The Deeper Meaning of Sukkot: Why We Leave Our Homes for the Sukkah

The Torah states regarding the festival of Sukkot:

“On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the festival of the Lord for seven days. The first day shall be a day of rest, and the eighth day shall be a day of rest. On the first day you shall take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of date palms, a bough of a leafy tree, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year; it is an eternal statute throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in sukkot for seven days; every Israelite shall dwell in sukkot, so that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:39–43)

The Ramban explains:

“‘For I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkot’—[this refers to] the Clouds of Glory, as Rashi explains. In my opinion, this is the correct interpretation according to the plain meaning of the verse. For He commanded that future generations should know all the great deeds that the Lord performed wondrously for them, causing them to dwell within His Clouds of Glory as though in a sukkah. As it is stated (Isaiah 4:5–6): ‘The Lord will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and over its assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the glow of a flaming fire by night, for over all the glory there will be a canopy. And there will be a sukkah for shade by day from the heat...’ Since the Torah had already explained that the cloud of the Lord was over them by day and the pillar of fire by night, it simply states, ‘For I caused [them] to dwell in sukkot,’ meaning that I made My Clouds of Glory into sukkot to protect them.”

In this passage, the Ramban explains the verse “For I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkot” as referring to the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Jewish people in the desert, following Rashi’s interpretation.

The purpose of the commandment to dwell in a sukkah throughout the generations is to remember and recognize the extraordinary miracles and acts of kindness that God performed for the Jewish people, particularly the Clouds of Glory that sheltered and protected them during their years in the wilderness.

The Ramban bases his explanation in part on the verses in Isaiah (4:5–6), which describe God’s protective cloud over Jerusalem as a canopy and a sukkah providing shelter. In the same way, the “sukkot” in which God placed the Children of Israel were the Clouds of Glory, which surrounded and protected them in the desert.

The Ramban continues:

“He commanded us at the beginning of the warm season to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, in its month and at its appointed festival, and He commanded us to commemorate the continuing miracle that was performed for them throughout their entire stay in the wilderness at the beginning of the rainy season. According to the opinion that they actually built physical sukkot for themselves (Sukkah 11b), they began constructing them at the beginning of winter because of the cold, as is customary in encampments. Therefore, He commanded us to observe [the mitzvah] at this time, so that through this remembrance they would know and recall that they were in the wilderness, that they did not enter a house or find an inhabited city for forty years, and yet the Lord was with them and they lacked nothing.”

Remembering God’s Protection in the Wilderness

The Ramban explains why Sukkot is celebrated specifically at this time of year, at the beginning of the rainy season, and how its timing connects the festival to both the Exodus from Egypt and the Jewish people’s forty years in the wilderness.

Passover, celebrated at the beginning of the warmer season, commemorates the Exodus itself. Sukkot, celebrated as the rainy season begins, commemorates the ongoing miracle that followed: God sustained and protected the Jewish people throughout their long journey through the desert.

Even according to the opinion that the Torah’s “sukkot” were actual booths rather than the Clouds of Glory, the message remains powerful. The Jewish people spent forty years without permanent homes or settled cities. Yet throughout those years, God remained with them and provided everything they needed.

The Sukkah as a Reminder of Divine Providence

When we sit in the sukkah during Sukkot, we are invited to remember and reflect on the many acts of kindness God has shown us throughout our history. The sukkah represents the Divine protection that accompanied the Jewish people in the wilderness, whether through the miraculous Clouds of Glory or through the physical shelters in which they lived.

Sitting in the sukkah connects us to those years when the Jewish people lived without the security of permanent homes, yet were continually cared for by God. They traveled through an inhospitable wilderness for forty years, but “the Lord was with them and they lacked nothing.”

The sukkah therefore carries a message that extends far beyond the historical events of the Exodus. It reminds us that true security does not come only from solid walls and permanent structures. Ultimately, our security comes from God.

As we leave our homes and enter the sukkah, we remember His protection in the past and strengthen our faith in the Divine providence that continues to accompany us today.