“Sukkah is the only mitzvah that a person enters into with their muddy boots,” according to an old Chassidic saying.
Chassidic sayings are known to be witty. But, more importantly, they often share profound messages in few and simple words.
This is a cute quip, but does it have a deeper meaning?
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According to the Talmud, the mitzvah of Sukkah is considered an “easy mitzvah.”
I know in the modern era you can order a pop-up sukkah, but anyone that’s built a kosher sukkah knows that it takes effort and time to build a sukkah. It’s not free to build a sukkah either, not even for a pop-up sukkah.
So, what does the Talmud mean with its claim that Sukkah is an easy mitzvah?
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Usually, doing a mitzvah requires us to separate ourselves – mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically – from the self-centeredness and materialism of our surroundings and our own lives. As this week’s parsha Haazinu illustrates, material bounty can be a great distraction to serving G-d. The Torah predicts that the Jewish people will have “become fat and rebelled.” Becoming “fat” (= materialistic) will lead to rebellion. To be sure, the material world is not our enemy – it’s our opportunity. But, we tend to forget that…
To give away our hard-earned money to tzedaka requires sacrifice. To volunteer our precious time at the food bank requires sacrifice. To patiently educate our children requires sacrifice. To trust in and turn to G-d in prayer requires sacrifice.
For seven days, however, we can perform a mitzvah by simply doing the things we already do. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are on the short list of things we already do. On Sukkot, if you eat those meals in the Sukkah – you’ve done a mitzvah!
We don’t usually think of our muddy boots as participants in the mitzvot we perform.
Yet, on Sukkot, we have an opportunity to serve G-d easily – with virtually everything we do.
This Sukkot, step into the Sukkah and enjoy a special and easy mitzvah. Even with your muddy boots!
* For an even deeper perspective, click here.