Yes, another one.

We Jews know this time of year is the season of holidays.  Rosh Hashana, Yom Kipur, and now this coming Sunday night begins the holiday of Sukot.  (Christians call this the Feast of Tabernacles, but we know that Sukot means booths.)

Whether we truly believe that our sukot (the plural of suka) are to remind us that we traveled for 40 years in the desert- or we needed to preempt the pagan harvest festival that occurred this time of year three millennia ago-  is truly immaterial.  Because we have found meaning in the suka- to remind us that our lives are transient, our lives are fragile, and our lives require our efforts along with Hashem’s [the Supreme Being’s] help.

Like the proverbial three pigs, our house of straw, our house of wood- even our house of bricks- doesn’t really protect us.  Just look at all those homes wiped away by Katrina, by Sandy, by Harvey, by Florence, or by tornadoes.

With its flimsy roof, the portion of the suka always erected last on our suka, we recognize the structure of the suka as a shelter for our faith.  Each new day, we are restored to our souls by Hashem.  By sitting in this suka, this flimsy structure, we are acknowledging our faith in Hashem, who affords us the ability to enjoy our meals with the moon and stars and/or the sun up above.

That’s amplified with another of our mitzvot- hachnasat orchim- the welcoming of guests.  Not just the metaphysical guests we invite each night (Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David) of Sukot, but our friends and relatives with whom we share our meals.  That’s another shelter of Sukot.   That of family and friends, reminding us we are part of something more (and greater) than ourselves.

And, by saying Kiddush (the blessing over the wine), Birkat HaMazon (thanksgiving after the meal), and Havdala (the prayer at the end of a special day like Shabat or a Festival)- some of us [me, me, me, me] daven shacharit, mincha, and/or ma’ariv- the morning, afternoon, and/or evening prayers) in our suka- we are reminded that t’fila (prayer) is yet another connection.  Our means to maintain a conversation with Hashem.

Of course, if you have neighbors like we used to have, there’s also the shelter of authenticity.  (This neighbor called the police several times reporting that we built a structure without a permit.) The suka reminds us that this tradition, this tenet of our faith,  dates back at least to the time that we entered the holy land of Israel.  As an agricultural people, our connection with the land, with the food and animals we raised, with the offerings of food to Hashem, this is the last connection to those first Jewish citizens of Israel.   And, maybe back to our 40 years of traveling in the desert.

And, finally, as we examine the full moon of Sukot, the stars, the sun, the clouds, how can we not recall with awe the creation of this world?  To remind us that this world was created- not finished­-  leaving us as the stewards, the effectors of the perfection of the world.

May you truly feel enveloped by the love of your family, friends, and Hashem this Sukot.

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