This coming Friday night, September 29th, we will begin the celebration of Sukkot, the festival that reminds us of our 40-year journey in the desert from Egypt to the promised land: Israel.
The Tora clearly states that we celebrate Sukkot to remember “that God established us in sukkot” when He brought us out of Egypt.
But what were the Sukkot?
HUTS
According to Ribbi Aqiba we must understand this word, Sukkot, in its original sense: huts. Indeed, a sukkah is a hut with a roof made of branches, which does NOT protect you from the rain like a standard roof but serves just from the sun, something essential in the desert. According to this opinion, the Sukka reminds us of our journey in the desert.
There are at least two problems with this “literal” interpretation.
1. When the Tora refers to the places of residence of the Jews in the desert, it mentions “ohel”, that is, tents made of cloth, whereas huts or cabins are not mentioned. 2. The second objection is a bit sharper. Why does the Tora say that “God” established the Israelites in the huts? “Huts” must have been built by the people, not “God”…
CLOUDS OF GLORY
Ribbi Eliezer, therefore, disagrees with Ribbi Aqiba and maintains that in this verse, “sukkot” does not refer to huts. Regardless of the materials the dwellings in the desert were made of, we must remember that God protected the Jewish people during the 40 years of their journey in the desert. Ribbi Eliezer called this “invisible” Divine Protection “clouds of glory”, seven clouds with which HaShem protected the Jewish people. One on each side of the camp, one forward, one back, one up, one down, and one ahead of the camp, three days away, showing them the way, guiding them.
Crossing a desert is risky; when one crosses it, it is vital to have water and food. But food and water are not enough. A traveler faces at least four more serious challenges when crossing a desert.
1. WEATHER: The scorching heat of the day, the night’s cold, and the unpredictable and fierce winds and sandstorms. Remember what happened to the army of the Persian Emperor Cambyses in Egypt? “In the year 525 B.C.E, Cambyses sent a mighty army of 50,000 soldiers to destroy the Temple of Amun in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt. After traveling the desert for seven days, the great army reached an oasis. And after they left it, they were lost and no one ever heard from them again. The army vanished. They were, presumably, buried under a sandstorm. “A sandstorm made 50,000 very well-equipped soldiers disappear. Isn’t it fascinating that no climate event affected Jews for 40 years in the desert?
2. ATTACKS: There are bandits, thieves, and murderers in the desert. Sometimes entire villages unite to attack and loot the caravans that cross the deserts. In the case of the Jewish people, after the war with Amalek, which happened before the long journey began, there were no attacks from any other people.
3. ANIMALS: Vipers, snakes – many poisonous – and scorpions abound in the desert. They are down there, on the ground, and it is typical to accidentally step on an animal that would bite, inject its poison, and kill to defend itself.
4. DIRECTIONS: You need a guide in the desert. Someone who knows the desert terrain very well and can guide travelers. Moshe asked his father-in-law Yitro to join the Jews as their guide (vehaiyta lanu leeynaym). Yitro knew the desert very well, and he was a native of Midian (not far from Saudi Arabia),). Curiously, in our days, the Israeli army has special units of Bedouin soldiers who specialize in surveillance of the desert terrain.
UNDER THE DOME
Now we can better understand Ribbi Eliezer’s opinion. The word “cloud” in Hebrew’ anan, should not be understood as a normal “white cloud.” The word “cloud” should be understood here metaphorically (just as we use the word “cloud” today to refer to a digital storage mechanism). The number “7” is not there by chance. In my opinion, the first four clouds (two on the sides, one on the front, and one on the back) represent that God protected our people from enemy attacks. These could have been a kind of “firewalls”. The cloud above represents Divine Protection from inclement weather. The one below means that God protected us from the poisonous animals on the desert surface. And the seventh, as the Midrash explicitly says, represents that HaShem guided us with a column of light and smoke to show us the way, like a modern GPS.
Our Sages debated the two opinions and finally came out in favor of Ribbi Eliezer’s view.
When we enter the Sukka we must remember that HaShem protected our ancestors from all the dangers of the desert. And we pray that He will continue to protect Israel and the Jewish people from harm and danger.
May HaShem extend upon us His protection and grant us peace (sukat rachamim veshalom).
