“Dwell in succot for seven days… in order that your generations will know that I placed the Jewish People in succot when I took them out from Egypt….” (Lev. 23:43-44)

On our daf we learn in a beraita what these “succot” actually were. Rabbi Eliezer says they were the ananei kavod – the clouds of glory. Rabbi Akiva, however, teaches that they were actually real succah booths for living in whenever they made camp in the desert.

Rabbi S. R. Hirsch explains that the verses instruct us to dwell in succot nowadays, as throughout history, to remind us how Hashem “placed us in succot” and protected us in the desert with clouds of glory or in succah dwellings. The Shulchan Aruch rules like Rabbi Eliezer, and the Mishna Berurah adds that whenever we nowadays are dwelling in the succah, we should be careful to have in mind that Hashem took us out from Egypt and protected us from the desert sun and heat with the miracle of the ananei kavod that surrounded the Jewish People in the desert. (Orach Chaim 625:1:1)

• Succah 11b

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