From the Mouth of the Sages The Hida and the Vilna Gaon both note the structure of the sukkah and the laws of its walls are alluded to in the (Hebrew) letters of the word sukkah ñëä, "samekh," "kaf," and "hey." The samekh is a completely enclosed letter depicting the normal four wall structure, and the complete protection of God's presence (which is represented by the sukkah), the kaf is a three-sided letter, showing that, halakhically a sukkah is valid if it has three walls. A hey, with two sides and a third smaller leg, represent the idea that a sukkah can consist of two full walls and a third partial wall under specific conditions. *** A thought: Things are not always as they seem at first appearance. A lesson we should have learned on Yom HaKippurim. The Sukkah is a fortress of strength, but strength can be deceiving. This Festival, we should ask ourselves as we sit in this often-shaky structure, What is power? What is real? From where do I draw my security? From the physical building or from HaShem?

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