Today
is the first day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, or the Festival of Booths. This is the same festival that Jesus went to such great lengths to celebrate in John 7:1-14. The booth or Sukkah commemorates the temporary structures the Israelites lived
in after they fled from slavery in Egypt and wandered the desert. Tradition
requires that the Sukkah
have very specific measurements, be a temporary structure but strong enough to
withstand normal wind, with its roof made only of natural materials; solid
enough to protect the occupant from rain but permeable enough to see the stars.
One is supposed to spend as much time in the Sukkah as possible, eating all
meals and sleeping there. I think the Sukkah is a beautiful allegory for our
bodies and lives. Our bodies are delicate, semi-permeable and vulnerable to all
but the lightest winds. Our lives have awkward enough measurements that they
are almost impossible to assemble alone. Someone once said faith is really just
the distinct sense that we are travelers here and our home is somewhere else. I
like that. I wish you all a happy Sukkot. May your roof protect you from rain
but allow in starlight, and may you travel home safely with good companions.
