The Sukkah: Our Boldest Statement in a World of War
The Zohar teaches that on Sukkos, we step into the Tzeileh D’Mehmenusa—the “shade of Emunah.”1 This phrase has always felt a bit abstract to me—something profound yet difficult to fully wrap my head around.
But this year, it’s hitting differently. We’re under skies filled with the constant threat of rockets and drones—a sobering reminder of our fragility. And yet, here we are, building simple sukkahs that defy the instinct to hide behind solid walls.
For this week, we leave the comfort of our homes and sit in our relatively flimsy Sukkah —a temporary structure where we spend the week with the Ribbono Shel Olam.
As Rav Sacks wrote:
“Sukkot is the festival of insecurity. It is the festival of a people who know they will never be entirely safe, surrounded as they are by larger, stronger nations, assaulted as they have so often been for having the courage to be different. Sitting in the sukka, betzila demehemnuta, “under the shadow of faith”, is all the security we need.”2
The sukkah is our shade of Emunah.
Rav Kook expands on this notion. He teaches that the sukkah isn’t just a place to shelter from the elements—it’s a declaration of where our real security lies. The sukkah tells us our protection isn’t in thick walls but in the One who shields us. It’s here, in this exposed space, that we connect to a strength beyond ourselves. In the sukkah, we may feel vulnerable, yet our Emunah becomes our fortitude.3
The Sfas Emes draws a powerful parallel between the sukkah and Yetzias Mitzrayim. Just as we broke free from Egyptian slavery, so too do we transcend nature itself in the sukkah. This is a space where the temporal nature of this world fades, and we touch the edges of a reality that’s beyond the physical. He writes that even in moments of darkness, the sukkah is our bridge to the miraculous. Here, we rise above the natural, holding onto the light that’s always waiting on the other side. Especially now, the sukkah is the shade of faith more than ever.4
The Sod Yesharim deepens this concept. He describes the sukkah as a space where we align ourselves with Hashem’s will, where we understand that even what seems ruled by natural law is under His constant guidance. In the sukkah, we recognize Hashem’s presence in every moment, hidden as it may sometimes seem. Here, we commit ourselves to a truth that transcends all else, bringing light to every shadowed corner of creation. During Sukkos, in the Tzeileh D’Mehmenusa, we fulfill our purpose: to see beyond the physical, to feel Hashem’s presence, and to uplift a world so often shrouded in darkness.5
Chazal teach us that there will come a time when the entire world becomes a sukkah. In that future sukkah, we won’t simply sit in the shade of faith; we’ll ascend to an even higher place, where we are fully immersed in Emunah itself. It will be a sukkah where emunah fills every inch of our reality, where shadows of doubt vanish, and we live in the pure light of dveykus. In that ultimate sukkah, we’ll experience eternal peace, a world in perfect harmony, finally at rest under the shelter of Hashem.
ופרוש עלינו סכת שלומך
So, as we sit in our sukkahs this week, we embrace a truth that goes beyond the physical. It’s here, under the Tzeileh D’Mehmenusa, that we find strength, peace, and connection. Our sukkah becomes a sanctuary for the soul, a place to breathe in the enduring reality of Hashem’s presence, and to hold fast to the eternal Emunah that guides us. This sukkah may be temporary, but the faith it represents? That’s forever.
Zohar, Emor 103a
Ceremony & Celebration p. 139
Shmona Kevatzim 1; 626
Sfas Emes - Sukkos 12 - 1884
Sukkos 10