October 30, 2024|כ"ח תשרי ה' אלפים תשפ"ה Sukkot Post-October 7th By Rabbi Jonathan Muskat

Once upon a time, a beautiful, independent princess came across a frog. The frog said, "I was once a handsome prince until an evil witch cast a spell on me. One kiss from you, and I’ll return to my former self. We’ll marry, live in the castle with my mother, and you’ll cook, clean, bear children, and live happily ever after." That evening, while the princess dined on frog legs, she laughed, “I don’t think so.” 

How do we live happily ever after? For that we need to wait until messianic times, but we are commanded to live happily, to experience happiness, on Sukkot and I wonder, how can we experience the happiness of Sukkot, specifically this year, post-October 7^th, when the end of the holiday marked our greatest single day tragedy since the Holocaust?

For decades, since the Six-Day War, we believed Israel was a secure haven. Terror attacks could happen, but widespread devastation, kidnappings, and evacuations on the scale of October 7th were unimaginable. That belief collapsed, as Israel now finds itself confronting a multi-front war against seven adversaries: Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, and Iran. The fragility of our security has been exposed in ways we hadn’t faced in years.

Where does that leave us now, a year later, in relation to our beloved Israel? Perhaps Sukkot, especially as celebrated in Biblical times, offers an answer.

Let’s go back to the time of Nehemiah, around 50-60 years after the Second Temple was built, when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem had not yet been rebuilt. Security was compromised. So, with permission from the king, Nehemiah oversaw the construction of the walls, restoring safety to the city. This accomplishment was marked by a large gathering on Rosh Hashanah, where Ezra read from the Torah. The next day, the people returned for more inspiration and we are told: 

וַֽיִּמְצְא֖וּ כָּת֣וּב בַּתּוֹרָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְקֹוָק֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲשֶׁר֩ יֵשְׁב֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל בַּסֻּכּ֛וֹת בֶּחָ֖ג בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי:  

The Bnei Yisrael discovered that it was written in the Torah that they were commanded to live in sukkot during the seventh month (Nehemiah 8:14). Surprisingly, they built sukkot with great enthusiasm, and we are told: 

וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ בַסֻּכּוֹת֒ כִּ֣י לֹֽא־עָשׂ֡וּ מִימֵי֩ יֵשׁ֨וּעַ בִּן־נ֥וּן כֵּן֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַתְּהִ֥י שִׂמְחָ֖ה גְּדוֹלָ֥ה מְאֹֽד

They lived in sukkot and they hadn’t made sukkot since the time of Yehoshua bin Nun and ­there was tremendous joy (Ibid. 8:17).

 

But this raises two questions: (1) Did the people not know about Sukkot beforehand? (2) Is it true that since the time of Joshua, the Jewish people hadn’t celebrated Sukkot? Do you mean to tell me that the kids didn’t come home from yeshiva day school in Biblical times with laminated sukkah decorations to hang in their sukkot? Were there no Sukkah hops since the days of Yehoshua during the time of the first Beit Hamikdash? Were there no ornaments of Santa Claus in Biblical Meah She’arim mistakenly being sold as Chassidishe Rebbes during the times of the first Beit Hamikdash? As the Yalkut Shimoni (Remez 1071) asks, אפשר בא שלמה ולא עשה סכות, בא דוד ולא עשה סכות  i.e., is it true that David and Shlomo and certainly many others did not celebrate Sukkot?

Rabbi Yehuda Halevi in the Kuzari (III:63) offers a partial explanation, suggesting that perhaps the masses, uneducated in Torah, were unfamiliar with Sukkot during the times of the first Beit Hamikdash. But more likely, as they read about the mitzvah on the second of Tishrei, as they rediscovered this mitzvah, their enthusiasm sparked a unique celebration. They sent messengers to build sukkot with עֲלֵי־זַ֙יִת֙ וַעֲלֵי־עֵ֣ץ שֶׁ֔מֶן וַעֲלֵ֤י הֲדַס֙ וַעֲלֵ֣י תְמָרִ֔ים וַעֲלֵ֖י עֵ֣ץ עָבֹ֑ת  - all different types of mehadrin min ha-mehadrin, upper tier wood (Nehemiah 8:15). The Ralbag adds that while Sukkot was observed in previous generations, the joy during Nehemiah’s time was unparalleled because the Torah was read in a special way, evoking memories of the grandeur of the days of Yehoshua.

Why was this Sukkot so uniquely joyous? The Torah reading reminded the people why they sat in sukkot—to commemorate God’s protection during the Exodus. Whether the sukkot represent divine clouds of glory or actual huts is a debate between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua (Sukkah 11b). Regardless, Sukkot celebrates God’s safeguarding of His people. For the Jews under Yehoshua, this was a celebration of miracles witnessed firsthand during the conquest of Eretz Yisrael. After years of wandering through the desert, they experienced the joy and security of living in their own land. They understood Sukkot as a holiday of freedom and divine protection.

For later generations, such as those of King David and King Shlomo, Sukkot likely didn’t hold the same intensity. But for the Jews in Nehemiah’s time, who had just rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, the holiday took on new meaning. It wasn’t just a celebration of spiritual milestones, but also of physical security—a transition from vulnerability to divine protection.

So how do we celebrate Sukkot this year, in the aftermath of October 7th? Like the Jews in the days of Yehoshua and Nehemiah, we now understand how fortunate we are to have a Jewish state. The tragic events of October 7th and the rise of global antisemitism remind us why Israel is indispensable. For thousands of years, we were victims—persecuted, expelled, and tortured, with no refuge. Today, we have a homeland, and we can defend ourselves.

Even after the horrors of October 7th, we still have a state, an army, superior military capabilities, advanced intelligence, and most importantly, we have God on our side. This year, more than any other, we’ve been reminded of what happens when we let our guard down. Sukkot is not just a time for mourning, but a time to appreciate the strength we now possess. It’s a time to remind the world that Jewish blood is not cheap. We mourn, but we also celebrate our resilience.

In fact, one of the הרחמן’s that we say in birkat hamazon for Sukkot is הרחמן הוא יקים לנו את סוכת דוד הנופלת. We ask God to raise the sukkah of David, or the kingdom of David, that is falling, in present tense. The Maharal explains that malchut Beit David, even if it is currently not functional, has not completely fallen. It is only falling, but it is never beyond repair. In ashrei, we say סומך ה׳ לכל הנופלים – God supports those who are falling – in present tense. God never allows the Jewish people to fall completely. And that belief strengthens our resilience and our ability to rise, fight back, and grow stronger.

The terror of October 7th has paradoxically reminded us of why we so desperately need a Jewish state and why we must celebrate it. This Sukkot, more than ever, should be marked by even greater joy, as we embrace the strength and protection that come from both God and our sovereignty.

This is the lesson of Yehoshua, the lesson of Nehemiah, and the lesson of Sukkot, especially in our time.