The Sukkah and the Voting Booth
Dear Friends,
In just a few short weeks, we will visit the voting booths for arguably one of the most important elections in recent history. Will democracy stand firm this year? Or will winds of discord threaten its stability?
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. This week, we aren’t visiting voting booths; we are visiting another type of booth – our sukkot (or sukkah in the singular). A sukkah is a temporary structure, a hut of sorts, that reminds us of ancient desert wanderings, lush harvests and living in the elements. A sukkah, by definition, doesn’t stand too firmly. It is vulnerable. One mighty wind could blow it down. Sort of like a voting booth and the democracy it represents, no?
The trick with a sukkah is making it strong enough to withstand the winds, rain and other elements, but not making it so permanent that it becomes rigid and stiff and unable to be moveable with each passing year. The voting booth, too, exists within that balance. It needs to withstand corruption but also needs to malleable as our society changes.
A sukkah should be wide open to guests, welcoming newcomers, and enjoying our bounty together. There’s even a word for sukkah visitors – ushpizin. (It’s Aramaic by the way.) Shouldn't the election booth be the same? Easily accessible, welcoming, and open to sharing the bounty of democracy? There’s a word for that, too – citizens.
Traditionally, we symbolically invite the Biblical matriarchs and patriarchs into our sukkah. We dine with the likes of Abraham and Sarah, of Miriam and Moses. It’s similar to going into the voting booth with Thomas Jefferson or Susan B. Anthony on our shoulders.
A sukkah’s roof is its most important part. It needs to thick enough to keep out the elements but thin enough to see the stars and dream.
This election is quite stressful and focused on keeping out the fraud, discord, and contention of past elections. But, hopefully, when we go to the voting booths on November 5, we will each take a moment to see the beauty of our democracy and to dream. Wishing you a peaceful Sukkot!
