(39) Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the LORD [to last] seven days: a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day.(40) On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.(41) You shall observe it as a festival of the LORD for seven days in the year; you shall observe it in the seventh month as a law for all time, throughout the ages.(42) You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths,(43) in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I the LORD your God.

The pilgrimage festival of huts [sukkot] you are to observe for yourself, for seven days, after the ingathering from your threshing floor and from your fat. You are to rejoice on your festival: you, your son and your daughter, your servant and your maid, the levite, the sojourner, the orphan and the widow that are within your midst.

(7) Go, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine in joy; for your action was long ago approved by God. (8) Let your clothes always be white, and your head never lack oil. (9) Enjoy happiness with a woman you love for all the fleeting days of life that have been granted to you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life, from the labor you do under the sun. (10) Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might. For there is no action, no reasoning, no knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.

(12) Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this citron (etrog), which has taste and has smell, so too Israel has among them people that have Torah and have good deeds. "The branches of a date palm" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this date, which has taste and has no smell, so too Israel has among them those that have Torah but do not have good deeds. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this myrtle, which has smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them those that have good deeds but do not have Torah. "And brook willows" - these are [referring to] Israel. Just like this willow, which has no smell and has no taste, so too Israel has among them people that have no Torah and have no good deeds. And what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? To destroy them is impossible, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, said "bind them all together [into] one grouping and these will atone for those." And if you will have done that, I will be elevated at that time. This is [the meaning of] what is written (Amos 9:6), "He Who built the upper chambers in the heavens" (indicating his elevation). And when is He elevated? When they make one grouping, as it is stated (Ibid.), "and established His grouping on the earth." Hence Moshe warned Israel, "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day."

And Yaakov journeyed to Sukkot and built a house for himself; and for his cattle, he made Sukkot; hence he called the name of the place, Sukkot. (Genesis 33:17): One should explain several hints in this verse. For also according to its simple meaning, it is necessary to understand what the Torah added for us by telling us this. But it can be explained about the holiday of Sukkot, which is the time of our joy, to rejoice in front of the Lord, our God - to teach that 'this is all of man' - to serve God, may He be blessed. Whereas all of his seeming possessions in this world are fleeting and transient like a sukkah (hut) in a vineyard. Hence we were commanded to dwell then during the time of joy in a sukkah and to rejoice in front of the Lord, since that is the essence [of life]. So the hint of, "And Yaakov journeyed to Sukkot," is that when the whole of the nation, which is called Yaakov, travels to Sukkot - meaning to say, when it reaches the holiday of Sukkot - it should then, "build a house for himself": You already know (Sefer Yetzirah) that a letter is called a stone and a word, a house. If so, every letter in its full spelling is also called a house, since it is a word [when spelled out] like this, alef, bet. So, if so, it is hinted here, "and he built a house for himself," that he builds for himself houses from the word, Yaakov, in its full spelling - like this, yod, ayin, kof, bet. That is the numerical equivalent (gematria) of rejoice (tismach); which is to teach that the time of our joy is then, to rejoice in God, may He be blessed. And then the name of Yaakov will be complete in its fullness and goodness. "And for his cattle (mikneh)" - meaning acquisitions (kniyot) of the world - "he made Sukkot." That is to say that through the joy in God, he meditates that all possessions in the world are similar to sukkot, which are 'here for a night, etc.' And this is [the meaning of], "he made" - that he made them in his thought like naught and nothing, similar to sukkot which do not have permanence. "Hence he called the name of the place," of the whole world, "Sukkot" (as it has no permanence). And also the full spelling of [the letters that spell] Yaakov, without [those letters in] the simple spelling are the numerical equivalent of, sweeten (yamtiku). For the judgements are sweetened at that time (Sukkot), as is known about [the mystical] intention of Sukkot. And that is [the meaning of], "and he built a house for himself." And the meaning of, "and for his cattle" (meaning the letters of his [name's] simple spelling, since they are his essential possession), is that Yaakov is the numerical equivalent of two times, sukkah. That is to teach that with the arousal from below, there is an arousal of actions from above - two sukkot (which are shelters): The Higher Mother to shelter over the Small Face and the Female; and the Lower Mother to shelter over her children. And understand.