Resting on the first day of Sukkos changes the way a person enters the festival. A Jew does not begin Sukkos by rushing, building, earning, or controlling. He begins by stopping and accepting that Hashem is the One who shelters life.

During the year, a person can feel protected by his house, work, income, plans, and control. Sukkos teaches that true security comes from Hashem. The mitzvah of שְׁבִיתָה — rest helps a person live that truth. He leaves weekday labor behind and enters a day shaped by trust, gratitude, and joy.

The rest of Sukkos also protects the atmosphere of the home and sukkah. Meals, family, guests, תְּפִלָּה — prayer, Torah, and the mitzvos of the day become the center. Work no longer defines the rhythm. Hashem’s shelter does.

This mitzvah teaches that joy needs space. A person cannot fully receive שִׂמְחַת יוֹם טוֹב — Yom Tov joy while remaining trapped in weekday pressure. The Torah commands rest so joy can become settled, dignified, and holy.

Rambam

• Source: Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Mitzvah 166; Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Shevisas Yom Tov 1:1.
• Rambam defines this mitzvah as the command to rest from מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor on the first day of Sukkos. In Mishneh Torah, he places it within the general system of שְׁבִיתַת יוֹם טוֹב — Yom Tov rest, where the Torah festivals are made distinct through cessation from labor. This shows that Sukkos begins not only with symbols and practices, but with time itself becoming holy.

Sefer HaChinuch

• Source: Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 320.
• Sefer HaChinuch explains that the mitzvah is to rest from work on the first day of Sukkos. The root of the mitzvah is that sacred days require separation from ordinary labor so the heart can turn toward Hashem. On Sukkos, this rest opens a festival of joy, gratitude, and remembrance of Hashem’s protection.

Beitzah

• Source: Gemara Beitzah 12a.
• The Gemara discusses the laws of מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor on Yom Tov and the allowance of אוֹכֶל נֶפֶשׁ — food preparation. This helps define the practical rest of Sukkos. Yom Tov is not a weekday, but its rest is also not identical to Shabbos. The day remains holy while allowing the needs of festival joy.

Sukkah

• Source: Gemara Sukkah 27a.
• The Gemara teaches that the first night of Sukkos has a special obligation to eat in the סֻכָּה — sukkah. This gives the rest of the first day added meaning. The day is not empty cessation. It is a sacred opening into dwelling under Hashem’s shelter.

Sukkah

• Source: Gemara Sukkah 48a.
• The Gemara describes Sukkos as a festival filled with joy, including the special celebration connected to the Beis HaMikdash. שְׁבִיתָה — rest supports that joy by removing ordinary labor from the day. The festival becomes a time where joy is not distraction, but service of Hashem.

Sifra

• Source: Sifra, Emor, Parashah 12.
• Sifra expounds the verses of Sukkos in Parshas Emor, including the command that the first day be a מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation. This shows that the rest of Sukkos is public and covenantal. Israel is gathered away from weekday labor and into Hashem’s festival.

Vayikra Rabbah

• Source: Vayikra Rabbah 30:2.
• The Midrash presents Sukkos as a time of joy after judgment and atonement. The festival follows the serious days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and its rest allows that closeness to become joyful life. The Jew enters holy time not with fear alone, but with gratitude and confidence before Hashem.

Rashi

• Source: Rashi on Vayikra 23:35.
• Rashi explains the verse in its plain sense: the first day of Sukkos is a מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation, and מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה — laborious creative work is forbidden. His reading anchors the mitzvah in action. The holiness of the day must be visible in the way ordinary work stops.

Ramban

• Source: Ramban on Vayikra 23:35.
• Ramban explains the מוֹעֲדִים — appointed times as days when Israel enters Hashem’s sacred calendar. The first day of Sukkos opens the final festival of the Torah cycle. Rest from מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor gives that opening its dignity and separates the joy of Sukkos from ordinary celebration.

Ibn Ezra

• Source: Ibn Ezra on Vayikra 23:35.
• Ibn Ezra explains that the first day is set apart as a holy day when work is not done. His reading highlights the basic structure of the mitzvah. Sukkos joy is not left to personal feeling alone. It is built into time through commanded rest.

Sforno

• Source: Sforno on Vayikra 23:35.
• Sforno explains that the festival days are set aside for Hashem, and the rest from work directs the people toward the purpose of the day. On Sukkos, that purpose includes gratitude for Hashem’s care and joy before Him. שְׁבִיתָה — rest helps the heart turn toward that awareness.

Rabbeinu Bachya

• Source: Rabbeinu Bachya on Vayikra 23:35.
• Rabbeinu Bachya connects the holiness of Sukkos to the memory of Hashem’s protection in the wilderness. The rest of the first day allows a person to enter that memory with seriousness and joy. He stops acting as if security comes only from labor and remembers the shelter of Hashem.

Chizkuni

• Source: Chizkuni on Vayikra 23:35.
• Chizkuni explains that the first day of Sukkos is treated as a full מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation even though the festival continues for seven days. This shows the power of the opening day. The festival begins with a complete break from weekday labor.

Kuzari

• Source: Kuzari 3:5.
• The Kuzari explains that sacred times restore the soul and keep a Jew attached to Divine service. Sukkos rest fits this system because the festival renews trust in Hashem’s protection. The Jew leaves ordinary work so the soul can live inside gratitude and holy joy.

Maharal

• Source: Maharal, Gevuros Hashem, Chapter 46.
• Maharal explains that the sukkah represents a form of protection that comes from Hashem, not from human strength. Rest on Sukkos expresses the same idea in time. The person stops building his own security and enters the shelter of Divine care.

Ran

• Source: Ran, Derashos HaRan, Derush 6.
• Ran explains that the festivals shape the national life of Israel around Divine memory and purpose. Sukkos rest turns that memory into a public structure. The whole people stop ordinary work and enter a shared day of joy before Hashem.

Rashba

• Source: Rashba, Teshuvos 1:611.
• Rashba treats קְדֻשַּׁת הַזְּמַן — sanctity of time as a halachic reality that creates obligations and boundaries. Sukkos rest is therefore not only symbolic. The first day itself carries Torah-defined holiness, and the Jew responds through commanded cessation.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 495:1.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that every מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor forbidden on Shabbos is forbidden on Yom Tov, except for permitted needs of אוֹכֶל נֶפֶשׁ — food preparation. This defines the practical rest of Sukkos. The day is holy, work stops, and food preparation is allowed only within the Torah’s Yom Tov framework.

Rema

• Source: Rema, Orach Chaim 495:1.
• Rema adds limits to Yom Tov labor, especially where preparation could have been done before Yom Tov without loss. This preserves שְׁבִיתָה — rest. Even when the Torah allows food-related labor, the day must still feel and function as holy time.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 639:3.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that one must eat in the סֻכָּה — sukkah on the first night of Sukkos. This belongs to the lived setting of the rest mitzvah. The day’s cessation from work opens into a concrete act of dwelling under Hashem’s shelter.

Mishnah Berurah

• Source: Mishnah Berurah 495:1–5.
• Mishnah Berurah explains the difference between Shabbos and Yom Tov regarding מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor and אוֹכֶל נֶפֶשׁ — food preparation. His explanation helps preserve the balance of Sukkos: real rest, real joy, and careful halachic boundaries.

Chasam Sofer

• Source: Chasam Sofer, Derashos, Sukkos.
• Chasam Sofer presents Sukkos as the joy that follows cleansing and return. Rest from מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor gives this joy its sacred form. A person does not celebrate by escaping the year. He celebrates by entering Hashem’s protection with a clear and grateful heart.

Netziv

• Source: Netziv, HaEmek Davar on Vayikra 23:35.
• Netziv emphasizes the Torah’s language of מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation. The first day of Sukkos gathers Israel into public holiness. Rest from labor is part of that gathering, allowing the festival to become a shared national experience before Hashem.

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch

• Source: Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Vayikra 23:35.
• Rav Hirsch explains that Yom Tov rest teaches a person that life is not ruled by labor alone. On Sukkos, this message is sharpened through the sukkah. Human shelter, work, and control are not the final source of security. Hashem is.

Malbim

• Source: Malbim on Vayikra 23:35.
• Malbim highlights the Torah’s layered wording: the day is first a מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation, and then מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor is forbidden. The rest is not only a restriction. It is how the holiness of the day becomes structured and visible.

Meshech Chochmah

• Source: Meshech Chochmah on Vayikra 23:35.
• Meshech Chochmah reads the festivals as shaping Israel’s faith through time. Sukkos rest teaches that joy must be placed under Hashem’s command. The person stops ordinary work so celebration does not become self-focused, but remains part of service.

Rav Kook

• Source: Rav Avraham Yitzchok HaCohen Kook, Olat Re’iyah, Sukkos.
• Rav Kook teaches that Sukkos reveals a broad joy rooted in trust, holiness, and the embrace of Hashem’s presence. Rest from labor helps that joy rise above distraction. The soul can feel that life is sheltered not by walls alone, but by Divine nearness.

Tanya

• Source: Tanya, Likutei Amarim, Chapter 46.
• Tanya teaches that Hashem’s closeness to Israel awakens love and joy in the soul. Sukkos rest creates a day where that closeness can be felt through the mitzvah atmosphere. The Jew leaves weekday work and enters the shelter of Hashem’s love.

Sfas Emes

• Source: Sfas Emes, Sukkos 5634.
• Sfas Emes teaches that the sukkah reveals hidden protection and inner trust. שְׁבִיתָה — rest helps uncover that truth. When the person stops relying on constant activity, he can feel that Hashem’s shelter was holding him all along.

Kedushas Levi

• Source: Kedushas Levi, Derushim L’Sukkos.
• Kedushas Levi presents Sukkos as a time of love and compassion after the Days of Judgment. Rest on the first day lets the Jew receive that love with joy. He steps away from weekday burden and enters the festival like a child brought under his Father’s canopy.

Shem MiShmuel

• Source: Shem MiShmuel, Sukkos 5672.
• Shem MiShmuel explains that Sukkos gathers the spiritual gains of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur into lived joy. Rest from מְלָאכָה — prohibited creative labor helps hold those gains. The soul is not thrown back into weekday motion immediately. It is given holy space to settle under Hashem’s protection.

Ramchal

• Source: Ramchal, Derech Hashem 4:8:3.
• Ramchal explains that each מוֹעֵד — appointed time carries a spiritual influence that returns each year. Sukkos brings the light of Divine protection and joy. Rest from work aligns the person with that influence by removing ordinary activity and opening the heart to the holiness of the day.

Sukkos begins on the fifteenth of Tishrei, after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Torah calls its first day a מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ — holy convocation and commands that מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה — laborious creative work not be done. This mitzvah focuses on the positive command of שְׁבִיתָה — rest.

This mitzvah belongs to the Yom Tov rest cluster. Mitzvah 100 commands rest on Shavuos, Mitzvah 102 commands rest on Rosh Hashanah, Mitzvah 104 commands rest on Sukkos, and Mitzvah 106 commands rest on Shemini Atzeres. Each day has its own meaning, but all are formed by sacred rest.

Sukkos has a unique place because it turns trust into lived space. The Jew leaves the fixed home and enters the סֻכָּה — sukkah, remembering that Hashem protected Klal Yisrael in the wilderness. The rest of the first day opens this experience. The body stops working, the home moves outward, and the soul learns to rejoice under Hashem’s shelter.