It is quite striking that the events commemorated by Sukkos would appear to be disconnected from contemporary Jewish life, as well as from the life of our nation ever since we entered Eretz Yisroel after our 40-year sojourn in the Midbar (Desert) 3500 years ago. Unlike the other Yomim Tovim, which commemorate historical events whose impact is permanent and is directly and tangibly felt for eternity, the events commemorated by Sukkos seem to have come and gone. Pesach commemorates the liberation from Egyptian bondage and Hashem drawing us close to Him and His service, Shavuos commemorates the giving of the Torah at Sinai, Rosh Hashanah commemorates Creation and Hashem's mastery and kingship over the universe, and Yom Kippur commemorates Hashem's granting of atonement for the Chet Ha-Egel (the Sin of the Golden Calf) and Hashem's reconciliation with B'nei Yisroel - all of which are historical events whose direct impact is felt to this day and whose significance is concretely manifest in our eternal conduct and our relationship with Hashem. However, the events commemorated by Sukkos appear to be a thing of the past, largely disassociated with ongoing Jewish life. R. Eliezer maintains that Sukkos commemorates the Ananei Ha-Kavod, the Clouds of Glory, which surrounded B'nei Yisroel during their sojourn in the Midbar, and R. Akiva maintains that Sukkos commemorates the dwelling of B'nei Yisroel in huts during their sojourn in the Midbar (under divine protection; Sukkah 11b). That being said, there are no longer any Ananei Ha-Kavod protecting us, nor do we any longer live in huts in a desert; these phenomena were temporary and terminated upon the conclusion of the sojourn in the Midbar. Thus, which facet of eternal Jewish existence does Sukkos signify and address? There were countless miracles in the Midbar, all of which occurred to protect and benefit B'nei Yisroel, yet those miracles have no Yom Tov commemoration and no tangible, long-term manifestation. What is it about the events commemorated on Sukkos that distinguish them from other events and conditions during the Midbar experience which are not signified by special observances? In what way are the events commemorated by Sukkos similar to the historical events commemorated by the other Yomim Tovim?

The answer is that just like the events commemorated by the other Yomim Tovim permanently shaped and defined our lives, such is the case regarding the events commemorated by Sukkos. Living in the shadow of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) under special supernal shelter and sanctuary, which marked our experience in the Midbar as signified by Sukkos, was not a one-time, temporal state; on the contrary, the supernatural existence of the Midbar, in which our ancestors lived in communion with Hashem and were actively aware of His immanent and protective Presence, permanently shaped and defined the Jew for eternity. The events of Sukkos impacted forever upon our consciousness, embedding deep within us an active awareness of Hashem’s Presence and Providence. Living in the veil of the Divine for those 40 years affected how the Jew is to think and behave; it elevated his daily being to a metaphysical existence for perpetuity. The historical core of Sukkos redefined Jewish life and taught the Jew to pursue a metaphysical existence and consciousness while living in the physical world.

This concept of a metaphysical existence and consciousness surpasses the concept of belief, for belief can be abstract and transcendent; having a metaphysical existence and consciousness, however, means living and breathing each breath with a palpable sense that one’s being and all that transpires are part of a divine mechanism, with Hashem supervising and guiding throughout. It also means that the eternal values of the Torah are not merely ideals and rules, but that they are part of all actuality and events.

By returning to the sukkah every year, we reconnect with the acute experience and vision of living in the veil of the Shechinah, and we carry this experience and vision with us throughout the year. This is the historical and permanent message and impact of Sukkos.

We can now better understand the relationship of the Arba’ah Minim, the Four Species, to Sukkos. At first glance, the mitzvah of the Arba’ah Minim would appear to be uncorrelated with the theme of Sukkos. Unlike Pesach, in which the mitzvos of the day (Korban Pesach/the Passover Sacrifice, Matzah, Marror/Bitter Herbs, and Sippur Yetzi’as Mitzrayim/Relating the Story of the Exodus) center around the unified theme of liberation from bondage, and unlike Yom Kippur, whose mitzvos (Avodas Yom Ha-Kippurim/the Temple Service for Expiation, and Inuy/Afflicting Oneself-Fasting) center around the unified theme of atonement, the mitzvos of Sukkos do not seem to have a thematic connection. The Arba’ah Minim would appear to have nothing to do with Hashem’s providential sheltering of B’nei Yisroel during the 40-year sojourn in the Midbar. This requires some explanation.

The truth is that the mitzvah of the Arba’ah Minim has everything to do with the message of Sukkos as elucidated above. Let’s take a closer look.

The Gemara (Sukkah 37b) addresses the symbolism of waving the Arba’ah Minim: Rabbi Yochanan said, "One moves (the Arba'ah Minim) back and forth for the sake of Him to Whom the four winds belong; one lifts and lowers (it) for the sake of Him to Whom are the heavens and the earth... Rabbi Chama bar Ukva said in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina, "One brings (the Arba'ah Minim) back and forth to prevent bad winds; one lifts and lowers (them in supplication) to prevent bad precipitation." (V. Rashi ibid.)

On Sukkos, the Arba’ah Minim, which are inanimate vegetation, are engaged to commune with Hashem and are metaphysically animated to an awareness of His immanent Presence. Through the Arba’ah Minim, we declare that physical, mundane nature is part of the divine, metaphysical manifestation of existence. This is particularly so as exhibited by the special Biblical command to wave the Arba’ah Minim in the Beis Ha-Mikdash, where daily, continual miracles occur, in perpetuation of the open and constant miracles of the Midbar. We relate those miracles to the Arba’ah Minim and declare that they, and all the natural universe, are enveloped in God’s Presence and betray His Providence.

May we internalize the message of Sukkos as our consciousness is forever elevated and etched with the immanent reality of the Shechinah and Hashem’s Torah.