The Duality of Sukkos

The Zutshka Rebbe explained that the name of this YomTov is Sukkos, not Sukkah in singular but always in plural. This is because in reality each and every sukkah is made up of two parts:

There are the physical components – including the walls of our sukkah - the defanos and the roof matting or sechach with which we fulfill our mitzvah of Sukkah. But there is also an ad-ditional spiritual component to our Sukkah and that is the ruchniyos of Hashem’s protective shade – that He shades and shields us, protecting us from all harm under His canopy! To this dual nature the plural name of Sukkos alludes.

Protective Shadows of Faith and Loving Kindness

The seforim call the Sukkah - the shade of faith - tzila dimehaymenusa and the Zutshka reb-be points out that this is almost paradoxical.

Shadows cast shade when we block out the light. Shadows represent an obscurity, light rep-resents clarity.

Yet we sing in Shabbos zemiros - Mah yakar chasdo betzilo legonenemo - how precious is Hashem’s kindness as a shadow that protects us. Hashem’s shadows are actually hidden lov-ing kindness. Which means that even in hester - obscurity and concealment, when we lack clarity, even there Hashem’s kindness is so strong that in these shadows we can actually find and seek protection as they envelope us and protect us, safeguarding us from all harm.

This is best understood by the explanation that Reb Yonoson Eibschitz gave in Yaaros Devash (I 15) of Dovid haMelech’s “Mizmor – a song when he fled from Avshalom, his son ” (Tehillim 3:1). When Dovid haMelech fled from his very own son he realized that this was a unnatural matter, whose own son rebels against him and attempts to harm him? Once Dovid haMelech realized that this calamity was unnatural he rejoiced and sang a song because he realized it must be Divine and that even in what appeared tragic and disastrous there was a hidden Divine plan, underlined with Hashem’s loving kindness. Once Dovid haMelech realized that he was being watched over by Hashem he rejoiced so much that he sang this song! That is the reason the sukkah is called a shadow of faith – we believe that no matter what Hashem is doing what is best for us!

Dedicated in Memory ofOur Master and Teacher

Rebbe Mordechai son of Yissocher Ber of NadvornaHe passed away on 1st day Sukkos

Tradition has it that he was Hashem’s Esrog that year

Dedicated in Loving Memory of Zissel Bas R’ Meir Zev

haKohen Katz by the Goldenberg Family,

Monsey NY

Dedicated in Loving Memory of Mindel Bas R’ Meshulem

Zev Wolf Meirby the Hartstein Family,

Monsey NY

We too must use the shade of the Sukkah to envelope us in Hashem’s hashgacha and Divine shadows of protection. This Sukkos we will dwell in His Sukkah in His canopy – despite the shadows of concealment – Hashem is watching over us lovingly enveloping us in the shad-ow of His Sukkah of Faith.

Staying in Sukkos All Year Long When Living at Home

The Gemara tells us that we fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah by tayshvu ke’ayn taduru - dwelling in the sukkah in the same manner we live in our own homes. (Sukkah 28b)

The Rebbe taught us that this hints to us that we need to therefore draw the shefa of dwelling in the Sukkah - a temporary dwelling - into our permanent lives the rest of the year. Then af-ter the end of the holidays when we go back into our homes, we take with us the same shad-ows of faith - faith that Hashem dwells with us protective and enveloping us in His shadow.As we ask in LeDovid Hashem Ori veYishi (Tehillim 27:4) “just one thing I ask of Hashem, I ask to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life,” - that I merit that even in my own home that it shall be the house of Hashem, and then when I have transformed my home to Bais Hashem I will truly dwell in Hashem’s house all the days of my life forevermore.

How to Act at Home the Way We Learned to Behave in our Sukkah

Once the rebbe’s zisse einiklach - his sweet grandchildren were acting up and carrying on in the Sukkah. The rebbe raised his voice at their wild behavior and said that it was inappropri-ate for the sanctity of the sukkah and for the kedushah of his holy guests the ushpizin. “In a sukkah we must act with awe before the Shechina and in honor of the ushpizin ilain,” - he rebuked them.One of the grandchildren asked his zeida are we not commanded - to live in the sukkah the same way we live at home? [tayshvu ke’ayn taduru - dwelling in the sukkah in the same man-ner we live in our own homes. (Sukkah 28b)]The rebbe answered that the sukkah serves as a model for behavior in the home and not the other way around. “Once we get used to living seven days in the shadow of faith - betzila dimehaymenusa - we need to now apply this back to our home. Therefore the correct way to understand Chazal’s statement of dwelling like we live, means that we have to act at home like we live in our sukkos! And not to act in our sukkah in the way we used to be accustomed to act back at home.”

The Rebbe shlita, visiting his brother, the Rebbe shlita from Bnei Berak

The Rebbe shlita, playing the violin in honour of theUshpiz Dovid.