Sukkah as a place given to ba'alei teshuvah

בראשונה דברנו טעם סוכות אחר ר"ה ויוהכ"פ.

Previously we spoke of the reason that Sukkos comes after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The Sefas Emes recalls an earlier teaching about why Sukkos follows directly upon the Yamim Noraim.

כי הבעלי תשובה אין להם מקום והקב"ה נותן לו מקום והוא הסוכה.

For ba'alei teshuvah have no place, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives them a place — and that is the sukkah.

One who returns in teshuvah cannot rely on his own merits to secure a 'place'; Hashem grants him one as a gift, and the sukkah is the embodiment of that Divinely-given place.

כי בנ"י המה עתה בעלי תשובה ויושבין בצלו של מקום.

For Bnei Yisrael are now ba'alei teshuvah, and they sit in the shade of the Omnipresent (HaMakom).

Having just passed through the Days of Awe, all of Israel are now ba'alei teshuvah; sitting in the sukkah is sitting in the protective shade of Hashem, who is called 'HaMakom,' the Place.

וכפי מה שיודע האדם שאין לו מקום מצ"ע נותן לו הקב"ה מקום.

And to the degree that a person knows he has no place of his own, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives him a place.

The gift is measured by humility: the more a person recognizes that he has no standing on his own merit, the more Hashem grants him a place from Above.

ומקום זה גבוה ממה שזוכה במעשיו.

And this place is higher than what he would merit through his own deeds.

Precisely because it is a gift rather than an earned reward, this Divinely-given place is loftier than anything a person could attain by his own actions.

ועל זה אמרו במקום שבע"ת עומדין אין צדיקים גמורים יכולין לעמוד.

And about this Chazal said: "In the place where ba'alei teshuvah stand, even complete tzaddikim cannot stand" (Berachos 34b).

This explains the famous teaching: ba'alei teshuvah occupy a place granted from Above, higher than the level a perfectly righteous person reaches through his own avodah.

כי הבע"ת יושבין במקום הניתן להם משמים כנ"ל.

For the ba'alei teshuvah sit in a place given to them from Heaven, as above.

Their elevated standing comes not from their own accomplishment but from a place bestowed on them from Shomayim, which is why even the fully righteous cannot reach it.

והנה בר"ה ויוכ"פ נגאלין בנ"י מיצה"ר בחסד עליון.

Now, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Bnei Yisrael are redeemed from the yetzer hara through supernal chessed.

The Days of Awe accomplish a rescue from the yetzer hara, but this comes purely through Hashem's chessed from Above, not through the person's own zechus.

ואחר זה צריכין הגנה יותר.

And after this they require greater protection.

Precisely because this rescue was a gift and not self-earned, it leaves the person vulnerable and in need of additional shielding.

כי התקון שאינו בא מצד זכות עצמו רודפין אחריו הקטרוגים.

For a rectification that does not come by way of one's own merit — the accusations (kitrugim) pursue it.

When a tikkun is granted rather than earned, the forces of accusation press their claim against it, arguing that the person does not really deserve it.

לכן הקב"ה מגין עלינו אח"כ בסוכה.

Therefore Hakadosh Baruch Hu shields us afterward with the sukkah.

To guard the gift of the Yamim Noraim against these accusations, Hashem provides the sukkah as a protective covering immediately after.

וע"ז נאמר ברוך פודה ומציל.

And about this it is said, "Blessed is the One who redeems and rescues" (poreh umatzil).

The two terms 'redeems' and 'rescues' correspond to two distinct stages, as he now explains.

פודה בר"ה ויוכ"פ ומציל בסוכות שלא יבואו הקטרוגים להבא.

"Redeems" on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and "rescues" on Sukkos — that the accusations should not come in the future.

Hashem 'redeems' us from the yetzer hara during the Days of Awe, and then 'rescues' us through the sukkah, protecting that achievement from future accusation.

ואיתא על ג' דברים העולם קיים אמת דין ושלום כו'.

And it is taught: on three things the world endures — truth, justice, and peace (Avos 1:18).

The Sefas Emes now aligns these three pillars of the world with the three festivals of Tishrei.

והם ראש השנה ויוכ"פ וסוכות.

And these are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos.

Truth, justice, and peace map respectively onto the three days that sustain the world: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos.

כי ר"ה המשפט מצד שהקב"ה נותן בו חיים לכל הנבראים.

For Rosh Hashanah is judgment, by virtue of the fact that Hakadosh Baruch Hu grants life on it to all created beings.

On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem bestows life upon all of creation; that very bestowal sets the judgment in motion, as each must be assessed for what it will receive.

וה' אלקים אמת וממילא מתעורר המשפט של כל אחד איך לקבל השייך לו באמת.

And "Hashem, God, is truth" (Yirmiyahu 10:10) — and consequently the judgment of each one is aroused, as to how he should truly receive what belongs to him.

Because Hashem is absolute truth, the giving of life automatically triggers a judgment of truth, determining what each being is truly fit to receive. Thus Rosh Hashanah corresponds to 'truth.'

לכן אומרים בר"ה ודברך אמת כי מצד זה בא המשפט בר"ה.

Therefore we say on Rosh Hashanah, "and Your word is truth," for it is from this aspect that the judgment of Rosh Hashanah comes.

The liturgy's stress on Hashem's truth on Rosh Hashanah reflects exactly this: the day's judgment flows from the attribute of emes.

אבל עיקר הדין ביוכ"פ.

But the essence of the judgment (din) is on Yom Kippur.

While Rosh Hashanah corresponds to 'truth,' the central act of strict judgment, din, belongs to Yom Kippur — the second pillar.

ושלום הוא בסוכות כדכתיב פורס סוכת שלום.

And peace (shalom) is on Sukkos, as it is written, "He spreads the sukkah of peace."

The third pillar, peace, is Sukkos, as expressed in the bracha 'who spreads the sukkah of shalom' — the protective canopy of peace.

ועל ג' ימים טובים אלו מתקיים כל השנה:

And upon these three festive days the entire year endures.

Just as the world stands on truth, justice, and peace, so the whole year is sustained by Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos together.

Summary: Sukkos follows the Yamim Noraim because ba'alei teshuvah have no place of their own, so Hashem grants them one — the sukkah — a place higher than what their deeds could earn. Since the rescue from the yetzer hara on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur was a gift, it draws accusations, so Hashem 'rescues' it through the sukkah. The three days correspond to the world's three pillars: Rosh Hashanah is truth, Yom Kippur is justice, and Sukkos is peace, and upon them the whole year stands.