The very existence of Sukkoth after Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim seems to beg a question: Why here?
On the surface, the festival seems completely out of place. Chronologically (which one can read "according to the logic of time"), Sukkoth should be the second festival in our holiday cycle (Pesah [Passover] is the first, as it tales place in Nissan, the first month. The question as to why the New Year occurs in the seventh month will not be dealt with here), for our journey from bondage to freedom, began with the liberation in Egypt (Pesah), our stopping in the place called "Sukkoth," and then receiving Torah from Har Sinai (Shavu`oth). Historically speaking, it should occur between Pesah and Shavu`oth.
Even the verse commanding us to observe Sukkoth, "You shall live in Sukkoth seven days; every native and Jew shall sit in Sukkoth, in order that your descendents will know that I caused the Children of Yisrael to live in Sukkoth when I took them out of the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt - the narrow place)" [Wayikra 23:42-43], suggests that Sukkoth, chronologically belongs between Pesah and Shavu`oth.
However, on several different levels, according to different chronologies, its placement makes perfect sense.
In the immediate time frame, its placement after the three weeks, the month of Elul, Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim suggest the theme of rebuilding. During the three weeks we mourn the Temple's destruction; we are reminded of our infidelity, of our betrayal of God. We spend three weeks devastated by the loss of connection with God, and the resulting diminishing of ourselves.
Elul brings us from devastation, to reflection, from the shock of loss, to taking spiritual stock of ourselves. This naturally leads to Rosh HaShanah, where we crown HaShem king, restoring the proper balance to our relationship, returning to His rule. Once we resolve to return, we must atone for our infidelity.
This is Yom HaKippurim. This atonement, any truly unconditional atonement, can only come after the return, after the reestablishment of the relationship. Finally, the relationship returned and atonement made for past betrayal, we can begin to build again. This is why it is so important to begin building the sukkah the night that Yom HaKippurim ends. We must prevent the backsliding that would otherwise naturally occur.
We build a frame, a temporary structure, in the hope that soon, God will make the structure permanent that the Cloud of Glory, which the sukkah represents, will soon dwell permanently amongst us. That soon, David's sukkah, the Temple, will be restored.
This fits in nicely with the global theme of the other festivals as well. For while we dwell in the place called Sukkoth immediately upon our exodus from Mitsrayim [Egypt - literally, the narrow place], the festival of Sukkothh seems more appropriate after the receiving of the Torah. First we are free from the bondage of others, of other ideas and other things, allowing us the freedom to enter into the relationship of Torah with God.
As with a wedding, life begins from this point. Once we understand the relationship, we can then set about to build the home. From another perspective as well, we cannot understand the loss of the Temple, nor due truly return to the proper relationship with God, if we do not know what that relationship entails. True repentance and atonement can only come after knowledge. In other words, we cannot build a dwelling until we have the blueprints.
This is reflected in our daily tefillah [prayer] as well. After the initial three brakhot [blessings] of the Amida, we pray first for knowledge, after which is the prayer, "Hashiveinu," "we will return to God," which is followed by the prayer asking God to forgive and pardon us. Only after these initial steps are taken do we ask HaShem to rebuild what was lost. [For a complete study of themes and some of the deeper meanings of our daily prayers, one should refer to my lecture, "Anatomy of the Siddur."]
This idea is reflected on a more universal scale in the Talmud, Masekhet Sukkah. The festival of Sukkoth, at the time of the Temple, involved the sacrifice of seventy bulls on behalf of the seventy (prime) nations of the world. According to the sages, these korbonot [sacrifices] were brought to atone for their unwillingness to serve God. We could not be the agents of their atonement, if we hadn't atoned for ourselves first on Yom HaKippurim. This is clearly demonstrated in the Yom HaKippurim service itself, where the Kohen Gadol [High Priest] first asked atonement for himself and his family before beseeching atonement for the rest of the nation.
This is also reflected in the offerings on each day of the festival. Each day we offer one less bull. As we move away from our own atonement, our ability to help others atone is lessoned.
Sukkoth is our attempt to build on, and thus capture the closeness we achieved during Yom HaKippurim. Our freedom in hand, we learn where we are supposed to be when we receive Torah, we try and return to the correct path, making atonement for all of our missteps, and then we build. We move forward, surrounded by the Cloud of Glory that is God's Sukkah, we try and bring completion to HaShem's creation and bring the world to perfection. Our goal is to make the sukkah permanent and not to fall again into the traps of enslavement that estrange us from our Creator. Soon, may we merit the rebuilding of David's fallen Sukkah, and bring light to the world.
Home