5787/2026
Everyone knows Sukkot is just a few days after Yom Kippur. But why? Of course you could give the answer of the Tur: “SheHu Zeman HaGeshamim VeDerech Kol Adam LaTzeit MiSukkato VeLeisheiv BeVeito” It’s the time of rain which is when people wanna go out of the sukkah and sit in their homes; seemingly backwards logic. Or you could give the Rambam’s famous answer: ““SheHu HaZeman HaMemuzag BeEretz Yisrael…Lo Chom Gadol VeLo Kor Mafreia” - it’s when the temperature isn’t too hot or too cold. And if those weren’t already enough, there’s always the Pri Etz Chaim that explains that Sukkot is a hug after the Yamim Noraim: “Chag Shel Sukkot, Hu BeSod ViMino TeChabikeini”. But we’re in the shade; who cares about the temperature being too hot? Plus, we should have our hug after Tisha B’Av, when we feel the saddest; what’s different now?
According to the Ibn Ezra, the Sukkot were never about the shade; we had the Ananei HaKavod for that. Once it started becoming colder in Tishrei, that’s when we needed the Sukkot.
And about that hug—maybe the answer is hidden within the history of Yom Kippur itself. After Cheit HaEigel, the Ananei HaKavod left Klal Yisrael while Moshe Rabbeinu spent another 40 days asking Hashem to forgive us, and on Yom Kippur, Hashem finally forgave Klal Yisrael and gave us the second Luchot. Right after we were forgiven, we had to build the Mishkan so the Shechinah could dwell among Klal Yisrael. That happened right around Sukkos. The Vilna Gaon says that Sukkot isn’t just about being forgiven, it’s about being forgiven after our biggest failure. Our hug after Tisha B’Av is something else entirely; that hug will come with the Binyan Bayit HaShelishi. The Sukkah isn’t a hug because we’re at our saddest, it’s a hug because we’ve just been forgiven. This Sukkot, have in mind that hug. Chag Sameach!