Have you ever wondered why was it ok to have a Tabernacle in the desert, outside of the Holy Land? I have wondered for years. Of course, there's the simple answer of that's what God wanted. While true for every Mitzvah, I craved an answer which addresses this one uniquely.
Recently, my yearning to know was answered by the Zohar in Emor which describes the unique role of the clouds of glory. Apparently, the atmosphere of the desert was spiritually impure, much too impure for a Tabernacle. The clouds of glory surrounded the encampment from all sides, enveloping it in an energy field of holiness and thus, served as a enroute proxy for the Holy Land, allowing the Tabernacle along with all its rituals to function.
The sukkah is a vessel to receive the clouds of glory. They may be invisible to us, but to the spiritually sensitive eyes of our ancestors (and even their foes) they were highly visible. The sukkah forms an area that even in diaspora carries the holiness which once enveloped our ancestors in the desert. Those tuned in can feel it. It's literally a divine embrace.
Normative resistances to spiritual elevation are utterly absent in a sukkah. Every act we do in a sukkah is vastly more enveloped in holiness than it would be outside of one. It's an atmosphere reeking with spiritual transparency! If this is true even for seemingly mundane activities, such as eating and sleeping, how much more so for openly holy ones such as meditation, prayer and Torah study!
Imagine, how much higher you can ascend in meditation while in a sukkah!
Imagine, how much clearer is the mind to absorb Torah concepts while in a sukkah!
Imagine, how much easier it is to emote a sincere prayer while in a sukkah!
Imagine, how kindness flows with an unusual ease while in a sukkah!
So, let's appreciate the gift of the sukkah and spend as much time as possible in them. Chag Same'ach!!!!!
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