One of the components of a Sukkah that makes it kosher is that it cannot be a permanent structure. The roof must be open enough so that stars can be seen through the covering even as it shades us from the sun. Though the walls needn’t be a natural substance, the roof itself must be. As part of the mitzvah, the Sukkah must be a place in which one can rejoice, so any decorative item (paintings, lighting) or furnishing (couches, rugs) that adds to one’s enjoyment is fair game! One is literally commanded to rejoice during Sukkot–Zman Simchateinu–the season of our rejoicing.I find myself thinking of a Sukkah when I pass by the numerous encampments of homeless people throughout our city. How different their temporary dwellings are from our Sukkot! Choosing to spend a celebratory week in the elements is so different from being forced to sleep on the sidewalk [...]

Among the essential observances of Sukkot is the gathering of natural items endemic to the land of Israel. The Torah commands:On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God יהוה seven days. (Leviticus 23:40)Though we’ve come to identify these items as the three leafy items in the lulav (a palm frond, myrtle and willow branches) as well as the etrog, that connection was not always clear. Over time, however, the association strengthened and by the time of Bar Kochba (132-135 CE) those symbols were stamped on coins minted during the ill-fated yet legendary rebellion.Holding these natural objects in our hands, waving them in six directions (south, north, east, west, up, down) has unknown origins and yet we’ve accumulated a host of interpretations to give meaning to the action. Some suggest the beautiful [...]

As a seven-day holiday that begins on the 14th day of the seventh (Tishrei) month, two weeks into the new year, Sukkot has always occupied a position of importance on the Jewish calendar. Recognizing the seven-day foundation of the week, it’s clear that Sukkot’s placement in the calendar is no coincidence. Simply called “The Holiday” He-Chag–Sukkot occupied an important agricultural place as it marked the end of the summer harvest and then hoped and prayed for beginning of the winter rains. It has been argued that Yom Kippur was actually a preparatory purification for the intense rituals surrounding Sukkot and its sacrifices. As an agricultural nation, dependent on the winter rains, the sacrifices and prayers of Sukkot were believed to be essential for those rains to arrive.Given Sukkot’s importance in the calendar, the layering of additional meanings on top of the original role should come as no surprise. Perhaps the most [...]

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 [...]