To Teach The Generations to Trust in Hashem:
The Bnei Yissochor (Tishrei, Maamar 10:16) quotes the Chida zt”l as asking why we make a remembrance for the ananei hakavod on Sukkos but not for the mann or the be’er. He answers that the mann and be’er were given to Klal Yisroel as a result of their complaints, when they asked for food and water. The clouds of glory, however, were given without the people even asking for them. They were a direct kindness from Hashem. Therefore, we specifically remember the ananei hakavod more than the mann or the be’er.
The Bnei Yissochor used this idea to explain the verse (Vayikroh 23:43): “So that your generations will know that I made the children of Yisroel live in sukkos... and they will know that I am Hashem your G-d.” From the fact that Hashem made us live in sukkos, without us asking for it, we make this remembrance.
This teaches us that the mitzvah of sukkah is to teach the next generation to trust in Hashem and recognize that he knows what is best for us and will provide for us without the need for us to ask.
Building The Sukkah on One’s Own:
The Noam Elimelech (Parshas Kedoshim) writes: “A person must sanctify his limbs and sinews with good deeds and weary them with good actions. By doing so, one’s body becomes holy and connected to Hashem, and he will have no impediments to thoughts of His glory. For this reason, we are commanded to do mitzvos with our hands and our entire bodies, in order to sanctify the body so that it is fitting to serve Hashem... An example of this is making a sukkah with one’s own hands in order to weary his body with this avodah.”
The Avodah of Building a Sukkah:
There are also lofty thoughts connected to the building of the sukkah. Sefer Siach Zekeinim relates that when Rav Fishel Schmidt z”l (he had this last name because his occupation was as a smith) was 16-years-old, he was already capable and talented, and his grandfather, Rav Mordchele of Nadvorna zy”a, asked him to build his sukkah.
R’ Fishel related that Rav Mordchele stood next to him the entire time, and when he put the boards next to each other and was ready to hammer in a nail, he would wait until his grandfather said, “Hit it now”, and he would then hammer in the nail.
When he had finished building the sukkah and was ready to bang in the final bolt of the door, he stood with the hammer in his hand for two full hours waiting for his grandfather to tell him to hit it. However, Rav Mordchele had gone into the house and was not emerging. Finally, R’ Fishel lost his patience and knocked in the bolt. Suddenly, his grandfather appeared and asked, “Who knocked in the bolt with such small-mindedness? Take it out right away!”
After he took out the bolt, Rav Mordchele said, “Hit it now!” He then banged it in once more.
The Ushpizin Revealed the Reward For His Labor:
Before becoming Rov of Liska, the Lisker Rebbe zy”a was a very poor man. One year before Sukkos, he couldn’t even afford schach. He went to the city of Ujhel where he bought some mats that could serve as schach but he couldn’t afford to hire a wagon to transport the mats to Liska for him.
He carried the mats himself as he walked the considerable distance from Ujhel to Liska. He had to stop and rest many times when he was overcome with weakness, and he had to make numerous trips to bring it all. He then placed the schach on his sukkah and he later said, “It was worth it because I was permitted to see the Ushpizin as a reward for the work I put into my sukkah.”
Seeing Avrohom Avinu as Reward For His Mesiras Nefesh:
The Shinover Rov zy”a would often relate the story of a simple, poor villager who possessed much yiras shomayim. One year, the man needed schach for his sukkah but he had no money to buy any. He and his wife went out on Erev Sukkos to the forest and began cutting down branches with their own hands. This took a long time and they began to worry that yomtov was approaching. They started to hurry, ripping off the branches with their teeth. This caused them to get many cuts and scratches, and their teeth and mouths were soon full of blood.
This caused a great commotion in Shomayim. A ruling was issued that the first of the Ushpizin, Avrohom Avinu, should visit them in their sukkah as a reward for their devotion to this mitzvah.
That night, the poor man saw someone standing in his sukkah. He thought it was a guest who needed a meal and he told him, “I’m sorry but I am very poor and I have very little food. I would advise you to go to the gevir’s house down the block. He will certainly give you a good meal!”
The man replied, “I didn’t come here to eat or to take anything from you. I am Avrohom Avinu and I came to reveal myself to you as a reward for the mesiras nefesh you exerted for the mitzvah.” And, suddenly, the man disappeared.
Looking Over the Sukkah at the Beginning of the Day:
The Mateh Efraim (625:28) writes that even though one spent the entire day building his sukkah and beautifying it, before he goes to shul he should go into it again and look it over to make sure there is nothing distasteful in it. One should inspect it to make sure that it is in a state of perfection and as beautiful as possible. When one does this, he finds favor in the eyes of Hashem, and he will be granted much joy.
The Sukkah Brings Parnassah to the Home:
The Mishnah in Sukkah (28A) says that if someone’s head and the majority of his body are in the sukkah, and his table is in the house, he fulfills his obligation. Sefer Tiferes Shlomo explains that this is a hint that if someone sits in a sukkah, he brings blessings into his home for the entire year. It is saying that if one’s head and most of his body is in the sukkah, then he will have a table in his house, meaning that he will have brachos and parnassah in his home.
He also uses this idea to explain the statement of Chazal (Sukkah 29A) that one may eat “a mana” outside of Sukkah. This can be understood to mean that the sukkah has the power to provide parnassah to one who fulfills the mitzvah for the entire year, even when he is not in the sukkah.
In the Merit of Sukkah, One is Saved From Illness and Pain:
The Tiferes Shlomo further writes that when Chazal say (Sukkah 26A) that one who is in pain is exempt from the mitzvah of sukkah, the intention is that the sukkah protects and saves a person from all forms of pain. They are saying that the sukkah exempts a person from being in pain.
This also explains the Gemara (ibid 25A) that says that a sick person and those attending to him are exempt from sukkah. This can be understood to mean that in the merit of the mitzvah of sukkah, Klal Yisroel will be exempted from sickness and from all forms of suffering.
Sleeping in the Sukkah:
Sefer Tzemach Dovid (Dinov) writes that sleeping in a sukkah serves as rectification for severe aveiros that occur while one is asleep. He explains that if one is punished for a sin that occurs while he is asleep, he certainly is rewarded for a mitzvah he does while asleep. The Sefarim say that this sin needs “a lofty teshuva” and the sukkah represents this type of atonement.
The Sukkah of an Am Ha’aretz:
One year, the Ruzhnier Rebbe zy”a was sitting in his sukkah when he suddenly began to laugh loudly. When his family members asked what was happening, he related that an unlearned, simple man was traveling on the road and wanted to eat something but he had no sukkah to eat in. He decided to flip over his hat, put some schach on top, and to eat like that. This caused much joy in Shomayim, and the angels began to laugh at this man simplicity and devotion. “When I saw this,” the Rebbe said, “I laughed along with them.”
Believing is Better Than Seeing:
Sefer Birchas Aharon quotes the Karliner Rebbe zt”l as saying, “The tzadikim say that they saw the holy Ushpizin, but we believe that they are here without seeing them, and believing is better than seeing.”
