Surrounded by Hashem’s Love

We know that in the Midbar, Hashem gave the Jewish people three miraculous gifts: the mann, the Be'er Shel Miriam(well), and the Ananei HaKavod(clouds of glory). Yet we have a Yom Tov that commemorates only the Ananei HaKavod—this holiday of Sukkot. Why don't we have a Yom Tov for the mann or for the well? The Mabit answers that the Jewish people could not survive in the desert without food and water. Hashem, so to speak, had to provide those for them. But the Ananei HaKavod, the Clouds of Glory, were different. Technically, they could have survived without them. It would have been very difficult. The scorching sun would have beaten down upon them. They would have been exposed to snakes and scorpions, and the terrain would have been extremely difficult to travel through. But they could have survived. The Ananei HaKavod showed us something much more. Hashem didn't just want His children to survive. He wanted them to be comfortable. He wanted the climate to be perfect, the terrain to be smooth, and He wanted to protect them from everything around them. And therefore, when we sit in the sukkah and remember those clouds, Hashem wants us to internalize how much love He has for us. He doesn't just give us what we need. He gives us so much more. Furthermore, we see an even deeper expression of Hashem's love at the Yam Suf. Rashi tells us in Parashat Yitro that when the Mitzrim were shooting arrows at the Jewish people, the Ananei HaKavod were absorbing them. Hashem could have protected the Jewish people in countless ways. He could have stopped the Egyptians from shooting the arrows altogether. Why did He specifically have the clouds absorb those arrows? The Tiferet Shmuel explains that the Ananei HaKavod represented the Shechinah surrounding the Jewish people. Hashem was telling us, so to speak, "I want to take the arrows for you." Hashem wanted us to understand the extraordinary love that He has for us. When someone truly loves another person, he doesn't only want to give to that person, and he is not only willing to take pain for that person—he even wants to take the pain for that person. A mother will endure tremendous pain for her child and even feel happy to do so. The greater the love, the more a person is willing to sacrifice for the one he loves. On Sukkot, Hashem wants us to recognize that this is the love He has for us. The Ananei HaKavod didn't just show us that Hashem will provide for us. They showed us that Hashem loves us with an endless love. And when a person truly understands how much Hashem loves him, naturally, he will want to reciprocate. Toward the end of his life, the Chafetz Chaim would pray that he should have the opportunity to die al Kiddush Hashem. The Tiferet Shmuel explained that it was not because he was looking for more zechuyot. He was saying, "Hashem, I love You so much. I wish I could show You just how much I love You. I would even give You the most precious thing I have—my life." There was a time when the Chafetz Chaim had to spend an entire Shabbat alone in a field in order to avoid violating Shabbat. He had no food and no comforts, yet afterward he described what a beautiful Shabbat he had. The difficulty itself became an enjoyment for him because he knew he was doing it for Hashem. When we know how much Hashem loves us, our attitude toward serving Him can change. Something could be difficult, like getting up early to learn and pray, holding ourselves back from something we want to do, or doing a mitzvah under challenging circumstances. But instead of thinking, "Why do I have to do this now?" we can think, "Hashem, I love You. If this is what You want from me now, I'm happy to do it." There are people who, even when experiencing suffering, are able to say, "Hashem, I know You love me, and I know You want this for me. So not only am I going to accept it, but I'm going to embrace the pain You are giving me because it is what You want." This is a high level of emunah. Sukkot is our opportunity to sit under the s'chach and think about what the Ananei HaKavod really showed us. Hashem didn't just keep us alive. He surrounded us with love. He made everything perfect for us, and He showed us, so to speak, that He was even happy to take the pain for us. The more we recognize how much Hashem loves us, the more we are going to love Him back. And then, even when serving Him requires sacrifice, instead of focusing on the pain, we will feel the privilege and say, "Hashem, I love doing this for You."