Sukkot, Time of Our Joy

After the cleansing catharsis of Yom Kippur, we are commanded to joyfully begin the New Year outside the house…by spending a week in the intimate, Divine embrace of our sukkah, the temporary structure that commemorates the booths erected by the Children of Israel when they departed Egypt, as well as the Divine clouds of glory that enveloped them throughout their desert wanderings. The Festival of Sukkot is also observed with special prayers of thanksgiving accompanied by the ‘four species’ (Lev. 23). But why does Sukkot follow Yom Kippur, and why is Sukkot, more than any other time of year, known as ‘the Time of Our Joy?’ This week’s Jerusalem Lights Podcast focuses on the Sukkah, the ultimate symbol – and test—of faith...and finds that the answer is blowing in the wind. This edition of our podcast is a veritable Sukkot special, as our hosts explore and share deep insights and eternal Torah truths of the Sukkah, for Jews and Gentiles alike. Jim Long, a righteous Noahide, explains the importance of the Sukkah for non-Jews, and Rabbi Chaim Richman shares his personal story of the recent loss of his father and the unique confluence in his life of bereavement, mourning, and the Torah’s commandment to be ‘only joyful’ during the Festival.  

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Rabbi Chaim Richman  Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone   

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