Sukkot 5780
It was Sukkot 5778 – two years ago. I sat in my office, with a wall of our temple’s sukkah within inches of my window. As the canvas flapped in the gusts of the Santa Ana winds, I could see to the east the black billows of smoke coming from the Canyon Fire. It was only about 5 miles away, and it destroyed at least 24 homes while burning more than 6,000 acres. The Santa Ana winds, and the fires that ensue seem to be an annual Sukkot tradition in southern California. With the Canyon fire being so close to our synagogue, my thoughts turned to the possibility that some of our congregants might be affected by what was happening. I started calling those within the zip code of the fire, and confirmed that everyone was accounted for and not directly in harm’s way. At the same time calls started coming in from others who were checking on these same congregants. Sukkot 5778 lived up to one of its names as CHAG HA’ASIF – The Holiday of Ingathering, as our congregation drew strength in the face of danger.
CHAG HA’SUKKOT, another name for the holiday, refers to the temporary dwellings that our ancestors built in their fields during the time of the harvest as well as the shelters that the Children of Israel lived in during their 40 years in the desert. These temporary dwellings come to teach us that life is fragile, and yet we spend a full week of our year dwelling in these huts. A rickety sukkah, covered in leaves that had already blown off before the holiday ever started, we gathered on the first day of the holiday this year for our morning worship. Ma tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishk’notecha yisrael. “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel.” What was merely a tent for Jacob became a holy place as he was transformed as Yisrael. I began to think about how I had been transformed during the recent High Holy Days, and how we all can aspire to the 13 qualities of Adonai that we first heard at S’lichot, and are now reiterated in this week’s Torah portion.
Adonai, adonai, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sins.
Our parasha, during the normal course of the Torah reading cycle, is read following Moshe’s receiving of the first set of tablets containing the 10 Commandments, and subsequently the building of the Golden Calf. Lacking a concrete presence of God, and an extended absence of their leader in the desert, the Children of Israel look for security. There is nowhere to hide. They are exposed to the rawness of the sin they have committed. And yet, God gathers his people to remind them that God will not abandon them. God reveals himself to Moses as a reassurance that the Omnipresent will continue to guide, as a parent who may dislike an action of a child but continues to love.
Our parasha reminds us too that we are human, bound to make mistakes. While mistakes are part of life, we have the ability to return. There are second chances. As the famous saying goes: “Fall down seven times; get up eight times.” There is no failure – only feedback. God calls upon Moses to carve out a second set of tablets, like the first, on which the Aseret Hadibrot will be carved. Moses beseeches the Almighty to make Himself known. He feels his own shortcomings as a leader with the actions of the Children of Israel. He needs the security of a Parent, and God agrees to show His presence. “See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock, and as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back.” (Ex. 33:21-23) At times of insecurity and pain, we need to be surrounded, to know that we are not alone. Sukkot bids us to build a sukkah that is open so as to welcome visitors. Through the fourth side of the sukkah we welcome our ancestors and visitors more contemporary. And through the s’chach, the natural cover of our dwelling, we see the heavens, reminding us of God’s presence.
As we celebrate this Chag Ha’asif, this Festival of Ingathering, may we remember that we are not alone. May we surround ourselves with those who give us strength in the face of danger, those who help us transform a simple dwelling into a holy sanctuary, those who reassure and guide us when we fall, so that we may rise up, renew our relationship with ourselves, with our fellow humans, and with God.
Ken yehi ratzon – May it be God’s will.
