Sukkot, a time for a harvest of mitzvot

October 16, 2011 in Community, Holidays by Laurence | 2 comments

“When a person eats and drinks in celebration of a festival, he is obligated to feed converts, orphans, widows, and others who are destitute and poor. In contrast, a person who locks the gates of his courtyard and eats and drinks with his children and his wife, without feeding the poor and the embittered, is not indulging in rejoicing associated with a mitzvah, but rather the rejoicing of his gut … This rejoicing is a disgrace…”

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Sh’vitat Yom Tov 6:18)

 

Sukkot is the Jewish/Biblical harvest festival.

 

From an agricultural perspective, Sukkot marks the ingathering of produce in the early autumn, marking the end of the main growing season. From a mythic standpoint, Sukkot recalls the narrative of the Israelites dwelling in temporary structures during their 40-year wilderness trek.

 

Sukkot is a joyful holiday in which we  acknowledge the glory of God-in-Nature; but it is also a time to reflect on life’s fragility and our own mortality. The Sukkah, a flimsy temporary dwelling, is a reminder that all things must pass — a fitting message as we take in and enjoy our harvest but also acknowledge that winter is around the corner.

 

As for any Jewish celebration, food is at the center of the holiday too. You are commanded to eat in the sukkah at least, for the duration of the holiday, if you don’t sleep in it, which we rarely do at this season where we live.

 

But rejoicing and celebrating never precludes our obligation to keep thinking of our duties towards those who are hungry, and the more so at a time when we celebrate harvest and the bountiful grace of nature. It is an opportunity for us to remember to be always sustainable, and to give back to communities who dedicate their effort to helping the poor and the needy.

 

Tomorrow, our religious school bnei-miztvah students will collect the bags filled with food for the Community Center of Northern Westchester‘s food bank. They will deliver the food and sort everything on the shelves. They will experience the mitzvah of providing for the hungry.

 

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  1. Rabbi Carla’s avatar

    Rabbi Carla on October 18, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    Yesterday our bnai mitzvah students took to the community center of northern westchester in katonah…all 1860 lbs! and it is a good thing the food got there when it did…the shelves were otherwise bare….this should tell us that donating food to the community center is something we must continue to do all year long…I hope you will make this one of your commitments for the new year that has just started. well done, all!

  2. Leslie J. Gottlieb’s avatar

    Leslie J. Gottlieb on October 18, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    Sunday was global hunger day started by the UN in the 40s to raise awareness about poor countries where people were/are starving. The Youth Group is working on this theme.