Dvar Torah for Sukkot

The Strength of Instability
The year 1985 was a challenging one for those of us celebrating the holidays of Tishrei in New York. Tropical storm Henri hit on Erev Yom Kippur and lasted through part of the next day. Three days later, Hurricane Gloria hit New York on the Friday/Shabbat leading into Sukkot. While I’m sure that someone in the neighborhood was preparing for the storm itself, my strongest memories are of people strategizing what to do with their Sukkah. (My mother’s plan was to put cinder-blocks on the top of the bars of our Sukkah to keep it from flying away. The bars bent slightly, but the Sukkah stayed in place). As much as we and our neighbors were victorious against the hurricane-force gusts of winds on that infamous Sukkot, in most years someone’s s’chach (roof) blew off. A few years ago, my father’s Sukkah blew over entirely. While it poses challenges in the moment for celebrating the holiday, it ultimately encapsulates one of the more important messages that comes out of Sukkot.  

The addition to Birkat HaMazon (the grace after meals) that is specific to Sukkot is:  “הרחמן הוא יקים לנו סוכת דוד הופלת” – “May the Merciful One rebuild/re-establish David’s fallen Sukkah for us.” We are used to seeing dynasties referred to as “houses.” So the question is why do we not refer to “The House of David” in this case? The Maharal (16th Century, Prague) answers this question by comparing houses to Sukkot. While houses are structures that are designed to be stronger and more permanent, they too fall down eventually. And if that house is rebuilt, it is thought of as a new house, and it takes on a new set of traits. So too is the case with Royal Households. The House of Windsor is the successor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha which is a successor to the House of Hanover. And a good historian can tell you the difference between them all!

A Sukkah is different. It is not designed to be permanent. If it falls, it can be put back together and we will still consider it the same Sukkah as before. What better metaphor can we come up with for David’s dynasty, and what better message can we take with us at the end of our holiday season? We are taught that the heads of the Sanhedrin (the ancient Rabbinic Council) were the direct descendants of King David, and they were the ones who guided us through the tumult of destruction of The Second Temple and the subsequent periods of  transition. Jewish leadership has endured over the millennia throughout challenges and crises. And it always re-emerges based on the same foundations of our deep-rooted Torah principles, prepared to tackle the issues of its day. 

And what better reminders can we use right now than the importance of flexibility and resilience? As we emerge from the holiday season into the fall and winter, we will return to our more stable, permanent structures in which to dwell. However, the inspiration from our Sukkot should really be our guide. The ability to be resilient like a Sukkah is what will ultimately get us through life and the crises that come along the way. After all, no doubtedly inspired by the Sukkah, Chumbawamba taught us, “I get knocked down, then I get up again, you are never gonna keep me down!”
 
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach