Reply To: Short & Sweet

Schach: בצל שקי יתלונן

The Rashbam gives a fascinating explanation for why Sukkos is during Tishrei, despite the fact that it is in remembrance of Hashem providing us with shelter when He took us out of Mitzrayim which happened in Nissan.

The Rashbam explains that Tishrei is the end of the harvest season, when people had storage houses full of grain. It is at this moment of material satisfaction that we must remember that our success is not due to כחי ועוצם ידי, but rather that everything always has and always will be provided only by the will of Hashem.

We can suggest that this message is hinted to in the halachos of the Schach. Schach must be made from something that grows from the ground (גידולי קרקע), but has not been fashioned into a vessel (אינו מקבל טומאה).

Perhaps this is to remind us that our shelter comes naturally from the hand of Hashem, symbolized by what grows naturally from the ground, not from what we have made with our own hands.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום