TBT Blog

Sukkot is my favorite Jewish holiday. During the summer we relish in the warmer weather, enjoying time outside with family and friends. Sukkot shows up right when the air turns crisp, the sun sets earlier, and the world is telling us it’s time to move inside. Instead of rushing into our warm homes, Sukkot asks us to stay outside just a little longer, to invite guests into our sukkah, and to be with each other in this moment of transition. The purpose is not a stubborn refusal to accept the change of season. Rather, it is about experiencing the transition, even when it’s uncomfortable. 

This year, we welcomed Sukkot on October 7, marking two years since the horrific attack by Hamas and the beginning of the war in Gaza. The gratitude we normally find in this harvest holiday has been swirled together with the complicated pain we continue to hold. While this made the holiday more somber than usual, it brings us back to the ultimate purpose of Sukkot - this is a holiday of resilience - it is rooted in that time of transition for the Israelites, when they were wandering through the desert, desperately trying to get to a “better place,” but not yet there. 

Today we are anxiously holding our breath, waiting hopefully for the release of the remaining hostages and an end to the war. To say that this peace agreement and the end of the war is a welcome change is a gross understatement, and yet, it does not mean the transition will be easy. The healing process will be long, complex, and no doubt, complicated by fear of the unknown. We do not know if this is the beginning of the lasting peace we yearn for, or if a violent conflict will reemerge, but Sukkot invites us to choose hope.

The standard greeting during Sukkot is “mo’adim l’simcha,” which means “may this be a time of joy.” On this Sukkot, I offer an additional greeting: “mo’adim l’tikvah,” may this be a time of hope, not just for the Jewish people but for the whole world.