Sukkot, Zman Simchateinu

 (photo above taken at last year's Dad's Club Campout
- save the date for this year's overnight on 10/24/09)

As we celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, eating our meals in the temporary booths built in backyards, on balconies and rooftops, school playgrounds, and other communal locations; and as we fervently shake the lulav and etrog signifying G-d’s all-encompassing existence and transcendent relationship between this world and the realm of spirituality; and as we conclude our High Holiday Season with the celebration and conclusion of this holiday and Simhat Torah specifically, we are left physically and spiritually exhausted and almost needing a holiday from our Holy Days.

It is believed that because of the intensity of the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when every Jew cleanses his or her soul of their errors and wrongdoings and starts the new year fresh with a “clean slate”, that the holiday of Sukkot, also known as Zman Simhateinu (“The time of our joy”) is specifically because we have nothing to “bring us down” and should therefore only be happy and joyous.

Rabbi Isaac Luria, also known as the Arizal, a great Jewish thinker and recognized leader of the Kabbalistic movement of Tsfat (Safed), Israel, taught his disciples that the first step in developing a spiritual connection with G-d was through joy and happiness. Rabbi Luria interpreted the message of Psalm 100 Verse 2 “Serve Hashem with joy” (which in turn was believed to have been based on “And ye shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d”, Deuteronomy 12:12) that if a person was not happy his prayers were not reaching their desired destination.

Rabbi Luria believed that Sukkot was the time to create a positive outlook and happy persona for the rest of the year, and that Simhat Torah specifically offered us the opportunity to connect to our history, our ancestors, and to G-d by once again starting to read the weekly Torah portions from a place of happiness and joy.

I wish you all a festive and very happy Sukkot holiday; and remind you that there is nothing more joyous than seeing our children sing and perform together on the stage and taking pride in their Jewish identity. Therefore, I hope to see you all this Wednesday at the “Sukkot Under the Stars” program.

Chag Sa-me’ach!