Sukkot: The Time of Our Joy
Dear Friend,
A story is told of a rabbi in a distant land who moved to a new home and erected a sukkah, only to have his irate neighbors call the local law enforcement. When a police marshal arrived at the rabbi’s door, the rabbi graciously invited him in for some refreshments. The marshal sat with the rabbi at his humble dining room table and received a lesson on the origins of Sukkot, the mitzvah of building and dwelling in a sukkah, and an abbreviated demonstration of the “Four Kinds.”
At the end of his visit, the police marshal informed the rabbi that he had exactly seven days to disassemble and remove the standing sukkah. Perfect timing—Sukkot would be over by then. Almost too good to be true.
That rabbi is my father.
Why did my father care so deeply about this simple hut? Simply put: because it is a mitzvah, given by G‑d.
When performed in the sukkah, our every mundane action is a mitzvah, sacred and blessed. We are not just eating or talking; we are doing G‑d’s will. What a perfect example of transcending the material world by elevating it to the spiritual realms.
May your Sukkot holiday be filled with joy!
Etti Hazan,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
A spectacular celebration of Jewish unity, faith in G‑d, and the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle.
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