Dear Friend,

The contrast between the High Holidays and Sukkot, which follows them, couldn’t be more striking. We’ve spent a month in the lead-up, not to mention Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur themselves, in solemn prayer and reflection. Then, the moment Sukkot approaches, it all seems to go to the wind!

Sukkot is called “the season of our rejoicing,” and for good reason. In Temple times, the revelry was so great that our sages proclaimed, “He who has not seen it has never seen joy in his entire life!”

While part of the joy is celebrating the certainty of being granted a sweet new year, there is a lot more to it.

The mystics teach that we each contain amazing reserves of spiritual energy. Through joy we can unleash this amazing dynamism. The chassidic masters teach that joy has the power to break through all obstacles and boundaries. Thus, the Sukkot merriment is not a step down from the spiritual heights we’ve just achieved; it’s a huge leap forward!

This Sukkot, let’s rejoice and break through the final boundaries of exile, bringing about a time when G‑d will finally spread His “Sukkah of peace” over His world!

Yehuda Shurpin,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team