On the holiday of Sukkot, there is a biblical mitzvah to be happy and to enjoy material pleasures. Judaism is clear that our job is not to reject the material world but rather to uplift it and reveal the holiness inherent to it. Sitting in a beautiful Sukkah, enjoying delicious holiday food and treats, singing, sharing Torah wisdom, and connecting with one another are seemingly mundane experiences that can be elevated to the realm of Divine service.
Why? Because, as the Gemara says comments on the verse: “’For seven days … all who belong to the people of Israel will live in Sukkot [thatched huts]’ (Lev. 23:42)-this teaches that it is fitting for all of Israel to sit in one Sukkah.” We all belong in the Sukkah together and this points to our mutual responsibility to one another to share the joy of the holiday with each other.