Sukkot 5787
We emerge from the Days of Awe carrying the prayers, reflections, and intentions with which we begin this new year.
We have looked honestly at our lives, sought forgiveness, and considered what we want to repair. We have prayed for healing, for peace, for the people we love, and for a world in which love, hope, compassion, and gratitude guide our choices.
And now we turn toward Sukkot.
After so much inward reflection, we step outside. We gather beneath a roof of branches, welcome one another, and celebrate the blessings of the harvest.
Yet the uncertainties we carry do not disappear when the holiday begins. We bring our hopes and heartbreaks with us. We bring our gratitude and our grief, our longing for compassion and connection, for healing and wholeness.
I find myself considering what it means to celebrate in the midst of all that we carry.
How do we cultivate joy in an uncertain world?
Beneath a Temporary Roof
This Shabbat, the first day of Sukkot, we read the festival passage from the book of Leviticus. Within it are instructions to rejoice before God and to dwell in sukkot for seven days, remembering the dwellings of our ancestors after they left Egypt.
These two invitations sit beside one another: to recognize the temporary nature of our shelter and to rejoice. Together, they remind me of Psalm 118: This is the day Adonai has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We spend much of our lives trying to create stability. We make plans, build homes, nurture relationships, and establish routines that help us feel grounded. We hope the things that imbue our lives with meaning will continue. We pray the people we love will be well.
And then life changes.
Sometimes gradually. Sometimes in an instant.
Sukkot gives us a place to acknowledge how much lies beyond our control while continuing to participate fully in life. We decorate the sukkah. We bring food to the table. We offer blessings and welcome guests. We create beauty in a dwelling we know we will soon take down.
Its temporary nature makes the time we spend there worthy of our attention.
I think about how often we postpone something that nourishes us, waiting until we have more time, fewer responsibilities, or answers to the questions that keep us awake. There is always something unfinished. There is always another concern.
But there are also moments of connection available to us now.
A conversation with someone who understands. The pleasure of creating something with our hands. A song that lifts our spirits. The beauty of sunlight moving through leaves.
Joy and sorrow can coexist.
We can miss someone deeply and still laugh. We can be worried about someone we love and still feel grateful for the moments we can share together. We can carry unanswered prayers and still experience the blessing of being alive.
Welcoming joy does not require us to stop grieving or caring. It allows us to receive something that can help sustain us.
Here is my prayer for Sukkot.
Temporary Dwelling
As we celebrate Sukkot,
may we be present to the brokenness of our world,
the wholeness of our souls, and the power of our prayers.
As we shake the lulav, may we feel God’s presence
and find hope in the knowledge
that whatever is happening in our lives—
like the sukkah in which we dwell this week—
is only temporary.
As we mark the turning of the seasons,
may we discover new ways to connect with
friends, family, cherished communities,
and the longings of our own hearts.
As the days grow shorter,
may we plant seeds of unity,
sow love, kindness, and compassion,
and harvest an enduring season
of peace and understanding.
May the rich traditions of Sukkot
be a continual source of
inspiration and connection.
The Sacred Practice of Seeking Joy
I am drawn to the idea of seeking joy as a spiritual practice.
Seeking begins with paying attention. What nourishes our souls? When do we feel connected? What helps us recognize the holiness within an ordinary day?
For me, creativity is one way into that awareness. Putting pen to paper gives me an opportunity to pause, listen inwardly, and make something visible that I may not yet have words to express.
Each of us has practices that help us feel more fully alive. Music. Prayer. Time outdoors. Learning. Gathering with people we love.
Cultivating joy asks us to give those practices a place in our lives.
Gratitude can help us begin. Even when much remains unresolved, we can pause to appreciate what sustains us. A moment of stillness, a shared meal, or an act of kindness can offer something we need today. We can receive that blessing while continuing to hope and work for healing and change.
We can begin simply. If you have an ongoing gratitude practice, you can add a joy practice. Notice one moment of joy each day and write it down. Spend a few minutes doing something that nourishes your soul. Tell someone how much their presence means to you.
Some days, joy may feel distant. On those days, we can begin with what is within reach: a moment of comfort, a little beauty, the relief of being understood. There is no need to force a feeling. The practice is to remain open to what may sustain us.
We can also help cultivate joy for one another.
The welcome we extend during Sukkot can continue throughout the year. We can invite someone to share a meal, include a person who may feel overlooked, or reach out to someone whose days have become lonely.
These gestures give our intentions form. They help create the compassionate, connected world for which we pray.
Journaling for the Journey
- Where are you experiencing joy in your life right now?
- What helps you welcome moments of joy when you are also carrying sorrow or uncertainty?
- Which practices nourish your soul, and how could you give them more time?
- Who helps you feel connected, supported, and able to be yourself?
- What would it look like to make seeking and sharing joy an intentional spiritual practice?
A Blessing for the Journey
May we enter this season with open hearts,
present to the blessings within reach.
May we find moments of joy amid uncertainty
and allow them to nourish our souls.
May we feel God’s presence beneath the shelter of the sukkah
and in the love of those who walk beside us.
May we welcome one another with compassion,
making belonging possible through the kindness we share.
And may the seeds we plant this Sukkot
grow into a year of connection, healing, hope, and light.
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