Sukkot’s place in the Jewish calendar raises a basic question, one many explicitly articulate and others intuitively feel. Is there really a need for another holiday after Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur? After ten days dedicated to repentance and growth, a grueling time period where we strive for greater spiritual heights, is it really necessary to have another holiday so close to the days of awe? 

The question is even stronger according to the Tur. He writes (O.C. 625) that a more natural time to observe Sukkot is the summer, the time when we initially left Egypt. The only reason why Sukkot is observed in the fall is to show that our true intention for sitting in the Sukkah is to fulfill God’s command and not because it provides us with shade on a hot summer day. For him, there appears to be no reason why Sukkot needs to be kept specifically when it is; any time outside the summer months would be appropriate. If so, why keep Sukkot now, and is there a lesson we can learn from its peculiar placement in the Jewish calendar?[1]

Moreover, there are so many beautiful themes and ideas related to Sukkot. It is a time when we recall God’s love for us, and it is when we contemplate our relationship with nature. Would not a longer break enable us to better prepare for and gain from Sukkot? The Talmud even implies that one should begin preparing for an upcoming holiday thirty days before it begins.[2] But how is that possible when the sheer physical exhaustion of these three weeks is so great, the spiritual toll so demanding, that adequate preparation seems unfeasible? Indeed, Rama (O.C.???) even instructs us to begin building our Sukkah on the very night Yom Kippur ends. Is that really necessary, and what do we gain from it?

A variety of answers have been offered to this general question, many of which highlight the special and complimentary connection between Sukkot and the days of awe.[3] It seems possible, though, to suggest an additional perspective. Maybe one idea derived from Sukkot’s placement in the Jewish calendar, even if it not the primary motivating factor, is what all of these holidays teach us about ourselves.

The three weeks from Rosh HaShana through Sukkot are not, nor are they intended to be, easy. They test us physically, teach us what we can achieve, and inspire us to new heights. We learn how much we are capable of doing. We see that we are able to set aside time despite our busy schedule, push ourselves in the face of fatigue. We realize how committed we are to the Jewish tradition and how much we are willing and able to sacrifice – physically and emotionally – for its ideals.

We do not, though, only learn about the limits of our physical strength; we also learn about our spiritual stamina.[4] We gain insight into our ability to balance the seriousness and at times fear of the days of awe with the happiness and joy of Sukkot. We balance different emotions and different ways of connecting with God, in the process cultivating a more complete religious personality. Despite the feelings of exhaustion, the Torah wants us to continue to push ourselves, to gain from each holiday without it coming at the expense of the other, and to better understand what it means to be a complete Jew.

In truth, Sukkot’s placement on the Jewish calendar may seem a bit out of place. It is, though, through observing Sukkot immediately after the days of awe that we gain so much. We learn about our ability to push ourselves for that which we value, to invest physically and thereby benefit spiritually. As a result of the Jewish calendar, we begin to build the ideal religious personality, someone with the desire to invest all of one’s strengths for God. Through juxtaposing Sukkot to the days of awe, the Torah teaches us to connect to our creator through love and fear, through fasting and feasting.

At the end of these three weeks, we may feel tired and exhausted, but we leave inspired and exalted. We now know what we are capable of and how great we are. אשריך ישראל ואשרי חלקיך, praiseworthy are you Israel and praiseworthy is your portion.

[1] There are those that question Tur’s logic and assume that Sukkot needed to be celebrated when it is. See Vilna Gaon, commentary to Shir haShirim (1:4). Accordingly, Sukkot needed to be observed directly after Yom Kippur, regardless of the difficulty involved. 

[2] See Talmud Pesachim (6a) and Beit Yosef (O.C. 429) for a discussion of the precise impact and scope of this law.

[3] See, for example, Aruch HaShulchan (O.C. 625:5).

[4] See the article by Rav Michael Rosensweig on torahweb.org about the relationship between Yom Kippur and Sukkot for a similar idea.