The Eternal Embrace
Sukkos is when we celebrate the “victory” we enjoyed on our Day of Judgment. We carry the Lulav (Palm branch) because, our sages tell us, its scepter-like appearance is a symbol of victory. Sukkos is when we “throw a party” for all of the bounty we received from G-d during the High Holy Days.
The Unknown Holiday
Who has not heard of Yom Kippur? Even some of the most assimilated Jews, even if they do not participate in the High Holiday services, are at least aware of the fact that it is the most solemn Jewish day of the year. Perhaps, it was the Yom Kippur war, when the very existence of Israel was imperiled, that reinforced Yom Kippur’s role as a time when all of existence hangs in the balance.
What about Sukkos? This relatively obscure Holiday is in truth no less formidable a day than Yom Kippur.
In Talmudic literature, it is Sukkos—and no other Jewish Festival—which is accorded the simple title “Chag/Festival,” because it is the Festival par excellence.
What is it about this colorful and joyous Holiday that has accorded it this singular role as the Festival of the year?
The Link
To be sure, the juxtaposition of Sukkos to Yom Kippur—it occurs only four days after—establishes a link between these two Holy periods. Indeed, our celebration of Sukkos is a direct consequence of our achievements on Yom Kippur.
We are convinced that G-d has accepted our pleas to forgive us and give us a good year. We are confident that our entreaty to G-d on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, that He accepts our request of Him to be our King, was accepted.
Sukkos is thus the time to celebrate the “victory” we enjoyed on our Day of Judgment. Sukkos is when we carry the Lulav (Palm branch) because, our sages tell us, its scepter-like appearance is a symbol of victory. Sukkos is when we “throw a party” for all of the bounty we received from G-d during the High Holy Days.
Even Our Boots!
There is a more profound way of viewing the joy of Sukkos and its relationship to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The essential Mitzvah of Sukkos is, of course, the Sukkah itself. This little temporary booth becomes our home for seven/eight days. What is unique about this Mitzvah, which commemorates the way G-d provided the Jews in the wilderness with shelter, is that it is the only Mitzvah that totally envelops the person who fulfills the Mitzvah. Moreover, not only is the entire individual surrounded by the Sukkah; even ones “boots” are surrounded by the Sukkah.
This all-encompassing nature of the Sukkah provides us with the key to understanding the deeper nature of Sukkos.
First of all, the fact that we are surrounded by the Sukkah—symbolic of Divine protection—suggests that G-d has responded favorably and acceded to our request that He become our King by taking us into His “embrace.” Sukkos is a time when G-d showers all of His love on us.
Secondly, Sukkos is the time when we show G-d that to us Judaism is not just a one-day-of-the-year-observance, to assuage our guilt. Judaism to us is an all-encompassing experience which involves our entire being.
Envelopment and Joy
When we approach Judaism this way, contrary to what many would imagine, it is not a burden. It is the greatest source of joy. No other Biblical Holiday is associated with as much joy as Sukkos, designated in our prayers as “Zman Simchaseinu-The Season of Our Rejoicing.” The term “our” is said to mean that there is a reciprocal experience of joy. G-d rejoices with us as He takes us into His embrace. We then reciprocate by demonstrating our ecstasy at having the opportunity to enter into the Jewish experience - the Sukkah - with all of our being.
The two themes of total envelopment by the Sukkah and the joy associated with Sukkos are interrelated. When a person is fragmented; a part of him or her is in one place and another part is elsewhere, they cannot experience true joy. Only when a person is situated in one place can they feel the genuine joy of being.
Thus, the Messianic Age—which is the ultimate time of joy as it is stated, “Then our mouths will be filled with laughter”—is characterized as the time when we will all dwell in G-d’s Sukkah. Our total envelopment in one Sukkah will be the greatest source of joy. We get a taste of that every time we enter the Sukkah.
From the book Light from the Future: Sukkos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
