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Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

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Rabbi Benayahu Shmueli, Head of the Yeshiva: Chizuk for the 12th of Tishrei - Preparation for Sukkot

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•September 23, 2026
The Connection of Sukkah to Noah's ArkEarning the Privilege to Sit in the SukkahThe Ushpizin and the Divine PresenceCaring for the Poor and Honoring the GuestsThe Parable of Yaakov and Eisav

Through these mathematical relationships, the word Sukkah directly hints at Noah’s Ark. Consequently, the Sukkah possesses that same protective spiritual force—expressed in the prayer "Spread over us the shelter of Your peace"—wherein a person is sheltered inside from all harsh external spiritual forces.

The following is based on Rabbi Shmueli's Hebrew Chizuk video for the 12th of Tishrei

Rabbi B. Y. Shmueli

1. The Gematria and Secrets of the Sukkah

Dimensions of the Ark and the Divine Names

The dimensions of Noah’s Ark are given as 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in width, and 30 cubits in height. The numerical value (Gematria) of the word Sukkah (סוכה) is 91: Samekh (60), Vav (6), Kaf (20), and Hei (5). Samekh and Kaf equal 80, while Vav and Hei equal 11, totaling 91.

 

The number 91 is also the combined numerical value of the interwoven Divine Names Havayah (Y-H-V-H, the Tetragrammaton as written) and Adnut (A-D-N-Y, the Tetragrammaton as pronounced). When interwoven alternating letter by letter, they form the sequence: Yod (Havayah), Aleph (Adnut), Hei (Havayah), Dalet (Adnut), Vav (Havayah), Nun (Adnut), Hei (Havayah), and Yod (Adnut).


Multiplying the Paired Letters

Examining the multiplication of these paired letters reveals a direct mathematical link to Noah's Ark:

  • Height: The first pair is Yod (10) times Aleph (1), which equals 10. The second pair is Hei (5) times Dalet (4), which equals 20. Added together (10 + 20), they total 30, corresponding to the 30 cubits height of the Ark.

 

  • Length: The third pair is Vav (6) times Nun (50), which equals 300, corresponding to the 300 cubits length of the Ark.

 

  • Width: The fourth pair is Hei (5) times Yod (10), which equals 50, corresponding to the 50 cubits width of the Ark.

 

Through these mathematical relationships, the word Sukkah directly hints at Noah’s Ark. Consequently, the Sukkah possesses that same protective spiritual force—expressed in the prayer "Spread over us the shelter of Your peace"—wherein a person is sheltered inside from all harsh external spiritual forces.

2. Practical Observance and Setting Up the Sukkah

Earning the Privilege to Sit in the Sukkah

Not everyone merits to sit in the Sukkah, and fortunate is the person who achieves this privilege. If someone does not merit sitting in the Sukkah, the Sukkah itself pushes them out. Some only merit sitting in it for brief periods; they cannot manage more, and they do not merit sleeping there because the Sukkah does not want them inside for long.

 

A person should strive to remain in the Sukkah as much as possible: eating, sleeping, spending leisure time, and praying there, effectively turning the Sukkah into a synagogue. Rashi notes in Genesis regarding holy spaces that if someone is not fitting to be there, they derive no enjoyment from it and feel out of place.

 

Creating Optimal Conditions

To make the experience pleasant and welcoming, one should establish the best possible conditions in the Sukkah:

 

  • Climate Control: Install an air conditioner in hot places so it is comfortable, and place a heater in cold places so it remains warm.
  • Peace of Mind and Simplicity: Avoid lifting heavy loads or hauling cumbersome items. Utilizing modern, high-end disposable tableware provides a beautiful setting while eliminating the burden of washing dishes afterward.
  • Preparing an Appetite and Eagerness: On the eve of Sukkot, one should follow strict standards by refraining from eating starting from midday. This ensures a hearty appetite for the night's meal. Unlike Passover Eve, where the reading of the Haggadah delays the main meal (allowing light eating earlier in the day), eating in the Sukkah on the first night is a Biblical commandment (Mitzvah d'Oraita). Avoid taking naps on the eve of Sukkot so that sleep inside the Sukkah at night is deep and restful.

 

3. The Spiritual Virtues and Safeguards of the Sukkah

Reinterpreting Discomfort and Illness

The Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk offers a homiletical reading of the legal rule Mitzta'er patur min ha-sukkah ("one who suffers discomfort is exempt from the Sukkah"). He interprets the phrase in reverse: "How shall one who suffers discomfort (mitzta'er) be relieved of his suffering? Through the Sukkah (min ha-sukkah)!" By fulfilling the mitzvah of Sukkah, a person is saved from troubles, and their afflictions are removed.

Similarly, regarding the rule that the sick and their caretakers are exempt, the spiritual virtue (Segulah) of the Sukkah serves as the cure for illness. For instance, advising a sick person to purchase several Sukkot for Torah scholars can serve as a catalyst for their healing. The Sukkah acts as a shield against troubles, problems, and diseases.


Sacred Details and Esoteric Intentions

The holy Shelah, quoting the Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero), writes that pious individuals and men of good deeds would enter the Sukkah and kiss its walls, both inside and outside, as well as the very ground. The walls hint at Holy Divine Names, as detailed by the Ari (Arizal) in Sha'ar HaKavanot, which outlines the esoteric diagrams and holy names ascending through the structure. Human eyes cannot directly see the immense divine abundance flowing down through the walls of the Sukkah.


4. The Ushpizin and the Divine Presence

The Seven Days as the Seven Patriarchs

In the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai addresses the verse: "In sukkot you shall dwell seven days" (Leviticus 23:42). He questions why the text does not say "for seven days" (be-shiv'at ha-yamim), noting that the wording implies the seven days themselves dwell in the Sukkah.

 

Rabbi Shimon explains that "seven days" refers to the Holy Patriarchs and the Sephirot:

  • Sunday (1st Day) / Chesed (Lovingkindness): Avraham
  • Monday (2nd Day)  / Gevurah (Might): Yitzchak
  • Tuesday (3rd Day) / Tiferet (Beauty/Glory): Yaakov
  • Wednesday (4th Day) / Netzach (Eternity): Moshe
  • Thursday (5th Day) / Hod (Splendor): Aharon
  • Friday (6th Day) / Yesod (Foundation): Yosef
  • Saturday (Shabbat) / Malchut (Kingship): David

 

These Seven Exalted Holy Guests (Ushpizin) embody the Sephirot and dwell within the Sukkah.


Inviting the Ushpizin

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states that before entering the Sukkah, a person should stand at the entrance and explicitly invite the guests, saying: "Enter, Seven Exalted Holy Guests! Enter, Holy Fathers..."

 

This resolves another textual issue in Leviticus 23:42. The verse shifts from second-person address ("In sukkot you shall dwell seven days") to third-person address ("All who are native-born in Israel shall dwell in sukkot"). The initial directive ("you shall dwell") is addressed by the Divine directly to the higher heavenly realms and Sephirot, inviting them into the Sukkah. Once the higher lights are invited, the text instructs the people of Israel ("all who are native-born") to enter and dwell alongside them. Therefore, Rabbi Abba confirms that one must stand at the doorway and formally say, "Dwell, Exalted Holy Guests."


Caring for the Poor and Honoring the Guests

While the Ushpizin are spiritual guests who do not consume physical food, they observe what is brought into the Sukkah—whether liver, lamb, delicacies, salads, or stuffed chicken. Seeing this physical food, they ask: "Where is our portion? We want to give to the poor!"

 

To satisfy the Ushpizin, a person must share their physical bounty:

  1. Providing Food: If someone prepares fine meats and salads for their own family, they must look to neighbors in need—such as a family with 12 children—ask what they love to eat, and order or prepare food for them first.

 

  1. Providing Clothing and Books: If needy neighbors lack decent clothing, one should clothe them. If they lack holy books for Sukkot, one should purchase them from "Yosef Chaim" or "Nahar Shalom." As a specific merit for the recovery of Rabbi Yosef Chaim ben Esther, five books from a Sukkot raffle are designated for distribution.

 

Preparing the Chair and Chandelier

Each day of the festival corresponds to a primary guest who arrives with all the others: Avraham on the first day, Yitzchak on the second day, and so on.

 

To honor them:

  • The Chair: Prepare a dedicated, beautiful chair topped with a tablecloth as the crowning feature of the Sukkah. A custom-built chair, such as one made by a craftsman from Beit HaAm, serves this purpose well. On Hoshanah Rabbah, specific preparations are made for this chair.
  • The Chandelier: Lower a silver chandelier suspended by a silver chain near the chair to hold the Ushpizin candle. One can light a single candle designated for that day's primary guest, or light seven candles, with the main candle representing the guest of the day.

 

5. Temporal Reflections and Structural Symbolism

The Sukkah as a Temporary Dwelling

The Alshich explains that the seven days of Sukkot correspond to the seventy years of a person's average lifespan. Staying in the Sukkah for seven days reminds a person that earthly life is entirely temporary.

 

This concept is embedded in the word Sukkah (סוכה), which serves as an acronym for Sof Kol Ha'adam (סוף כול האדם - "The end of all mankind"). Reflecting on this reality helps a person realize that the entire physical world is merely a temporary dwelling, rendering material worries and pursuits as ultimate vanity, mirroring the core message of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes).


Symbolic Walls and Livelihood

The Sukkah also hints at the "Upper Mother" (Binah) through its physical shape, which resembles the letter Hei (ה)—consisting of two full walls and a third partial wall measuring at least a handbreadth (Tefach).

 

Our Sages teach that the three walls of the Sukkah correspond to three fundamental human needs:

  1. Children (Benei): Requires a complete, full wall, symbolising that one cannot have "half children"; they must be whole and fully sustained.

 

  1. Life (Chayei): Also requires a complete, full wall, as life cannot be partial; it must be good and complete.

 

  1. Sustenance (Mezonei): Requires only a single handbreadth (Tefach). The word Tefach (טפח) forms the acronym for Tov Pat Charevah (טוב פת חריבה - "Better a dry morsel with peace").

 

Excessive material wealth is unnecessary for livelihood; basic sustenance suffices. This aligns with Yaakov's prayer: "And gives me bread to eat, and clothing to wear, and I return in peace to my father's house."

The Parable of Yaakov and Eisav

When Eisav and Yaakov divided the worlds, Eisav chose This World, while Yaakov chose the World to Come. Upon encountering Yaakov's extensive camp, Eisav questioned how Yaakov possessed four wives, twelve children, and an immense household.

 

Yaakov explained that after intending to marry Rachel, he was deceived into marrying Leah, subsequently received Rachel as well, and was given maidservants by both, resulting in four matriarchs. Hashem blessed him with children who in turn grew and started their own families, resulting in a large camp where each wife prepared her traditional specialized dishes—such as Sakhbiya, Tebit, and Mafrum.