A wonderful Sukkot memory for many is decorating the Sukkah. For some it was hanging fruit, for some the paper chains, while others preferred more elaborate tapestries and artwork. If you go to a Sukkah that is associated with Chabad, you will notice the glaring absence of decorations.
There are various explanations for this custom. The Rebbe was asked about this, and he shared the following idea. The Succah is meant to imbue us with certain essential lessons… We should be impressed by the essential character of the Succah without recourse to the 'artificial' make-up; that the frail covering of the Succah and its bare walls, not adorned by external ornaments, should more directly impress upon us the lessons it is meant to convey.
Obviously, this does not negate those whose custom is to decorate, especially as this brings a lot of enthusiasm to the children involved in the decorating.
Recently I saw a video clip of the Rebbe addressing this from another angle that I found to be very powerful and uplifting. He argued that the most beautiful manner of adorning the Sukkah is by bringing as many fellow Jews as possible into your Sukkah. This conveys a sense of unity, and it also gives other Jews who may not otherwise have an opportunity, to fulfill the Mitzvah of Sukkah.
In Isaiah (43:10) G-d declares, “You are My witnesses.” The Hebrew for “My witnesses” is “Edai.” “Eidai” also means my adornments. Here G-d is declaring to the Jewish people, “You are My adornments.” Every Jew is a piece of jewelry that Hashem wears proudly. As Isaiah states (60:21), And your people, all of them righteous, shall inherit the land forever, a scion of My planting, the work of My hands in which I will glory.
So if you want to decorate your Sukkah, what better adornment could there be than decorating with Hashem’s jewelry? This year we are looking forward to hosting many of Hashem’s beautiful pieces of jewelry in our Sukkah and at Sukkah-Fest next Sunday.
I wish you all a very happy and meaningful Sukkot – the season of our rejoicing. May Hashem give us more and more reasons to celebrate and rejoice with good news coming from Israel and the whole world.
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin