Chances are that many of us are familiar with the section of Ecclesiastes that begins, “To everything there is a season,” either because we’ve heard it at a funeral, or thanks to the late Pete Seeger, who memorialized these verses in the Byrds song, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” This poem, with its existential musing about “a time for being born, and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting…” is assigned in the Jewish calendar to precisely the Shabbat we’re approaching, as Sukkot closes, and we collectively embrace the end of a marathon of High Holidays that challenged us to reflect on our own meaning-making and mortality.
This year, I’m particularly holding onto the Ecclesiastes verse, “A time for tearing down and a time for building up” (Ecclesiastes 3:3). Sukkot is literally a time for building. We erect and gather in temporary outdoor structures (Sukkahs) that remind us of how little is permanent, and how vulnerable we are to the elements and dark rainy evenings. We find joy in vulnerability by making these gatherings warm with good company, good food, and stories that transcend the time and space we’re in.
One of my favorite Sukkot customs is the inviting of Ushpizin, “honored guests,” our ancestors and those of previous generations to join us in the sukkah. Traditionally, Jews invite biblical ancestors to dwell with us, but we can expand the concept of ushpizin to include family members, historical figures, or others who have helped shape our lives or paved the way for us to be where we are today.
As someone who doesn’t partake in the literal building of my own Sukkah every season, I’m thinking about building and ancestors as a more metaphorical call to consider what dreams, ideas, opportunities, and values I’m building up in this season -and whose shoulders, so to speak, I’m building upon. Yom Kippur asks us to let down our walls, to become more in touch with our own mortality, and now, it’s time to build ourselves up again with courage and intention. We’re not starting not from scratch—but from the great raw material we’ve been gifted by previous generations. So, I’m curious: What are you building, or yearning to build for yourself, for your loved ones, your community this season? In whose memory, or inspiring example, are you building? How will you invite their presence to accompany you in the process?
Chag Sukkot Sameach! Whatever we choose to build on this season, with our hands, our minds, and our hearts, may we feel a surge of joy in the offerings we share with one another!