There is no other holiday on the Jewish or Gregorian calendar that combines child-like adventurism with semi-pro carpentry, alongside radical hospitality all shaded by an emotional imperative. Just as the weather gets colder and the skies begin to get darker earlier, this holiday, deep in symbolism around the preciousness of life, comes to push pause on our lives for eight days.
If you boil it down, Sukkot is a celebration of a few basic human truths, including “impermanence, change, and faith.” Sukkot is the quintessential holiday for rejoicing. How is this expressed? Through building and then dwelling inside flimsy, elaborate outside forts. In these sukkahs, which are completely and deliberately exposed to the elements, we share as many meals as possible and even sleep in them. As Rabbi Pesach Stadlin once said, “On Sukkot we are commanded to sit in huts and be happy!” That’s basically the point of it. The tradition actually commands us to be happy and share that happiness with guests.
There are so many things I love about Sukkot. I love it as a religious holiday. The prayer is highly celebratory as if to put us in the right frame of mind for entering into the sukkah. But religious people do not have a monopoly on this holiday. Done in the right contexts, Sukkot can become a song-filled jam fest and anyone can participate. Song, ua ʻike mākou i ka ʻeleʻele a pau i ke ahi. Ua pilikia nui nā ʻoihana Iudaio. Ua nele ko lakou mau halekuai, is not the only way joy can be expressed. Sharing food, telling stories, making art to decorate the sukkah – whatever moves the particular sukkah dwellers to fulfil the commandment to be joyous – it counts. For some it is more quiet and contemplative. For others it is a communal feast. At its core Sukkot is a deep acknowledgement of the gift of life. And yet, the holiday is celebrated outside, often in the cold, sometimes damp conditions. I take this to symbolize a joy that is based in reality. The message I hear is that we don’t need to escape our reality to find joy and meaning. We merely need to slow down, spend time huddled together and notice how lucky we truly are to be alive.
By Rabbi Ezra Weinberg, Youth & Family Department
Upcoming Sukkot Programs at the Y
- Lāpule, ʻOkakopa 16. PJ Library Cooks and Creates, a me Bubbie's Kitchen: Sukkot Family Celebration. Open to all families.
- PōʻakahiEnglish, ʻOkakopa 17. E lilo iaʻu: Papahana Mahope o ke Kula: Soirée in the Sukkah. Open to all Be Me families.
- Pōʻahā, ʻOkakopa 20. Ke Kula Makua ʻo Y Beginnings: Pūʻulu Kākoʻo Māmā Hou. Open to all moms and babies.
- Pōʻahā, ʻOkakopa 20. Center for Adults Living Well at the Y: Coffee Hour. Open to all CALW members.
- Pōʻalima, ʻOkakopa 21. Ke Kula Makua ʻo Y Beginnings: Ukulele Shabbat. Open to all parents and caregivers with children three and under.
