When Beauty Meets Beauty
The concept of beautifying mitzvos, described as an expression of Zeh Keli v'Anveihu, holds a central place in our understanding of how we honor Hashem. We are taught that every mitzvah should be performed with hiddur mitzvah, an emphasis on doing it in the most beautiful, elevated manner possible. But there's something unique when it comes to Succos—a special emphasis on beautification that we don't find in other mitzvos. Why is it that this principle, which applies to all mitzvos, seems to have an even stronger connection to the mitzvah of succah (see Succah 10a)? Why, of all mitzvos, does the idea of Zeh Keli v'Anveihu feature most prominently here?
A profound insight is offered by the Avnei Nezer (cited in the Sefer Ne’os Deshe, Vol. III). On the words, “Zeh Keli v'Anveihu,” Onkelos translates it as, “This is my G-d, and I will build Him a Sanctuary." This refers to the actual building of the Beis HaMikdash, where Hashem's presence would dwell. But there's also a second interpretation. The Gemara (Shabbos 133b) teaches that Zeh Keli v'Anveihu means, “I will beautify myself before Him with mitzvos.” This refers to performing each mitzvah in the most beautiful way possible. But here's where it gets interesting: both of these interpretations—building the Beis HaMikdash and beautifying mitzvos—are interwoven in the mitzvah of succah.
We know that the succah itself is a powerful symbol. The succah is a remez, a hint, to the Beis HaMikdash. The pasuk states, “Va’yehi b’shalem Succo—Then his succah was in Yerushalayim” (Tehillim 76:3), which the Targum explains to be symbolic of the rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash. The succah, then, is not just a temporary dwelling; it is a representation of the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash itself.
There's something fascinating when we look at Parshas Reʼeh, which discusses the shalosh regalim. For Pesach and Shavuos, the Torah instructs us to go up to Yerushalayim, to the place where Hashem chose for His presence to rest—the Beis HaMikdash. But when it comes to Succos, it simply says to go up to Yerushalayim, without explicitly stating that the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, will be found in the Beis HaMikdash at that time. Why is this, asks the Meshech Chochmah? Because, on Succos, explains Rav Yerucham Olshin, the Shechinah doesn't reside solely in the Beis HaMikdash. It resides in your succah. The succah itself becomes a miniature Mikdash. The Divine Presence fills your succah, just as it once filled the Beis HaMikdash.
This ties into a teaching of the Vilna Gaon (commentary to Shir HaShirim), who explains why we sit in the succah. It's not merely to commemorate the presence of the Ananei Hakavod, Clouds of Glory, which protected the Jewish people in the desert. Succos is actually a celebration of the return of the Ananei Hakavod. When the Jewish people left Mitzrayim, they were enveloped by these miraculous clouds, but after the sin of the Eigel, the clouds departed. That was a devastating blow. The loss of the clouds signified a loss of Hashem's favor.
But then, something miraculous happened. Moshe ascended Har Sinai once more, following the breaking of the first set of Luchos, and after forty days of pleading on behalf of the nation, he descended on Yom Kippur with Hashem's words of forgiveness, Salachti k'dvarecha. But for Bnei Yisrael, forgiveness alone wasn't enough. They wanted more than atonement—they longed for a sign that Hashem's love had fully returned. They wanted the Ananei HaKavod back.
Hashem instructed Moshe to begin the building of the Mishkan. On the 11th of Tishrei, the day after Yom Kippur, Moshe announced the command, and the people began bringing donations for the construction on the 12th, 13th, and 14th. Then, on the 15th of Tishrei, when the donations were completed and the construction began, the Ananei HaKavod returned. That day was the first day of Succos.
So, Succos is a celebration of the return of Hashem's favor, His ratzon. And where did those clouds return to? They returned to the Mishkan, to the place where Hashem's presence would dwell. That's why the succah is compared to the Mishkan. The succah represents the restoration of the connection between Hashem and His people, just as the Mishkan did.
With this, explains the Avnei Nezer, we can understand the deeper connection between Zeh Keli v'Anveihu and the mitzvah of succah. When we build a succah, we are symbolically rebuilding the Mishkan. Just as Zeh Keli v'Anveihu means, “I will build for Him a Sanctuary,” so too, our succah is a reflection of that sanctuary. And, at the same time, we fulfill the second interpretation of Zeh Keli v'Anveihu by beautifying the succah, just as we would beautify the mitzvah of building the Beis HaMikdash. The mitzvah of succah combines these two ideas: building a dwelling for Hashem and beautifying the mitzvos we perform.
This explains why hiddur mitzvah is so strongly emphasized during Succos, more than with any other mitzvah. The succah isn't just a temporary hut; it is, in essence, a miniature Beis HaMikdash, a place where the Divine Presence rests. And because the succah symbolizes the return of Hashem's love and protection, we beautify it with all our effort. By doing so, we fulfill the dual interpretation of Zeh Keli v'Anveihu: we both build a sanctuary for Hashem and we glorify Him through the beautification of mitzvos.
The succah is therefore not just about the physical structure—it's about what the succah represents: the restoration of the Divine connection, the return of Hashem's love, and the fusion of the physical with the spiritual. And through this, we fulfill our role in glorifying Hashem in the most beautiful way possible. (Rabbi Daniel Glatstein)