Two Messages of Sukkot

Our Sages differ on the meaning of the sukka, with some seeing it as representing the huts made by the Children of Israel as their dwelling places during the forty years of wandering in the desert, while others understand the sukka to symbolize the Clouds of Glory which protected Israel during the desert years.

Netziv suggests that both approaches are true and valid. For the individual, the message of Sukkot is strengthening trust and belief in God as provider of one’s needs. Thus, the mitzva of sukka requires one to move from his/her permanent dwelling into a temporary dwelling for the seven days of Sukkot, reminding us of the dwellings used by our ancestors, the generation of the desert. For the collective (Klal Yisrael), Sukkot is a reminder of the clouds of glory, of God’s protection of all Israel and of His granting the nation victories in its wars. The sukka, as it were, represents the tents of a military camp, Netziv suggests. Thus, there is a double message in the mitzva of sukka, one for the individual, the other for Klal Yisrael.