By Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Abramovitz

What is the joy of Sukkos all about?

When Bnei Yisrael traveled through the desert, Hashem provided three miraculous gifts to sustain them: manna descended from heaven, fresh water flowed from Miriam’s well, and the ananei ha’kavod – the Clouds of Glory – enveloped the nation (Ta’anis 9a). At first glance, it would seem that the first two miracles were the most important. Without food and water, the Jewish people never could have survived forty years in the wilderness. Yet no holiday commemorates those indispensable gifts. Instead, Sukkos celebrates the ananei ha’kavod (Sukkah 11b).

That is surprising because the clouds hardly seem essential at all. The Jewish people could have survived the desert inside their own booths – literal “sukkos.” In fact, Chazal emphasize that the true benefit of the clouds was not protection, but comfort. They leveled the roads, laundered clothing, and spared the nation the blisters and hardships of desert travel (Rashi to Bamidbar 10:34 and Devarim 8:4). It is this “spa treatment” that we commemorate each year!

Doesn’t that seem backward? Shouldn’t we be thanking Hashem more for the necessities than for the luxuries? The Mabit (Rabbi Moshe ben Yosef Trani zt”l, d. 1585) in Beis Elokim (Sha’ar HaYesodos 37) offers a beautiful explanation. In a sense, Hashem “had to” provide food and water. After bringing the Jewish people into the middle of a barren wilderness, He could hardly leave them without the basic necessities for survival. The Clouds of Glory, however, were entirely different. Hashem didn’t have to smooth the roads, clean our clothes, or make our journey more comfortable. Those were gifts that went above and beyond what was necessary. Through them, Hashem demonstrated not only His responsibility toward the Jewish people, but His deep love for us.

Every healthy relationship includes obligations.

Parents provide for their children. Employers pay their employees.

Spouses fulfill countless responsibilities toward one another. Those duties sustain a relationship.

What transforms it into something deeper are the thoughtful gestures that no one was required to do – the small acts that communicate, “I care about your comfort and happiness.” The same is true in our relationship with Hashem.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur focus on obligation. We recognize Hashem’s sovereignty and seek another year of life because we depend upon Him. We stand before Him with awe because these days are essential to our spiritual survival. Sukkos is our opportunity to go above and beyond. We remember that Hashem once cared not only about our survival, but about our comfort as well. In response, we don’t merely fulfill another obligation; we celebrate with unrestrained joy. We reciprocate Hashem’s extraordinary love with an extraordinary expression of our own.

If it seems over-the-top to devote an entire holiday to the ananei ha’kavod, it is because we are responding in kind to the One Who went over-the-top in showering us with His love in the desert.