According to the text of Vayikra 23:43,
the commandment to dwell in sukkot (booths/shelters) is observed:
“In order that future generations will
know that I made the children of Israel live in booths when I brought them out
of the land of Egypt.”
In the Exodus narrative itself, these
booths are not mentioned. This gave rise to a Talmudic dispute in which R.Akiva’s
claim (that the festival of Sukkot refers to physical booths built in the
desert) is contested by R. Eliezar, who suggests that the shelter referred to
is none other than that of the “annanei kavod”…the Divine clouds of The
Glory which protected Israel in the desert. (Midrash Sifra 17, Talmud
Bavli, Sukkah 11b).
There is a sense in which both
opinions are correct.
The hut (sukkah) which is built during
the festival of Sukkot is a reminder of our reliance on Divine Providence and
Protection. For some the emphasis is on the idea that it is we
ourselves who build it-literally by our labour and creativity and
figuratively by our attempt to live according to the Torah. For others it
is a reminder that ultimately we are totally reliant on the Protection of God,
and that He will be gracious to whomsoever He chooses. Both ideas are part
of the liturgy of this festival, and both ideas can be a fruitful source of inspiration for our
meditation,prayers, and other gemilus
chasadim.
Though the nature and symbolism
of the Shelter/shelter under which we celebrate generated much creative
argument - one opinion on the festival of Sukkot which was
always universally agreed upon is that Sukkot is the "Season of
our Joy".
The Joy of Sukkot is the joy of optimism in all circumstances-those we perceive as “good” and those we perceive as “bad”- and it is the fruit of authentic and expansive gratitude for whatever we are provided with daily.
How can we feel joy at ANY time when we are aware that there is so much poverty, suffering and cruelty in our broken world?
Those fulfilling the commandment to build and dwell in a sukkah during Sukkot are challenged to cope with the mix of Chesed and Gevurah in Creation and find ways to make their reliance on the Providence of G-d and their attempt to generate equanimity overflow to all worlds. Even if we begin "small":
Sitting in the Sukkah, we are given a choice: We can moan and grumble when the roof leaks,or we can try to keep our spirits up and focus on the beauty of the stars we can see through the hole.
That is all well and good when we are talking about minor domestic difficulties and personal trials, But what use is this to someone whose entire family has just died in a flood, or to someone whose REAL house is now a pile of rubble after an earthquake, or who actually doesnt have a roof over their heads at all?
Not much.
Which is why we try to get practical assistance to those who are struggling in the wake of tsunami, flood, and earthquake. It is why we do whatever we can daily to heal the mess our species is creating. It is why we act to alleviate poverty and homelessness in any financial or temporal way that we possibly can, both in our local environment and “globally”.
One thing is certain: a Jewish Contemplative cannot be an escapist.
Our faith in Divine Providence is not quietism. Our belief that our prayers make a difference is part of our active community service. Our prayer is meant to encourage and to generate positive and creative events in ourselves and in other people. As the Yom Kippur prayer book has recently reminded us : Our prayer may not “avert the harsh decree” but it can “transform it”. It may actually give hope to those who have no hope. It may be one of the ways which the "sukkah of G-d's Presence" is extended over His wild and broken earth.
(The photo at the top of this item was taken near my home in Granada Costa, Spain in December 2008)
The Joy which characterises
this season celebrates a “time in the desert” which was no Nature Ramble or
jolly summer-camp vacation. As Rabbi Irving Greenberg wrote in 1988:
“In the desert, the people of Israel met their God, ate the bread of heaven, and followed the pillar of fire. In that same desert, The Amalekites attacked, the water springs were bitter, the Israelites lusted after meat, the flocks were thirsty.”
The Joy of Sukkot is the joy of optimism in all circumstances-those we perceive as “good” and those we perceive as “bad”- and it is the fruit of authentic and expansive gratitude for whatever we are provided with daily.
How can we feel joy at ANY time when we are aware that there is so much poverty, suffering and cruelty in our broken world?
The sukkah in the photo
above (one I built when I lived in Indonesia) would be a palace to millions of people in our
world right now and at any time of year. Sometimes G-d’s reality seems to be more cruel than we humans can perceive or even
begin to understand.
Those fulfilling the commandment to build and dwell in a sukkah during Sukkot are challenged to cope with the mix of Chesed and Gevurah in Creation and find ways to make their reliance on the Providence of G-d and their attempt to generate equanimity overflow to all worlds. Even if we begin "small":
Sitting in the Sukkah, we are given a choice: We can moan and grumble when the roof leaks,or we can try to keep our spirits up and focus on the beauty of the stars we can see through the hole.
We can give up the task of re-building when the winds blow the makeshift
walls down or we can be optimistic and remember that all we have is temporary
anyway, and just plod on with hope.
It
is by reflecting on such common aspects of life in a modern sukkah when we are safe and in
"good" circumstances that we can generate the sort of positive
outlook that stands people in good stead in times of crisis.
That is all well and good when we are talking about minor domestic difficulties and personal trials, But what use is this to someone whose entire family has just died in a flood, or to someone whose REAL house is now a pile of rubble after an earthquake, or who actually doesnt have a roof over their heads at all?
Not much.
Which is why we try to get practical assistance to those who are struggling in the wake of tsunami, flood, and earthquake. It is why we do whatever we can daily to heal the mess our species is creating. It is why we act to alleviate poverty and homelessness in any financial or temporal way that we possibly can, both in our local environment and “globally”.
The contemplative believes that prayer
has a role to play in this too even though it may not be so readily measured. Relying on Divine Providence does not mean that we expect magic to be performed
on our behalf. Our prayers for the victims of natural disasters, for those
trying to repair the damage done to our
broken planet, and for those politicians,volunteers, and caring professionals who work to raise up the bodies and
souls of the afflicted and persecuted.... are not an attempt to overturn
the laws of nature.
They are an attempt to generate
positive thought and energy, and to make a plea for inspiration and comfort to
descend into the hearts of those in the midst of difficult times, and to those "In Power" and those with influence to
make positive and compassionate
changes. In this way they are imploring HaShem to make his Compassion "overcome" His Strict Justice.
Perhaps this is a form of “positive
visualisation”, a healing stream of optimism whose beneficial effects we can
only hope for. Some of us claim to have experience of the power and
effectiveness of such prayer, for others it is a form of hope and trust in G-d
whatever the outcome. All of us can surely see the value of the psychological
support effected by solidarity and positive encouragement—and its results can be surprisingly and even dramatically tangible.
One thing is certain: a Jewish Contemplative cannot be an escapist.
Our faith in Divine Providence is not quietism. Our belief that our prayers make a difference is part of our active community service. Our prayer is meant to encourage and to generate positive and creative events in ourselves and in other people. As the Yom Kippur prayer book has recently reminded us : Our prayer may not “avert the harsh decree” but it can “transform it”. It may actually give hope to those who have no hope. It may be one of the ways which the "sukkah of G-d's Presence" is extended over His wild and broken earth.
All of this is above national and partisan politics. All of this is above political Governments or leading personalities who we may have made into scapegoats for our our own failings or to bolster up our excapism in the face of genuine anxiety and pain. There is no person who cannot be an agent of G-d's Providence, for all is "in" Him.
And it is better to light a candle than
to rant and rave at the dark, to be grateful for the Sukkah and its apparently flimsy protection. And to try to see its hidden beauty even in a storm.
May He shelter us all in the Sukkah of
His Peace.
Chag Sukkot Sameach!!
Nachman Davies
10th October 2019
.
