(מב) בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כׇּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃ (מג) לְמַ֘עַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(42) You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, (43) in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt—I, your God יהוה.
(ד) אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃ (ה) כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֢וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אׇהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃
(4) One thing I ask of Adonai, only that do I seek: to live in the house of Adonai all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of Adonai and to visit God's temple. (5) God will shelter me in God's pavilion on an evil day, grant me the protection of God's tent, raise me high upon a rock.
וְרָבָא אָמַר, מֵהָכָא: ״בַּסּוּכּוֹת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים״. אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה: כׇּל שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים צֵא מִדִּירַת קֶבַע וְשֵׁב בְּדִירַת עֲרַאי. עַד עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה דִּירָתוֹ דִּירַת עֲרַאי, לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה — אֵין אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה דִּירָתוֹ דִּירַת עֲרַאי אֶלָּא דִּירַת קֶבַע.
Rava said that the halakha is derived from here: “In sukkot shall you reside seven days” (Leviticus 23:42). The Torah said: For the entire seven days, emerge from the permanent residence in which you reside year round and reside in a temporary residence, the sukka. In constructing a sukka up to twenty cubits high, a person can render his residence a temporary residence, as up to that height one can construct a structure that is not sturdy; however, in constructing a sukka above twenty cubits high, one cannot render his residence a temporary residence; rather, he must construct a sturdy permanent residence, which is unfit for use as a sukka.
(יא) שַׁ֜בְתִּי וְרָאֹ֣ה תַֽחַת־הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ כִּ֣י לֹא֩ לַקַּלִּ֨ים הַמֵּר֜וֹץ וְלֹ֧א לַגִּבּוֹרִ֣ים הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְ֠גַ֠ם לֹ֣א לַחֲכָמִ֥ים לֶ֙חֶם֙ וְגַ֨ם לֹ֤א לַנְּבֹנִים֙ עֹ֔שֶׁר וְגַ֛ם לֹ֥א לַיֹּדְעִ֖ים חֵ֑ן כִּי־עֵ֥ת וָפֶ֖גַע יִקְרֶ֥ה אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃
(11) I have further observed under the sun that the race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the valiant; nor is bread won by the wise, nor wealth by the intelligent, nor favor by the learned. For the time of mischance comes to all. I.e., the insignificant duration of life renders all successes illusory; cf. 4.15–16.
Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yom Tov 6:18
Rambam reminds us not to let our observance end with our own enjoyment: “When a person eats and drinks in celebration of a festival, that person is obligated to feed strangers, orphans, widows and others who are destitute and poor.”
Rambam reminds us not to let our observance end with our own enjoyment: “When a person eats and drinks in celebration of a festival, that person is obligated to feed strangers, orphans, widows and others who are destitute and poor.”
Rabbi Alan Lew, z''l, from This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared
...We sit flush with the world, in a ‘house’ that calls attention to the fact that it gives us no shelter. It is not really a house. It is the interrupted idea of a house, a parody of a house...
...We sit flush with the world, in a ‘house’ that calls attention to the fact that it gives us no shelter. It is not really a house. It is the interrupted idea of a house, a parody of a house...
Dr. Roberta Louis Goodman
(https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/chol-hamo-eid-sukkot/everything-there-season-turn-turn-turn-kohelet)
"The strongest connection for me between Kohelet and Sukkot has to do with the "booth" that we are instructed to erect in Leviticus to remind us that we lived in these temporary structures in the wilderness after God took us out of Egypt. Both the scroll and the booth remind us of the fragility of life, the quality of being like havel or vapor that can be seen but seems to have no substance or form; it is elusive and disappears. In the sukkah, we are exposed to the elements-sun, wind, rain, and even snow-not to mention bees, bugs, and other animals.... Kohelet reminds us upfront that our life is temporary and fragile. Kohelet pushes us to open our souls, to look deep inside ourselves and humanity, into places that are often not navigated, full of shadows, darkness, and fear, to confront and consider that which may make us feel wobbly and vulnerable. Kohelet reminds us of that which we know, but do not wish to always be reminded of, namely that we are mortal, a blink in history especially as compared to God who is eternal and powerful. Kohelet makes us feel small, humble."
(https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/chol-hamo-eid-sukkot/everything-there-season-turn-turn-turn-kohelet)
"The strongest connection for me between Kohelet and Sukkot has to do with the "booth" that we are instructed to erect in Leviticus to remind us that we lived in these temporary structures in the wilderness after God took us out of Egypt. Both the scroll and the booth remind us of the fragility of life, the quality of being like havel or vapor that can be seen but seems to have no substance or form; it is elusive and disappears. In the sukkah, we are exposed to the elements-sun, wind, rain, and even snow-not to mention bees, bugs, and other animals.... Kohelet reminds us upfront that our life is temporary and fragile. Kohelet pushes us to open our souls, to look deep inside ourselves and humanity, into places that are often not navigated, full of shadows, darkness, and fear, to confront and consider that which may make us feel wobbly and vulnerable. Kohelet reminds us of that which we know, but do not wish to always be reminded of, namely that we are mortal, a blink in history especially as compared to God who is eternal and powerful. Kohelet makes us feel small, humble."