Longing for the shade of the sukkah

בצלו חמדתי וישבתי.

"In His shade I delighted and sat" (Shir HaShirim 2:3).

The Sefas Emes takes this verse from Shir HaShirim, expressing the soul's longing to sit in the shade of Hashem, as the basis for understanding the mitzvah of the sukkah.

א"כ נראה דבימים אלו בנ"י משתוקקין לחסות בצלו.

It thus appears that in these days, Bnei Yisrael long to take shelter in His shade.

The days of Sukkos are a time when the Jewish people yearn to take refuge under the protection of the Divine Presence.

כי עצם נפשות בנ"י נמשכין אחר הקב"ה.

For the very essence of the souls of Bnei Yisrael is drawn after the Holy One.

At its core, the Jewish soul is naturally pulled toward Hashem; this longing is its true essence.

רק הבלי עולם מסירין אהבת הלב.

It is only the vanities of the world that remove the heart's love.

The empty distractions of this world are what obscure and dampen the soul's innate love for Hashem.

ואחר יוהכ"פ שנטהרו הלבבות וכתיב ועניתם את נפשותיכם.

But after Yom Kippur, when the hearts have been purified — and it is written, "and you shall afflict your souls" (Vayikra 16:31).

The affliction of Yom Kippur cleanses the heart of its worldly attachments, restoring its clarity.

וכפי מה שמתרחקין מתאות הגוף כך מתעורר אהבת הנפש ומשתוקקין אליו ית' וזוכין לסוכה:

And to the degree that one distances himself from the desires of the body, so does the love of the soul awaken, and one longs for Him, may He be blessed, and merits the sukkah.

As bodily desires recede, the soul's hidden love is rekindled; this awakened yearning for Hashem is exactly what earns a person the shelter of the sukkah, "His shade" in which the soul delights.

Summary: The Sefas Emes explains that on Sukkos, Bnei Yisrael long to take shelter "in His shade" — the sukkah. The essence of the Jewish soul is naturally drawn after Hashem, and only the vanities of the world obscure that love. After the purification and affliction of Yom Kippur, as a person distances himself from bodily desires, the soul's innate love reawakens; this rekindled longing for Hashem is precisely what enables one to merit the shelter of the sukkah.