As a kid, Sukkot wasn\u2019t a holiday we observed at home. Our congregation was where I decorated and visited a sukkah, but it wasn\u2019t a big festival for us. The temple did feel like an extension of my house since my mom worked full time there \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t my house.<\/p>\n
By contrast, as a married adult, we\u2019ve really embraced Sukkot at home. We\u2019ve built a sukkah in the backyard of each home we\u2019ve lived in. We\u2019ve more than 20 years now of experience in inviting guests for big sukkah dinner parties and having quiet family meals together, too. We enjoy buying a lulav and etrog so we can \u201cshake it in the sukkah!\u201d on our own.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s brought us lots of pleasure, which is apt because Sukkot is the only festival that is labeled \u201cz\u2019man simchateinu<\/em>\u201d or \u201cour time of happiness.\u201d It\u2019s literally our time to party. In Tractate Sukkah, it describes the special \u201cin the place of the drawing of water\u201d celebrations at the Temple on Sukkot as the party to end all parties. In Tractate Sukkah 51a, it says this twice, in both the Mishnah and Gemara, \u201cOne who did not see the celebration \u2026 never saw celebration in his days.\u201d\u00a0 The Gemara goes further to explain: \u201cOne who did not see Jerusalem in its glory, never saw a beautiful city. One who did not see the Temple in its constructed state, never saw a magnificent structure.\u201d<\/p>\n Like any spare, ancient text, we can read this several ways. My first tendency is to recall overhearing university acquaintances laughing. When they saw me, as they laughed, they explained that their fraternity bash was \u201cthe party to end all parties\u201d and \u201cthey were so blasted\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s a shame you weren\u2019t there!\u201d Then I\u2019d feel some shame. I hadn\u2019t been invited, feeling left out and uncomfortable. Then, as an introvert, I\u2019d privately admit relief!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have to deal with the noise, drunks, drugs and cigarettes, either.<\/p>\n Yet this is not at all the negative, emotional reading that I think the rabbis intended. The talmudic sages were describing a truly joyous, amazing, mind-blowingly big celebration. It\u2019s hard during the pandemic to wrap my brain around this huge way of celebrating. The Temple in Jerusalem and its way of observing the festivities are also long past, but there are still big sukkahs out there in the world, full of party-goers, no matter the year.<\/p>\n Many of us struggle at times to find the joy in our lives \u2013 the world news, natural disaster and ongoing pandemic waves can leave us reeling and wondering when things will get better. When we can gather, many people are flooded with joy at a crowded wedding or a big festive event. However, modern-day Sukkot can bring us joy even without the enormous shindig or party to end all parties at the Temple in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n For me, being outside, at any time of year, helps me find that inner calm, contentment and grounding. I\u2019ve also recently observed moments when I start feeling anxious or sucked into negativity. At those times, I\u2019m consciously trying to step away from the news and the social media feed. I\u2019m giving myself time every day to read a book, cook, study Talmud, knit, and watch my kids and dog play. I need to make space for finding that joy.<\/p>\n This summer, we\u2019ve had a lot of wasps outside in Winnipeg, along with heat, drought and wildfire smoke. It was so bad that our difficult-to-assemble patio table never made it out onto the deck. We used the matching chairs, but gave up on eating outside. I recently tested the waters with my husband, asking if he felt it would be worth it to assemble everything for Sukkot anyway. After all, three out of four family members have gotten wasp stings in the yard so far. It hasn\u2019t been auspicious.<\/p>\n He responded positively, as only a biology professor who studies insects might, noting that wasps weren\u2019t active at night, that cooler temperatures and winds helped, and that we should set things up as usual. He was right. By planning to build a sukkah despite everything, we could optimize our chances at \u201cour time of rejoicing.\u201d Studying Tractate Sukkah this summer made me anticipate the holiday so much that I couldn\u2019t wait for this joyful holiday this time around.<\/p>\n Towards the end of August, the weather started to turn. Our lawns have finally gotten enough rain to turn green again and, as the temperatures drop, the wasps are less active. Winnipeg isn\u2019t a place where many people consider sleeping in the sukkah, or even insist on eating every meal there. It\u2019s often just too cold, but that also kills wasps! Once or twice since we moved here, it\u2019s even snowed during Sukkot.<\/p>\n In Tractate Sukkah 26a, the talmudic rabbi Rava suggests leniency in terms of dwelling in the sukkah. Sick people are exempt from this commandment, but Rava suggests that, if you\u2019re suffering, you too are exempt. His examples include biting flies or a foul-smelling sukkah floor but, when comparing the weather in Israel or Babylonia to Winnipeg, Rava would likely suffer here. Our freezing fall temperatures are sufficiently uncomfortable that many seek only a brief moment in the sukkah rather than a camp out.<\/p>\n I\u2019m still drawn to crisp, clear fall evenings outside in the dark, however. We\u2019ll be wearing our coats and smelling the leaves turning. It\u2019s not the right year to invite lots of guests for parties. We\u2019ve got kids too young to be vaccinated yet. We\u2019re being very cautious.<\/p>\n Still, Sukkot gifts us with excuses to stay up late and enjoy the outdoors each autumn just a little bit longer. The chance to celebrate, this time of our happiness, is upon us. Give yourself that chance to let go of the negativity, worries and anxieties. Have a completely legitimate, Jewishly commanded break outdoors. It\u2019s that time of year to get out into nature and party!\u00a0 Sukkot is here. Enjoy.<\/p>\n Joanne Seiff <\/strong>has written regularly for CBC Manitoba and various Jewish publications. She is the author of three books, including <\/em>From the Outside In: Jewish Post Columns 2015-2016, a collection of essays available for digital download or as a paperback from Amazon. Check her out on Instagram @yrnspinner<\/a> or at joanneseiff.blogspot.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a kid, Sukkot wasn\u2019t a holiday we observed at home. Our congregation was where I decorated and visited a sukkah, but it wasn\u2019t a big festival for us. The temple did feel like an extension of my house since my mom worked full time there \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t my house. 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