                       The Succah of Peace
                       September 17, 1991
                      by Gary M. Cooperberg

     Once again we have arrived at the joyous festival of Succot, Tabernacles.  The succah
itself has within it the concept of true peace.  We pray to G-d to bestow upon us "Succat
Shlomecha" the Succah of your peace.  It is a poetic description of the concept of G-d sheltering
us under his wings in His Succah.
     When a Jew seeks true peace he has no need to search for it among the nations.  For it is
the Jewish nation alone which has it within its power to bring True Peace to the world.  
     Although there are those who claim that we have the best army in the world, and it may
be true, that is not the key to bringing peace to the world.  It is not the dollars from America, the
oil from Saudi Arabia nor sophisticated nuclear weapons which will bring peace.  Certainly it is
not by compromising on Jewish principles that peace will result.  
     How then do we find this elusive prize that mankind seeks but has never found?  It is
interesting to note that, of all the mitzvot in the Torah, G-d chose one special one to give to the
nations to demonstrate their willingness to accept the yoke of His Kingdom.  That mitzvah is to
observe the holiday of Succot.  
     This holiday is rich with symbolism and does, indeed, contain within it the secret to
achieving real peace.  Man in his finite  world feels most comfortable in trusting his senses and,
what he presumes to be, reality.  The Jew has learned that the world in which he lives is not all
that it appears to be.  The G-d of Creation has shown us in His Torah that only by following His
Will can we elevate ourselves and make this a better world.  It is only when we bend our will to
the Will of our Creator that our greatness is seen.  
     Our father, Abraham, set for us the most profound example of this concept when, upon
being commanded by G-d to sacrifice his most cherished possession, his only son, he forced his
personal feelings aside and bent his will to the Will of his Creator.  As a result of his pure trust in
G-d, not only did he not lose his son, but he became the father of the Jewish Nation, the Chosen
of G-d.
     At this time of year G-d commands the Jewish People to leave the security of their homes
and dwell for a week in booths covered by branches and sticks.   We are to sleep and take our
meals in this temporary dwelling to remind us how our ancestors lived in temporary dwellings
after they left Egypt on their way to Israel.     This is more than a quaint custom, rather a physical
reminder that the only real security we have is to trust in our G-d.  Our fathers wandered for forty
years in the desert, yet G-d provided them with everything they needed.  So too, today, although
it seems that we are alone among the nations and that we have no choice but to submit to pressure
and blackmail, such is simply not the case.  G-d has erected the "Succah" of Eretz Yisrael for His
people.  If we can but trust in Him and choose to dwell in His "Succah", no matter how flimsy it
might appear, we will certainly be protected from all harm.  
     When the Nations of the world acknowledge the One True Living G-d of Israel, that is
when redemption and True Peace will come to all mankind.  When Israel, the Nation of G-d,
demonstrates her faith and trust in Him by living according to His Will rather than by the dictates
of those who threaten us, redemption will be immediate.
     The Festival of Succot is also called the "Festival of our rejoicing".  We are literally
commanded by G-d to rejoice!  Clearly if we take the lesson of this holiday seriously and whole
heartedly trust in our G-d in our daily lives, just as we demonstrate by moving into our succah,
we will all have good cause to rejoice in "Succat Shlomecha" the Succah of your peace.  