Sukkot Every Week
When Shabbat and Yom Tov coincide, we recite in our prayers and in kiddush the blessing, ברוך אתה ה' מקדש השבת וישראל והזמנים – “Blessed are You, Hashem, who sanctifies Shabbat, Yisrael, and the holidays.” The Rabbis noted that Shabbat is mentioned in this blessing first, before Am Yisrael and the holidays, because Shabbat is the source of all other kedushah. Hashem made Shabbat sacred, and this is what enables us to become sacred people and the holidays to become sacred occasions. Shabbat is the source of all holiness.
This leads us to the conclusion that all the Yamim Tovim are, somehow, rooted in Shabbat. Within the themes and observances of Shabbat we can find elements of all the holidays, because Shabbat is the source of their holiness. As we have just completed our celebration of Sukkot, we will focus here on the relationship between this holiday and Shabbat.
Rav Haim Palagi, in his Nefesh Ha’hayim, notes the question raised by Rav Binyamin Halevi as to why we do not eat in a sukkah every Friday night. In our Friday night prayers, we proclaim that Hashem “spreads a sukkah of peace” upon us – הפורש סוכת שלום עלינו ועל כל עמו בית ישראל. As such, Rav Binyamin Halevi asked, it would seem appropriate to observe the mitzvah of sukkah each and every Friday night.
I once had the opportunity to discuss this question with Rav Yaakov Hillel, Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom in Jerusalem. I noted that this question, at first glance, seem peculiar. Would we really consider applying the mitzvah of sukkah every week? Isn’t this notion far-fetched, even for a fleeting moment’s consideration?
Rav Hillel explained that to the contrary, the Friday night experience closely resembles the protection provided by the “clouds of glory” in the wilderness, which we commemorate on Sukkot through the mitzvah of sukkah. The Zohar teaches that when Shabbat begins, G-d hovers over the Jewish Nation like a mother bird hovering over her nest to protect her chicks. Hashem actually spreads over us a סוכת שלום to protect us, much as He spread the “clouds of glory” around our ancestors to protect them in the desert, as we commemorate on Sukkot.
This concept is developed by Rav Chaim of Tchernovitz, in his work Sidduro Shel Shabbat, where he emphasizes that the peace and security lovingly granted to us by Hashem on Friday night resembles the serenity enjoyed by the Jewish People as they traveled under the protection of the miraculous “clouds of glory” in the desert. Every week, on Shabbat, we reside in the צילתא דמהימנותא – “the shadow of faith” – just as on Sukkot. Rav Chaim of Tchernovitz proceeds to cite an additional teaching of the Zohar, that when women light the Shabbat candles on Friday night, they banish all the negative forces that are generated by the stress and anxiety of the workweek. Evil dwells amid sorrow and angst, whereas kedushah takes hold when there is joy and positivity. And thus with the onset of Shabbat, when the woman lights the candles which spread joy and serenity, the negative forces are blocked from the entering our homes. As in the wilderness, we are protected by a special spiritual covering that prevents harmful, negative forces from reaching us.
On Shabbat, as opposed to all other special occasions, we have seven aliyot, calling seven men to the Torah. The seven aliyot testify to the supreme sanctity of Shabbat, which exceeds that of all other occasions. We call three aliyot on ordinary weekdays; four on Rosh Hodesh; five on Yom Tov; six on Yom Kippur; and seven on the holiest day – Shabbat. Moreover, the seven aliyot of Shabbat correspond to the seven Ushpizin – the “guests” that visit our sukkot. The concept of Ushpizin is relevant to Shabbat because Shabbat is a weekly Sukkot, when we are given special protection and experience special joy and serenity.
Many people fail to recognize the unique kedushah of Shabbat, and to realize that the holiness of Shabbat exceeds that of Yom Kippur. Ironically, many Jews who disregard the kedushah of Shabbat ensure to observe Yom Kippur, which is on a lower level of sanctity. The Brisker Rav suggested that the reason for this is because people see observant Jews treating Yom Kippur with special sanctity, and so they, too, treat Yom Kippur as a special day. If we raise our awareness of, and sensitivity to, the unique, unparalleled sanctity of Shabbat, then we will not only enhance our own Shabbat experience, but will also influence our fellow Jews to treat Shabbat the way it is meant to be treated.
Let us, then, ensure to contemplate and think about this unique aspect of Shabbat – the special protection, the סוכת שלום, in which Hashem envelops us each and every week when Shabbat begins. The special joy and festivity of Sukkot can be experienced every Shabbat, because on Shabbat, like on Sukkot, we are endowed with G-d’s supernatural protection and blessing. The more aware we are of this special quality of Shabbat, the more we will enrich our Shabbat experience and enjoy the happiness, contentment and peace the only Shabbat can provide.