There are two Jewish structures that are deliberately designed to be temporary – the Sukkah and the Chuppah. The former is up right now in front of Shir Shalom in celebration of our most joyous holiday, Sukkot, and the latter for the wedding couple to stand under during their wedding ceremony. But, in addition to their intended purposes, they have important lessons to teach us about happiness and how to live our lives to the fullest. Here are just a few that I have come up.
- Happiness does not require strong walls– on the contrary, sometimes the physical structures that pervade our lives, create barriers from one another.
- Happiness is best shared – the Sukkah and the Chuppah are not happy on their own, but require our presence inside of them and surrounding them to feel the true extent of their joy.
- Happiness requires vulnerability– there is little protection from the elements in either structure, a reminder that joy can come even when we feel most exposed.
- And, happiness is a temporary state– there is a reason why we are required to take both the Sukkah and the Chuppah down after we are finished with them. First, they would likely blow away. But, second, if we lived under them permanently we would begin to take them for granted.
If you come up with other lessons I would love to hear.
In the meantime, a happy and joyous Sukkot and a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 02/03/2020 by Marc Slonim