Let us consider the first time that the term "Sukkot" is mentioned after the Exodus, when the Divine Cloud first descended over the Jewish people. The Torah describes this moment as a journey from Ramses to [the town of] Sukkot (Exodus 12:37). This can be understood not only as a journey from one physical location to another, but also as a rapid yet profound spiritual metamorphosis from abject slavery (Ramses, built by the enslaved Jews) to the supreme protection of the Divine Cloud, which first occurred in Sukkot.

The Jew who craves a close relationship with his Creator will succeed in achieving a personal migration from the despondency of soullessness, to the lofty heights of spiritual contentment -- his own journey from Ramses to Sukkot. He will understand and appreciate the Sukkah's message of growth. He will not be alone in his quest for greatness; God Himself will help him overcome his temporal limitations and make the quantum leap from Ramses to Sukkot, from spiritual poverty to greatness.

The words of God, spoken to Israel just days before the Torah was given, "I will lift you on eagle wings" (Exodus 19:4), alludes to the swift passage from slavery to lofty spiritual serenity. This journey of personal growth need not be a lonely trek. Instead, it is an epic undertaking, accomplished through man's efforts bolstered by God's support. Man soars on eagle wings to achieve his potential every Sukkot.

CATAPULTING OVER LIMITATIONS

Let us explore further the relationship between the Sukkah and spiritual growth. Is it mere coincidence that the Jewish nation was liberated from slavery at a place called Sukkot, or does this fact reveal a more profound, innate relationship between the Sukkah and freedom from Egypt?

Consider the literal meaning of the word Sukkah. While it is customarily translated as "hut," it may also be related to the word "Socheh" -- to gaze ahead (i.e. to peer into the future). The Sukkah calls upon its occupants to shed their physical limitations, look beyond shortcomings, and achieve their full potential.

King Solomon voices this same theme -- how humans can catapult over self-imposed limitations to achieve growth -- in the following proclamation: "Go out and behold" (Song of Songs 3:11). We may paraphrase these words as a rousing call to utilize the Sukkah to its fullest potential, "Go out from your physical habitat and behold God's grandeur! Put aside your constraints and look ahead to untold possibilities!"

While God can help us achieve this transformation, we can contribute to the process as well by activating our desire for growth. Think of the first words God spoke to the first Jew, Abraham: "Leave your land" (Genesis 12:1). He meant that Abraham was to leave not only the physical land of his fathers, but also to forsake all the physical comforts enjoyed by his ancestors. The Zohar describes a Heavenly voice that beseeches every Jew to "prepare yourself to receive God." While Abraham was the first one to heed this voice, every Jew who successfully migrates from Ramses to Sukkot, who raises himself from abject slavery of the spirit to the lofty height of the Divine Cloud, also hearkens to that call.

RISING IN OUR GENERATION

The construction of the Sukkah itself proclaims its message. Its makeshift nature, with its cover consisting of discarded vegetation, is intended for temporary use. In effect it tells us to leave behind our seemingly "permanent" possessions, the wealth we have accumulated in the physical world, and to migrate to the far simpler, yet unfathomably more precious, world of Torah spirituality.

One problem remains, though. The journey from Ramses to Sukkot was feasible for the generation of the Exodus, but how can we be expected to do the same? Consider the difference: That first generation experienced miracles on a daily basis; for them the radical transformation from spiritual inexperience to spiritual sophistication was a natural development. This was the generation that, according to the Zohar, would have merited a Holy Temple that descended directly from Heaven, rather than a man-made Sanctuary, were it not for the sin of the Golden Calf. How can we possibly rise to their level? And if, in spite of the palpable Divinity that encircled them, they nevertheless succumbed to sin, how can we, who are so blinded to God's presence, hope to remain on a high plane without falling?

We can respond in two ways. Firstly, we have the benefit of a precedent: The transformation made by our forefathers proved that it was possible for future generations to accomplish the same. They paved the path for us.

Secondly, we should recognize the power of repentance -- just as the generation of the Wilderness sinned with the Golden Calf, we also backslide from time to time. At the start of every Sukkot, however, we are still basking in the purification achieved on Yom Kippur. Therefore, we are free to grow again, and to flee, as Abraham did, from our materialistic tendencies back to our Creator.