The first night in the Sukkah this 2018 (5779) was called “Spice Night” with Challah that have Everything Spice on it, there were spicy roasted chickpeas, Chili-Eggplant, a Garlic-Crouton Caesar Salad, we had hot Curry-Butternut Squash soup, etc etc..
Aside for both beginning with the letter S, what do Spice and Sukkah share in common?
The thing with spice is that a little goes a long way. You don’t eat spices on their own, but as a flavoring and enhancement of other foods.
The same is true of Sukkah. The goal isn’t to live out in a Sukkah all year. At the end of the holiday we go back to living and eating inside our own homes. A Sukkah is only a Mitzvah for one week out of the 52 weeks of the year.
But a Sukkah is like a spice that flavors and enhances far beyond its limited size. It has an outsized effect. Ideally, the one week of Sukkah living, or even eating just one meal or two in a Sukkah ought to lend perspective, and broaden our horizons even for the weeks of the year that we eat at home. Living in a Sukkah teaches us to be vulnerable, reminds us not to be smug and only self-reliant, but to have faith and to be open to G-d’s blessing and protection. The flexibility, informality of a Sukkah extends an easier and warmer welcome and better accessibility to others. We should sprinkle the Sukkah message on all the other times of the year.