* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Tomorrow evening the holiday of Sukkot arrives with its annual gifts of security, joy, and unity.
Security. This fragile, temporary dwelling is considered an eternal fortress where the Divine presence rests. When God took us out of Egypt, the sukkah was our protective shelter, and so it has been down through the generations. It is a reminder of the thousands of years of our history. King David, in every battle and difficult situation, felt this connection to the sukkah and its constant protection, as he wrote in the psalm we recite throughout the holidays of Tishrei: “He will conceal me in His sukkah on a calamitous day.”
Joy. Sukkot is designated as “the time of our joy.” In the Torah it is written “And you will rejoice on your holiday (referring to Sukkot) . . . and be completely joyful.” In every generation, despite many challenges, we always knew how to rejoice. Ultimately, it transpired that our fragile sukkah outlasted the palaces of the world’s greatest empires. After all, we are the eternal people. There is another reason to rejoice at this time. After days of serious soul-searching on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, after mending our ways and resolving to improve ourselves, we feel cleansed. And when all of us are just a little better than we were, there is joy.
Unity. The four species — lulav (date palm), etrog (citron), hadas (myrtle), and arava (willow) — symbolize the four types of Jews when they band together and unite. The four species also symbolize parts of our bodies and our souls when they function in perfect unity, bringing material and spiritual well-being.
Everyone is invited to enter their sukkah tomorrow evening and receive these precious gifts.
