Z’man Simhatenu: Our Season of Joy

After the charged atmosphere of the High Holidays comes the festive week of Sukkot, called in our liturgy ‘Z’man Simḥatenu’ – ‘our season of joy’.

Sukkot gives us the opportunity to stop our busy lives and remember that which is truly important.

We leave our lavish homes and live for a week in a flimsy temporary dwelling, our Sukkah.

We are reminded that as long as our family is with us, as long as we have our beliefs and values which are in heart, it does not really matter how strong our walls are or how watertight our roof is. In the event that it rains, we leave our Sukkah and go indoors, symbolizing how if something were to go wrong with our homes, we too would take our families and move somewhere safer. Again, as long as our families are with us, as long as we retain our core values, our material possessions or lack of them should not be so important.

Take advantage of this time to remember the source of your true happiness and enjoy it. Ḥag same’aḥ!