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Greetings!
We often do small things for other people without thinking much about them. We may forget about the gesture almost immediately, but Judaism teaches that these moments can have an impact far beyond what we see.
Sukkos offers a fascinating example. The Midrash connects the mitzvah of sitting in a sukkah to Avraham, who welcomed three travelers and offered them shade beneath a tree. Because Avraham provided shade for others, his descendants were given the mitzvah of sitting in the shade of a sukkah.
Avraham did good because it was in his nature. He recognized that helping another person was the right thing to do. The tree represents that kind of goodness: rooted in who we are and what we naturally choose to do.
The sukkah takes that idea a step further. When we sit in a sukkah, we are doing something because Hashem commanded us to. It takes us beyond our own instincts and reminds us that there is something greater than ourselves.
Judaism also speaks of a future sukkah, the "Sukkah of Leviathan," representing a time when our connection with Hashem will be complete and unobstructed.
That is the journey Sukkos invites us to consider. We begin by doing what feels right. We grow by recognizing something greater than ourselves. And we look forward to a world in which that connection becomes complete.
For now, we sit in a simple, temporary sukkah, grateful for the shade we receive and mindful of the shade we can provide for others.
Wishing you and your family a Good Shabbos and Good Yom Tov!
Rabbi Leibel and Chana Fine
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