A sukkah of our own

Gratitude. That’s the word I most often associate with the holiday of Sukkot, and this year there was something else, something enormous, to be thankful for:  After seven years of wandering through life without a sukkah of our own, my family got one again.

In the New York suburbs for years, our house had a porch just right for a sukkah. But then in city apartment living, first in New York City and now in Providence, we hadn’t found a way to have one – even a temporary structure isn’t allowed when you don’t own the land. We still had plenty of holiday joy in those years without a sukkah of our own as we visited those of our synagogues, other Jewish institutions, and, in New York, places like the corner bagel shop. Yet, it wasn’t the same.

Then the marvels of engineering smiled upon us. We found and bought our new sukkah online, one that literally pops up, a wonder of miniaturized engineering. It starts, and ends up, smaller than the size of a trashcan lid. It magically transformed the courtyard of our Providence apartment building into our little corner of a historic biblical land. Yes, the rules of where we lived meant putting it up and taking it down each time we wanted to use it, but that seemed doable, and with practice it got easier.

As we sat in our tiny sukkah designed for two people, looking out over downtown and College Hill, there was a wonderful feeling of calm and a sense of great beauty. Seeing the huge full moon of Sukkot over the city was a breathtaking reminder that we were beneath the same moon that our ancestors saw in the wilderness.

Sukkot are powerful symbols of impermanence, which encourages appreciation for the more permanent. For one week, the sukkah is a center of life, and then it goes away completely for a year. Whether on a patio of a house or free-standing like ours, a sukkah calls for intentionality and creative flexibility. It disrupts your routine, and offers the chance for a new normal where the unusual is enjoyed.

Besides giving you a greater appreciation of the permanent, the gratitude of Sukkot comes up in ushpizin, showing hospitality in welcoming guests. Sukkot is a holiday closely connected to the idea of kindness of spirit and more. We had the chance to share our sukkah with guests, including a couple who have long been generous to us.

When we think back to our ancestors, we are reminded of how hard it must have been to put together sukkah in the wilderness where life was already so fragile. In the modern world, and especially in the urban landscape, we see those struggling without homes transporting their belongings, enduring great hardships. For us to dwell in booths for one week a year is a luxury and a blessing because we can make that choice. For many, possessing even a temporary structure is beyond reach, and so Sukkot is a reminder of the importance of helping them, in recognition and thanks for our blessings.

Sukkot is over for this year, but it will be long remembered. Next year’s will be eagerly anticipated, with the opportunity of keeping alive until then the holiday’s spirit of gratitude and responsibility for helping those in need. Having our sukkah stored in a small bag in our apartment is a warm reminder of the season just past, and of the possibilities ahead. 

NOEL RUBINTON is a consultant and writer based in Providence.