הַשִּׁעוּר מֻקְדָּשׁ לִרְפוּאַת שִׂמְּעוֹנָה בַּת שָׂרָה
כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי בְּסֻכֹּה בְּיוֹם רָעָה יַסְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵתֶר אׇהֳלוֹ בְּצוּר יְרוֹמְמֵנִי. (תהילים כז, ה)
Last week I read a news item about the USA developing new space weaponry against Russia and China "The US has confirmed it deployed a space weapon in Earth's orbit, the first time it has acknowledged such offensive capabilities … China responded … warning against an 'arms race' in space." (BBC, 15 Sep 2026).
This sparked many TV interviews with "experts" in space warfare, one of whom explained that there are three main "arenas" of space warfare. A. Space-to-Space, i.e. one satellite attacking another satellite orbiting the earth – either by firing missiles/lasers at it or using a cyber-attack, B. Space-to-Earth, i.e. satellites launching missiles/lasers from space at targets on earth, or C. Earth-to-Space, i.e. launching missiles/lasers or cyber-attacks from earth against satellites in orbit.
If a country faces the threat of being hit by a missile or laser from outer space (or from anywhere else), they will certainly develop contingency plans to protect themselves, or at least their leaders and "top brass". They will build nuclear proof bunkers buried deep in the earth, like those in Pickaxe Mountain in Iran. They certainly will not protect themselves by building a… Sukkah!
In our passuk above in Tehillim (from לְדָוִד ה' אוֹרִי, that Ashkenazim say from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Hoshana Raba, and some Sefardim say year-round) David HaMelech says that HKB"H is protecting him in His Sukkah. The Mefarshim on this passuk - שֶׁלֹּא תַּשִּׂיגֵנִי יָד אוֹיְבַי (רד"ק), and בְּיוֹם בּוֹא הָאוֹיֵב הִסְתִּירַנִי בְּסוּכָּתוֹ וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לִי (מצודות דוד).
In other words, the place that David HaMelech feels most protected from his enemies, is in a Sukkah. Not in a cave 100m underground in the hills of Judea, or in a Jebusite fortress, מְצוּדַת צִיּוֹן (which subsequently became עִיר דָּוִד), with its thick walls and fortifications. David HaMelech prefers a flimsy, ramshackle, temporary structure, that the wind can blow away.
First of all, we need to understand which enemies David HaMelech is referring to – physical enemies (פְּלִשְׁתִּים, מוֹאֲבִים, שָׁאוּל, וכו'), or spiritual enemies.
From the pshat, it could be either.
Two psukkim prior it says בִּקְרֹב עָלַי מְרֵעִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת בְּשָׂרִי צָרַי וְאֹיְבַי לִי הֵמָּה כָשְׁלוּ וְנָפָלוּ. אִם תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה לֹא יִירָא לִבִּי אִם תָּקוּם עָלַי מִלְחָמָה בְּזֹאת אֲנִי בוֹטֵחַ. This seems to be referring to physical enemies, in a war setting.
However, the Ibn Ezra says that the "Sukkah" in question is actually referring to the Beit HaMikdash in Yerushalayim, בְּסֻכֹּה – הוּא יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, כְּמוֹ "וַיְהִי בְּשָׁלֵם סֻכֹּה" (תהילים עו, ג). In other words, it is a spiritual protection, in the place where HKB"H's Shechinah resides. In fact, the passuk preceding our passuk above is אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת ה' אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית ה' כׇּל יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ה' וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ.
Rashi brings an interesting twist to the Beit HaMikdash association from Seder Olam, that it is specifically referring to the historical case of one of David's descendants יוֹאָש בֶּן אֲחַזְיָה (the father of יָרָבְעָם from last week's shiur on Yonah) who sought refuge in the "attic" of the Kodesh HaKodashim from queen of Yehudah עֲתַלְיָה, the daughter of אַחְאָב, who wanted to wipe out Malchut Yisrael.
The Midrash Tehillim (כז, ה) also brings that this is talking about spiritualprotection כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי בְּסֻכֹּה בַּיּוֹם רָעָה – בַּיּוֹם רָעָתָהּ שֶׁל בַּת שֶׁבַע, from David's sin with Bat Sheva.
In this shiur I would like to explore an interesting theme, how the various components, dimensions and layout of the Sukkah symbolize protection against both types of enemies, physical and spiritual.
Let's start with a nice gematria, the word סֻכָּה in gematria is בִּיטָּחוֹן and also אֵפֹד(as in אֵפֹד מָגֵן).
We have two main components of the Sukkah, the walls, דְּפָנוֹת, and the סְכָךְ. The דְּפָנוֹת symbolize protection from the surrounding, lateral directions - against physical enemies, while the סְכָךְ on top, protects from spiritual enemies above.
A halachically acceptable Sukkah requires at least three - or more accurately - two and a tefach (plus a bit) walls. This leaves ample space open as a kind of an "escape hatch". If you are surrounded by four walls with only one entrance/exit, you are trapped. Rachmana litzlan, this is what happened on October 7th in many of the secure rooms in the kibbutzim in עוֹטֵף עַזָּה where many met their deaths.
The configuration of "two and a bit" דְּפָנוֹת resembles the letter ה, which has two openings, one below and one on the side. This is a kind of an "escape hatch" from spiritual enemies. If our main enemy – the yetzer hara - causes us to sin, we fall into the abyss down the lower opening. However, if we do teshuva, we have another opening to return, from the side so that we are sitting on top of the 3rd "partial wall" which resembles a letter yud י (symbolizing Olam HaBah).
The third partial wall also symbolizes our effort in combating our yetzer hara. HKB"H does not require our effort to resemble a "full wall", we do our hishtadlut, however incomplete it may be and HKB"H is מַשְׁלִים, as if it constitutes a full wall.
The walls of a Sukkah cannot be higher than 20 amot and lower than 10 tefachim. Why specifically those dimensions?
The Gemara (סוכה ב, ע"א) says that higher than 20 amot - לָא שֶׁלָּטָא בָּהּ עֵינָא, it is so high, that it is already outside our "consciousness". We don't perceive that to be a "roof over our heads". On average, most domestic dwellings have a roof that is between 2.5 - 3m above the floor. 20 amot is about 10m. Imagine building a home with a roof 10m above the floor - it would be like living in Grand Central Station, it doesn't "psychologically" give the feeling of protection from above. Above 20m is also a kind of יוֹהֲרָה, an arrogance, as if we are "competing" with HKB"H, like in Migdal Bavel.
10 tefachim is about 80cm. That is approximately from the ground to our waist. The lower part of our bodies is considered טָמֵא while the upper part is considered קָדוֹשׁ. This is why the Kohen in the Mikdash wears an אַבְנֵט, a belt to separate the upper body from the lower body, and why many Chassidim wear a "gartel" in shul for the same reason. The part of our body which should primarily be in our consciousness is the קָדוֹשׁ part, above 10 tefachim.
In other words, the acceptable halachic height of the Sukkah reflects the space around us which is "in our consciousness". A sense of protection only exists when we are conscious of it, when we feel protected.
The floor space in the Sukkah must be at least seven tefachim by seven tefachim - 56cmX56cm (שו"ע או"ח תרלד, א), according to the Gemara (סוכה ג, ע"א) so that a person's head may fit in, most of his body and his table - שֶׁתְּהֵא מַחְזֶקֶת רֹאשׁוֹ וְרוּבּוֹ וְשׁוּלְחָנוֹ.
As we said above the (spiritually) important parts of the body are the upper half and the head. There has to be enough space in the Sukkah to accommodate those and … the person's table, which is likened to a Mizbeach -ר' יוֹחָנָן ור' אֶלְעָזָר דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים מִזְבֵּחַ מְכַפֵּר עַל אָדָם וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאֵין בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים שׁוּלְחָנוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מְכַפֵּר עָלָיו (מנחות צז, ע"א. Entering a Sukkah and meriting HKB"H's protection requires a certain mindset – placing the emphasis on the part of us that is pure and קָדוֹשׁ and in being prepared to "sacrifice" fleeting worldly pleasures. The number seven is indicative of the seven days of Sukkot, the seven Ushpizin and the שִׁבְעָה רְקִיעִים. Therefore, the floorspace in the Sukkah is a multidimensional structure both down here and also one which stretches up through the seven layers of Heaven to the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד.
The Rema (שו"ע או"ח תרל, א) says that one should not make walls for the Sukkah that have a bad smell. When someone builds a house to protect them from the physical elements, or a weapons system to defend them from enemies – they should not have a "bad smell", they should be acquired honestly and devoid of any "hanky panky" or corruption.
One of the walls of your Sukkah can be - your friend! (שו"ע או"ח תרל, א). The Mechaber adds that on Yomtov (the first day) the only condition that your friend can act as one of the walls of your Sukkah, is if he doesn't know he is the "wall". During Chol HaMoed though, even if he knows that he is acting as a wall, it is OK. This teaches us that sometimes our best protection from physical harm can be – a friend, as Shlomo HaMelech said טוֹבִים הַשְּׁנַיִם מִן הָאֶחָד (קהלת ד, ט).
Let's move on to the סְכָךְ.
The halachic requirement for סְכָךְ is that it must be גִידוּלֵי קַרְקַע תלוּשִׁים שֶׁאֵינָם מְקַבְּלִים טֻמְאָה. It must be something living that grew from the ground, but is no longer attached to the ground and is not crafted into some form of vessel that can become טָמֵא. One would think that you could obtain better protection from above by covering the Sukkah with a hard substance like metal, which is also "natural" and found in the ground. How about a reinforced steel roof? That might be effective against physical enemies, however the protection from above is against - spiritual enemies, so reinforced steel is not going to work.
One of the strongest weapons in the yetzer hara's arsenal is the concept of כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה (דברים ח, יז). A person might think "It is all me! I planted that vineyard from seeds, I pruned it, I irrigated it, I harvested the grapes, I created the cabernet sauvignon wine that won an international prize."
On top of a Sukkah, HKB"H wants the covering to be from things that grow from the ground, but are not connected to the ground, instead, their direct connection is toHeaven. Nothing may separate the סְכָךְ from the sky (שו"ע או"ח תרכו). The סְכָךְ must be directly "connected" to HKB"H. Therefore, if someone builds a Sukkah on top of another Sukkah (like a double story Sukkah) – only the topmost Sukkah is Kosher.
The profound lesson of the סְכָךְ is that - things don't "grow" from the ground. We mistakenly perceive that things grow from the ground – i.e. that the ground is responsible for this wine, or that we are responsible. In truth everything "grows" from HKB"H above, not from us below. This is the true orientation of all creation, it ALL comes from Above, not the other way round. It must not be a wooden vessel we crafted, but the raw, unaltered wood, to minimize our involvement in it as much as possible. This understanding and acknowledgement of Who runs things - is one of the most powerful protections against the yetzer hara.
Wow! What does that say for Donald Trump's "Star Wars" program? What does that say for our own Kipat Barzel and Chetz missile systems? The only true protection is recognizing Who is really providing the protection – HKB"H. This is not to say that we should not do our hishtadlut and build such weapons systems, but chas vechalila we should ever mistakenly believe it is they that are protecting us from our enemies. Only HKB"H protects us from our enemies, we make the effort (build the "partial third wall") and HKB"H is מַשְׁלִים.
Have you ever wondered why so many ex-IDF generals are radical left-wingers, fighting with all their being to make peace with the Arabs, as the "only" solution to the Middle East conflict? It is because only they have the classified, insider knowledge and truly understand the fallibility of their weapons systems, how inherently flawed they truly are. They have no belief in HKB"H whatsoever, all they have is flawed weapons systems as their last line of defense. Their inescapable conclusion is – you can never win. The only resort is to make peace. Same with Trump. Why do you think he repeatedly prefers to negotiate with Iran instead of defeating them? Because he lacks faith in G-d and the righteousness of his cause. All he knows is what his generals and advisors tell him about their fallible military options. They are not lying to him – all human-made weapons are fallible.
The סְכָךְ has to have more צֵל, shade than חַמָּה, sun.
The word צֵל reflects HKB"H's protection. A few examples, בְּצֵל שַׁ-דַּ-י יִתְלוֹנָן (תהילים צא, א), ה' צִלְּךָ עַל יַד יְמִינֶךָ (תהילים קכא, ה), בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ תַּסְתִּירֵנִי (תהילים יז, ח), etc. We would much prefer being under HKB"H's protection than have him angry against us and casting us out, reflected by the word חֵמָה. Some examples. כִּי יָגֹרְתִּי מִפְּנֵי הָאַף וְהַחֵמָה אֲשֶׁר קָצַף ה' וכו' (דברים ט, יט), שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ עַל הַגּוֹיִם (ירמיהו י, כה), ה' אַל בְּאַפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי, וּבַחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי (תהילים ו, ב), etc.
However, סְכָךְ cannot be so dense that it hermetically seals from above – some sunlight must pass through and at night it must be possible to see the larger stars (שו"ע או"ח תרלא, ג). In order for HKB"H to protect us, we need to leave space open (in ourselves), as it says פִּתְחוּ לִי פֶּתַח אֶחָד שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה, כְּחוּדָה שֶׁל מַחַט, וַאֲנִי פּוֹתֵחַ לָכֶם פְּתָחִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֲגָלוֹת וּקרֹנִיּוֹת נִכְנָסוֹת בּוֹ (שיר השירים רבה ה, ב).
Let us now talk about the Sukkah as a whole.
The Mishna (סוכה ב, ג) brings four examples of "interesting places" to build a Sukkah – on the deck of a ship (סְפִינָה), on the back of a camel (גָּמָל), on top of a tree (אִילָן) and on top of a wagon (עֲגָלָה). The question is why the Mishna brought thosespecific four examples and not, say, on top of a donkey, on top of a pole, on top of a whale, or on top of a bush?
The answer לע"ד is because these four examples are referring to the four Avot.
Avraham is the "captain" of the סְפִינָה. When Avraham died, all the kings of the world gave a hesped וְאָמַר רַב חָנָן בַּר רָבָא אָמַר רַב: אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם שֶׁנִּפְטַר אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם, עָמְדוּ כָּל גְּדוֹלֵי אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם בְּשׁוּרָה וְאָמְרוּ: אוֹי לוֹ לָעוֹלָם שֶׁאָבַד מַנְהִיגוֹ, וְאוֹי לָהּ לַסְּפִינָה שֶׁאָבַד קַבְרִינְטָא (בבא בתרא צא, ע"א).
Yitzchak is the גָּמָל. Numerous psukkim associate the גָּמָל with Yitzchak. בְּיוֹם הִגָּמֵל אֶת יִצְחָק (בראשית כא, ח), וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה גְמַלִּים בָּאִים (בראשית כד, סג), וַתִּשָּׂא רִבְקָה אֶת עֵינֶיהָ וַתֵּרֶא אֶת יִצְחָק וַתִּפֹּל מֵעַל הַגָּמָל (שם סד).
Yaakov is the אִילָן, the tree that stretches from the earth to the sky, like in the dream of the Sulam וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה (בראשית כח, יב). Yaakov also used branches from different trees to multiply his sheep while he was staying with Lavan וַיִּקַּח לוֹ יַעֲקֹב מַקַּל לִבְנֶה לַח וְלוּז וְעַרְמוֹן (בראשית ל, לז).
Yosef (who is considered one of the Avot, which is why his sons Ephraim and Menashe are Shevatim) is the עֲגָלָה. After Yosef reconciled with his brothers, he sent gifts back with them for Yaakov on … wagons וַיַּרְא אֶת הָעֲגָלוֹת אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַח יוֹסֵף (בראשית מה, כז). The last Gemara Yosef was studying with Yaakov before he was sold into slavery in Egypt was עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה (בראשית רבה צד, ג).
There are two connections between a Sukkah and the Avot.
The first is that Am Yisrael is protected because of זְכוּת אָבוֹת. We repeatedly play the Avot "trump card" (not the "Trump" card) when we ask HKB"H to forgive our sins and redeem us, not because we are worthy, but because He promised our Forefathers.
The second reason is that the tents of the Avot resembled a Beit Mikdash. As the Ramban, in his introduction to sefer Shmot says - the candle that never went out, the blessing in the dough and the cloud that hovered perpetually over the tent, were later duplicated by the Menorah, Shulchan and Ohel Moed in the Mishkan. As we said above, another name for the Beit Mikdash is a Sukkah וַיְהִי בְּשָׁלֵם סֻכֹּה (תהילים עו, ג).
OK, based on the above hypothesis, the Sukkah is a kind of "safe room" where we merit HKB"H's protection from physical and spiritual enemies. However, does this Sukkah protect anyone who is in it?
The answer is that it only protects those who are worthy, those who are sin-free. This is why Sukkot follows immediately after Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur we are forgiven for all our sins so that we can sit in the Sukkah sin-free.
Instead of studying electro-optics, electronics, steel reinforced bunker technology, those designing defense systems for Am Yisrael should be studying the Sukkah and learning its secrets. The Sukkah has more to teach us about real protection than Trump's "Star Wars" program.
When we enter the Sukkah, it should be with the awe and reverence of entering a Beit Mikdash. Our behavior in the Sukkah should reflect this, how we speak, how we conduct ourselves, how we treat each other, how we spend our time.
We have learned the lessons of October 7. We have learned that it is no longer sufficient to rely on technology and כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי, safe rooms in our houses, missile defense systems, hi-tech barriers and surveillance systems between us and Gaza. We now understand that in order to be safe, we need to model our security around that of a Sukkah, addressing vital areas that technology does not, like the connection between unity and national resilience, like the connection between spiritual values/heritage and national resilience.
Sukkot is the time to reconnect with these fundamentals and "recharge our batteries" for the upcoming year and ensure that it will be a blessed year for us individually and for all of Am Yisrael and the world.
Chag Sameach
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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