Podcast Episode 2: Sukkot

Sukkot "The Booth"

Rabbi Yossi Sapirman and Dr. Elliott Malamet talk about Sukkot. Sukkot literally means “the booth” which is meant to represent the escape from Egypt. Rabbi Yossi challenges the typical interpretations of Sukkot and its symbolism.

Harvesting Your Life

The original intention of Sukkot was a harvest festival. Sukkot has evolved into an opportunity to invite our history into our lives. People we miss, victims of the Holocaust, patriarchs or matriarchs, whoever you want to bring in that you miss. When you’re feeling vulnerable, the object of the Sukkah is to harvest the joy and love in our lives.

The Natural Conclusion of Yom Kippur

Rabbi Yossi suggest that Sukkot is really the natural conclusion of Yom Kippur, an opportunity to feel a connection with the world and connected to people at a time of transition in the changing seasons. Yom Kippur is extremely internal while Sukkot invites us to move outward, it’s what Virgina Wolf called “The voyage outward”, or as Elliott puts it, Judaism at its very best.

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