Written by Charlie Saginaw

 

Just on the other side of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper, the more light-hearted “Sukkot” is a breath of fresh air compared to the solemn repentance of the High Holidays. I like Sukkot for the same reasons I like Utah, you spend time in crisp fall air eating with good friends. The term sukkah means “booth” or “temporary dwelling” reminiscence the dwellings in which the Israelites lived during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery. These temporary huts remind me of my favorite impermanent Utah dwellings: camping tents. The Israelites wandered in the desert and Utahns take shorter wondering trips to the desert… Okay, I bet you can see where I am going with these parallels.  

 

While sukkot seem more optional than the other more venerable Jewish holidays in October, I challenge you to eat in a sukkah with friends, shake the lulav and etrog, and enjoy the transition from Summer to Fall on the Wasatch front. It may just be the most Utahn thing you can do!