Give Me Some of That Succah Magic
For two weeks now I've been trying to get some information from my medical clinic. I began obsessing about receiving this information. No matter which office I called the answer I received was the same - 'We don't have the information yet. Call again tomorrow or the next day.' This frustrated me as I wanted the information before the holiday of Succos. It occurred to me yesterday that I need to have more faith and believe everything will work out whether I get the info before Succos or not.
Well, that was a rude awakening! On the one hand I truly felt the desperation of 'needing' to know and on the other hand, I felt the lack of emunah (faith), It really hit me hard and saddened me that I was pushing so hard to get an answer.
How I need Succos to increase my faith!
Last night my husband and I went down to check on the progress of the succah-building. Our son and daughter were busy with that while we were away. We stood in the empty shell. No furniture, no decorations. I thought about how that succah will feel in just another twenty-four hours. In my mind’s eye, I placed myself in the early morning of the first day of Succos. As I type this, I already feel the magic.
There is something joyful and meaningful in the holiday meals shared with family and friends in the succah. For me, it is a very colorful experience with a magic of its own. And then, there are the quiet morning moments when I sit alone in the succah tuning into the magic. There is a Light we cannot see. My son told me it is the light of emunah.
If we go back in history, we know that the Light of the original Succos is the light of the emunah the Nation of Israel had in the desert after leaving Egypt. We lived in flimsy booths and were completely dependent on Hashem (the Creator) for everything. So today, we move out of our stable and protective home environments to show Hashem how much faith we have in Him as our sole Provider and Protector. But friends, I will share with you that I think the big test of emunah of the Succos of today is to actually believe in earnest that there is Light in there at all. After all, it’s not a physical light one can see. Rather, it is a spiritual sensation.
When I first learned about this Light, I felt cheated. With all of my Torah education, I had never been told about this Light. I had never been told that all I have to do to experience and fill with this light is to sit in the succah!
Women: We do not have a formal mitzvah (Torah commandment) to build the succah, or even to sit, eat and sleep in the succah. But ladies, that is because we have been blessed with being the gender which senses the spiritual much more easily! Just sit in the succah and feel it! And if necessary, pray that you can believe it. If we don’t believe, we put up a wall which blocks that heavenly Light. You’ve shopped, cooked, baked, and hosted and you will be doing more of the same. Many families don’t have a succah large enough for the women. Many women are alone and don’t build a succah. I believe we should not deny ourselves the Light. Avail yourself of a succah.
On Rosh Hashanah the Light enters our mind, on Yom Kippur, our heart and on Succos, it moves down to fill us through to our feet.
When I sit in the early morning in my succah with my cup of tea and my Tehillim (Psalms), I close my eyes and remember the evening before, when my family and guests were together with lively colorful singing and joyfulness. I remember how my hard work in the kitchen brought happiness to my loved ones. I sit there in those magical moments in complete consciousness of the Light that transforms me into something lighter, happier, more connected. We have seven days to experience this. What a holy gift.
Let’s continue from there; I just learned that after Succos, when the succah is dismantled, all the Light that filled it shines out to the rest of the world. I will add that all the light that fills each and every one of us between Rosh Hashanah and the end of Succos, is free to shine out to the rest of the world. Each and every one of us has a unique light to share with the world. We’ve worked hard both spiritually and physically. Let’s make it all worth it.
There is magic in the succah. Tune in to it, feel it, and shine it out to the world. And as we do, I think it's a good idea to learn the lesson of emunah we gain in the succah. That being, mere contemplation of our faith in Hashem's Love for us, brings about a peace and calm that is pure magic.
Wishing you a Happy Succos!
MashaFaygel