The Values We Forgot in the Shadow of the Sukkah

At its core, the holiday of Sukkot symbolizes connection. During this holiday, we all sit together in a shared sukkah - a "sukkah of peace" - and invite ushpizin (guests) into it; these guests symbolize a positive force, spiritual elevation, and a new spirit - things we so desperately need.

Moving into the sukkah - a "temporary dwelling" - marks a shift to a new scale of values, one topped by unity and mutual responsibility. These are values that, in our daily lives throughout the year, held no importance for us - values we may have even held in contempt.

The s'chach (roof covering) of the sukkah symbolizes a unique canopy constructed from materials we previously undervalued, disregarded, or trampled upon - the reason for its description as "waste from the threshing floor and winepress."

The sukkah serves as a microcosm of the Temple, a space where we gather the remnants of our human warmth, the beautiful bonds connecting us, and the spirit of reconciliation. Stepping out of our routine existence, we suddenly realize that this - heartfelt, emotional closeness to one another - is precisely what we had been missing in our lives.

Only when we manage to break free from the daily rat race do we grasp the reality in which we live: not only do we fail to appreciate the concept of "togetherness," but we do not even understand what it means. What does it actually mean to be together? Not under duress - pressed by the threat of an external enemy - but rather in response to a call from the heart. Those familiar sentiments from the distant past - "as one man with one heart," "all of Israel are comrades," and the like - do not resonate with us at all; they hold no meaning for us. We have become deeply mired in internal struggles and discord.

Paradoxically, only when we begin to step beneath the canopy of unity and shelter ourselves in the shade of values we had come to view with disdain - only then can we shed light on our current state, on the perilous division we face, and on the need for change. In truth, this malady of division is now revealing itself across humanity as the root cause preventing everyone from living lives of happiness and success.

The central question facing us now is: how much longer are we willing to suffer without making a change, clinging to the blind hope that "better times" will simply arrive on their own? Will we stubbornly keep waiting for them, refusing to undergo internal change until the very last moment? Or will we finally decide to act and adopt a new mindset - entering together into a "sukkah of peace" and mutual responsibility?

Together, we can rise to a new social structure, to a reality filled with joy and contentment - a reality where everyone is close to one another, where we are all one family. Towards a reality where love, not ego, determines how we treat one another. A reality where we are mutually responsible for each other - and where this is felt not as a burden, but as a reward and a delight.

We are capable of making a change, if we truly desire it and act to achieve it. We are not fated to live in a crumbling, egoistic world. We possess a method capable of mending our relationships and, in doing so, resolving all of life’s problems.

This is precisely the message of the holiday of Sukkot: we can build a better future for ourselves right now. Not by stripping tradition and customs of their meaning or treating them lightly, but by truly living out the unity and heartfelt connection these customs are meant to remind us of.

I do not want another holiday to pass us by as merely a tradition. In these complex times, if we are to celebrate, let us also embrace the holiday’s inner significance.

In essence, the Sukkah represents our soul - or, in other words, the unity we must attain in our next stage of development. It is the very unity we are meant to gift to the entire world. There is nothing higher than this; and as for the depths - we have nowhere left to fall.

I wish everyone a holiday filled with warmth, success, and light. I hope that one day soon we will all - all of humanity - sit together under one great Sukkah. Happy holiday!