Sukkot, the Fragility of Life and the Holiday of our Joy

    Sukkot, the Fragility of Life and the Holiday of our Joy

On the holiday of Sukkot, we sit in fragile structures which are open to the elements.

We move out of our solid homes to eat our meals and spend our time there.

Perhaps our homes give us a false sense of security.

We literally live in these temporary booths, constructed to help us feel how vulnerable we are.

We have travelled through Rosh Hashanah where we recognized God as King.

We experienced God as both transcendent and imminent.

Then we spend Yom Kippur feeling cleansed and grateful to God for forgiving us for all the things we did that we regretted.

The climax of Yom Kippur gave us an opportunity to cry our hearts out to God.

And now, 4 days later we sit in sukkot for 7 days to try to experience how fragile life is.

As we end the Torah and we read about the death of Moses,

We are again reminded of the fleeting nature of this life.

Like Moses, we too will one day die.

This confrontation with mortality can help us in so many ways.

It can give us a sense of appreciation for every moment of life.

It can lead to us feeling humble.

It can help us become more empathetic and generous.

It can lead us to not feel complacent and to be motivated to use our lives well.

In addition to feeling how vulnerable we are, Sukkot is described as the time of our joy.

We are commanded to be filled with joy at this time.

Joy at being alive.

Joy from being grateful and appreciative for all we have.

Joy from a solid and unwavering trust in God.

Joy from having faith in our God who is close, loving and will protect us.

May this holiday season help us feel both joy and peace.

May the hostages come home this week and 

May we dance on simchas Torah with more open and unblocked hearts even as we know that this world is complex and filled with suffering.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat shalom

Elissa