To Build (a) Hope
We first encounter Sukkot way before Sukkot. The term initially appears in the book of Bereishit in a rather enigmatic manner. Jacob and Esau have parted ways as brothers not as adversaries. Each go their separate ways, Jacob to Sukkot, 33:17;
וְיַעֲקֹב֙ נָסַ֣ע סֻכֹּ֔תָה וַיִּ֥בֶן ל֖וֹ בָּ֑יִת וּלְמִקְנֵ֙הוּ֙ עָשָׂ֣ה סֻכֹּ֔ת עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרָ֥א שֵׁם־הַמָּק֖וֹם סֻכּֽוֹת׃
Jacob journeyed on to Succoth, and built a house for himself and made stalls for his cattle; he therefore named the place Succoth.
The verse is puzzling on a number of levels. He traveled to a place evidently (already) called Sukkot, but relayed as receiving its name as a result of Jacob building Sukkot for his cattle. That too is abstruse, surely there are more worthy reasons or associations for naming a place. Also note the way Sukkot is written in Hebrew, it lacks the vav. The Midrash Bereishit Rabati, notices this discrepancy and suggests that Jacob had given most of his flock to Esau as gifts and explains that Jacob only built two small booths, one designed for the day and one for the night.This deficiency in cattle only makes the reasoning for the name all the more perplexing.
The explanation of Rabbi Akiva, brought in the Mechilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, offers an insight as to the conundrum of the naming of the place. Using verses in Isaiah Chapter 4, as a proof text, he argues that אֵין ‘סֻכּוֹת’ אֶלָּא עֲנָנֵי כָבוֹד the word Sukkot refers to the (protective) clouds of glory. If that is what was provided for Jacob that is surely worthy of marking and naming!
The mystery of how to understand the meaning of Sukkot is further debated in the Talmud, Sukkot 11b on the verse in Emor in the Book of Vayikra 23:43, that in essence relays the backstory of the so named festival and the obligation to dwell in Sukkot for seven days.
לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
…in order that future generations may know that I enabled the Israelite people to live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I am the Lord your God.
Rabbi Eliezer expounding the verse posits that these booths were clouds of glory, Rabbi Akiva says: They established for themselves actual sukkot.
So here is the question, why in the case of Jacob does Rabbi Akiva argue the Sukkot are clouds of glory, and for the children of Israel wandering in the desert, actual booths?
In his masterful biography of Rabbi Akiva, (Yale University Press 2017) Barry Holtz, shares; “He is the interpreter of Torah so acute that every detail of the text holds secret meanings. If he was not the very first to push interpretations to such heights, he surely was one of the first, and he is certainly the most well-known and imaginative…”
We are familiar with the story of the four scholars, Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Aher- Elisha ben Abuyah, and Rabbi Akiva. All were harmed and afflicted as a result of this extraordinary experience bar Rabbi Akiva. It is this Rabbi Akiva who in the astonishing account told in the Talmud (Menachot 29b),interpreted all the crowns which God placed on the letters of the Torah, here is how this astounding tale is narrated;
When Moshe ascended on high, he found the Holy One blessed be He affixing crowns to the letters. Moshe asked, ‘Master of the universe, who impedes Your hand?’ God replied, ‘After many generations there will arise a man, Akiva son of Yosef by name, who will learn out many many rulings (halachot) from each and every one of these squiggles.’ ‘Ruler of the Universe,’ said Moshe, ‘permit me to see this man.’ God replied, ‘Turn around!’ Moshe went and sat behind eight rows of R. Akiva’s disciples and listened to the discourses in law. Moshe did not know what they were saying. He was very distressed. But when they came to a certain matter, the disciples asked Rabbi Akiva, ‘Master, where did you learn this?’ He said to them, ‘It is Law given to Moshe at Sinai.’ Then Moshe was reassured.
Rabbi Akiva as a master interpreter always saw things differently, most famously perhaps as recorded in Talmud Makkot 24b;
…Again it happened that Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Akiva went up to Jerusalem. When they reached Mt. Scopus, they tore their garments. When they reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies. The others started weeping; Rabbi Akiva laughed.
They implied “Why are you laughing?”He responded: “Why are you weeping?” They replied “A place so holy that it is said of it, ‘the stranger that approaches it shall die,’ and now foxes traverse it, and we shouldn’t weep?” The master teacher comforted them and explained: “That is why I laugh., and he eruditely expounded verses from the prophets that just as the prophecy of the destruction came about Akiva was now reassured that the prophecy of the rebuilding and rebirth will too. With these words they replied to him: “Akiva, you have consoled us! Akiva, you have consoled us!”
Rabbi Akiva is the eternal optimist, more than seeing the rebuilding of the Temple, he inspires the building of hope. I believe he is speaking to us too, through his profound insight regarding Sukkot. Whereas Jacob merited a repose through the clouds of Glory after the years of struggle with Lavan and then with Esau, we the children of Jacob/ Israel, require a different approach. Yes we indeed were privileged to receive many miracles on our long march to freedom, but Rabbi Akiva could no longer include the Sukkot among them. No, following our trauma from the atrocities in Egypt and despair as to whether the future could ever mend our anguish, we had to be actively involved in repairing our fractured world. This, as we have witnessed over this past year is achieved by doing, instigating hope and building our own Sukkot. They shelter, hold and form who we must become. In the spirit of the early Zionists we too must build and be built.
With prayers that our Sukkot will indeed provide protection, and a refuge, a sanctuary for the speedy return of our hostages. May they spread hope for and the actualization of better days.
Chag Sameach