of the Holy
Ushpizin. Nor is it simply because it would be
an act of brazen chutzpah to fly-off the handle
under the schach which symbolizes the Tzeila
Deimenusa, the Zohar’s terminology for the
presence of the Shechinah. It is also because
getting angry in the Sukkah is the antithesis of
the message of the schach, which is a message

of peace, harmony, and tranquility.
When Hashem was about to create Man, He
exclaimed, “Na’ase Adam – Let us make
Man.” Rashi explains that He was conferring
with the angels, teaching us that it should not
be above us to take counsel from an inferior.
However, the father of Chassidus, the great
Baal Shem Tov, zt”l, zy”a, gives a novel
explanation to Hashem’s statement, “Na’ase
Adam.” He explains that Hashem was talking
to Man himself, saying to him, “Together,
let us make Man.” For Hashem gave us, the
human, an animal-like body that has almost
constant physical and materialistic cravings.
In this shell, He infused a holy neshamah.
Then, He gave us the great charge to make
out of that human animal an Adam, a mentch.
As we say in our Kiddush, “Asher borah
Elokim la’asos,” that Hashem created, and it
is our job to develop the Creation further. The
Gemara also elaborates on this expectation
when it teaches us that if we live properly, it
is “K’ilu na’ase shutaf l’haKodosh Boruch Hu
b’ma’asei Bereishis – We become a partner
with Hashem in the very Creation.”
By doing mitzvos, we make a holy Adam
out of the humanoid. The Netziv, zt”l, zy”a,
elaborates that the rarified term ‘Adam’ is
closely related to the term adameh, which
means ‘to be like.’ Thus, Adam points to the
charge of man to be “adameh l’Elyon,” like the
One Above. Thus, our mission in life is to rise

above needs of self-gratification and sensual
pleasures and become like Hashem.
One of the great character traits we know about
Hashem is that He is “Oseh shalom bim’romav
– He makes peace in the Heavens.” Hashem is
described as the Great Peacemaker. Therefore,
throughout our stay on earth it behooves us
to pursue peace in every area of our lives,
whether at home with our spouse and children,
with our in-laws, at work with our co-workers,
in shul, with our colleagues, and on the block
with our neighbors.
Let’s take the message of the Sukkah and the
message of Aharon HaKohen and rise above
pettiness to become the Likeness of our Creator,
going the extra mile to find peaceful solutions.
Let’s learn how to look away more often, to
sharpen our skills at compromise and, as we
grow older, let’s become mellower with age.
Let’s try to adopt a posture of tolerance and
not demand perfection from others. Rather,
let’s wisely be accepting of others, even with
their obvious faults and eccentricities. Not
only is this the recipe to become beloved by
our fellow men, it also assures us that Hashem
will treat us likewise, with tolerance and with
forbearance, and He will look away from our
occasional misdeeds and follies.
It is no wonder that Succos is known as Zman
Simchaseinu, the Time of Happiness. When
there is peace, there is happiness. It’s also no

wonder that while we never invite the Holy
Ushpizin into our homes, we invite them daily
into our Sukkah for, when we create a rarified
chamber of peacefulness and tranquility, our
great ancestors feel comfortable to enter. It
is similarly no wonder that the Shechinah
abounds in the Sukkah for, as the Gemara
teaches us in the case of a husband and wife,
if there is peace between them, there is the
Divine Presence in the midst. So too, the
Sukkah, which is an airlock of harmony, is a
fitting domicile for the Divine Presence.
May it be the will of Hashem that our Sukkah
brings home the important and challenging
message of peace to all of our family members,
teaching siblings not to fight with one another,
reminding husbands and wives how very
vital it is for them to strive to work out their
differences, and urging all of us to bury the
hatchet with those we haven’t been getting
along with. In that zchus, may Hashem bless
us all with a very healthy happy, and wonderful
New Year.