Image: A family picnicing in the park. (Shutterstock, all rights reserved.)
The High Holy Days are behind us.
One common feeling at this point in the fall cycle of holidays is to be really sick of sitting in synagogue or in front of the computer screen, praying. Yep, me too.
Sukkot is the perfect Jewish holiday for this year. The main idea is, get outdoors!
The good news is that this holiday isn’t primarily a synagogue holiday. Sukkot is celebrated in the YARD.
Or on the balcony.
Or on the roof.
You can celebrate Sukkot anywhere you can build a temporary shelter.
Or — to keep things very simple – anywhere you can put a few lawn chairs and a card table. Or a blanket on the grass. Don’t get too fussy and spoil the fun. Enjoy!
Yes, it’s nice to have a sukkah. And if you have any connection at all to a Jewish organization, you can go sit in their sukkah, but if you want to get at the heart of the holiday, call up some friends and take them with you. Or go to the park.
This holiday is all about appreciating nature and the harvest. Yes, food. Eaten outdoors. With friends. Or strangers soon to be friends.
Maybe you can think of a friend who could also use a little outdoors time now.
The beauty of Sukkot is that whether you live in an apartment or a mansion, you celebrate it in a temporary shelter outdoors. If you don’t have a yard, take a picnic to the park. If you don’t have a sukkah the lawn chairs I mentioned above are fine. Or a beach umbrella. Just grab your stuff, pack some food, call a friend, and GO. You’ll figure it out.
The heart of Sukkot is hospitality and enjoyment, and a recognition that most of the stuff we build in this world is temporary, anyhow.
Sukkot starts on the evening of Monday, September 20, 2021. But don’t stress – it goes on for a week. There will be time.
Sukkot is the kick-back Jewish holiday. We’ve mended our relationships, now we get to enjoy them. No hurry, no worry, just share some food and enjoy the season. If it’s too hot outside, make some lemonade. If it’s too wet, stay inside by a window, or just get wet.
I’ll keep posting about the Jewishy stuff, the sukkah, the lulav, the history — that’s all interesting. But remember, the heart of this holiday is hospitality.
Prepare to enjoy yourself!