Building God's Sukkah

After coming down the mountain, Moses commanded the children of Israel to commence with the building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle may be considered the sukkah of God.

It is said in Pirkei Avot that one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah; that is, one good deed leads to another. For example, there is an old tradition to start building one's sukkah immediately after the Day of Atonement. The festival of Sukkot is five days after the Day of Atonement. It is necessary to have the sukkah ready before the festival of Sukkot begins. The prohibitions of the day prevent one from building the sukkah on the Day of Atonement, but after that day, one has only five days to build the sukkah. Many pious Jews take this very seriously and use the occasion of the Day of Atonement to propel them into the next mitzvah; that is, the commandment of the feast of Sukkot. Even before breaking their fast, some people go out immediately after sunset and the end of the Day of Atonement by driving the first nail of their sukkah. The idea is that the purity of the soul that results from having gone through Day of Atonement pushes us on to the mitzvah of the next appointed time, the joy of the feast of Booths.

So, too, when Messiah comes, He will build the Temple of God fresh from the High Holidays.