Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Temporary

ויעקב נסע סכתה ויבן לו בית ולמקנהו עשה סכת על כן קרא שם המקום סכות.  Why did Yaakov name the place Sukkot due to the huts and not house due to the permanent structure he built?  The Chasam Sofer in his derashot to Sukkot suggests that the read is that for Yaakov everything in this world is temporary, a sukkah and that is his בית, for him the sukkah is the bayis.  However, למקנהו doesn't mean for his livestock, but for the entourage, the נפש אשר עשו בחרן, the sukkah was only temporary but this message did not stay with them.  He continues to say that the Sukkot is what sticks with the place because it is the message that gets passed to others that is most important.  

The Sfas Emes (5662) echoes this message that the machlokes if sukkah is דירת ארעי או קבע is two different modes of viewing the sukkah.  For some people, the sukkah is דירת קבע, they are able to see the entire world as temporary.  However, for most people the sukkah is just a דירת ארעי, a temporary residence that doesn't last.  He adds that is inherited from Yaakov calling the place Sukkot, he allowed for even those with whom the message of Sukkot does not permeate on a permanent basis to to able to appreciate Sukkot.

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