The roof of the sukkah is made of branches and does not keep the light of the stars out. As we gaze at it, we realize that our roof is broken, and therefore our dwelling is temporary. It is then that we dream of another house where God above will be our host.
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot in Hebrew, is rich in meaning and full of the message of hope. This special issue of Shabbat Shalom will inspire reflection on our vanity and nurture our hope for the tabernacle of God. This feast reminds us of the time when the Israelites camped in the wilderness, completely dependent on the God of the skies, who would send them rain and provide them with life. It is the only biblical feast that has significance for the future, when God will come down and touch our pain and wipe our tears. This feast also has cosmic significance. The prophet Zechariah sees people in the future coming from all nations, from all horizons, to worship God in the cosmic Sukkah: "Some people from all the nations... will go up there to worship the King... and year after year they will celebrate the feast:'
In the meantime, this feast means hope for all of us. It is, therefore, the feast of joy when we are allowed, and even required, to laugh, eat, drink, and enjoy life with all the gifts of God, and at the same time understand that all of this will pass.
Jacques B. Doukhan, D.H.L.,Th.D.
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