HASHEM’S SUKKAH
Dovid Hamelech says, “Hashem will hide me in His Sukkah on the day of evil…” (Tehillim 23)
When we enter the sukkah, we are going totally under Hashem’s protection. Over us are leaves and vegetation, which in themselves protect no one. But these leaves and vegetation make it clear that it is only the Ribono shel Olam Who protects us.
“Whoever sits in the refuge of the Most High, he shall dwell in the shadow of the Al-Mighty. Hashem … is my refuge and my fortress, my G-d. I will trust in Him, that He will deliver you from the ensnaring trap and from devastating pestilence. With His pinions He will cover you, and beneath His wings you will be protected.
… You shall not be afraid of the terror of night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that walks in gloom, nor the destroyer who lays waste at noon. Let a thousand encamp at your side and a myriad at your right hand, but they shall not approach you. You will merely peer with your eyes and you will see the retribution of the wicked.
Because [you said], ‘You, Hashem, are my refuge,’ you have made the Most High your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent….” (Tehillim 91)
Rabbi Nosson Scherman writes, “In the wilderness, Hashem enveloped and sheltered Am Yisroel in His ananei hakavod …. The clouds of glory were not a gift; they were a reward. The Midrash teaches that people who were undeserving of them – such as the insincere Egyptians accompanying Am Yisroel in the Desert (the Erev Rav) – did not merit the clouds’ protection. Clearly the ... clouds were a sign that Israel had risen to the spiritual plateau implied by Hashem’s all-enveloping protection.” (Overview to the Artscroll Sukkos Machzor)
On October 1, a few days before Rosh Hashana, a massive bombardment was launched against Israel by Iran. Here is an excerpt from a letter I received: “I do not really think that you understand the absolute miracles that we witnessed last night here in Israel.…
The sophistication of the Iron Dome is … unparalleled, but the Iron Dome only knows how to detonate short range rockets or missiles within approximately a 70-kilometer range. Then Israel has the David’s Sling system … that deals with mid-range missiles up to approximately 300 kilometers. Then we have the Arrow system that detonates missiles that can fly outside of the earth’s atmosphere. That has a range of about 2,400 kilometers!
Last night, as Iran rained down ballistic missiles on Israel, all three defense systems were activated and implemented to perfection. The chances of all these incredibly complex systems working in unison flawlessly are basically nonexistent!”
The writer was correct; I really did not appreciate the incredible miracles by which Hashem is protecting His People … and has protected us for thousands of years, from the days of Avraham Avinu.
Chazal tell us, “Yishmoel said to Yitzchak, ‘Let us go and see our portions in the field.’ Then Yishmoel would take a bow and … shoot [arrows] in Yitzchak’s direction, while pretending to be playing.’” Yishmoel pretended to play, but his game was murder!
My friends, we have to know that our protection is not leaves and vegetation, but rather the Hand of Hashem protecting us from harm. May He continue to protect us with His endless love and may we see with our own eyes the rebuilding of the fallen Sukkah of Dovid with the speedy rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdosh soon in our days!
PLEASE NOTE
THERE WILL BE NO EMAIL DURING SUKKOS.
THE NEXT EMAIL WILL B”H BE THE WEEK OF
OCTOBER 27, WHEN WE READ PARSHAS NOACH
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