We continue to explore the topic of arrogance and anavah/humility as it connects to Bitachon.. Many of our Mitzvot interweave bitachon and humility. One example is the holiday of Succot. If you ask a person that knows a little bit to name one of the reasons we sit in the Succah, they might say the Succah has a message of Bitachon. The Succah reminds us of the clouds of glory, as we sat in the clouds of glory in the desert. God took us through as if on an ocean streamliner, beautifully air conditioned; with perfect weather. There were no bumps in the road; everything was smooth. And we sit in the Succah to remind us of those clouds of glory. It’s called, “The shade of God’s Emunah; the shade of trust and reliance.” We sleep outside without any protection. Through the cracks in the schach, we are able to look up to God. We look up to the skies and see Hashem protecting us. That is the bitachon message of the Succah. It’s interesting that built into the Succah is another message. The Rashbam, in Vayikra (23,43) says that we go into the Succah specifically during the gathering season, when we gather our grains, wheat and wine and our houses are full of all kinds of good things, because Hashem wants us to remember the Succot we were in in the desert, for 40 years without any inheritance, so that will thank Hashem Who gave us the houses that we're in now, and we won't say, Kohi V’Otsem Yadi Asah Li et HaChayil Hazeh/With power and strength I made my wealth… He says, God chose the time of gathering for Succot so that we shouldn't become arrogant with the success of the previous year of gathering. So as not to say, “I did it. I made it. It's my success.” And the Rashbam says this is not just about the Mitzvah of Succot. There's a pasuk that says, “You have to remember the 40 years, and you have to remember the manna,” and the back of most Siddurim, there are Eser Zechirot/10 things to remember every day. One of them is the manna, but the Rashbam quotes that pasuk that it means more than just the manna, it's the 40 years in the desert. Why do you have to remember those 40 years in the desert? Because when you get out of the desert, you should not become arrogant and think you did it. God was guarding you the whole time. So it's really a daily remembrance. And actually, in the list of the 10 things to remember, another one is that God gives you the strength to amass wealth. So God put in the remembrances of Yetziat Mitzrayim, remembrances of the 40 years in the desert- so that we shouldn't end up arrogant. So too, with the mitzvah of Succot. It has both the Mitzvah of Bitachon and of not being arrogant. As we’ve said, they're linked. When a person has arrogance, it automatically indicates that their bitachon level is down. When one is relying on God, there's no room for arrogance. In Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam (section 3, chapter 43) talks about the different Middot that a person learns from the holiday of Succot, and he says one of them is that one should remember the bad days when things are good. Think back. If you're an immigrant and you have a history of how you got to this country, you or your parents, think about where you used to be, how you used to live. Remember those bad days. Why? “Because that way, you'll increase your thanks to God and learn to be humble. You’ll learn to be a little bit low key.” We see that Succah is not just once a year. Succah is a Middah, says the Rambam, for every day of your life. For every day that’s good, remember what it used to be like. Remember, you didn’t make this money. It's all God. You have no secret to success. Take the lesson of Succot every day of our lives. What's this lesson? The Bitachon/Anavah connection. Have a wonderful day.