Of Sukkot, the Torah teaches: “I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
From this verse, the rabbis of the Talmud engage in what becomes a classic debate of Sukkot—what are these booths in which we are to dwell?
Rabbi Akiva says that they are sukkot mamash—real sukkot, just like ones that we build today. Rabbi Eliezer, on the other hand, claims that this verse refers to the ananei hakavod, the clouds of glory with which God led the people; they are metaphorical and not literal.
But, more than literal versus metaphorical, there is another tension in these two understandings. Rabbi Akiva focuses on the vulnerability of Sukkot, the impermanence, almost the danger. Rabbi Eliezer takes the opposite view—that the “shelter” of Sukkot is about safety, about protection, about something we can take with us. Shelter as physical and spiritual nurturing.
So, as we build our literal sukkot, how do we reconcile this tension? Reb Mimi Feigelson teaches: My reconciliation is not one of “either/or” but rather, “elu ve-elu, both are the words of the living God”. Our sukkah is here to remind us as we venture into our new year, that at the end of the day, indeed there will be a safe (temporary though it may be) space to rest our head. The sukkah is also here to imprint within us the recognition that every step we take this year is not done alone. The Cloud-of-Glory is hovering over our head—shielding us from the scorch of sun, enabling us the vision of the stars.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer