Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday celebrated just five days after the end of Yom Kippur. This joyous holiday acts as a turning point from reflection to celebration. It marks the start of the harvest season and is a way to express gratitude. It is also one of the three major Jewish festivals each year.
This holiday is observed by building a hut called a sukkah, a temporary dwelling with branches for a roof, leaving spaces to see the stars at night. Its purpose is to represent both physical and spiritual protection. It is customary to dwell in the Sukkah; eating, praying, relaxing, or even sleeping in it, if weather permits. Another commandment of this holiday is to wave four species of plants. At Gelfenbein (Towers) dining hall, you may have noticed the pop-up hut on the patio and people shaking a long stick-like plant; it’s called a lulav and is held next to a large lemon-like fruit, called an etrog.
In the Torah, it states “Take a goodly citrus fruit”, to perform the commandment of Sukkot. All it says is to take a nice fruit and hold it together with the lulav. What does an Etrog and the citron, mean specifically? The etrog is the only fruit that can have fruits, buds, and flowers at the same time, representing our past, present and future all linked together. We as a people are all linked to our past and our future destiny.
Hag ha-sukkot, “The Festival of Booths”, refers to God protecting the Israelites in the wilderness after their Exodus from Egypt when they dwelled in temporary structures. Dwelling in the sukkah can be seen as symbolic of how fragile one’s life is and of faith in protection from God.
The four species, the citron/etrog, lulav, myrtle and willow, are held together and waved in every direction to symbolize how the Divine is everywhere.
These plants symbolize different types of people in a community. Each species represents a person with certain characteristics or levels of spirituality. When these different types of plants are brought together, it conveys a sense of unity and its importance along with the mission of everyone contributing to the full picture of fulfilling a communal purpose.
As the world evolves, so do the traditions of Sukkot. Some creative minds have taken the commandment of dwelling in a Sukkah to the next level. In 2009, a 16-year-old decided that it would be a good idea to create a mobile sukkah by pulling a sukkah on the back of his bike, allowing all in his city the opportunity to fulfill the commandment. Today, Sukkahs are seen on the back of trucks, on sidewalks of big cities, on scooters, you name it.
Here at UConn, Hillel and Chabad on Campus hosted unique events in honor of Sukkot this past week. Hillel celebrated with a “Shakshuka in the Sukkah” cooking event, whipping up a traditional Middle Eastern dish of poached eggs in a cooked tomato sauce. Chabad had their annual, all-you-can-eat, “Sushi in the Sukkah” fest, bringing together students to experience the holiday and its joys.
Sukkot is a time when one is reminded of the need for both physical and spiritual sustenance. Through its rituals, the holiday embodies gratitude, unity, faith, and trust which are at the core of Judaism and all religions. Even though these wonderful events and holidays have passed, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for future events to gather with the community and experience Jewish traditions. Don’t miss out on Shabbat this Friday and every upcoming Friday!