Sukkot, Z'man Simchateinu, the "Season of our Rejoicing", is one of the three pilgrimage festivals we are grateful to observe. All three festivals are connected with the agricultural seasons of the year. As it is mentioned in the Torah [Deuteronomy 16, 16]: "Three times a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of Matzot [unleavened bread - Passover], and in the feast of Shavuot [Weeks - Pentecost], and in the feast of Sukkot [booths]: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty".
The three Mitzvot, the commandments, we are instructed to observe on Sukkot are unique as they require wholeness and entirety.
The 1st Mitzvah which gave the festival its name is [Leviticus 23, 41-44]: "to sit in the Sukkah (booth) for seven days". It is the ONLY commandment in the Jewish Law that we fulfill with our entire body as we walk into the Booth, eating, sleeping and dwelling in it for seven days.
There are two reasons for this commandment: The first is to remind us of the booths the Israelites used while wandering in the desert from Egypt to the Promised land for forty years. It is also in memory of the Pillar of Cloud which protected them during their journey. The second reason is that Sukkot always occurs during early autumn season, hence it is the "Festival of the Harvest". While we proudly collect the agricultural produce and gather the fruits of our hard labor, we are reminded that all is granted by God. We must leave our permanent, solid, beautiful homes and move for a week into temporary, shaky huts and trust God almighty to shelter and sustain us.
The Sukkah is a fragile hut with 3 or 4 sides , whose roof is made out of natural thatch or branches, which provides some shade and protection from the sun, but also allows the stars to be seen at night.
The 2nd Mitzvah is fulfilled mainly during the special festival's liturgical services. We are commanded to hold together, bless and shake Four Species of plants [Arba Minim], consisting of 1 palm branch, 3 myrtle branches and 2 willow branches together with a citron fruit [Etrog].
They each represent a different human character and the law is to bless and pray as we hold them all together. It is a symbol of the unity of people regardless of their differences.
Holding the bundle of the four species, the congregation marches around the synagogue's Torah scrolls while praying a unique service asking for Hosannah - God please save us.
The 3rd Mitzvah which requires our entire mind and soul is simply to rejoice and be happy. This unusual commandment appears particularly with connection to the "Feast of the Harvest" [Deuteronomy 16, 13-15]: "After the ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press, you shall hold the Feast of Booths for seven days; You shall rejoice in your festival… and you shall have nothing but joy".
The festival of Sukkot is known for the tradition of welcoming many guests. It is customary to invite many visitors to join us in our temporary homes. Ushpizin [guests in Aramaic] is a symbolic ceremony in which we also invite our Matriarchs and Patriarchs, our ancestors to join our meals.
The festival is also known as the festival of all nations as the prophet Zechariah tells us [14, 16]: "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles".
As we pray at the festival's evening services I wish us all: "O God, guard our coming and our going; grant us life and peace, now and always. Spread over us Sukkah - the shelter of Your peace. Praised are you, Lord, who spreads Sukkah - the shelter of peace over us".
Amen.
About the Author:
Rabbi Oded Peles is the Rabbi of 'Shevet Achim' Conservative congregation in Jerusalem.
Cantor, musicologist and Israeli educator, Rabbi Peles was born in Israel to a Dutch-German Jewish family. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a renowned cantor in the Netherlands, Oded has served and performed as a Cantor in communities worldwide. He specializes in the unique musical traditions and liturgy of Western European Jewry.
For over twenty years Rabbi Peles has been active in interfaith dialogue both in his work and through his academic studies. For many years, he is leading the Christian-Jewish Hebrew learning group in Jerusalem, which studies the Bible, Old and New Testament.