Our Sages refer to the festival of Sukkot, as zeman simchateinu- literally the season of our joy. This depiction of the festival of Sukkot makes its way into our entire liturgy for this period; we declare- chag HaSukkot, zeman simchateinu, the festival of Sukkot, the season of our joy.
Indeed the Torah tells us that the essence of Sukkot is to rejoice. Among the concluding verses of Parshat Re’eh (Devarim 16:13-15) we read the following, which describes the additional aspect of “rejoicing” on Sukkot to be separate and distinct from the mandate to rejoice on each of the three pilgrimage festivals, (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot).
“Chag HaSukkot taaseh lecha shivat yamim, b’aspecha migarecha umeyikvecha. Vesamachta bechagecha, ata uvincha uvitecha v’avdecha va’amatecha v’halevi v’hager v’hayatom, v’ha’almana asher besha’arecha.shivat yamim tachog l’Hashem elokecha bamakom asher yivchar hashem, ki yevarechecha hashem elokecha b’chol tevuatcha uv’chol maasei yadecha, v’hayita ach sameach...”
“The Festival of booths, you shall celebrate for seven days when you gather in from your threshing floor and from your wine-cellar. And you shall rejoice on your festival, you, your children, your servants, and the Levite, the proselyte, the orphan and the widow who are in your midst. Seven days you shall celebrate to Hashem your God, in the place that Hashem, your God will choose; for God will have blessed you in all your crops, and all your handiwork, and you will be completely joyous....”
On Sukkot, like each of the pilgrimage festivals, we are told to celebrate, which introduces the idea of simchat yom tov, of feeling joy on each and every festival. But, additionally regarding Sukkot, we are told repeatedly to rejoice- ‘v’samachta bechagecha,’ and you shall rejoice on your festival; and v’hayita ach sameach- and you will be completely joyous- you, your children, the public servants, strangers and widows- everyone associated with the Jewish community will be completely joyous on Sukkot!
It seems, we learn from these verses, that Sukkot places special emphasis on celebrating our joy communally, that all in our midst are to rejoice.
Of course the primary ritual associated with the festival of Sukkot, is to spend the entire festival “dwelling” in a Sukka- a temporary hut. In Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23:42) we read:
“BaSukkot, teishvu shivat yamim, kol ha-ezrach biyisrael yeishvu basukkot.”
“In booths you shall dwell for seven days, the entire community of Israel should dwell in Sukkot.”
There is a beautiful Talmudic teaching regarding this verse, from tractate Sukka 27b. ’Af al pi sheamru ein adam yotzai belulavo shel chavairo, aval yotzai besukkoto shel chaveiro, dichtiv, kol haezrach biyisrael yeishvu basukkot, melamed shekol yisrael r’euim lesheiv basukka achat...”
“Even though it has been stated that a person cannot fulfill the commandment to take the four species with a borrowed lulav, one may fulfill his obligation to dwell in the sukka by dwelling in his neighbor’s sukka, as the verse states ‘the entire community of Israel shall dwell in Sukkot’, to teach us that all of Israel could very well dwell in one single sukka!”
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 11th Century France), explains that it is possible for the entire community to dwell in one single sukka, taking turns, one after the other. Using a literal approach, Rashi emphasizes the opportunity for Jews to share.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (see L’maan Achai V’reiai, pg. 73) had a sweet way of understanding this teaching. He explained that what the Talmud is teaching us is that all the Sukkot in the entire world are in essence really one big Sukka- that God wants the entire Jewish people to feel as if we come together as one, as we enter our Sukkot.
The festival of Sukkot follows immediately after the experience of Yom Kippur. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, taught that on Yom Kippur, as we return from our mistakes, and make amends for all conflict and tension that may have existed in our interpersonal relationships, we have simultaneously prepared ourselves for the real hidden joy of Sukkot. The joyous nature of Sukkot, celebrates that any controversy that previously divided us, any conflict that once created a distance or lack of trust between us, has been pushed aside. On Yom Kippur, we heal those wounds of divisiveness, and on Sukkot we embrace and celebrate the sweet joy of togetherness and unity.
This, says Rav Kook, is the message of our Talmudic teaching,
‘kol haezrach biyisrael yeishvu basukkot, melamed shekol yisrael r’euim lesheiv basukka achat...’
‘the entire community of Israel shall dwell in Sukkot, to teach us that all of Israel could very well dwell in one single sukka!’ (see Moadei Ha Reiah, page 96)...
Each of these approaches- from Rashi’s comment about sharing one communal sukka, to Rav Shlomo’s understanding that symbolically we all dwell together, to Rav Kook’s sweet clarification as to what the essence of Sukkot is really all about; are essentially teaching us that the message of the Sukka, is the message of community. May this festival of Sukkot, be a celebration of real togetherness, may this Zeman Simchateinu, truly be a season when we celebrate the sweet joy of unity.
Hinei ma tov, uma naim, shevet achim gam yachad... How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity...”
Chag Sameach, Moadim Lisimcha....Rabbi Sam Shor