Of course, physical ritual has always played a part in Jewish religious life. The body is in the forefront in such diverse activities as the waving of the hands over the just lit Sabbath candles, the task of lifting of the Torah, even circumsicion of the newly born boy. But all of these activities take place in ritually and physically clean places. Preparation for most any Jewish holiday requires both cleansing of the normal routine mentality and the cleaning of any physical spaces. Beyond that, the place of ritual is inevitably the home or the synagogue, rather than in the great outdoors.

Much of Biblical literature is filled with stories and layouts for the Temple. There are minute details about the materials that are to be used in the structure and ritual implements of the service. These days, the most physically demanding commandment is that of building the sukkah. But the aim of all the labour of bulding a sukkah is by nature impermanent. One one hand, we are to dwell in a sukkah as if it were home (by decorating and furnishing it); on the other we must be constantly aware of the elements.

And that is where grit comes in. While the B'aal Shem Tov emphasized the immersive experience of the sukkah-dweller in the sukkah, he also, by noting the mud, referenced the immersive experience of the sukkah in nature. Many sukkot are made with sheets or curtains along their sides, such that a wind will rustle the "walls." And the rabbis made sure that the roof could only be made out of organic material and only stacked in such a way so that rain would be able to permeate. A little drizzle is generally not enough to warrant vacating the sukkah. In order to have a real Sukkot experience, we must conduct our religious practices fully aware of the muddy world around us.