Thinking About the Sukkah

The Yom Tov of Sukkos is one that is packed with Mitzvos. On Pesach, the Yom Tov that is most easily compared to Sukkos, most of the actual Mitzvos HaYom are finished by the end of the first night, with only the Issur of Chametz remaining throughout the rest of Yom Tov. On Sukkos, on the other hand, the Mitzvos HaYom—eating in the Sukka and Arba Minim—are done throughout Yom Tov. In this way, Sukkos is unique—we have Mitzvos to perform on each day and night, which gives the Yom Tov its own flavor

I think that it would be useful to try and understand why this is the case—why the Torah gave us Mitzvos that last for so many days, as opposed to being "over” after the first day. Perhaps this will lead us to a better understanding of the Yom Tov itself, and serve to enhance our Avodas HaYom.

The Mitzvah of Sukkah itself is different than many other Mitzvos. In general we Pasken “Mitzvos Tzrichos Kavana,” when performing a Mitzvah one must have in mind that he is doing a Mitzvah in order to be Yotzeh and fulfill his Chiyuv. However, this is only L’chatchilah—one must have the Kavana, but if he does the Mitzvah without Kavana he need not perform the Mitzvah again.

R’ Shlomo Zalman Aurbach, however, writes that if one performs the Mitzvah of Sukka without Kavana—if he ate in the Sukkah without thinking about the fact that he is performing a Mitzvah—it is as if he ate outside the Sukkah! This is a Chiddush in the general Din of Mitzvos Tzrichos Kavana, because R’ Shlomo Zalman seems to be saying that this applies Bedieved.

In addition, there are those who say that anytime the action that one is doing is clearly being done to fulfill a Mitzva—such as shaking a Lulav—one is Yotzeh even if he doesn’t have Kavana. In the case of Sukkah it could easily be said that the only reason for someone to be eating in a Sukkah is in order to fulfill the Mitzvah, so why would a lack of Kavana be seen as eating outside the Sukkah. Still others hold that when one makes a Bracha on a Mitzva—as we do when we eat in a Sukkah—that is akin to Kavana, in which case the Halacha of Kavana by a Sukka would definitely only be L’chatchila.

The best way to understand R’ Shlomo Zalman’s Psak, therefore, is to assume that he held that with regard to Sukkah the regular Dinim of Mitzvos Tzrichos Kavana do not apply. It would seem that held that there is a special Halacha of Kavana by Sukkah, and therefore the various mitigating circumstances—the Bracha and the fact that the action is clearly a Mitzvah—do not apply.

The truth is that this concept appears in other Achronim. The Bikurei Yaakov, for example, writes that Sukkah has a separate Din of Kavana as seen from the fact that the Passuk says “BaSukkos Teshvu Shivas Yammim…L’man Yeidu Doroseichem Ki BaSukos Hoshavti Es Bnei Yisroel: Sit in a Sukkah for Seven days, so that all generations know that the Jews lived in Sukkos [when they left Mitzrayim]” The Passuk says the word “Yeidu” and so there is a specifc need to be aware of why you are sitting in a Sukkah when you are doing this Mitzvah.

In addition, the Gemarah in the first Sugya in Meseches Sukkos, brings the opinion of Rabah that a Sukkah which is greater than 20 Amos tall is Passul because one cannot see the Schach and therefore he does not “know” that he is sitting in a Sukkah. This condition, of “knowing” that you are in a Sukkah is unique to this Mitzvah. One would generally assume that if he is sitting in a Sukkah, whether or not he realizes it, he would be Yotzei. This would seem to be a Din specific to Sukkah.

Assuming that this is the case—that the Mitzvah of Sukkah has a specific Din of Kavana and one cannot fulfill the Mitzvah by just doing it without any thought—we have to wonder why that is the case. Why did the Torah have a special requirement of Kavana when it comes to Sukkos?

The Passuk says “Basukos Teishvu Shivas Yamim” and the Gemarah says “Kol Shivas Yamim Tzei Midiras Keva V’Shav B’diras Arai: For all seven days, leave your permanent dwelling and live in a temporary one.” R’ Meilech Biderman, a Mashpiah in Bnei Brak, asks why the Gemarah had to include such a lengthy phrase, wouldn’t it have been enough to say “Kol Shivas Yamim Shav B’diras Arai?”

He answers, Al Derech HaDrash, that the Gemarah is not referring only to our physical location when it instructs us to leave our Diras Kevah—it is referring to our Kiyum Hamitzvos. Keva refers to doing Mitzvos in a way that is stale and without feeling, as Chazal say “Al Ta’as Tefilascha Keva”. With this understanding, the Gemarah is telling us that on Sukkos we must do our Mitzvos with a sense of Arai—fresh and exciting each time.

There is an important reason to focus on this Middah during Chag HaSukkos specifically.

One of the more common discussions about the Yom Tov of Sukkos involves the timing of the Yom Tov. There is a Machlokes whether the Sukkah that the Passuk refers to Bnei Yisroel living in the Midbar were actual Sukkos or the Ananei HaKavod, but all agree that the Sukka is connected to Yetizas Mitzrayim. If so, why do we celebrate in Tishrei and not in Nissan?

In a related sense: while in the Midbar, Hahsem provided us with shelter—in the form of Sukkos or Ananim—but also with water from the Be’er and food in the form of Mon. Why then do we only celebrate the shelter and not the Be’er and the Mon?

There are a number of answers to these questions, but I would like to focus on one in particular.

The Gr”a explains that the Ananei Hakavod were given when we left Mitzrayim, but were taken away after the Chet HaEgel. They were only returned once the construction of the Mishkan began on the fifteenth day of Tishrei, which is the first day of Sukkos. The Mon and the Be’er on the other hand remained throughout that period—only the Ananim were removed. The Gr”a therefore says that it is these second set of Ananim that we are celebrating on Sukkos.

Because those Ananim were returned after Bnei Yisroel’s Tshuva for the Egel, they represent the love that Hashem has for us as a result of out Teshuvah, which is a greater love than before the Chet. The Sukkah, and the entire Yom Tov, are therefore really about the Ahavah that Hahsem has for Bnei Yisroel. When we sit in the Sukkah, we are reminded of the intense love that Hashem has for his Am Hanivchar.

Our goal is to return those feelings, to show Hahsem that we have the same level of love for him. The Yerushalmi in Sotah says that a person’s Zehirus in Mitzvos Asei are correlated to his Ahavas Hashem and his ability to stay away from Mitzvos Lo Sasei is tied to his Yiras Hahsem. Therefore in the Yom Tov when we wish to show our Ahavas Hahsem, we are given so many Mitzvos Asei—Sukkah, Lulav and Simcha—the performance of which, when done in the proper manner—reflect our Ahavas Hashem.

Sukkos is also Zman Simchasenu, we have a specific Mitzvah of Simcha that is greater than other Yomim Tovim. It is said that the Gr”a was asked which Mitzvah is the hardest to fulfill and he replied “V’samachta B’chagecha” because for eight days one must be only happy. I think that this Chiyuv Simcha and the need to enhance our Kiyum Hamitzvos are related.

The Sefer Lev Rachav on Tehillim says that the Pasusk “Ivdu Es Hashem B’simcha” refers to the performance of Mitzvos with a sense of excitement and freshness—not “Mitzvos Anashim M’Limudah.” If we can do Mitzvos without feeling like they are a burden, but rather with Simcha, we perform them at the highest level.

This is why the Mitzvah of Sukkah must be done with Kavana, irrespective of any of the usual Kulos in the Din of Mitzvos Tzrichos Kavana. When performing this Mitzvah, we remember the return of the Ananim in the Midbar and celebrate the Ahava that Hashem has for us following our Teshuva of Yom Kippur. This is the Mitzvah that sets the tone for Zman Simchoseinu—a time to work on our performance of Mitzvos Asei as a way to express our Ahavas Hashem. It therefore must be performed at the highest level, in a way that is Arei and not Keva.

During this Yom Tov, let us be Mekyem the words of the Gemarah: “Kol Shivas Yamim Tzei Midiras Keva V’Shav B’diras Arai.” Let us increase our Shmiras Hamitzvos in the proper way—with feeling and Simcha—so that we can be Zoche to be in the ultimate Sukkah—the Tzel of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.