Torah Commentary Archives
Exodus 23:16
Deuteronomy 16:13 – 15
Ezra 3:4
Nehemiah 8:13 – 18
John 7:37 - 38
Of Things to Come
I read a very interesting commentary this morning regarding Sukkot. It was about a family who built a Sukkah on their porch and became so attached to the lifestyle they were living that they refused to leave even after Sukkot was over. For weeks they continued to live in their temporary dwelling, enamored with their new lifestyle. Friends and relatives urged them to go back into the safety and security of their home, but they refused. Neighbors became so enraged by this families practice they threw stones to drive them back into their home. With no results, someone set fire to the Sukkah. Part of it was destroyed. Not to be swayed, the family rebuilt their prized Sukkah and stayed put. In the end, the family died in the Sukkah!
What do you think the moral of the story is in the above illustration? Is it the zeal with which this family chose to observe the commandment to dwell in a Sukkah? I would like to look at a different angle.
In Scripture, what does the Sukkah represent? It is a temporary dwelling which is to be a reminder to Israel of their life in exile. For the Hebrews entering into Israel they were to live in Sukkah as a reminder of the time they were in exile and the temporary dwellings of their journey home. The Sukkah was also to be a reminder of what is to come, no longer would our dwellings be temporary, but rather a permanent, unshakeable Kingdom whose builder and maker is Elohim. (Heb 12:10)
In our illustration the commitment of the family is honorable; however they forgot the purpose of the Sukkah. It was never designed to be a permanent dwelling, but a temporary lifestyle, a reminder of exile.
In the following days many of us will gather for Sukkot. I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to it. We will spend time with friends we have not seen since last Sukkot and hopefully make new friends along the way. I will sit around a campfire in North Florida even though a fire is not needed! My wife already has the graham crackers and kosher marshmallows packed so they will not be left behind. Since we are in North Florida on a lake with a ski boat, there may even be a good wipe out posted online somewhere. I for one am planning to take joy in the days ahead. But on the other hand…
The emotions of Sukkot should be a balanced mixture of joy, anticipation and sadness. Joy in our celebration of course. Our joy is accompanied by the anticipation of the location for our future Sukkot celebrations at Home. Sadness comes in our recognizing we are not there already. There is our balance.
What are practical ways we can bring these emotions together with our observance of Sukkot? Here are a few.
1) Make the entrance to your Sukkah to face toward Jerusalem? If you will be camping set your tent up to where the door faces Jerusalem.
2) Decorate your Sukkah with items from Israel. If you do not have items from Israel make yourself a note that you need to order some just in case we are still in exile again next year.
3) Put up an Israeli flag and/or a flag of Jerusalem in your camp.
4) Decorated with blue and white lights.
5) Buy a bottle of Israeli wine for a special night.
6) One of my favorite searches is to go online and find out how many miles it is from my location to Jerusalem Paint that number on an arrow facing Jerusalem. Mine attaches to my flag pole.
7) Put a map of Israel in your Sukkah.
8) Read Psalm 137 which includes verses regarding our longing from exile in relation to Sukkot.
Our list can go on and on. You try it and get creative.
What is the point? Sukkot is to remind us we are in exile. It is not to be our permanent dwelling, but a reminder of where we have been, where we are going and what is to come. Just think. There is coming a day in which a Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Messiah will be seated upon its throne. The Torah will go forth from Jerusalem. We will not be waking to a Las Vegas massacres or terrorist bombing because the weapons of war will be beaten into implements of sowing and reaping. Nations will be streaming to Jerusalem to live in their temporary dwellings to learn Torah during Sukkot. For you, you will no longer be in need of a temporary dwelling because the permanent unshakable Kingdom is now your home.
May it be soon and may it be in our day. Or as we still like to say, “Are we there yet?”