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 Jerusalem.

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 Israel.

According to the Daily Mail, last month a thirteen foot long sea monster washed up on the beach in Villaricos, Spain. Marine 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 Spain was a Leviatan, then there is also a good possibility that soon we will see the 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.