Recognizing how Jewish traditions change over time reveals the beauty of our people’s adaptability. The primary observance of Sukkot—the building of a Sukkah—is a great example. There’s only one sentence in the Torah that links the observance of the holiday to the booths that we primarily identify with Sukkot. In fact, there’s a rather strange recounting in the book of Nehemiah that suggests that the observance of Sukkot was actually forgotten for hundreds of years. Scholars suggest that it’s the Bible’s way of introducing a custom that previously was NOT associated with the holiday. Up until Nehemiah’s time, Sukkot was observed through Temple sacrifices. With the movement of large populations of Jews outside of Israel into Babylon an additional layer was added to the holiday: booths. The sentence in Leviticus was inserted centuries later to justify what had become common practice among the Babylonian Jews! It’s even possible that the word Sukkot did not originally signify the booth that we so closely associate with the holiday.
Why does this matter to us? Religions are kept alive when they evolve in ways that continue to provide meaning to those who practice them. The ancient Sukkot (booths) of Nehemiah’s time (about 450 BCE) likely didn’t have fashionable carpeting, sofas, tables, or elaborate decorations on the walls, but if you Google Sukkot you’ll see some rather splendid structures. If you attend a synagogue during Sukkot (the holiday) you may hear reference to the elaborate sacrifices once offered during the holiday, but surely you won’t see that practice observed. Instead, you’ll enjoy a beautiful, prayerful experience that celebrates the joy of the holiday we’ve come to call Zman Simchateinu—the time for our rejoicing.
The beauty of an evolving religious practice is that as the layers are built upon the foundations placed down centuries ago—the meaning of the observance expands. Hopefully, this year, you’ll have a chance to sit in a Sukkah, enjoy the original Jewish al-fresco dining experience, appreciate the sights and smells of the natural decorations that surround you, and most importantly, gather with friends to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us. Especially after this challenging year, the gift of the Sukkot observance affords us much needed joy and celebration.—
—Rabbi Ron Stern