Suckot: Playing

Each of the three Jewish pilgrimage festivals has a  temporal, thematic name. Passover is the time of our Liberation. Shevuoth is the time of the giving of our Torah. Succoth (along with Shmini Atzereth) is the time of our Rejoicing. These titles have a seasonal element. The physical atmosphere, the temperature, humidity, precipitation, the alignment of the stars are evocative. On Passover, we are liberated from the shelters necessitated by the cold and rain of winter. On Shavuot, when spring is at its peak, the blossoms are an invitation to enlightenment: The tree of knowledge and the tree of life are in bloom. On Succoth, after 40 days of contrition and self criticism, as the confinement of winter closes in,  it is time to play. 

Rejoice has a very sedate overtone in common English speech. It is a low impact word. That fits with the prescriptions of  the medieval scholars: feasting. You may gain weight, but the risk of shame is small. For me, rejoice is too confining. Let's have fun. Let's play!

On Succoth we do very unusual things. We sit in the sukkah, a structure that is a minimally effective shelter by design. Section 625 of the shulchan aruch ( code of Jewish Law) is unusual. 

בסוכות תשבו שבעת ימים וגו' כי בסוכות הושבתי את בני ישראל הם ענני כבוד שהקיפם בהם לבל יכם שרב ושמש: ו: 

In Succot we shall dwell for 7 days etc. Because on Succot I protected the children of Israel. These refer to the clouds of glory who protected them from all the intense heat and the sun of the desert

This is a unique paragraph of introductory explanation. The rest of the code is details,  the required or desirable objects and actions that are necessary to fulfill Commandments that are stated, but almost never explained. In addition, this is a cryptic and partial explanation. 

 When I sit in the sukkah, it generates waves of feelings. The sense of fulfilling the details of a Commandment that I do not understand is a big part of it. In terms of the feelings, I recall the horrible conditions that my parents lived under during the holocaust. They lived in a hole in the ground covered by a lattice of leaves that served both as camouflage and a meager protection from the elements. The protective element was identical to the function of the sichach, the covering, of the sukkah. But they did not have the option of going into a real house if it rained or snowed. that lattice of leaves was all they had all the time 

 That projection into the history of my parents blends into an identification with the people who live in tents.  When my parents lived underground, they were homeless, they were hunted criminals. they were certainly undesirables. How can I turn this moment of sympathy into ongoing kindness?

Now, as we anticipate the release of the Hamas hostages, I can touch the conditions of torture that was their lives for so long. I also see the massive destruction of shelter for Gazans and their lives in tents, or less than tents.

I can  relate the explanation in the code to the feelings. In a sense, all people are  unprotected all the time and it is only by the grace of Heaven if they survive the elements. But that still leaves me searching for my role.

When I sit in the sukkah, I'm fulfilling  a set of Commandments that I do not understand. The lack of understanding is an important element of the experience to me. It is a reminder of how many things I do without understanding. The sukkah is one of those many things that has many rules and I merely follow those rules.  it is a kind of game.  it is part of the joy

I very much enjoy the opening lines of the  tamudic tractate  that deals with the holiday : 

סֻכָּה שֶׁהִיא גְבוֹהָה לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, פְּסוּלָ

A sukka that is more than twenty cubits high is unfit.

What a great detail!  The talmud relates this height rule to the height of the temple entrance. At one point, the talmud deals with the geometry of the rays of the sun and how they are blocked by the walls of the sukkah and how much filters through the sichach. It becomes a lesson in geometry and I find that appealing.

The lulav and ethrog are also marvelous Mysteries .The verse reads : 

וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְ

you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your Gd

Somehow this activity with the four species is also a source of joy. For me it is a joy,  but I cannot explain it to myself. Holding and shaking these plants - the lulav stick; the rapidly decaying willow branch; the sturdier, brighter, more appealing myrtle; and the intricate, delicate citron is a pleasure. Perhaps, it is an acquired taste. The desperate turmoil of the market to purchase these objects generates some of the satisfaction. I hold these objects that are appealing to others. It is a win. 

Then I get to shake them in a prescribed way: when I thank Gd for the goodness and kindness bestowed. I also shake the  stick when I plead for rescue. I hold these objects during the Hoshana parade, as I repeat an alphabetized plea that is so mysterious, it is not translated in my prayer book.  The mystery adds so much to the fun.

The meaning is what we add to these actions. Think hard. Feel deeply. Enjoy!