הקדמה לחג הסוכות - זמן שמחתנו

We say in מעריב on Yom Kippur Night, וְגַם לַחַשִׁי תִּרְצֶה) סְכוֹת רַחַשִׁי( - Hashem, please listen to my Tefillos. We also say in שחרית of Yom Kippur סוֹכֶת שְׁפִיכַת שִׂיחוֹת Hashem listens to the outpouring of our Tefillos. The words סְכוֹת and סוֹכֶת come from the word הַסְכֵּת which means listen and hear. This is so similar to the word Sukkos. What is the connection? What does it have to do with today, our Yom Tov of Sukkos?

Perhaps we can take from here a totally new approach and appreciation for the Yom Tov of Sukkos. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur our תפילות are very heartzig and full of כוונה and יראת שמים. Davening on the Yomim Nora'im pours out of our נשמות. Every single Yid gives all his energy and כוחות. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we are בָּטוּחַ and confident that Hashem hears our Davening, and our Tefillos save us. כביכול, it is דברים היוצאים מן הלב נכנסים אל הלב. Perhaps this is the P'shat. The Yom Tov of סוכות, from the לשון of סוֹכֵת,is celebrated to thank Hashem for listening to all our Tefillos and, from the לשון of סְכוֹת, we are asking that Hashem should always listen to our Tefillos.

Someone wanted to add and say even more that from the name itself of סְכּוֹת, which means to listen, we can understand that at this time, on the Yom Tov of Sukkos, Hashem listens over, again and again, to our beautiful Tefillos of the Yomim Nora'im. Our Davening is still alive and being enjoyed by Hashem. Could there be a greater זמן שמחתנו!