We are in the middle of Sukkot, Z’man Simchateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing. In Deuteronomy 16, we are COMMANDED to rejoice on Sukkot.
In verses 14 and 15 we read, “You shall rejoice in your festival”
and “You shall have nothing but joy.”
Amid all the heartbreak and brokenness we feel this year, this mitzvah is particularly difficult to fulfill. Can we really rejoice for seven days – or even one?
Yet, we Jews are practiced in holding paradox.
- Hassidic Rebbe Simcha Bunim famously taught that we need two pockets, one with a note that reads, “For my sake was the world created.” The other with a note that reads, “I am but dust and ashes.”
- We just recited in the Unetaneh Tokef, “who shall live and who shall die.” And chapter 3 of Kohelet teaches, among many other dualities, that there is “A time to be born and a time to die.”
- During Shiva, we interrupt our grief to celebrate Shabbat and Festivals.
- And Psalm 126, set to music by Debbie Friedman, asserts that, “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.”
Going beyond paradox, Rebbe Nachman wrote, “If you don’t feel happy, pretend to be. Even if you are depressed, put on a smile. Act happy. Genuine joy will follow.”
For many of us, the advice to “Fake it till you make it,” feels inauthentic.
However, another of Rebbe Nachman’s suggestions, validated by cognitive behavioral research, is more promising. The Rebbe writes:
“Sometimes a group of people happily dancing together take hold of someone who is standing miserable and depressed on the outside. They pull him into the dance circle despite himself, forcing him to rejoice with them.”
Or as the Nike slogan says, “JUST DO IT.”
Following the Rebbe’s advice, three Sukkot mitzvot provide an opportunity to metaphorically join the dance that can bring us to joy.
First and foremost, we are commanded to dwell in booths. From Leviticus 23:43
“You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths…”
While dwelling in a sukkah reminds us of the fragility of life, it also puts us in touch with the holiness of the natural world. At night, we view the stars and wonder at our place in the Universe. During the day, we can simply sit quietly and observe Nature around us—glorious this time of year.
To quote Anne Frank in Diary of a Young Girl:
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God.”
There is also joy to be experienced in the simplicity of our booths. We don’t take much out with us, some food and drink and something to read or study. But during the time in a sukkah we are separated from our material world — from emails, messages, and breaking news.
Metaphorically, the sukkah has been likened to a comforting embrace, a big hug. With its three walls close to us, we can sense the joy of being lovingly held. Rabbi Akiva likened the booths to the supernatural clouds of glory with which G-d enveloped the Israelites in the desert. (Sifra, rabbinical commentary on Leviticus)
The second Sukkot mitzvah that fosters joy is that we welcome guests. Deuteronomy 16:14 commands:
“You shall rejoice in your festival with your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow in your communities. “
We invite our friends and family to share a meal in our sukkah. Tradition has it that we also welcome Ushpizin, seven supernal guests delineated in the Zohar. These are our patriarchs plus Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David.
In recent years, feminists have paired our matriarchs and other Biblical women with the men: Sara, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah plus Miriam, Avigal and Esther. Other lists include Devorah, Hannah and Huldah. (This also helps compensate for the striking omission of wives and other female relatives from the Torah text!)
Today we often include deceased relatives or other historical or contemporary figures who represent our core values. In this gathering of spirits, present and absent, we can sense the joy of connection to preceding generations. L’dor v’dor.
The third and last Sukkot ritual I’ll mention is holding the lulav and etrog. In Leviticus 23:40 we read:
“On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God יהוה seven days.”
We bring together these four species and wave them in the six directions. This physical act is also ascribed symbolic meaning. The arba’a minim, the four species, symbolize variously the four letters of G-d’s name; the limbs of our bodies; and the masculine and feminine. Thus we unite the transcendent and the immanent, experiencing the joy of connecting to the Divine through our bodies.
Throughout this difficult year, I have been struck by how our ritual observances and mitzvot can touch and uplift us. We read Kohelet on Sukkot and its final message to us is “Revere G-d and observe His commandments.” Even amidst the brokenness, we can turn to our tradition to provide a way to genuinely experience joy and celebrate Sukkot’s Z’man Simchateinu.