Shimon, the second son of Jacob and Leah and the progenitor of the Israelite tribe of Shimon, was born on Tevet 21 (according to another opinion, on Tevet 28), of the year 2194 from creation (1567 BCE), nine years after Jacob's arrival in Charan.
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On December 23 (21 Teves), 1690, strong earthquakes rattled the city of Ancona, Italy, causing numerous structures to collapse and placing its inhabitants in mortal danger. Miraculously, the Jewish quarter was spared, suffering the collapse of only one house. In commemoration of this event, the local Jewish community established that date as a day of celebration and song, while the previous day—20 Teves—would be marked yearly by fasting and charity (Or Boker, p. 48a).
A sukkah is an embrace. You sit inside and G‑d is hugging you. All of you, from head to toe.
Whatever you do inside your sukkah—sip a beer, chat with a friend, answer your e‑mail, or just sleep soundly—all is transformed into a mitzvah, a secure and timeless connection with the Infinite.
And then, when you leave the sukkah to enter the world, you carry that hug with you.
All of life can become an embrace. A hug with the Infinite.