Sukkot, Like Many Jewish Holidays,

Sukkot, like many Jewish holidays, has multiple purposes in the Jewish culture, making it a religious celebration, but also a celebration of life. At this point in history, it is primarily a pilgrimage festival, and it commemorates the 40 years that the Jews spent wandering in the desert. When one examines the symbolism of the traditions connected with Sukkot that connection becomes very apparent as many of the rituals and prayers are focused on the idea of wandering. However, it also has an agricultural purpose. Sukkot is a harvest festival, as well, and one can see the overtones of the harvest celebration in many of Sukkot's traditions. Interestingly enough, many of the characteristics of life that are linked with wandering are also linked to the harvest, because, during the harvest, many workers lived in temporary structures that were closer to the fields in their daily homes. Thus, the relationship between the two natures of the festival seems to be a very natural one. Sukkot is also unique among the Jewish holidays in that it is the only holiday in which Jews are instructed to build a shelter ("Sukkot Theology and Themes").

It is believed that Sukkot developed originally as a harvest festival, prior to biblical times. This festival which probably predated the Israelites was then later incorporated into a religious festival. While that belief is speculative, and will probably remain speculative given the relative lack of a written history to provide support for pre-biblical theories, one finds support for it in the harvest themes that are still associated with the festival. In fact, "Much of the imagery and ritual of the holiday revolves around rejoicing and thanking God for the completed harvest. The sukkah represent the huts that farmers would live in during the last hectic period of harvest before the coming of the winter rains. As is the case with other festivals whose origins may not have been Jewish, the Bible reinterpreted the festival to imbue it with a specific Jewish meaning" ("Sukkot 101).

However, while Sukkot may have begun as a harvest festival, it became a religious festival, and the religious instruction to observe the holiday is an unambiguous directive in the Bible to do so. The Biblical support for Sukkot is found in Leviticus 23:33 et seq., which goes into a fairly in-depth description of the holiday. It obviously is meant to coincide with the harvest, and thus, with the harvest festival that would have preceded the religious holiday. Leviticus 23:3 et seq. provides as follows:

And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto HaShem. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. Seven days ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto HaShem; on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto HaShem; it is a day of solemn assembly; ye shall do no manner of servile work. These are the appointed seasons of HaShem, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to bring an offering made by fire unto HaShem, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day; beside the sabbaths of HaShem, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto HaShem.

Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of HaShem seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. nd ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before HaShem your God seven days. nd ye shall keep it a feast unto HaShem seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever in your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am HaShem your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the appointed seasons of HaShem (Leviticus 23:33-44).

As one can see, this clearly instructs Jews about Sukkot, including the date it should begin, how long the festival should last, what they should do to celebrate the holiday, and even the theological explanations behind the holiday.

Probably the feature of Sukkot that is most remarkable to non-Jews observing the holiday is that is a very joyful holiday. For many people, there is a stereotype of solemnity among Jews, which is not true, but many Jewish holidays lack the overt festivity of Sukkot. In fact, "Sukkot is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as Z'man Simchateinu…the Season of our Rejoicing" (Rich). In fact, though all of the pilgrimage festivals are considered somewhat joyful, Sukkot is generally considered the most joyful of the three. In Jewish tradition, there are three different pilgrimage festivals or Shalosh R'galim: Pesach, Shavu'ot, and Sukkot (Rich). "As on Pesach and Shavuot, the people would bring a portion of their harvest's first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. There, it would be offered as a sacrifice to God by the High Priest (Kohein)" (Syme). All three of these harvest festivals are characterized by some joy, even though their historical basis may not seem to reflect that underlying joy. There is a cultural appreciation for the end of a difficult time or trial, and the joy with which these pilgrimage holidays are approached reflects the knowledge that good times should be celebrated when they occur, because they are fleeting.

However, it is important to understand that Sukkot is not a celebration of the end of the wandering in the desert, but the time of the wandering in the desert. Understanding this distinction is not only critical to an understanding of the holiday, but possibly also a significant key to Jewish theology. This joyfulness also captures the purposefulness behind the wandering in the desert. For many modern Jews, the idea of wandering seems both purposeless and aimless, but it is a mistake to characterize the 40 years in the desert in that manner, because the wandering itself was a purpose. "While traveling in the desert, the Israelites were not wandering aimlessly from place to place. As a young Jewish nation, they were trustingly following God as they ventured forth" ("Sukkot Theology and Themes"). They were a young nation, in a desert, and without God's benevolence, they would not have been able to survive that time. Therefore, this wandering in the desert should not be viewed as a time solely of difficulty and trials, though it contained those, but also as "a beautiful and joyous time of bonding and loyalty between Jews and God. The flimsy sukkah structures return today's Jews to this time in their history and to a celebration of devotion and dependence on God, who nurtures and cares for human beings" ("Sukkot Theology and Themes").

As one can see from reading the passage in Leviticus, Sukkot begins on Tishri 15 (Rich). This is the fifth day after Yom Kippur. However, for many Jews the festival preparations begin before then. "As soon after the conclusion of Yom Kippur as possible, often on the same evening, one is enjoined to begin building the sukkah, or hut, that is the central symbol of the holiday" ("Sukkot 101"). It lasts for seven or eight days, depending on the religious leanings and location of the adherents. "It is observed for seven days by Israelis and many Reform Jews, and for eight days by other Jews living outside of Israel" (Syme). In addition, there are two holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah that immediately follow Sukkot, which many people believe are part of Sukkot, but are actually their own distinct holidays for many Jews (Rich).

Many people find the contrast between Sukkot and Yom Kippur to be quite dramatic, and this contrast is highlighted by the fact that they occur so near in time. Yom Kippur is rightfully considered to be one of the most solemn of all Jewish religious holidays; in contrast, Sukkot is considered one of the most joyful of the Jewish religious holidays (Rich). Therefore, that they occur in such close proximity may seem antithetical to those who associate holiday seasons with a continuous mood or emotion. However, this apparent contradiction is not really contradictory when one examines it. The entire Jewish cultural approach to life is a mix of great joy and great solemnity. Therefore, the proximity of these two significant, seeming diametrically opposed holidays actually helps display the diversity of the Jewish culture.

The most visible feature of Sukkot is the building of temporary shelters. In fact, "the word 'sukkot' means 'booths,' and refers to the temporary dwelling that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering" (Rich). This commandment is found in the Bible. "You will dwell in booths for seven days; all natives of Israel shall dwell in booths" (Leviticus 23:42). This is not a figurative command, but a literal one. Jews are expected to build and dwell in a sukkah during Sukkot. "The commandment to 'dwell' in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it" (Rich).

While the rules for building a sukkah are not rigid, there are some basic guidelines for its construction that should be followed. A sukkah should have at least two and a half walls, and ideally it should have three walls, which are covered in material that is sturdy enough to survive wind, though these walls do not have to be solid (Rich). For example, canvas is considered an acceptable "wall" for a sukkah, but people are not discouraged from using more solid substances like boards (Rich). Sukkahs can vary in size, but should be large enough to dwell within; they are not meant to be symbolic, but to be a structure that actually provides shade to someone. The roofs of sukkahs, referred to as sekhakh, are not supposed to be solid; they are supposed to be something that grew from the ground, was cut off, and is loose enough to permit rain to enter the shelter but not so loose as to have openings larger than 10 inches or allow in more light than shade; others say that it needs to be loose enough for someone to be able to view the stars in the night sky through the openings (Rich). Examples of appropriate materials for sekhakh include branches, corn stalks, bamboo, sticks, or wood (Rich). The fact that sukkahs must be water permeable on the top can obviously create problems during times of inclement weather. One may cover a sukkah with a water-proof covering during rain but cannot dwell within the sukkah during that time period, but instead either wait until the rain stops or remove the waterproof covering (Rich). It is also permissible, though not required, to decorate the sukkah, and decorations generally reflect the harvest nature of the festival with seasonal harvest-themed items. The building of the sukkah is supposed to be a joyous activity, so things that bring joy to the festival, without compromising its intent, are encouraged. Therefore, there is no reason that decorations would need to be limited to a harvest theme.

However, building the sukkah and entering it are not simply about having fun, and it is important to realize that joyful rejoicing and fun are not interchangeable synonyms. After the sukkah is built, there are traditional prayers associated with entering it. "Tradition calls for one family to enter the sukkah, recite the Motzi prayer over the meal to be eaten, and then add a special blessing: Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leishev basukah. 'Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us through Your mitzvot and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah'" (Syme). These prayers serve as a reminder that God and the special relationship between the Jews and God are the reasons for the Sukkot holiday.

Furthermore, dwelling in a sukkah has more than a symbolic meaning, and its meaning becomes clearer the more time someone actually spends in the sukkah. Dwelling in sukkah requires a separation from much of the material things that normally drive people in their daily lives. Whether material possessions or material accomplishments, so much of everyday life is focused on the worldly that it can be tempting to assume that the worldly things are the most important things. "Sukkot forces [one] to leave those behind and return to a much simpler, almost nomadic existence" ("Sukkot Theology and Themes").

In addition to the sukkah, there are other symbols associated with the festival: the four species, also referred to as arba minim, lulav, or etrog. Leviticus 23:40 provides that, "On the first day, you will take for yourselves a fruit of a beautiful tree, palm branches, twigs of a braided tree and brook wills, and you will rejoice before the L-RD your God for seven days" (Leviticus 23:40). The fruit of the beautiful tree refers to the etrog or citron, the palm refers to a palm branch, the willow refers to two willow branches, and the braided tree refers to three myrtle branches (Rich). One ties the six branches together into a lulav, and holds the etrog separately. "With these four species in hand, one recites a blessing and waves the species in all six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down), symbolizing that God is everywhere" (Rich). Moreover, the four species play a role in the Hallel prayers, and held in hakafot, the processions around the bimah, which are also referred to as Hoshanot. The seventh day of Sukkot, there are seven circuits around the bimah, so that that day is referred to as Hoshanah Rabbah (Cardin). In many temples this is in itself a festival day. After the last of the seven circuits on Hoshanah Rabbah, one beats the willow branches on the floor (Rich).

There are some questions about the significance of the four species. Obviously, the requirement to use for species is found in the biblical instructions for the holiday, but they are believed to have significance beyond the fact that they were biblically prescribed. Some people believe that the four species represent parts of the body. In this interpretation, the palm branch represents the spin, the myrtle leaf represents the eye, the willow leaf represents the mouth, and the etrog represents the heart (Rich). The religious significance of these body parts would be that they can all be used for sin, but should be used to observe the commandments (Rich). The second interpretation of the four species is that they are meant to represent four different types of Jews. In this interpretation, the etrog represents Jews who have knowledge of Torah and performance of mitzvoth; the palm branch represents Jews who have knowledge of Torah; the myrtle leaf represents Jews who perform mitzvoth; and the willow represents Jews who lack knowledge of Torah and do not perform mitzvoth (Rich). The unity of the four types in the ceremony is then said to be a reminder that all Jews should be united.

Like most religious holidays, work is prohibited during Sukkot, but these prohibitions only extend to the first and second days of the holiday. Looking at the above passage, the reason for this limitation is clear. The holiday did not develop into a mixed agricultural/historical holiday; it was decreed to be an agricultural holiday when it was instituted. Therefore, it was known that it would be associated with the harvest, so that work would have been a major part of the holiday as long as the Israelites were an agriculture-based society. In its capacity as a harvest festival, Sukkot "is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif…the Festival of Ingathering" (Rich). Therefore, it makes sense that work is permitted for the duration of the holiday, given that it is also a harvest festival, and this in-gathering or harvesting necessarily implies work.

Examining the harvest-nature of Sukkot, one can see the links between the ancient harvest and the modern festival, even in elements that seem to link more strongly to the idea of wandering in the desert. "Sukkot hearkens back to times in ancient Israel when Jews would build huts near the edges of their fields during the harvest season. ..These dwellings not only provided shade but allowed the workers to maximize the amount of time they spent in the fields, harvesting their food more quickly as a result" (Pelaia). Therefore, the sukkahs are temporary shelters that serve multiple purposes, which not only show the relationships between these two seemingly distinct areas of Jewish history, but also to show the underlying continuity in Jewish culture.