Shabbos Succot :- Daniel Sternberg 1d · This Shabbos is Shabbos Succos . Succos is one of the three Pilgrim Festivals that we celebrate throughout the year , the other two being Pesach and Shavuot . Where Pesach is a reminder of HaShem Blessing us with freedom from Egyptian bondage and it was on Shavuot that we received the Ten Commandments and HaShem Revealed Himself to our entire nation of Jews , past , present and future , with regards to Succot , no specific historical even took place on this day , yet HaShem Blesses us with the very Holy Yom Tov , in which we dwell in our Succahs and take the Holy Species of the Lulav and Etrog and wave the Arba Minim with Blessings from HaShem . So why is this Yom Tov so special ? The first place we came to after leaving Egypt and Raamses , was a place called Succot . So that place was the start of our journey after all the years of bondage . It was in this place , that HaShem Surrounded our people with His Holy Clouds Of Glory , and so , it was in this place That HaShem , as such , brought us up within His Holy Loving Arms and Surrounded us , With His Love , From all sides and From Above and Below . Our Rabbis tell us that the Well of Miriam was Given To us By HaShem , in honour of Miriam , The Mannah , in honour of Moshe , and The Clouds Of Glory , That Surrounded The Camp of the Children of Israel , in honour of Aharon . It was when Aharon passed on , that the Clouds of Glory lifted , and Amalek attacked us . So HaShem , throughout all the years of our travels in the Wilderness , Surrounded us With His Clouds Of Glory . Nothing could penetrate these Clouds . No enemy's arrow could ever come through them . This is How HaShem Would Protect us today , if only , all our people , would keep HaShem's Commandments and Torah . So , HaShem Commands us that during this Yom Tom and its intermediate days of Chol Ha 'Moed , we are to dwell in the Succah . We are to leave our permanent dwelling homes , and as we did then , in the Wilderness , we are to put our full trust and faith in our Beloved HaShem , and leave the physical security of our homes , and trust in full faith that HaShem Protects us from all things around us , as we , at this time , put ourselves , totally in His Loving Care . Just as the Clouds Of Glory covered us from all sides , so do we surround ourselves on all sides , with the Succah . Just as The Clouds Of Glory protected us from above and below , so do we make a Schach roof above us , where the stars can be partly visible , reminding us how we are to be trusting to the outside elements that surround us . So , as Pesach and Shavuot have a historical touch to them among other reasons , so does Succot too , reminding us of the place Where HaShem Surrounded us With His Loving Protection . Just as it will be in Moshiach's Time . Just as it was in Gan Eiden , the way the World was meant to be . Just as we can make it , in our own lives , if only we just put our full trust and faith in HaShem . On Succos , we take the Four Species , the Arba Minim and , just like the six directions That HaShem Protected us , With His Clouds Of Glory , so do we bring the Four Species together , the Lulav and Etrog , and wave them in the very six directions . Again , a beautiful fulfillment of the Six Directions of the Clouds Of Glory , That HaShem Gave us , after we left Egypt Mitzrayim , at the first place we came to , Succot . The very name of Egypt in Hebrew is Mitzrayim , which means borders . Why was this place called 'borders ? ' When the Jews came to Egypt , with Yaakov , and seventy souls of his family , HaShem Blessed us and we multiplied . When Pharaoh put us to slavery , Bilaam , his advisor , who was actually the grandson of Lavan , who deceived Yaakov many times , this Bilaam , put a negative spiritual curse border around Egypt , that was to prevent the Jews from leaving , and Egypt itself , was very strict about anyone leaving its borders , ( this still in existence when Yosef had first come to Egypt and couldn't leave ) and so , diametrically opposed to this evil idea and scheme of Egypt , Pharaoh and Bilaam , our Freedom from Egypt , was also HaShem Breaking this evil curse around Egypt's borders , and so , the only border we , as Jews should ever have , is HaShem's Love and Care , and so , His Clouds Of Glory , Surrounded us in Love and Protection . The Lulav and Etrog , the Four Species , have so many beautiful connotations . Our Rabbonim teach us that each part of the Four Species represents the four different types of Jews . The beautiful smelling Etrog ( by some opinions thought to be the Fruit that Chava ate in Gan Eiden ) that has taste and sweet smell , represents the Jew who has both Torah Mitzvos and Good Deeds . The Lulav Branch , that has fruit of taste , but no smell , represents the Jew , who has Torah Mitzvos , but lacks in Good Deeds . The Myrtle Branch Hadas , that has a sweet smell , but no taste , represents the Jew , that lacks Torah Mitzvos , but has Good Deeds , and the Aravos Willow Branches , that has no taste and also no sweet smell , represents the Jew that lacks Torah Mitzvos and also lacks Good Deeds . So when we bring these Four Species together , they all become like one , and cover and make up for the other , what the one is lacking , so we help each other . Also , we are told that the Four Species also stand for our Patriarchs and Yosef . When Moshiach comes , we Jews will be at Peace with all and with each other . In fact , one of the ways to bring Moshiach , is for all our fellow Jews to come together as one . We learn this when Yaakov was about to pass away , and told his sons what will come to pass at the End of Days , and before this , Yaakov says , Gather Together / Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days . " ( Bereishis 49:1 ) . So we learn here that if we come together as one people and nation of Jews in peace , so can we bring on the End of Days . Here , Yaakov was about to reveal the time of the End of Days , which we are not to know till it comes , and so , HaShem Sent a Malach Angel , to stop Yaakov revealing it . So here we have a hint to how to bring Moshiach , and that is that all our fellow Jews are to come together as one nation , and so , on Succot , we take the Arba Minin , The Four Species , and bring them together as one , and praise HaShem , and wave them in all the Six Directions , that HaShem Covered us , With His Holy Clouds Of Glory . So Succot , is not just a Yom Tov of past happenings and remembrances , but in fact , is a Yom Tov of Sweet Moshiach , for with coming together as one , as we do with the Four Species , with putting our trust in HaShem , and dwelling in a Succah , as we did with The Clouds of Glory , and with the connotation of Rain , that this Yom Tov is Blessed with , for we take willow branches , that grow by water and we used to have the holy ceremony of the Water Drawing , called. Nisuch Hamayim Simchat Beit HaSho'eivah ( The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies by Abraham P . Bloch ) , the Pouring of Water on the Altar and the festivities around this Yom Tov in the rain coming season , we certainly can see , that this Holy Tom Tov , is certainly one of a future Moshiach's time holiness , Where HaShem Will rain Many Blessings Down on His World . The very word ' Succot ' means ' Shade , ' where HaShem Shields us and protects us from the harsh physical elements that can harm . This is exactly what following HaShem's Torah leads to , for HaShem's Torah , is our Succah in this World , that , if kept , protects us from the physical dangers and negativites , that come about , when we stray from HaShem , Chas Ve Shalom . Such Protection , From HaShem , Is Total Protection , just as nothing and no harm could penetrate HaShem's Clouds Of Glory . Such Following of HaShem , as One , to The One And Only HaShem , Certainly Will Lead To The End Of Days , where Sweet Holy Secrets will be revealed . This too , is within the word ' Succot , ' for within this word , we have the words ' Sodi Kotel , ' ( Zilberman Dictionary ) which means ' Wall of Secret , ' for so many secrets will be revealed in Moshiach's Time and At The End Of Days . When Adam Ve Chavah were forced out of Gan Eiden , that personal closeness with HaShem , was not the same , for secret texts tell us that HaShem Put a Spiritual Wall Barrier between Himself and them , that will only come down , at the End of Days . This Spiritual Wall , is like a Spiritual Netting , so that the clarity that was before , is not the same , where Spiritual Things are concerned , so we don't view things as clearly as we did once . This will return in Moshiach's Time , at the End of Days . This Wall will be removed , and Sweet and Holy Secrets Will Again Be Revealed . We will again Be Given , that Closeness that Adam and Chavah Had in Gan Eiden . This Wall , will thus be removed and HaShem Will Show us His Closeness and Secrets of Love ,d Knowledge , we so await . So the very fact that the words ' Wall of Secrets , ' is within the word ' Succot , ' surely shows us , that this Very Holy Festival , is most definitely a Festival of the sweet future coming of Moshiach and the End of Days , and when we take our Lulav and Etrog and wave them in the six directions , we call on the Heavenly Waters On High in Shamaim Heaven , and bring them to join the Waters below , and so , bring this Holy Creation to the Blessed Oneness of HaShem HaKadosh Baruch Hu , HaShem , The Holy One Blessed Be He . I Wish our Beautiful HaShem With Sweetest Love , A Most Special and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Beautiful Yom Tov Succot With Sweetest Love , and to all my fellow Jews , a Most Sweet and Special Holy Shabbos Kodesh and Beautiful Yom Tov Succot with love . Shabbat Shalom to all Creation .