​Succot, 5785, 2024: "The Succah and Yetziat Mitzrayim"

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Rabbi David Etengoff
 
ה' יעזור וירחם על אחינו כל בני ישראל, בארץ ישראל ובכל חלקי הארץ
 
The mitzvah of dwelling in the succah appears quite straightforward, as the Rambam (1135-1204) states:

What is the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah? One should eat and drink and dwell in the succah for the entire seven-day period both at night and during the day in exactly the same manner that he dwells in his house during the other days of the year. Throughout the entire seven-day period, a person should treat his house as a temporary dwelling and his succah as his permanent dwelling. As it says in the verse: You shall dwell in succot for seven days (Vayikra 23:42). (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Succah 6:5, translation my own)
 
The Rambam emphasizes the ma’aseh hamitzvah of succah, the actual manner in which the commandment should be performed. In contrast, the Tur (Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, 1270-1340), focuses on its rationale:

“You shall dwell in succot for seven days…in order that you should know throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot when I led them out … [from Egypt]” (Vayikra 23:42). The Torah demonstrates that the mitzvah of succah is contingent upon the Exodus from Egypt. So, too, in the case of many other mitzvot. This is so, since this is a matter that we saw with our eyes and heard with our ears and no one is able to deny it. It teaches us about the truth of the existence of the Creator, may He be exalted, and that He created everything according to His will. It also teaches us that He has the power, the dominion, and the ability, both in the upper and lower worlds, to do with them as He so desires… (Introduction to Hilchot Succah, translation my own)
 
The Tur underscores the conceptual link that obtains between the mitzvah of succah and essential principles of Jewish thought, such as the existence of the Creator and His omnipotence in both the Heavens and the earth. In so doing, he suffuses the act of sitting in the succah with notable theological significance.
 
The Bach (Rabbi Yoel Sirkes, 1551-1640) scales the Tur’s analysis and reveals further levels of meaning. He asserts that the Tur’s core point is highlighting the indispensable role that kavanah plays in performing the mitzvah of succah, namely, viewing the succah as the symbol of Yetziat Mitzraim. The Bach elaborates on this point in his conclusion:
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The purpose of the mitzvah of succah is to remember Yetziat Mitzraim. This is accomplished through one’s dwelling in a succah where the shade is greater than the sun. This, in turn, is a reminder of the Clouds of Glory that protected them … through their wanderings in the desert.
 
In addition, the Bach asserts that the highest form of fulfilling this commandment requires us to carefully focus on the Torah’s phrase, “… in order that you should know (yaydu) throughout the generations that I caused the Jewish people to dwell in succot.” The Bach maintains that this “will enable one to fulfill the mitzvah in its most proper fashion (k’tikunah).” Therefore, for the Bach, if a person desires to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in the succah on its deepest level, he must have kavanah regarding two major points: this mitzvah’s inextricable link to Yetziat Mitzrayim, and Hashem’s great kindness in allowing us to dwell in succot following the Exodus.
 
May Hashem soon fulfill the stirring words of our Friday night tefilot “And spread over us the succah of Your peace. Blessed are You Hashem, Who spreads the succah of peace upon us and upon all His people Israel and upon Yerushalayim.” V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
 
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