The time that we spend in the succah has unbelievable, but sometimes unnoticed, meaning. It involves more than just technical halachah of when to be inside, depending on how much and what we are eating, or high or wide the walls must be, and it would be an actual enhancement to the mitzvah of yeshivah b‟succah if one would have a deeper apperception of the situation. The Mishnah Berurah writes (625:1:1) that our succot are meant to remind us of the nissim v‟niflaot of HaKadosh Boruch Hu when we left Egypt. Even though the event of Yetziat Mitrzayim which we commemorate occurred in Nissan, we celebrate Succot in Tishrei, by the rainy season when people head indoors, to show that we are doing this for the sake of the mitzvah. As such, one should have kavanah when he sits that Hashem commanded us to sit in the succah in remembrance of Yetziat Mitzrayim, as well as in remembrance of the Ananei HaKavod (look in Succah 11b), in order to be mekayem the mitzvah k‟tikunah. Every second inside the succah is a mitzvat aseh and therefore every second is spent in an atmosphere devoted in its entirety to a kiyum hamitzvah and recognizing and realizing the greatness of Hashem in concurrence. While at first it may have seemed that the succah is not of intrinsic value since we only have to be inside on condition of our activity, in truth it does contain an inherent aura of holiness which is initiated by us when we walk in; even simply sitting and standing in the succah are mitzvot (M”B 639:8:46)! The Sefer HaChinuch writes that through the remembrance of what the succah is meant for, we can become worthy of receiving goodness from Hashem. Knowing what exactly it that we are doing can elevate our own being as well as our actions. As such, the succah is really a special place which we should treat accordingly.
We really have a chance to make our new, temporary “home” into a center of elevated devotion to Hashem for the days of Succot. Again, the succah is where we are taught that we should eat, sleep, relax, talk, and of course learn Torah, (with exceptions). The Mishnah Berurah writes (639:1:2) that since the kedushat hasuccah is very great, it is proper to limit idle talk and speak words of kedushah and Torah while inside. He further writes that all the more so, one should be careful not to speak lashon harah, rechilut, or anything else which is assur. Similarly, the Baer Heitev writes that one who is speaking with his friend should speak in the succah, but not dvarim beteilim, nor should one show anger inside the succah. The reason for this is pretty simple; aside from some of the above mentioned things to avoid being assur in the first place (like lashon harah), they are especially antithetical to the nature of the succah. The proper atmosphere should be one of reverence and recognition of Hashem, with a proper attentiveness to our actions as well.
