Walk Through the Parsha by Rabbi David Walk

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Sukkot 5768
September 26, 2007
Every year we rabbi types agonize over the timing of the holiday of Sukkot. Each of our three pilgrimage festivals has a seasonal connection and a historical link, and both dictate when we should celebrate the feast. Pesach is in the spring and falls out on the day that the Jews departed Egypt. Shavuot is at the time of the first fruits and is on the day the Jews received the Torah. However, Sukkot is indeed at the time of the harvest, but we sat in booths everyday of the year during the forty year sojourn in the wilderness. So, where's the historical purpose in dwelling in these booths on these particular dates?

Well, we've been working on this problem for so many years that we have come up with innumerable clever approaches to the issue. There are basically two paths to deal with the issue. First is the team which emphasizes the seasonal and agricultural material. We are sitting in the sukkah at this time of year because it is counter intuitive. Normally autumn is the season that we go back indoors after months of outdoor living, but we Jews sit outside during these colder days and earlier nights. In this same vein others say that our sitting outside is connected to the harvest. At this season we acknowledge the vicissitudes of climate and crop by forgoing the safety and permanence of our normal housing. This prevents us from being overly proud of our crop yield, since we must recognize that it all comes from God.

Amongst the rabbis there is another group which takes a totally different tack. The experience of sitting in the vagaries of weather is connected to the just finished Yom Kippur experience. The joy of Sukkot is the direct result of the purification of the Day of Atonement. We are ready to relinquish the creature comforts of our permanent homes, because all we want out of life is to bask in the presence of our God ("One thing only do I ask from God, that is the one favor I seek, that I dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Psalms 27:4). The only protection we require is to be hidden the sukkah of God (Ibid. verse 6). There are many variations on this theme, but the common thread is the role of Yom Kippur as the catalyst for the sukkah sitting happening. This may even be the source of the Ushpizin custom of welcoming the great historical shepherds of the Jewish nation into our sukkah. Since on Yom Kippur we reestablished the connection to our roots, we are now worthy to enjoy (or maybe able to notice) the presence of our founding fathers.

Having said all this, it is possible to see a hint to the connection between Sukkot and the preceding holidays in the Ya'aleh V'yavo prayer added to our services and grace after meals on all our Biblical holidays. This prayer contains seven mentions of the Hebrew root Zecher, meaning remember. There is an opinion that this prayer was originally meant for Rosh Hashanah, which is also called Yom HaZikaron, the day of remembrance. This idea would fit in well with the series of phrases about half way through the prayer.

There are three phrases to which the congregation responds amen when they are recited by the cantor. These are: Remember us on this day, O Lord, for goodness; visit upon us this day blessing; save us this day for life. It's possible that the first phrase, based on the word remember, refers to Rosh Hashanah. Then the middle phrase about visiting us is connected to Yom Kippur, when God visits our iniquities. Finally, the last phrase, based on the word hoshia, must be a reference to Sukkot. This makes sense because the word hoshia is very big on Sukkot. The major prayer added during this week is called Hoshanot, during which we march around the synagogue with our lulav and etrog.

These three terms are a progression of escalating relationship with God. We use the word remember concerning God when God fulfills a previously given promise. The expression pakod describes a closer affiliation with God, because it is used when God initiates an assignment to us humans, since the word means to give an order. While the verb hosha is usually used to mean a spiritual saving as in salvation, it really means that God turns to us and gives us attention. This use is seen clearly in Genesis when Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices (chapter 4, verse 4).

So, Sukkot is the time when we feel the closest association with God. When we sit in our sukkah hopefully we feel the closest to God than at any other time of the year. However, I believe that there is one more relationship which actually supersedes the Hoshia bond, and that is called hatzlacha. For those of you familiar with the Hallel prayer, you will recognize a moving moment toward the end of this joyous prayer. Cantor and congregation alternatively announce: God please, save (hoshia) us; God please, make us succeed (hatzlicha). What is the next step after the achievement of close rapport with God? Well, I think it is the recognition of the world that we have this special bond with God.

Sukkot is the most universal of our holidays. The theme of harvest is common to us all. The number of sacrifices brought for Sukkot adds up to seventy, which is the number used to represent all the nations of the world. Additionally the prophet Zacharia announced that all the people of the world would come up to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot. They won’t celebrate Pesach or Shavuot which commemorate our exodus and our receiving the Torah.

Now this may explain the special nature of Shmini Atzeret. According to the Midrash this day was tacked on so that the Jews could have an extra day together with God. Perhaps, that extra day was needed to demonstrate to the departing nations that even though God loves all humanity there remains a special connection to the children of Avraham. So, now that the trepidation of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur has passed, it’s time to celebrate our intimacy with the Creator of all. Chag Sameach.