This holiday, Sukkot, is named for the traditional practice of building and spending time in a sukkah (temporary hut). The practice originates in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, where God commands the Israelites to dwell in sukkahs each year for seven days (Leviticus 23:42-43). There are various meanings associated with the sukkah. One that resonates for me is found in classical rabbinic texts.
The Deeper Meaning of Sukkot
In the Mishna, tractate Sukkah (2:9), we read, “During the whole seven days [of the festival] one makes his sukkah [his] permanent [dwelling], and his house [a] temporary [dwelling].” This idea is echoed in the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sukkah (2a), “Rava said… For seven days leave your permanent dwelling place and dwell in a temporary dwelling place.”
Clearly a sukkah, which by religious law can only have a thatched roof allowing us to see through to the sky, and can’t protect us from the weather, is not permanent like our homes. But during this week, we are asked to view the sukkah, this impermanent and flimsy structure, as if it were our permanent home.
To me, this is a reminder of how very fragile our lives really are.
In the sukkah we face the facts. While the permanent structures of our lives seem strong, they are also temporary. And at risk. All of the time.
As we have seen, over and over, things can change in a heartbeat. A hurricane can wipe away thousands of homes. A war can rage and displace millions. An illness. A lost job. Our lives can change in ways we didn’t expect.
Certainly, the year since last Sukkot, that brought with it the atrocities of October 7, war in Israel, and frightening antisemitism, has been a year when our existence feels very fragile. Things that once seemed safe have proved unsafe. Now, when we sit in the sukkah, we are called to understand “permanence” isn’t so permanent after all.
For some, the sukkah can also represent God’s protection and grace in the face of life’s impermanence.
A line from the siddur, the Jewish prayer book, reads, “God, spread over us your sukkah of peace.” Surely, we pray this year that the peace the sukkah represents will come…and come soon.
At the same time, the sukkah’s reminder of our fragile reality is why we need our Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest. Among the things we can do to respond to impermanence is build a strong community. We eat together with family and friends in our sukkahs, knowing that, should the sukkah blow over, we will be there to support each other.
The strength of our community is what will sustain us when we face the inevitable challenges of life, and the threats to the Jewish people.
And at Federation, we are in the community building business.
So, I think it is especially appropriate for us to eat together in the sukkah this very difficult year. To embrace the deeper meaning of Sukkot, inspiring us to double our efforts in our mission to care for others in need and build vibrant Jewish community in Greater MetroWest NJ and around the world.
Read more about Sukkot in “Creating Joy After a Year of Tragedy” by Ilyse Muser Shainbrown.