Musings from a booth

Today marks the end of the Jewish celebration of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacle. I was blessed with the opportunity to share a meal in a friend's sukkah, the traditional booth that serves as a temporary residence during this weeklong festival.

Per Leviticus 23:39-43:

“‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

I have come to look forward to the annual invitation to share a meal in the sukkah. The first time I was included I could not fathom why someone would go to such great lengths to set up a booth in their backyard. Understanding the symbolism was easy. Understanding why someone would spend hours building and decorating a booth, not to mention doing so in early autumn when the weather starts to get a bit iffy around here, was more difficult.

The ritual blessing of the fronds and fruit is a nod to God as creator. Sitting out under the stars and moon gets you into that frame of mind.

This year I tried to be bit more mindful of my blessings. Friendships. Being born into freedom. Having enough to eat and a roof over my head. The spiritual context of the holiday makes more sense to me now, as does the hassle of putting up and taking down that booth in your yard or temple grounds.

I thought of Jesus celebrating this holiday. In His day, Sukkot would have had a strange feel to it with the nation of Israel under the control of Rome. Freedom from Egypt had been replaced by bondage to another regional power. You can still celebrate God being with you always, whether you are living in freedom or under a tyrant's thumb. There would also have been a subversive element to celebrating the Feast of Tabernacle even as Roman soldiers stood guard. You had to believe that eventually God would free you from the Romans.

Of course, there is a difference between physical and spiritual bondage. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and render unto God that which is God's.

We Americans seem preoccupied these days with our material well-being. We are supposed to revere and envy the rich. The poor are supposed to be downtrodden. Spiritual well-being too often amounts to nothing more than paying lip service to God while pursing the almighty dollar with all one's heart, mind, and soul. Maybe too much prosperity is a curse rather than blessing. We are worshipping the golden calf and selling ourselves into yet another form of physical bondage.

Sitting in a sukkah can be downright disorienting. An important part of Sukkot observance is to welcome neighbors and friends to celebrate the spiritual unity of God's people. That mindset seems to be missing. The children of God in America are very much divided by wealth, politics, race, ethnicity, and religion. It makes me a little fearful for our future.

I guess this Festival of Booths is starting to make a good deal more sense to me.