Israel-Judea was home to the Jews for over 1,300 years from 1250 BCE to 135 CE as our country, our land. And what was the most celebrated holiday in Judea? Sukkot. One of the three pilgrimage holidays ordained in the Torah in both Leviticus and Deuteronomy, Sukkot became the most celebrated holiday because it occurred at the time of the harvest. What do you think the citizens of an agricultural country like Judea were praying for at Rosh Ha Shanah and Yom Kippur?

And so, Judeans from all over the country would descend on Jerusalem. Sukkot was referred to as “The Holiday.” Among other things, they bought and sold crops for money or bartered for goods in the Temple Courtyard. They would pray and give thanks at the Temple. In fact, Sukkot is sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Thanksgiving,” although it obviously preceded Thanksgiving by some 3,000 years.

So many people came into town for Sukkot, that the holiday actually gets its name from the temporary “booths,” the Motel 6’s of their day, that were erected in and around Jerusalem to accommodate the crowds of out of towners..

With the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and the dispersion of the Jews from Judea in 135 CE, Sukkot ceased to be as prominent a holiday. But it continued to be celebrated in the Diaspora until this very day. Even though Jews were not permitted to own farm land in most European countries, they would faithfully erect their Sukkot in their backyards or adjacent to their houses. As we do today, they would decorate the Sukkot with fruits and vegetables suspended from the roof. It was a nostalgic reminder that once Jews had a homeland of their own, where they could own farm land, and harvest their own crops: a holiday of hope that someday Jews would have this privilege again.

Once again, today, Sukkot is a holiday of thanksgiving. We are thankful to live in America. We are thankful that there is a State of Israel. If we choose to, we can plant our own crops. We can be self-sufficient people again and not be dependent on the largesse or permission of alien dominant powers for our food.

Baruch Ha Shem. Chag Sukkot Sameach, Jared