Chelek 29, Chag Hasukos - Mrs. Freidy Yanover

But as far as sleeping in the Sukkah was obvious, he did not sleep in the Sukkah.

It would seem that the opposite should be the case.

The obligation to sleep in the sukkah is a greater stringency than the stringency to eat in the sukkah.

In fact, eating something like a snack and certainly drinking water are permitted outside the sukkah, but a temporary nap is prohibited outside the sukkah.

And though due to the efforts and challenges associated with sleeping in the Sukkah because of external conditions, like danger in the place and time where someone lived or where the previous Rebbe lived, or like if it's too cold, which would cause discomfort, one is halachically exempt from sleeping in the Sukkah, still not easy to understand the previous Rebbe's position.

Because for the previous Rebbe, these physical difficulties were not obstacles, even if sleeping in the Sukkah was just considered enhancing a mitzvah.

As it was clear from the previous rabbi's conduct in regards to eating and drinking in the sukkah, that he didn't concern himself with anything that made eating and drinking in the sukkah difficult or uncomfortable, and he was stringent to do so, including on Shemini Atzeres, to the extent as was observed even in a pouring rain, when one is permitted to eat inside one's home during sukkahs, the previous rabbi avoided eating outside of the sukkah.

So clearly the fact that the previous rabbi was not absolutely meticulous to sleep in the sukkah wasn't because of any external physical challenges.

The mitzvah of the rabbi's opinion is saying in regards to sleeping in the sukkah, how can one sleep in transcendent revelations of the divine? called Makifim Dibina, is well known.

In other words, his intention was that there's an intense divine light that illuminates the Sukkah, which is too lofty to descend and become embodied within a person.

Rather, this light surrounds and encompasses a person.

Just as the sukkah itself encompasses a person, not only the person but also the table, so that everything is done in the sukkah, dwelling in it as one dwells in one's home.

Because it's illuminated with such an incredible godly light, how can one sleep there? Just like in the portion of Ayetze, when Yaakov flees from Esav, spends the night outdoors and awakens and says, indeed, God is present in this place and I didn't know.

In other words, Rashi says, Yaakov is saying, had I known, I would not have slept in such a holy place.

This really addresses basic halacha.

If a person goes to sleep in the sukkah and cannot fall asleep, according to the code of Jewish law, he's to go sleep in his house.

If he knows in advance that he will absolutely not be able to fall asleep, then he is not even to try to begin with.

This is the likeliest reason for why the previous Rebbe did not sleep in the Sukkah.

As the previous Rebbe sat in the Sukkah, he was illuminated with a revealed encompassing light, and he couldn't possibly fall asleep.

in that holiness, in the sukkah.

And this may be further explained and clarified in the halacha regarding the distinction between eating and drinking in the sukkah and sleeping in the sukkah.

Regarding the concept of dwelling in the sukkah like one dwells in their home, the altar of explains, that any excessive exertion which a person would find distressing and would thus refrain from undertaking in their home, one is not obligated to undertake this exertion in order to dwell permanently in his sukkah.

And so too regarding sleeping.

If the situation is such that If he had to go through something that would make him uncomfortable to sleep in his home, and he wouldn't then do so, then he's not required to sleep in the sukkah, because someone who suffers discomfort from dwelling in the sukkah is exempt from dwelling in it.

Similarly, in our discussion where the mitzvah of the previous rabbi would experience such revelation in the sukkah, that it would become an obstacle to sleep.