After a 40-day period of serious introspection, the whole
month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance, when we do our own personal
inventory of our strengths and weaknesses, ask others for forgiveness and spend
time as a community confessing our shortcomings and committing to
self-improvement, we have the holiday of Sukkot. The Torah, in several places, including VaYikrah (Leviticus) 23:40 tells us to
enjoy ourselves and have fun.
What a great idea!
You’ve done the hard work; you’ve prepared your families and
communities, you’ve made it through the High Holidays (those of us engaged in
work, lay or professional in synagogues understand this acutely) and now, while
you’re in a groove, have some fun. Take
these seemingly unrelated agricultural products (ibid, 23:40, the components of
the lulav and the etrog) live in a temporary structure and
enjoy yourself.
Enjoy the fruits of your harvest (literally). Enjoy being together with your friends and
family. Enjoy the amazing weather! Enjoy,
during the ancient pilgrimage festival, being all together as a community. Soon the rainy season (in Israel) will come
and travel will be more difficult, so stick around and have a good time.
Invite guests over, real and imaginary (the ushpizin guests of Jewish history). Rejoice with good food and hospitality. Why in a Sukkah? The Torah relates (v.43) “in order that
future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths
when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
That makes some sense. But why do
we bring these four, seemingly unrelated, plant products together?
The rabbis of the midrash
tried to understand this as well One of
their explanations seems to point toward the prominence of community – that in
order to really have a good time on Sukkot, we have to bring everyone
together. In the Midrash Vayikra
(Leviticus) Rabbah (30:12) there is an attempt at understanding the why of the lulav and etrog:
Just as the etrog has both flavor and
fragrance, so there are Israelites who are endowed both with Torah and good
deeds.
Just as the [fruit of the] lulav
has flavor but lacks fragrance, so there are Israelites who are endowed with
Torah but lack good deeds.
Just as the hadas (myrtle) has
fragrance but lacks flavor, so there are Israelites who are endowed with good
deeds but lack Torah.
Just as the aravah [willow] lacks
both flavor and fragrance, so there are Israelites who lack both Torah and good
deeds.
What does the Holy One do about
them? God does not wish to destroy them.
He binds them together into one group and they atone for each other.
We can’t have fun until we are all celebrating
together! We’re all in this enterprise
of living together. What a great message for Sukkot.
Truly, joining together this way makes Sukkot Z’man Simchateinu, the time of our
joy. Chag Sameach, Have a great and
happy holiday!
Questions to think about:
1.
Why else might we use a lulav and etrog? What else can they represent?
2.
Who would you invite to your Sukkah. What Jewish personalities, past or present
would you like to have in your Sukkah (David Ben Gurion is at the top of my
list)?
3.
Why do you think the Torah bunches so many
holidays together in the month of Tishrei?
Steve Kerbel is the
Director of Education of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, MD. He is the chair emeritus of the Education
Directors Council of Greater Washington and a national vice president of the
Jewish Educators Assembly.
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