Z’man Simchateinu:  The Season of Our Rejoicing
Sermon, September 29, 2004
Rabbi Bruce Kadden

In referring to each of the Pilgrimage festivals, the rabbis chose a short Hebrew phrase that characterized the holiday.  For Passover, they selected “z’man cheiruteinu – the season of our freedom.”  And they called Shavuot “z’man matan Torateinu – the season of the giving of our Torah.”

For Sukkot, the fall harvest festival which we begin this evening, the rabbis chose the phrase, “z’man simchateinu – the season of our rejoicing.  In the Torah reading for Sukkot, God commands the people to take the fruit of the hadar tree (the etrog) along with branches of palm, willow and myrtle, and rejoice before God for seven days.  And in Deuteronomy, when the commandment to observe each of the holidays is repeated, we are told:  “v’samachta b’chagecha – you shall rejoice on your festival,” and “v’hayita ach sameiach – you shall have nothing but joy.”

In contrast, the Torah never specifically prescribes that we rejoice on Passover, and only once says that we are to rejoice on Shavuot, though these festivals are also times of joy.  Why the difference?

Some commentators argue that the Torah usually does not command us to do things we are naturally inclined to do, but things we aren’t likely to do on our own.  For example, it is natural that we rejoice on Passover, in gratitude for having been freed from slavery.  And, receiving the Torah is also clearly a reason for rejoicing.  On Sukkot, however, we are told to live in booths rather than in the comfort of our homes for seven days and therefore would not naturally be inclined to celebrate.  The Torah, therefore, insists that we celebrate on Sukkot.

Another explanation points out that on Passover many Egyptians drowned when the sea closed upon them; we must therefore temper our joy.  At our Seder meal we spill drops from our cup of wine, our symbol of rejoicing; Hallel, Psalms of rejoicing, are only recited on the first day of Pesach, not during the entire holiday as for Sukkot.  And with regard to Shavuot, although we received the Torah, commentators point out that whether or not it is a joy depends upon our observance of it.

With regard to Sukkot, however, we are celebrating our ancestors’ survival during their 40-year ordeal in the wilderness.  We are grateful that God provided for their needs during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. 

These are two of the classical explanations of why the rabbis called Sukkot z’man simchateinu.  I would also like to suggest a few other reasons why Sukkot is appropriately z’man simchateinu, the season of our rejoicing.

First of all, it is a time to celebrate the bounty of our harvest.  While today we harvest fruit and vegetables all year long, in ancient times, the fall harvest often determined whether or not a community would be able to make it through the winter.  It was indeed a time for great rejoicing when it was clear that there would be enough food to make it until the spring.  Even today, for those who grow their own produce, the harvest is a time of great joy and satisfaction, as one enjoys the fruits of one’s labors.

The harvest is indeed a time to celebrate, to show appreciation for the great bounty we have.  This aspect of the holiday was especially meaningful to me the past 20 years living in Salinas, for the Salinas valley produces a significant percent of the produce consumed throughout the United States. 

Sukkot is also a time to rejoice for our journeys.  Just as we celebrate the 40-year wandering of the Jews in the wilderness, each of us is on a variety of journeys.  Some we complete successfully, and others we don’t.  Some we are still on.  When we complete a journey, whether it is school or a job, raising our children or finishing an important project, we deserve to celebrate the accomplishment. 

On Sukkot we should celebrate our journeys, those we have completed, as well as those that we are still in the process of completing.  We can take inspiration from our ancestor’s journey which was filled with challenges and setbacks, but ultimately successful.  We, too, know that some of our journeys will have great challenges, and some we won’t complete.  Nevertheless, we celebrate these journeys as opportunities to grow and learn.

Finally, on Sukkot we celebrate the incredible variety of nature as symbolized by our lulav and etrog.  We bring together four quite different plants:  the palm, myrtle, willow and etrog.  Jewish tradition points out how different they are:  for example, the etrog is shaped like our heart, the lulav like our spine, the willow like our lips and the myrtle like our eyes.  The myrtle and the etrog have a wonderful smell, but the lulav and willow leaves do not. 

We should celebrate our differences.  We should rejoice that that there are different races and religions, different nationalities and ethnicities.  How boring life would be if we were all the same!  How wonderful it is that we speak different languages, eat different foods, even wear different clothes. 

At one time, many thought that this country should become a melting pot where immigrant groups would lose their unique characteristics and take on the identity of an American.  We now recognize that it is much better to preserve the riches of our heritage, that we should be proud of our unique identities.  On Sukkot, the diverse species remind us to celebrate our differences, to rejoice that we are unique.

So as we begin Sukkot, let us affirm its meaning as z’man simchateinu, the season of our rejoicing, celebrating the bounty of our harvest, celebrating our journeys, and celebrating our differences.

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