Our Basic Needs- Shabbat Chol Ha’moed Sukkot 5785

If I had to pick, I would say that Sukkot is in the running for my favorite holiday. I have a soft spot for all of our holidays, but Sukkot has always been a high point for me. 

I love the process of building our sukkah at our house, and we spend as much time in it as we can. We have a family tradition of going to Trader Joe’s or another store and buying special “sukkah snacks”. I love sitting in our sukkah with a hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, or a hot cup of tea (or something stronger) at night, and spending time outside. We invite friends, both Jewish and not, to our yearly sukkah decorating party, which is always a highlight for our kids (it’s the one time during the year when they can play with glitter!). 

I’ll admit that I’ve grown accustomed to indoor amenities and comfort. I like spending time outdoors, but I do have my limits. However, on Sukkot, I try to push myself- to stay outside a little longer, dress a little warmer, and really try to leshev ba’sukah– “to dwell in the Sukkah.”

I have friends for whom being outside is not only a major part of who they are, but for whom being outside plays a major role in how they practice Judaism. One of my friends in rabbinical school once challenged our daily post-lunch mincha minyan in school to daven outside, rain or shine, no matter the weather. He encouraged us to find a spot in the woods on the Hebrew College property and pray there daily, so that we may observe how the cycle of seasons affects that particular spot- and the earth- firsthand. I’ll admit that sometimes, in the rain or snow, it was more comfortable for me to daven indoors, but I admired his fortitude, along with others. Other friends of mine have been rabbis in residence at Bamidbar, an outdoor Jewish wilderness therapy program for young adults, which involves a great deal of hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains.  

Speaking for myself, spending time outside makes me appreciate my permanent home even more than usual. Being in the sukkah and enjoying a meal with friends, while perhaps being a little chilly and awake a little longer, helps me appreciate my warm bed and the other comforts to which I’ve grown accustomed. 

It’s worth remembering that the sukkah not only represents the huts that would be built in the fields at harvest time, but also represents the peace- the shalom– that G-d provided for the Israelites as they wandered for forty years in the wilderness. In the midst of uncertainty, with the Israelites not knowing where they were going and complaining about any number of things to Moses, G-d still saw fit to provide them with all they needed during their journey. 

In Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs, the most foundational things we need for our support are breath, food, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep. The sukkah first and foremost provides us shelter against the elements- however rickety and temporary, by design- and many people do indeed sleep in their sukkah if the weather allows. It’s like a mini camping trip, although I’ll say that I myself have never done this personally.

I want to return to Maslow’s hierarchy and examine the other foundational human needs. Breathing- the ability literally to exist– is the most important. While in Egypt, Moshe exhorts the Israelite slaves to support him and believe in his divine mission. The Torah teaches, though, in Exodus chapter 6 verse 9:

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃

“[But] when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.”

The phrase “m’kotzer ruach”, here translated as “crushed of spirit”, can also be translated as “short of breath” or “short of wind”. The Israelites in their bondage have been working so hard that they literally cannot catch their breath long enough to listen to Moses.

Dwelling in the sukkah allows us to catch our breath, and breathe deeply in relaxation and appreciation for the bounty that G-d has bestowed upon us.

For food during their wanderings, the Israelites partake of the manna. There are different teachings associated with the manna– the Torah teaches that it tasted like wafers dipped in honey and resembled coriander seed (see Ex. 16:31). According to a midrash, however, the manna could taste like whatever one wanted it to taste like.

At Sukkot we enjoy the bounty of the harvest, eating to our heart’s content. Just as on Shabbat we enjoy an extra meal, so too we sate ourselves on Sukkot, as we do all festivals.

Water is famously the first complaint of the Israelites after they cross the Red Sea and evade capture by the Egyptians. When the people complain and ask Moshe what they’ll drink, Moshe sweetens the waters of Marah and allows the people to drink their fill. Later, in another episode of thirst, Moses coaxes water from the rock from which the people can drink and be satisfied.

Water is at the very heart of Sukkot. Simchat Beit Shoeva, the “water drawing ceremony”, was traditionally celebrated during the intermediate days of Sukkot. This was a ceremony in the Beit HaMikdash that was part of the start of the rainy season, which begins with Shemini Atzeret and when we begin asking G-d for rain in our prayers. In many communities, this has transformed into a day of making music and joyfully celebrating together.

The last few years, if I remember correctly, we’ve had rain at times on Sukkot, which exempts us from sitting in the sukkah. The commandment to dwell in the sukkah is not meant to be to our great discomfort- rain, while beneficial in the right types and quantities, can have detrimental effects as well. Dwelling in the sukkah reminds us that, despite our efforts sometimes, we ultimately bend to nature and acknowledge the differences between the seasons. 

With regards to clothing, we learn in the book of Deuteronomy that the clothing the Israelites wore during their desert sojourn lasted them the entire 40 years! Deuteronomy 8:4 teaches:

שִׂמְלָ֨תְךָ֜ לֹ֤א בָֽלְתָה֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְרַגְלְךָ֖ לֹ֣א בָצֵ֑קָה זֶ֖ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃

“The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years.” 

For me, Sukkot has been when I dig my fall or winter coat out of the closet, along with a warmer hat and a scarf. Being outside and feeling a bit of a chill, like the call of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, rouses me to contemplation and serves as a reminder that time is passing.

Finally with regards to sleep, we say in our liturgy on Shabbat and holidays: “V’adonai lo yanum v’lo yishan”– “G-d neither slumbers nor sleeps”. For forty years in the desert, despite their trials and tribulations, G-d saw fit to watch over and protect the Israelites in their Sukkot. Despite G-d’s anger and disappointment at times, G-d never yielded in their protection over us.

We say every night in the hashkivenu prayer as part of the evening service: “u’fros aleinu sukkat shlomecha”. “Spread over us, G-d, your sukkah of peace.” The sukkah is protection for us, but by its very nature it is meant to be temporary. On Shemini Atzeret there is a small but meaningful ceremony that some perform of saying farewell to the sukkah. The comforts and security that the sukkah provides are meant to be joyful, yet fleeting. When the rainy season begins in earnest on Shemini Atzeret, we move indoors for the duration of the winter, secure with the faith that G-d will provide the rain and protection that we need. 

As the seasons change over Sukkot, it’s only appropriate that we read from the book of Ecclesiastes. Chapter 3 of that wonderful book of Tanach begins:

“A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven:

A time for being born and a time for dying,

A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;

A time for slaying and a time for healing,

A time for tearing down and a time for building up;

A time for weeping and a time for laughing,

A time for wailing and a time for dancing;

A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,

A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;

A time for seeking and a time for losing,

A time for keeping and a time for discarding;

A time for ripping and a time for sewing,

A time for silence and a time for speaking;

A time for loving and a time for hating;

A time for war and a time for peace.

May we know peace, in all its manifestations, over this Sukkot and over the still-new year. May all of our needs be met, and may we experience the joy that Sukkot brings to us here and to the land of Israel.