SUMMONING THE HARVEST

The holiday of Sukkot is distinguished by the instruction that we must be intoxicated with joy according to the biblical text: vehayita ach sameach, “and you will be substantially joyful.” Rejoicing should envelop us because Sukkot celebrates the last harvest before winter in the countries of the northern hemisphere, to which Israel belongs. Joy is manifest when the granaries are full of the produce of the earth. One of the celebrations of this holiday is called Simchat Beit Hashoeva, “festival of water extraction”, which according to the Talmud was celebrated with incomparable taste, above others. 

For an agricultural economy, the one that governed society in biblical times, one of the basic elements was to have a reliable and abundant source of water. In current times, however, technological advances, the fresh water required for agriculture and other needs of society, is becoming increasingly important and has become one of the scarce and essential goods for the survival of the human species.

The holiday of Sukkot is celebrated beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei, during which Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated, days that are characterized by their solemnity. The contrast of Yom Hadin, Day of Judgment, the additional nomenclature of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, with a holiday that celebrates rejoicing and joy, implies that the holiday of Sukkot also possesses elements of solemnity, which are related to the other commemorations of the month. Indeed, tradition teaches that during this celebration the trial process that began on Rosh Hashanah culminates. Moreover, water is also judged on Sukkot. 

There is apparently a relationship between the judgment of the person and the judgment of water, because water is considered “life”: both the animal and human worlds depend on this element for their subsistence. The idea of judgment is clearly expressed in the Hoshanot that are recited on the day of Sukkot called Hoshanah Rabbah, with prayers invoking life and the abundance of water that is indispensable for human existence. 

As part of the Shalosh Regalim, the three annual holidays related to the exodus from Egypt and which have a significance related to agriculture, Sukkot serves as a bridge to the Yamim Noraim: Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The duality of Sukkot’s meaning is reflected in the double number of sacrifices commanded by the Torah for this holiday. Tradition relates these sacrifices, which number seventy, to the ancient notion about the existence of seventy nations in the world. Through these offerings that represent all peoples, Sukkot acquires universal significance, just like Rosh HaShanah, the day of judgment for all human beings.

The rejoicing of Sukkot is a consequence of the teshuvah and introspection of the Yamim Noraim. Having purified the soul through the Shofar’s call to recollection on Rosh Hashanah, with the practice of fasting and the recitation of the Yom Kippur prayers  for divine forgiveness, the individual now feels a mystical satisfaction and inner peace, a product of the closeness to God that is indispensable for obtaining forgiveness.

At the same time, the celebration of “water” is the recognition that Judaism does not establish a dichotomy between the heavenly and the earthly. In the month of Yom Hadien, and the days on which the spiritual destiny of humanity is determined, attention is also paid to water, which symbolizes the essential elements indispensable for survival.