Sukkot combines within its essence two seemingly contradicting principles. From one aspect, Sukkot is a Chag , 3 nnnnw me - a time of joy with family, and of course food. From another aspect, Sukkot we leave the comfort of our homes and at a certain level have to "rough it". As you are schlepping the soup 3 floors down to the parking lot, this could somewhat dampen one's enthusiasm and joyful spirit. Not to mention the lack of air conditioning... How do we reconcile these two very different experiences?
The main message of Sukkot is one of Emunah. We need to remember, that what we have is temporary and that we are ourselves are temporary. By leaving the comfort of our homes and going to the Sukkah, one feels this lack of security and uncertainty. At this stage, one turns to Hasher for support and is able to recognize, that all he has is not as a result of his efforts and successes, but rather a gift and recognition from Hashem.
This ultimately brings true joy, When we focus on ourselves and our possessions, we are distracted from truly enjoying life. Only when we refocus and put everything into prospective, can we begin to enjoy life properly. As we shlepp that soup down the stairs and contemplate and realize what life is really all about, by the time we get to the Sukkah we can eat that soup with tremendous joy and truly fulfill the Mitzvah of jar; nnnwi.
