Succos- Something To Keep You Warm In The Cold Outdoors

We refer to Succos as "Zman Simchaseinu," "the time/season of joy and happiness." One can pose a very simple question on this. Why is Succos, of all holidays, given this title? On Pesach, we celebrate our Exodus from Mitzrayim, our freedom, and the birth of our nation, Am Yisrael. Shavuos commemorates Matan Torah at Har Sinai. Hashem performed incredible miracles for us on holidays such as Purim and Chanukah, and saved our lives. The list goes on. There are seemingly other holidays in the Jewish calendar that seem to be much more fitting for "Zman Simchaseinu," yet it is Succos, when we commemorate being protected by Hashem in the desert, that we give this title to. Why?

Not to say, chas v'shalom, that other Chagim are not a time of happiness, but perhaps there is something about Succos that sets it apart from the rest. Namely, what almost immediately precedes Succos- the Yomim Noraim. After a very scary, awesome and intense period of Aseres Ymei Teshuvah, the Ten Days of Repentance, we reach the pinnacle by Yom Kippur, when Hashem, in His infinite mercy and kindness, forgives us for our sins and gives us a clean slate. To top it off, He blesses us with a Mitzvah to immerse ourselves in immediately when Yom Kippur ends- building the Succah. While the sad truth is that in the middle of the year, mitzvos may not always be exciting, right after Yom Kippur, when we are on a much more elevated spiritual state, mitzvos are awesome and exciting for us! The only fun we want to have is clean, kosher fun! And that is precisely what Hashem gives us! This reason is enough on its own to explain why we call Succos "Zman Simchaseinu." We are b'simcha because Hashem just pardoned us when we did not necessarily deserve to be pardoned, and we were given a fresh new slate. But more than that, we call it "Zman Simchaseinu" because we are truly and genuinely excited and happy to get the opportunity to continue the trend of being close with Hashem, the trend that started on Rosh Hashanah. Although the word "simcha" means happiness, for our purposes it should really translate into SPIRITUAL happiness, AKA the only real type of happiness that exists. That is why Succos is given this title. Because it really is filled to the brink with TRUE happiness. It is because of our state of mind. We are as happy as can be.

I think this idea is very appropriate and fits in beautifully with what we are commemorating on Succos. We recall the succahs, the temporary "booths" that Bnei Yisrael dwelled in while travelling through the desert. More than that, we recall the Ananei HaKavod, the holy protective clouds of Hashem that escorted us through the desert. Where do feelings and emotions of true simcha come from? True, emotional simcha comes from being close to Hashem. Wandering through a desert provided the Jewish people a golden opportunity to cling to Hashem. The desert is a place void of everything materialistic. There is no vegetation, little to no water source, no houses, etc. Since Bnei Yisrael were unable to base their happiness of the material things, they were able to focus all their happiness unto Hashem, who provided them with shelter and nourishment in no man's land. On Succos, we have the opportunity to celebrate these same feeling of closeness to Hashem, and the happiness that naturally comes along with it. We are on a high from the High Holidays, and we recognize that we do not need the materialistic comforts of our home to be happy. All we need is the Succah, the warm protection from Hashem, to make us happy. Just as a husband and wife can provide each other with feelings of security, warmth, and happiness in the toughest times, we too can feel warm and safe knowing that Hashem is watching us and protecting us from above. We do not need the warmth of our homes, when the warmth from Hashem is that much greater. We are b'simcha in the purest sense of the word.

May we all be blessed to continue to have these elevated feelings of TRUE happiness throughout the entire year, giving good reason to call everyday a "Zman Simchaseinu."