Sukkoth is a holiday that is very symbolic of our spiritual work. It arrives after the realization of evil that happens on Yom Kippur. That is to say, on Yom Kippur, a person understands the full extent to which his will to enjoy, his egoism, his entire nature – is evil, and that he has no chance to escape it. But this realization comes as a result of great preliminary work.

On Rosh Hashanah (the New Year), a person decides to start a new life, to rise above his own nature no matter what and to ascend to the next level. On Yom Kippur, however, he reveals that he does not have the ability to attain this, because his Kelim (desires) are unfit for it. But then he comes to understand that spirituality and corporeality are inseparable, that every Upper Level is built and based upon the previous level. It’s not that there is some ready-made spiritual world waiting for you somewhere, and all you have to do is “get there” from this world. Rather, you have to take everything you have in the current state and rearrange it in a new way. That is how you will build your new level.

We have very important possessions on our current level, including all the corporeal and all the spiritual things. However, the spiritual things don’t seem important to us yet, since we still cannot enjoy them. Bestowal, care for one’s neighbor, and love for the Creator are all things that appear unneeded, like garbage.

We do agree to do spiritual work, but only if it’s for the sake of gaining more knowledge and understanding or in order to receive a reward for the work. And we don’t understand that it is precisely in virtue of the “unimportant” things, the “garbage” which we raise above us and use it to build a canopy or covering, that we create a new Kli.

That is when these things, which my desire to enjoy deems unnecessary, work to cover or conceal my egoism, to pacify it by creating a shade over it. If I am willing and happy to remain in this shade and to build the desire to bestow inside me, then the Light of the Sukkoth Holiday comes to me.

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