In the Talmud in Masechet Sukkah, all about the holiday of Sukkot, the rabbis teach:
The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? The Gemara explains that it is as the Sages taught: “In sukkot shall you reside” (Leviticus 23:42), and they interpreted: Reside as you dwell in your permanent home.
From here they said: All seven days, a person renders their sukkah their permanent residence and their house their temporary residence.
How so? If they have beautiful vessels, they take them up to the sukkah; if they have beautiful bedding, they take it up to the sukkah; they eat and drink and relax in the sukkah and study Torah in the sukkah.
This instruction on how we should “dwell” in the sukkah is described with five elements:
Have beautiful objects in the sukkah with you.
Have beautiful bedding, for comfort in the sukkah with you.
Eat and drink in the sukkah.
Relax in the sukkah
Study Torah in the sukkah.
These elements serve to inspire the different aspects of who we are and place them in the sukkah.
We experience beautiful things and our body is comfortable. We enjoy food and drink sustaining us. We bring calm to our minds and we joyously engage our spirit.
In the Talmudic mind or our own, how could anything be more pleasant than these things? As you celebrate Sukkot this year, seek out each of these experiences and let them lift you up.
What do you do to make your Sukkot experience meaningful?
We put up the sukkah but only three walls so we could put our hammock in the sukkah. Its a big sukkah so dining table with flowers to eat and study and hammock to relax in and look at the clouds or the stars!
Great timing! We just finished putting up most of our sukkah! I love the idea about having beautiful objects in the sukkah – I'm going to make that happen this year.