Why do we?

…Celebrate Sukkos After Yom Kippur?

The Passuk says:

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ דֹרֹתֵיכֶם כִּי בְסֻכּוֹת הוֹשַׁבְתִּי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהוֹצִיאִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם

So that every generation will know that Hashem had us live in Sukkos when we left Mitzrayim. According to Rabbi Eliezer in masechtas Sukkah, the Sukkos in the passuk are the Ananei HaKavod, the special clouds Hashem surrounded us with in the Midbar.

Our Tzadikim ask many questions on this! What about the Mon and the Be’er (the rock that gave us water in the Midbar)? Why don’t they have Yomim Tovim? And why do we have Sukkos now? Why not in the spring — when we left Mitzrayim?

The Bnei Yissoschar explains that the Mon and the Be’er were enjoyed even by the Eirev Rav — the group of Mitzriyim who joined Klal Yisrael on our way out of Mitzrayim. They could not come into the Ananei HaKavod. They were only for Yidden. The Ananei HaKavod, and our Sukkah, are like a special hug Hashem gives his children. When we sit in the Sukkah, we remember what a zechus to spend time just us and Hashem alone! Hashem loves it when we have special time together — just us and Him! But why have the Yom Tov now?

The Vilna Gaon explains that we lost the Ananei HaKavod when we did the aveirah of the Eigel Hazahav at Har Sinai. On Yom Kippur Hashem accepted our teshuva, and gave us the second luchos… and four days later, He gave us back the Ananei HaKavod! Sukkos is the Yom Tov when we received the Ananei HaKavod back the second time! By giving us this special protection again, even after the terrible aveirah of the Eigel, Hashem showed us in an even more powerful way how much He loves us — no matter what we do!