An Erev Sukkot Sermon

              The parsha for Sukkot is a reading from Emor, Lev. 23, which covers the major festivals of the Jewish year. As it is described in the Torah, Sukkot is both a harvest festival and a celebration of Israelite history. We are meant to thank God for the food provided from the land and remember our wandering in the desert as it says in 23:43: “That your generations may know that I made the people Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

              Why this combination of harvest and history? It is meant as a reminder, yet again, of the fragility of life. In the ancient world, the harvest determined survival, and it could be a time fraught with uncertainty. Would the plants produce enough for everyone? Would the weather destroy the crops before they could be harvested? Would there be some kind of blight, or a marauding army? Any number of things could go wrong, and so a bountiful harvest was understood as a divine blessing. When God blessed the earth it was right and logical to give thanks.

              The history the Torah ties to this natural aspect of the holiday bolsters this message. The Israelites wandered through a barren desert for 40 years, completely reliant on the beneficence of God for their food: manna and quail. Just as God was the source of their miraculous food, so is God the source of their food in the land. Furthermore, the huts drive home this idea of our reliance on God. The sukkah is a temporary, flimsy structure. It doesn’t protect from rain, cold, heat, or wind. At most, it offers shade and a flimsy sense of privacy. Being made of natural materials, it also doesn’t last very long. Living in a sukkah for 40 years would have been an extreme exercise in trusting and relying on God.

              Ecclesiastes, Kohelet, is also read on Sukkot. This book is one of the most fascinating in the Bible with its philosophical, almost hedonistic themes. The overarching message is that nothing will last, so you should enjoy your life while you can. The book concludes, however, with the message of trusting in the wisdom, power, and judgment of God: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of humanity. For God will bring every deed to judgment.”

              So, it seems clear that the theme of Sukkot is uncertainty and trust in God. It is no coincidence that this festival begins just five days after Yom Kippur with its overarching question about God’s judgment on our deeds. Nothing is guaranteed to us. This message has been reinforced in recent years with all the social, economic, and political turmoil facing our country. From the pandemic to inflation to war, things feel particularly chaotic. Rising antisemitism across the political spectrum has multiplied this sense of uncertainty for the Jewish community. The message of Sukkot is to lean in to the uncertainty and trust in God and yourself, that it will be ok.

              Rabbi Lichtenstein taught that courage is one of the central virtues of Judaism. Courage doesn’t mean being free of fear; it is the overcoming of fear. The refusal to allow fear to dictate our actions. Courage is the ability to trust God, to trust our neighbors and friends, to trust ourselves as we strive to overcome adversity. As Kohelet teaches us, the only thing we can do in our situation is the task before us and enjoy the blessings we have been given.

              Rather than focusing on what can go wrong, on all the bad that could, has, or will happen; we must focus on what we can do. And trust God and our fellow human beings to make up the difference. We cannot avoid suffering or change or uncertainty. We can only face it with faith and the courage that flows from faith. As we celebrate this harvest and remember the Divine Providence that accompanied us through the desert, let’s remember what it means to have courage in the face of uncertainty.