On the last day of Sukkot, when we leave the Sukkah for the
last time, we say the following prayer:
Yehi Ratzon- May it be Your will, Hashem, our God and the
God of our forefathers that just as I have fulfilled the mitzvah and dwelled in
the Sukkah, so may I merit the coming year to dwell in the Sukkah of the skin
of the Leviatan (Monstrous fish). Next year in
The Leviatan was created on the Fifth day of the creation
(Bresiheet 1:21 “And God created the great sea monsters”). The Leviatan is the
ruler of all of the creatures of the sea. In Masechet Bava Batra 74b we learn
that the Leviatan will be slain and its flesh served as a feast to the
righteous in the World to Come and its beautiful skin will be used to cover the
tent where the banquet will take place.
In a prophecy about the destruction of our enemies in
Yishayahu 27:1 we read “On that day God will bring punishment with His harsh,
great mighty sword upon Leviatan… and He will kill the great fish that is in
the sea.”
According to Radak, the Leviatan symbolizes the great world
powers. Yishayahu uses the death of the Leviatan to allude to the eventual
downfall of the enemies of
According to the Daily Mail, last month a thirteen foot long
sea monster washed up on the beach in
biologists are having trouble identifying it saying that they have never seen
anything like it before.
Since there is a good possibility that the sea monster that
was found dead in
downfall of our enemies as well.
As we celebrate Sukkot and pray for peace we look forward to
the day that we will sit in the Sukkah made from the skin of the Leviatan.
