The Mystery of “Joy” on Sukkot by Rabbi August

I have wonderered about the difference between our secular and Jewish new year holiday celebration.
My Hevruata, study partner, Rabbi Naomi Levy, once lamented, “We just don’t know how to have fun!” For Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, she observed, we hit our breasts and confess sins, in contrast to drinking and having a great party, letting loose and letting go! I wondered about that and actually totally disagree with her. My reasoning involves the joy of the Sukkot holiday.
I have been to some great New Year Eve parties. It is delightful knowing you have friends and somewhere to go where people are happy to see you! But then what? So you eat, tell jokes, listen to music, dance and feel good. This is lovely and then you count down, watch the ball and it is all over. Exhausted, you go home, hoping you do not have a hangover the next day. Of course many of these late night parties were years ago….
Our Jewish New Year is a much different process, with a unique goal of contemplation, inwardness and quieting our egos. We carved out a sacred time to examine our existence. Are we growing or standing, still content with the status quo? Are we expanding our hearts and minds, or are we just trying to survive?
The ten days were a time to wonder if we could love more, fear less, reduce anger, increase compassion, and find ways to be less judgmental, more hopeful and open to new possibilities.
So, did it work for you? Hopefully, it did, a little bit, and now you are ready for Sukkot! After all our soul searching and heart shifting we are ready to sit in our Sukkah and gaze out at the stars. Sitting outdoors and dreaming about our future is the next step after the High Holidays.
And we party! We have guests, eat good food, laugh and tell stories and enjoy all our senses. The Sukkah is a visual treat, an olfactory delight, and shaking the lulav and etrog is a tactile experience.
The word Sukkah means fragile dwelling but also is a verb that means “to vision” – to look hopefully and with a full heart at your future and all the possibilities for adventure, new experiences, more meaningful work and deeper relationships.
Find yourself a Sukkah and have a blast! Use this holy time, the holiday of Sukkot, for continued personal development. Find the opportunity to reflect on what you accomplished over the Yontif holidays and rededicate yourself to renewal and change. “It is a great Mitzvah to be happy!”
Chag Sameach! A meaningful and joyful holiday to us all!