Dear Chevre (Friends):
“After the ingathering of your grain and your wine, you shall hold the Feast of Sukkot for seven days. You shall rejoice in your festival… only be joyous!” (Deuteronomy 16:13-15) Of course, the joy of Sukkot reflects the abundance of the fall harvest. But still…what an impossible commandment: “only be joyous!” How can the Torah mandate happiness? Some of us live in constant pain and depression, and the rest of us are not usually capable of conjuring up feelings upon demand.
Another even more basic commandment seems to stipulate an emotional state: “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) However, its fulfillment is predicated not upon adopting a certain attitude, but upon performing certain deeds, such as welcoming guests, visiting the sick, lending money, and giving charity. As Millard Fuller said: “It’s easier to act your way into a new of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting.” So, what actions does the Torah prescribe to induce joy on Sukkot?
We are to wave a bundle of palm, myrtle, willow, and citron and we are to live outdoors in temporary, leafy structures. The Lulav and Etrog are a feast for the senses: the color of the leaves, the rustling of the fronds, the delicious aroma of the fruit. Their sexual imagery is unmistakable. As for the Sukkah, it represents life laid bare of all luxurious pretensions. “The special joy of Sukkot,” writes Rabbi Alan Lew, “is precisely the joy of being stripped naked, the joy of being flush with life, the joy of having nothing between our skin and the wind and the starlight, nothing between us and the world.”
It is no coincidence that Sukkot arrives on the heels of Yom Kippur. Feeling right with the world is the product of a clear conscience. The grand prize for the hard work of atonement is wholesale immersion in the simple pleasures of life. May we all taste the sheer joy of this festive season.
Rabbi Brian
rabbi.brian.besser@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment