If I really believe what I'm saying, all the lessons that I share with you aren’t really coming from me, or from any wisdom or talent that I have, but rather, they're coming from Hashem.
With that being said, thanks to the fact that we're working on humility, I just saw a beautiful new thought on the Succah, from the Shem MiShmuel, which, to me was a whole different outlook.
You may have heard that the three holidays correspond to the three Avot. The Tur quotes from his brother that Pesach corresponds to Abraham Avinu, because he was the father of Emunah. It was actually Pesach when the angels came to visit, and Avraham told Sarah to make Ugot, referring to the Matzot.
Yitzhak Avinu represents Shavuot, because the shofar of Matan Torah was from the shofar of Akedat Yitzhak and represents Yirat Shamayim.
Lastly, Succot is Yaakov Avinu, as it says he made a house for himself and succot/barns for his animals.
(It also says Esav went to Seir. That is where lived, but it also hints to seir L’Azazel/ the he-goat pushed to Azazel, that is pushed off the cliff on Yom Kippur)
It’s cute that we see the word Succot connected to Yaakov Avinu, but what does that have to do with our message of the Succah?
What exactly is the deeper message? The Shem M’Shemuel (in the year תרפ ) cites a Gemara in Masechet Chulin based on a pasuk that says, “God saves people and animals.” Rashi explains that animals does not referr to actual animals, but rather to people. What kind of people? People who are very wise and cunning, yet place themselves like animals.
They humble their knowledge and intellect and they follow Hashem.
So these people are like Behemot/animals. What does that mean?
Like David Hamelech said,
לְדָוִ֑ד ה׳ רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃
He compares himself to a sheep that just follows the shepherd. That's the humble person that Hashem saves. The Shem Mishmuel explains that that's what it means, that Yakov Avinu made succot. Of course, on the simple level, it means he made them for the sheep.
But here we are learning that “for his sheep” means for the people that act like sheep, that are humble and follow their shepherd and realize that Hashem is leading their lives. That humility to Da’at Torah and Da’at Hashem is what he says creates the protection of the Succah.
What a beautiful thought! When you're sitting in your Succah, you can think of the clouds of glory, which, as we learned previously, came in the zechut of Aharon and symbolize humility.
But now we have a different way of thinking about it. The original source for the Succah, thr first time Succot are mentioned in the Torah, is Yaakov Avinu’s barns… so imagine you're in a barn now; you're that sheep and you're thinking,
לְדָוִ֑ד ה׳ רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃
L’David Hashem Ro’ie lo Echsar/ Hashem is my shepherd. I will not lack….
שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃
Sometimes, He’s the staff, and sometimes He’s the stick that gives me comfort, that I know Hashem is leading me.
So once again, we see a connection between humility and Succot and we have a beautiful Shem MeShmuel that says we're referring to the humility of the person who turns off his brain and humbles himself like the sheep to the shepherd, which is hinted to in Yaakov Avinu’s succot, which he made for his flock.
As an aside, Kabbalists say that Yaakov Avinu had 600,000 sheep, and those are the 600,000 Neshamot of the future Jewish people. So, Yaakov Avinu made the Sukkot for his sheep, and not just for his sheep, but for his future children, to act like sheep.
לְדָוִ֑ד ה׳ רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃
Have a wonderful day.