Sukkos is not a holiday of leisure—it’s a living experience that teaches us how to see Hashem’s protection, not only for seven days but throughout our entire lives. The schach above our heads is far more than a ritual covering—it symbolizes the Ananei HaKavod, the Clouds of Glory that embraced our ancestors in the wilderness. When we sit beneath the sukkah, we are stepping back into that same Divine embrace, declaring with King David:
“מָעוֹן אַתָּה הָיִיתָ לָּנוּ” — “You, Hashem, are our dwelling place.” (Tehillim 90:1)
We are reminded that our true security does not come from walls or roofs, money or might—it comes from Hashem Himself. Every sukkah we build is a small physical expression of that truth: that the Jewish people live inside Hashem’s protection.
A Personal Sukkah
The sukkah is not only a national symbol—it’s personal. Every Jew has his own invisible sukkah surrounding him, a canopy of Hashgachah Pratis, personal Divine guidance and protection.
We all have moments in life where things fall apart—when doors close, deals fail, or opportunities vanish. But later we often realize those were not accidents—they were Hashem’s quiet acts of kindness, saving us from harm or from choices that would have led to ruin.
The author of Toras Avigdor wrote that there were twelve times in his life when he thought he had failed—but later saw that those “failures” were Hashem’s hand saving him. Each disappointment was a wall of Hashem’s sukkah shielding him.
So too with us. Every time we were blocked, delayed, or forced to take another path—perhaps Hashem was wrapping us in His Ananei HaKavod, protecting us from what we couldn’t see.
Relive Your History
When you sit in your sukkah, take a moment to reflect: “How did I come to sit here? How did I merit to be part of Torah life?”
Many people who grew up like us are far away now. Some of our classmates, cousins, or old friends drifted from Torah, but we, Baruch Hashem, are here—sitting under the schach, part of the Jewish story. Why? Because Hashem has been surrounding us with His private sukkah our entire lives.
He sent us the right people at the right time:
- A teacher who inspired us,
- A friend who encouraged us,
- A sefer that spoke to our heart,
- A shul that became our home.
Each was a beam in the structure of our personal sukkah. So when we thank Hashem, we don’t only thank Him for the sukkah we build once a year—we thank Him for the many sukkahs He built around us since birth: protection, opportunities, mentors, and moments of clarity. All of them came from Above.
Taking the Sukkah Into the Year
The Gemara teaches: “אַל יִתְפַּלֵּל אָדָם בְּבַיִת שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ חַלּוֹנוֹת” — “A person should not pray in a room without windows.” Why? Because you must be able to look toward the sky.
Even after we leave the sukkah and return to regular life—into the cold and dark of Cheshvan—we must keep our eyes open to Heaven. We must make space in our hearts for that same upward awareness that the sukkah gave us.
During Elul and the Yamim Noraim, we built tall towers of inspiration. On Sukkos, we put a roof over them—the schach of faith. But now, as Cheshvan begins and there are no Yamim Tovim, we must carry that faith into our daily lives. The sukkah becomes invisible, but its covering remains.
The Sky’s the Limit
When Yonah HaNavi was asked by the sailors, “Who is your God?” he answered:
“אֶת־אֱלֹקֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲנִי יָרֵא” — “I fear the G-d of the sky.” (Yonah 1:9)
Why “the G-d of the sky”? Isn’t Hashem everywhere? Yes—but Yonah’s words carried deep meaning. He was saying: “My G-d is above everything. He is the source of all power, the One who rules over heaven and earth. I look upward because I know where everything truly comes from.”
The sukkah teaches the same lesson. When we look through the schach and see the open sky, we remember that above the natural world stands Hashem—the Elokei Hashamayim, the G-d of the heavens.
When Sukkos ends, the sukkah may come down, but the sky remains. That sky becomes our schach for the rest of the year—a constant reminder that Hashem is still there, watching, protecting, and guiding.
Final Message
Sukkos is not a week—it’s a worldview.
- Above us: Hashem’s Ananei HaKavod protect the Jewish people.
- Around us: His personal sukkah shields each of us through life’s ups and downs.
- Within us: The faith we carry forward—our “window to Heaven”—reminds us to always look up.
So even when Cheshvan comes and the sukkah is gone, remember this: the sky itself is your sukkah roof. Wherever you stand, you are still sitting beneath Hashem’s covering.
“Baruch Hashem, Elokei Hashamayim – My G-d is in the sky.”
He has never left us, and He never will.
Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom 
Leave a comment