The Sukkah and the Lulav

If the observance of Sukkah during the festival of Sukkos frees us from the bonds with which we tie ourselves to worldly possessions as the basis of our life and the anchor of our hopes, if it teaches us humility despite our material wealth and trust in God even without it, then the observance of Lulav causes us to rise to things higher–simcha, rejoicing before God in all that He has bestowed upon us.

The Sukkah negates material possessions as ultimate value; the Lulav links us again with our dependance upon our goods and chattels.

The Sukkah teaches us not to appraise too highly our worldly goods; the Lulav to value them at their true worth.

The Sukkah raises above our property to God alone; the Lulav teaches us to be imbued with the spirit of God and even to exalt our possessions as God-given.

The Sukkah prevents us from becoming too Earthly; the Lulav reminds us not to soar too high above the Earthly.

The Sukkah protects us from becoming debased by our wealth; the Lulav teaches us to cherish our possessions and dedicate them to sacred purposes as the gift of God.

The lesson of the Sukkah is that the acquisition of goods is not the sole aim of life; the Lulav teaches us to apprehend goods as instruments for our way of life before God; and so it brings us simcha, joy in living before God, in a life of godliness. For if life is understood thus, it makes no difference whether you attain much or little; the assessment of your life lies in whether you have lived it dutifully - with your much or your little. From this wells up the eternally joyful fountain of life sublime in the service of God, of simcha before God, of that happiness which rejoices him who possesses much or little as the gift of God by which he can fulfill the will of God on earth – the happiness of living in the presence of God, your God; a happiness which is as eternal as life itself and as God who is its source.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb p.132