Dear Kehillah,

On Friday night, the weeklong holiday of Sukkot begins. Sukkot is the third of three pilgrimage/harvest holidays in the Jewish tradition (Passover and Shavuot are the other two). The symbolism of the hut built to celebrate this holiday has a few interpretations. One interpretation holds that the hut commemorates the temporary shelter used by the Israelites during their travels in Egypt. (Chabad suggests, “some say this refers to the miraculous clouds of glory that shielded [them] from the desert sun, while others say it refers to the tents in which they dwelled for their 40-year trek through the Sinai desert”). Another interpretation holds that the hut celebrates the temporary structures farmers would build in their fields as they were harvesting grain so that they wouldn’t have to spend all day trekking back and forth to the house.

Jews are commanded to “dwell” in the sukkah, to eat their meals, shake the lulav and etrog after the holiday, some even sleep outdoors! This year, as our neighbors are yet again evacuating their houses due to fires, these temporary homes are even more symbolic of the fragility of life and the blessings of shelter.

May this season truly be z’man simchateinu, a time of our joy.

Regards,

Sarah Canfield-Dafilou

Director of Experiential Education

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Head’s Pandemic Advisory Team – Q & A