Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, is one of the three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals outlined in the Hebrew Bible. Coming five days after Yom Kippur, the solemn Day of Atonement, Sukkot is considered a joyous occasion, imbued with profound meaning.
At its core, Sukkot celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters called sukkot. As a harvest festival, Sukkot is a time to express gratitude and appreciation for the bounty of the earth and God’s providence.
Sukkot and Gratitude
The commandment to dwell in the sukkah for seven days and nights is itself an exercise in cultivating gratitude. By moving out of one's permanent, sturdy home into a temporary structure with incomplete roof coverage, Jewish sages say, one trains themselves to appreciate what they have rather than complaining about what they lack.
Sukkot prayers and rituals give thanks for rain, dew, winds, seasonal change and the richness of autumn. Shaking the Four Species of plants - palm, myrtle, willow and citron - is a gesture of thanks for different types of vegetation.
Beyond material blessings, Sukkot is a time for showing gratitude for all of life itself, for family, community, health, freedom, and faith. The sukkah guests, meals shared, and celebrations with loved ones remind us to be grateful for human companionship. Above all, Sukkot expresses gratitude to God who protects, sustains, and shows kindness to His people.
Sukkot and Trust
Building and residing in a temporary, fragile hut also cultivates a profound trust and faith in God. The sukkah provides shelter yet also leaves one exposed to the elements. The walls may shake in the wind and leaves may blow off the thatched roof. Still, Jewish sages assure believers that they can have full confidence that God is watching over them in their vulnerability.
This tender balance between insecurity and trust parallels the Israelites 40 year journey in the wilderness subsisting on manna from heaven. It echoes the prophet Elijah’s mountainside epiphany of God’s voice in the gentle breeze. The desert wandering and mountain refuge both required profound reliance on a higher power for survival. So too dwelling in the sukkah, reminds Jews to place their trust and fate fully in the hands of God.
Beyond the Harvest
While Sukkot originated as an agricultural festival, it has retained profound resonance with Jewish people for the duration of their history. The sukkah experience and its message of gratitude, faith and divine protection gave Jews strength during times dominated by persecution, poverty and uncertainty in the Diaspora.
Today, in an age of prosperity, self-determination and plenty for many Jews worldwide, the call to return to the sukkah still tugs at spiritual longings. The enclosed space and ritual objects transport us back to foundational stories of Exodus and desert wandering. By putting material comforts aside for a week, Sukkot invites a singular focus on the divine source of all blessings big and small. It renews understanding that true security comes not from houses of brick and mortar but rather the protective shelter of God's love and transcendence.
In a fast-paced, stressful world Sukkot injects a reminder for Jews to slow down, tune out distractions, and cultivate humility, wonder and radical amazement at the gifts we so easily take for granted. However modern and sophisticated we become; the ancient, elemental call of the sukkah beckons us back to the wellspring of faith that sustained our People through all the ages.
Wishing you a wonderful and blessed day!
See you in the next message,
Tohar Liani