Succoth and National Security

This coming Wednesday night marks the beginning of Succoth.

The Succa is a place to learn and acquire emuna. We leave our permanent dwellings at a time when the weather starts getting cold. We learn that the only real security we have over our heads is not the roof of our permanent dwelling, but Hashem. For seven days a year, Hashem wants us to teach us how to completely entrust ourselves to His care, as King David says (Psalm 31:6), "I place my spirit in Your hands."
 
The intrinsic message of the Succa is that with a Jew, the illogical is logical and the supernatural is natural. Hashem's relationship to His chosen people is on a completely different level than His "way of the world" relationship with the nations.
 
Normally, one feels secure under a concrete roof. But with bunker busters and non-conventional weapons, reinforced concrete no longer gives a person a feeling of security. That's the point of the Succa: under the palm-leaves or the river-reed roof – knowing that we are enveloped in the Divine Presence – we feel true security, for beneath a thatched roof in the Divine Presence is ever so much safer than under a concrete and steel roof in an environment devoid of holiness and therefore without the protection of the Divine Presence.
 
Sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it? Eyes devoid of emuna see the Succa as some type of Jewish play house. But, with eyes of emuna, we know that the Succa is the real deal; that's why the pious almost never leave their Succa for an entire week. Who wants to leave the Divine Presence even for a moment?
 
During Succoth, the nations of the world look at us like we're crazy, but that doesn't deter the believer from happily erecting and dwelling in his Succa...

Continue reading The Key to National Security on this week's issue of Breslev Israel web magazine. Also featured this week: 

Rabbi Shalom Arush: The Guiding Light

Zev Ballen: Meditation for Breathing

Natalie Kovan: Head in the Ground

Rivka Levy: A Visit to the Baal Shem Tov

Dovber Halevi: Up or Down?

Gila David: Beginning Again

Yehudit Levy: Unity

Have a great week and a wonderful New Year 5772!