It’s so obvious, really. If there were one Jewish holiday that lends itself to the appreciation of the environment, it must certainly be Sukkot. There’s the harvest. The changing of the seasons. And of course, eating, entertaining and even sleeping outdoors for a week. Today, a look at how to celebrate Sukkot… the green way.
In fairness, Rabbi Howard Cohen points out that Sukkot is far from the only Jewish festival that has ties to the earth and seasons. Passover and Tu B’Shvat certainly do. But there is something special about Sukkot.
“When we enter into the sukkah, life becomes real again. Our skin comes alive as wind caresses us. The movement of clouds in the sky and the sun across the heavens creates shadows and reflections that evoke new ways of seeing the world. Our olfactory sense is sent swirling with the aromas from the etrog, myrtle and slowly decaying roof coverings. Weather becomes an experience, not just a guideline for how to dress.
“In the interior of the sukkah, a place surrounded by nature uncontrolled, one gets a taste of what it is like to enter into the wilderness … That is not only where our ancestors had most of their divine encounters, but also where most people say they most feel God’s presence.”
You can build a standard plywood sukkah or perhaps a prefab one. But did you ever consider creating a recycled sukkah? For one that’s as ephemeral as yesterday’s headlines, there’s a sukkah made from newspaper and cardboard boxes. Sort of like those papier maché projects from Grade 2 – hopefully a bit sturdier.
Canfei Nesharim, an organization which provides a Torah-based approach to understanding environmental issues, suggests diverting materials headed for the recycle bin (or the garbage!) and using them to beautify our sukkah. I like the idea of hanging strawberry baskets upside down and creating reusable, water-resistant paper chains. (I’m not sure if the Israelites ever dreamed of hanging old CD’s in their sukkahs.)
Okay, you’ve got your eco-friendly sukkah. How about something inspirational to discuss while in it? ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, has provided quotes about the intersection between Judaism and the environment which should keep the discussion lively late into the night:
• “Behold my works, how beautiful and commendable they are. All that I have created I have created for your sake, be careful not to corrupt or destroy My world; for if you corrupt it there will be no one after you to repair it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah)
• “It should not be believed that all the beings exist for the sake of the existence of humanity. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes, and not for the sake of something else.” (Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed)
• “Master of the Universe, grant me the ability to be alone; may it be my custom to go outdoors each day among the trees and grass and all growing things, and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer.” (Nachman of Bratzlav)
Is there a special bond between Sukkot, the environment and women? The Jewish feminist publication, Lilith, has created an eight-page supplement titled Eco-Ushpizin. Ushpizin is the traditional welcome given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and King David during the seven days of Sukkot. Several women were asked whom they would invite to celebrate Sukkot and the environment. Barbara Lerman-Golomb had two people on her list: “My mother. In the 1950s, she had three natural childbirths when it was unheard of. She was progressive in a lot of ways. Also, [nature writer] Rachel Carson.”
The last word about the special connection between Sukkot and the environment goes to Leah Korican, as recorded in her blog, My Green Diary. “Under the sukkah there is a chance to connect with the seasons and with generations of people sitting together under the stars. My daughter’s first outing, at eight days old, was to a Sukkot celebration and last night, at the same sukkah she shook the lulav with me in the six cardinal directions.
“I felt a surge of joy and hope for the future feeling these complex pleasures; our smallness in the night sky, the constancy of the stars and seasons as we age and grow, and the shared warmth of our bodies as our voices lift, together in the dark.”
