Sukkot 2024—What Are We Celebrating?

You can now watch an abridged video version of these Jewish holiday thoughts on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ifJsPYhDHJU

The strangest thing about the Sukkot holiday is that we do not really know what we are celebrating. The Torah says: “You shall live in huts seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in huts (sukkot), in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43)”. Yet, nowhere in the entire Exodus narrative does it say that God made us live in huts. Although “Sukkot” was the name of the first stop on the exodus route from Egypt (see Exodus 12:37), the Torah here is referring not to a particular place but to our entire desert experience. Thus, the question is why does the Torah here institute a seven-day holiday to celebrate an event that is related to the Exodus but that does not appear anywhere in the actual account of the Exodus?

In addressing this question, there is a disagreement among the Rabbis. According to Rabbi Eliezer, the “sukkot” in which we are commanded to live for seven days refer to the “clouds of glory”, whereas according to Rabbi Akiva they refer to actual booths (see Tractate Sukkah 11b). In Rabbi Eliezer’s view, the word “sukkot” is not to be understood in the literal sense of “huts” but as a metaphor for the “divine cloud” that guided and protected us from the sun, our enemies and the animals throughout our sojourn in the desert (see Exodus 13:21, Numbers 9:15 and Mekhilta Beshalach, 1). Thus, the holiday of Sukkot is meant to serve as a reminder that we must thank God not only for the Exodus from Egypt (which is the essence of the Passover holiday) but also for protecting us during our long and arduous journey through the desert on our way to the Promised Land.

According to Rabbi Akiva, however, the “sukkot” refer to actual huts that our ancestors built in the desert. In other words, the “sukkot” do not refer to anything that God did on our behalf but what we did to help ourselves survive the challenges and travails of the desert. If that is the case, however, why does the text say that God “made the Israelite people live in huts” when, according to Rabbi Akiva, we built the huts of our own accord?

It appears that, in Rabbi Akiva’s view, the holiday of Sukkot is coming to teach us to express our gratitude to God for granting us the freedom to take control of our own fate and to protect ourselves. In other words, unlike Rabbi Eliezer who sees the holiday of Sukkot as an extension of the story of the Exodus, Rabbi Akiva seems to believe that its’ purpose is to lay the foundations for the future when we will become a sovereign nation in the Land and we will need to assume responsibility for our own survival and welfare.

While Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva present different views on the meaning of the word “sukkot” and on the nature of the Sukkot holiday, I believe we can appreciate both positions. On the one hand, we must express gratitude and appreciation to God for providing for, and protecting, us during the Exodus and our long sojourn in the desert. On the other hand, we must express gratitude to God for enabling and empowering us to provide for, and protect, ourselves.

On Simchat Torah 2023, we experienced a massacre unlike anything we have experienced since the dark days of the Holocaust. It was not just the sheer viciousness and brutality of Hamas but our fear and utter sense of helplessness as well. I remember watching the news that fateful morning (I turned on the television even though I never do on Shabbat and holidays) and listening to the live phone calls from terrified citizens who were describing their desperate situation and the absence of any military presence, and who were begging the news anchors for help. In disbelief I found myself shouting: “What, is this the Holocaust??!!!!” Indeed, as events unfolded, it became clear that that day was eerily similar to the horrors that we experienced back then.

The difference, however, became clear once that day passed, and the IDF awoke from its slumber and began to fight back. Although over 1,100 Israeli citizens were killed on that day and another several hundred in combat since then along with another 4,500 injured, although the war has now extended to the North (and to some extent to Yemen and Iran), and although 101 are still being held hostage, Israel now has the upper hand. The IDF has killed over 14,000 Hamas terrorists and attacked over 40,000 terror targets in Gaza, killed another 800 Hezbollah terrorists (including some in the brilliantly planned and executed pager and walkie-talkie attacks) and attacked another 11,000 terror targets in Lebanon, and eliminated most of the Hamas and Hezbollah leadership. Furthermore, after Iran recently launched over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel causing hardly any damage, Iran’s leaders are now quaking in their boots, as they fear Israel’s expected retaliation.

Thus, unlike the Holocaust that lasted from 1933 until 1945, Israel’s Holocaust lasted exactly one day! The difference between the two, of course, has nothing to do with our enemy’s determination to destroy us but with our ability to defend ourselves with overwhelming military might.

On Sukkot 2024, we must, therefore, give thanks to God for guiding and protecting us throughout our long history, but also for helping us establish a sovereign state and enabling us to create one of the most powerful armies in the world, so that we now can proudly and heroically defend ourselves.

Chag Sameach!

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