The Festival of Succot
Jeremy Rosen
There is a line in the Book of Psalms that reads “Rejoice in trembling”( Psalms 2:11) that troubled the rabbis trying to reconcile what seems to be two opposites. One way of reconciling it with the line from Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, is by saying, “ There is a time for everything.” And that seems to apply to the world we live in. Yet Yom Kippur, the Day of awe, the most serious day in our calendar, was also a day of rejoicing at the thought of being able to turn a new leaf. And within days, we are celebrating the festival of Succot, where the Torah commands us to rejoice more than at any other time of the year. It’s almost a recipe for schizophrenia.
It does seem incongruous that immediately after Yom Kippur comes Succot. The Biblical festival most associated with joy and celebration. Too bad that so many accept Yom Kipur but then ignore Sucot. But we who are fortunate to survive must pick up and go forward with joy. These are days of challenge, confusion, mixed messages, war and or peace. An alien world and on the other hand an inspiring, spiritual, Jewish one.
The great, last century, saintly Rav Eliyahu Dessler (1892-1953), with whom my father had studied, wrote, “ Jewish law formulates the obligation, twice, to begin the building of the Sucah immediately when Yom Kippur ends, once in the laws of Yom Kippur and once in the laws of Succot. The codes of law convey two interrelated perspectives. The building of the Sucah, symbolizing celebration , is a climax to and transition from Yom Kipur’s avodah me-yirah ( service through awe), to initiate a period of intense avodah be-simhah ( service through joy).
And I cannot think of a more appropriate way of describing our present predicament and situation. On the one hand we are concerned with our fate. We are mourning for lost lives, cruel injuries and hatred. On the other we are celebrating survival, coming together to ensure that we go from darkness to light. And rejoicing religiously is an antidote, an effective way to overcome our sadness and realization of how difficult a position we are in.
One my favorite Talmudic sayings goes like this
“The divine spirt does not come when one is sad, depressed, lazy but trough the joy of doing the right thing.” (Talmud Shabbat 30b).
In classical art it was common to find a human skull, or a tomb engraved “Et in Arcadia Ego Sum.” Meaning “I too (death) am present in beauty. “ One always needs to be reminded of the negative. But not if it impairs your love for life.
I was always a fan of the film “ The Life of Brian” because no other offends both the pious and the woke. And that is probably why Netflix is taking it off its library at the end of this month. If you haven’t seen it, you must, even if it is typical of a certain kind of anti-establishment English humour. So in the spirit of Succot, please indulge me my youthful folly. Here is a censored part of the lyrics of the finale where Brian is hanging on a cross.
“ Always look on the bright side of Life
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
Don’t grumble, give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best
If life seems jolly rotten
There’s something you’ve forgotten
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you’re feeling in the dumps
Don’t be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that’s the thing
For life is quite absurd
And death’s the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it’s your last chance anyhow
Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke, it’s true
You’ll see it’s all a show
Keep ’em laughin’ as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
I mean, what have you got to lose?
You know, you come from nothing
You’re going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing
Always look on the right side of life
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
