I’ve always loved sukkot. Growing up, we didn’t build a sukkah in our back yard, but every year we attended our synagogue’s annual Sukkah Under the Stars dinner. The synagogue had a large grass inner courtyard where the sukkah was set up. There was enough room for several hundred people to gather around tables for a bring-your-own picnic dinner, with a ‘shul’ set up as well for services! As a kid, I remember running around with other kids drinking all of the soda we could hold and making a lot of noise. And at some point in the evening, the rabbis would stand in the sukkah while everyone filed through, handing out apples and encouraging everyone to shake the lulav. It’s the only time I ever remember not being told to ‘sit down and be quiet’ anywhere on the synagogue property!Rabbi Beiner shares her thoughts on Sukkot

I’ve always loved sukkot. Growing up, we didn’t build a sukkah in our back yard, but every year we attended our synagogue’s annual Sukkah Under the Stars dinner. The synagogue had a large grass inner courtyard where the sukkah was set up. There was enough room for several hundred people to gather around tables for a bring-your-own picnic dinner, with a ‘shul’ set up as well for services! As a kid, I remember running around with other kids drinking all of the soda we could hold and making a lot of noise. And at some point in the evening, the rabbis would stand in the sukkah while everyone filed through, handing out apples and encouraging everyone to shake the lulav. It’s the only time I ever remember not being told to ‘sit down and be quiet’ anywhere on the synagogue property!

Looking back it’s obvious from a kid’s perspective why sukkot was so enjoyable – being able to run around and make noise with minimal adult supervision is every child’s dream come true. And yet, that experience of celebrating the holiday of sukkot is actually in line with the intention of the holiday. Unlike many of our holidays which we experience through prayer and study (mind and heart), all of the central rituals of Sukkot: building and dwelling in the sukkah, inviting ushpizin/guests to join us in the sukkah for meals, and taking up the 4 species Lulav, Etrog etc. and waving them… are done with one’s whole body. Additionally, Sukkot is the time where we acknowledge our gratitude for the fall harvest, the food needed, of course, to sustain our bodies.

The rabbis echo this idea of embodied ritual/celebration. One popular teaching is that the four components of the lulav and the etrog symbolize the human condition and one’s relationship with G-d. The etrog is shaped like the heart, and the lulav like the spine. The myrtle leaves are shaped like the eyes, and the willow leaves like the lips. Together, these four elements show that one should serve G-d with his or her heart, spine or body, eyes and lips.

The central rituals of the High Holy days revolve around prayer and study, which engage our minds and our souls. And, in fact, when we fast on Yom Kippur, we are emulating the angels who are not embodied creatures: they are pure spirit, and thus need no food or drink. In contrast, Sukkot gives us the opportunity to go outside and engage all of our senses in celebration. It is a beautiful genius of Judaism that we have so many ways to express our faith and engage our minds, our spirits and our bodies.

May you all experience a joyous Sukkot.

- Rabbi Beiner, JF&CS Atlanta Community Chaplain