A Seasonal Shift Signaled at Sukkot

What is Sukkot?

The Feast of Tabernacles, known in Hebrew as Sukkot, is a significant observance initiated through Moses when the Israelites met with God at Sinai. The details can be found in the Bible, particularly in Leviticus 23:34-36.

The festival occurs in the fall, on the 15th day of the seventh month [Tishri], and lasts for seven days. During this time, the Israelites are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, or booths, to commemorate their period of wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.

This observance serves as a reminder of God’s continual provision and protection.

Sukkot in many ways is like our American Thanksgiving, only it lasts for a whole week. It is a time of special thanksgiving for the harvest, as it marks the end of the agricultural year.

Additionally, Sukkot emphasizes gratitude to God, joy and celebration. This is a time of daily festive gatherings and abundance. Offerings are given as part of the worship during this sacred time. It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, where the people were to come together in Jerusalem to celebrate and honor God’s blessings.

My Journey

I had the rare privilege of visiting Israel during Sukkot, a number of years ago. It was an incredible experience. Even the hotel we stayed at in Jerusalem had a sukkah for the occasion.

A time of Shifting

I have always found Sukkot to be a time that signals transition of some kind. Maybe because it occurs in the Fall. The leaves are falling. It’s obvious that the seasons are changing. I always liked the fall. It’s my favorite time of year. I’m not into pumpkin spicing everything, but I do like a little chill in the air. For some reason Sukkot always seemed to be a time that triggers some kind of change.

My mom always said for her it was July that she went through a shift. For me, it was almost always in the fall, specifically September/October. When I look back over the years, the festival days of Sukkot often became a turning point.

Today is Saturday, October 19, 2024, [Sukkot III, 5785 on the Hebraic calendar]

Two years ago, on the first day of Sukkot 2022, I took one last look through the empty house that had been my home since Passover 2020. This had been a kind of sukkah, temporary dwelling. I was rather fond of it. I enjoyed the abundance of nature that surrounded us. Tucked in the woods, the deer would daily forage the brush for food. I would often wake up to a number of young bucks and doe rummaging through my backyard.

But Sukkot 5783 (2022) launched a major shift for me. It was the end of an era. My folks were gone. The last of the older generation in my family had passed. My brother and I had been shifted into that position.

It also launched me into the beginning of a new season, one that would prove even more challenging than the prior. As much as I like change, I don’t like the frustration that can often accompany it.

Like endings and new beginnings, frustration is a natural part of life. It can arise when what you expect doesn’t match what actually happens. I have to admit, that is what happened for me.

Like many others, I ended up in a season of dealing with the debilitating illness of long covid. Extreme tiredness, feeling short of breath, muscle aches, difficulty concentrating and joint pain have been dogged me for the better part of the past two years. That is until recently.

I can’t begin to express the frustration I felt at every turn. What I thought was going to be a time of recovery and renewal, ended up being a time of weakness. It has only been in the past two months that I have even begun to feel any relief. I don’t really know what shifted. But something did and I am grateful.

It may be time to relegate, reject and reframe and reset

When my stepmom ended up on hospice care, my siblings and I discussed my exit strategy. We decided I would take a much needed rest and slowly pack up and clear out my folks home. We landed on a nine month time frame.

After her death in June of 2022, I was exhausted. I was banking on that nine month plan. I figured it would give me plenty of time to recover and get the work done. That is until the Lord spoke to me at the end of July that year. He said, “What you want to take nine months to do, I’m going to accomplish in three.” Talk about pressure.

This was a huge undertaking to handle on my own. The problem was that I was already exhausted from the onset of long covid and being sole caregiver for my terminal parent. I asked God to confirm His word to me and He did. The next thing I knew everything shifted.

Relegate

The first thing to happen was I had to relegate the heavy lifting, by off loading that job to someone else. I had to relegate getting the job of packing done and prioritize my physical health.

Then something amazing happened. We just happened to find a local couple that did this kind of work all the time. I no longer had to do what I could not. I didn’t even have to do the final cleaning to prepare the house for sale. I was suddenly freed up to rest and recuperate.

But it wouldn’t have been a joy if I hadn’t let go of control. I had to let them do the work their way. I had to step back and let this small team do what they do best. My job was to get out of the way.

Reject

Just another way of saying NO! Sometimes we view things as an obligation rather than an opportunity, or as a tragedy or failure rather than an opportunity for something new or better. We have to learn to say no, even if that means saying no to ourselves.

I had to learn how to reject thoughts of failure, or obligation to my family. I had to kick all the guilt to the curb. It was okay to rest. It was okay to let someone else do the heavy lifting. It was okay to be the one in need. I didn’t have to do it all.

I’m a pretty resilient individual. I have learned to bend and not break. And the greatest asset in my resilience arsenal is the ability to just say no.

I’m one of those people who hates to miss out. I like being a part of things. I love being in the middle of family fun and adventure. I love the energy of it. But there have been times, in order for me to be resilient, I had to say no to being a part of things. Otherwise, I would not have been able to keep going. I would have burned out, or crashed instead of getting refueled the way I needed to.

Reframe

In order to achieve the end result I wanted, I needed to simply accept the struggle as necessary. I had to reframe it. This was not a time for me to push myself to further exhaustion. It was a time to recoup so I could not only finish the task but accomplish the goal. There’s no telling where I would be now if I had tried to do it all myself. Probably in the hospital or worse.

If I’ve learned anything from the last two years, it’s that I made the right choice to rest so I could reset. Let this be a time reset, readjust and refocus so you can restart fresh and new.

Sukkot is a time to rest and refocus.

It’s a time to focus on gratitude and appreciation for God’s blessings and provision. It’s a time to slow down and take time with the people around us. It’s a time to linger over a meal with others and just enjoy their company. It’s a time to focus on God, family and friends.

In our American culture, Thanksgiving can become a commercialized event. It’s about keeping tradition but it can become an overwhelming obligation, rather than a fun time to enjoy. There are those who are more focused on black Friday shopping than on the simple pleasure of time spent with loved ones. When I look back on my life I will not remember the shopping deals. Especially now that my parents are no longer with us, I choose to reflect on the memories collected with loved ones.

Sukkot a Graceful Reminder

For me, Sukkot is the precursor to the holiday season. It’s a reminder to take time to enjoy those around us, with an attitude of gratitude.

Sukkot serves as a profound reminder of the importance of gratitude, reflection, and the embrace of change in our lives. As we temporarily dwell in our sukkahs, we are invited to step away from the chaos of daily life and reconnect with the essence of family, community, and faith.

Through the lessons of relegate, reject, and reframe, we learn to navigate our daily challenges with resilience, allowing ourselves the grace to rest, recalibrate, and focus on what truly matters.

In doing so, Sukkot becomes not just a tradition, but a spiritual journey toward recognizing and appreciating the blessings that accompany us through every season of life.

As we gather with loved ones, share meals, and celebrate together, let us carry forward the spirit of Sukkot throughout the year, cherishing moments of connection and fostering an attitude of thankfulness, even amid the transitions that come our way.

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