A woman without a sukkah Rabbanit Debbie Zimmerman

This question was asked in 5781, 2020, during the Corona Pandemic when hosting and being hosted was severely limited.

You ask an important question, which can be broken down to several components.

* Why are women exempt from positive time-bound commandments (mitzvot aseh she-hazman grama)?

* Should women (or anyone) go out of their way to perform mitzvot (commandments) they are not obligated to do? What if any significance is there for women who fulfill such mitzvot?

* What are a Jewish woman’s obligations on Sukkot?

* What can a fulfilling Sukkot look like without a sukkah?

Before we can answer these technical questions, it’s important to note that no person, and certainly no Jew, should ever feel “left out in the cold.” God created us as social beings, Jewish life without a community is lacking. Many Jewish communities are built around nuclear families and unfortunately, are not always accommodating to people outside a certain demographic such as older adults, people who are unmarried, and couples who are childless.[1] I pray that this pandemic will teach us all to look beyond and include everyone as valued community members.s

Background – the mitzvot of Sukkot:

There are several mitzvot that apply specifically to Sukkot. As you mentioned, the most prominent is the Torah commandment to dwell in a sukkah for the entire festival. The Torah also commands the taking of the arba’at ha-minim, the four species, on the first day of the festival. The rabbis extended this command throughout chol ha-moed (the intermediate days of the festival). Both these commandments are considered mitzvot aseh she-hazman grama (positive time-bound commandments). As your question mentioned, women are exempt from these commandments. We also add hallel, mussaf, and hoshanot into our prayers, and while I encourage women to say these prayers when they are able, many authorities hold that women are exempt from these as well. Finally, there is a Torah commandment to rejoice in the festival, and women are obligated in this mitzvah.

Value of fulfilling voluntarily performing mitzvot:

Let us begin with the mitzvot of the holiday; as a woman you are exempt from most of these. Without getting into the reasons for the exemption, which you can read about in the sources below, there is value in trying to perform them when possible. Ramban writes that “One who performs a Torah commandment as it was established, even though they were not commanded, like a woman or non-Jew, receive reward for it, for all ‘[the Torah’s] ways are pleasant.’” (Kiddushin 31a) While there are fundamental differences between obligatory and voluntary mitzvot, voluntary mitzva observance is an important form of serving and connecting to God.

There are even some who state that women should only rely on the exemption when they are actively busy with the fulfillment of mitzvot they are commanded to do; if it does not conflict with an obligatory mitzva or Torah value women should strive to mitzvot aseh she-hazman grama. (Rav Yisrael Gustman, Kuntrusei Shiurim, Kiddushin pg. 254)

This seems to be the case with the mitzvot of Sukkot. Therefore, I urge you to attempt to try and fulfill these if you are able.

Sukkot without a sukka

Sukkot is called “The time of our rejoicing,” and “The festival of gathering.” It is a time to remember that just as God protected our People and provided all our needs throughout our sojourn in the desert, God continues to do so now. (Vayikra 23:43) When we gather our produce for the year we affirm that it is not “My strength and the might of my hand that made me this great thing,” but rather “the Lord your God gave you strength to do this great thing.” (Devarim 8:17-18) As my teacher Rav Alex Israel explains, the sukkah is a balance between a temporary and permanent structure, natural and man-made; we dwell in it “to experience the limited-ness of man, and the graceful protection of God.”

It seems from your message that you will not have a sukkah of your own. As a woman you are not obligated to dwell or even eat in a suc sukkah ca, and this year may be a good year to rely on this exemption and look for other ways to connect to the mitzvot of succot. On a “normal” year I would encourage you to look for some way to spend time in a sukkah – be it a public sukkah such as those provided by municipalities in Israel, or synagogues, or that of friends or neighbors – even if it’s just for kiddush and hamotzi, the occasional snack, or really anything. Even if you don’t know your neighbors personally, you can introduce yourself or leave a note on the entrance to your sukkah with your address or phone number asking them to get in touch if you can use their sukkah when they are not around. Many people are more than happy to share their sukkah with others.

Arba minim

Even when the above isn’t possible there are mitzvot of Sukkot that are more readily available. I encourage you to get your own set of arba minim and use them when davening. While many women have the custom of taking arba minim in the sukka, this is unnecessary.

There are beautiful explanations given for the commandment of arba minim, many connected to their place in prayer. The midrash in Ta’anit 2b states that these four species are highly dependent on water, just as people need water to survive. Sukkot is the holiday when we pray for water. Thus, the arba minim can be used as a tool for supplication, such as in hoshanot and in hallel when we sing: “Ana Ha-Shem hoshiya na” “Please God, grant us salvation.”

The arba minim are also a tool for rejoicing. The describes them as symbols of celebration, an expression of our confidence that God judged us favorably on Yom Kippur. (Vayikra Rabba 30) Therefore, we also wave them in Hallel while we sing: “Hodu la-Hashem ki tov…” “Give thanks to the Lord for [the Lord is] good, His kindness is eternal.”

The arba minim fulfill two complementary roles when we wave them during hallel – they are symbols of supplication and thanksgiving. These two themes are also combined in the simchat beit ha-shoeva, the Joy of the Drawing House – every day of Sukkot a water libation was poured on the altar in Temple, this was accompanied by great displays of joy, music, dancing and acrobatics. Many communities continue these celebrations today. The original ceremony could be seen as both a prayer for rain and a celebration of God’s providence.

Simchat Ha-Regel

Sefer HaChinuch relates that women are obligated to rejoice in the festivals:
And [concerning] the offering of peace-offerings, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chagigah 6b), “Women are obligated in joy” – meaning that even they are obligated to bring peace-offerings of joy. And they, may their memory be blessed, also said (Chagigah 8a), “Rejoice in all types of rejoicing.” And included in this is the eating of meat and the drinking of wine, to wear new clothes, the distribution of fruit and types of sweets to the youths and the women and to play musical instruments in the Temple alone – and that is the joy of the drawing house (simchat beit hashoeva) that is mentioned in the Gemara (Sukkah 50a).

(translation and source  https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_HaChinukh.488.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en)

Based on the gemara that says that different types of people rejoice in different ways – some with meat and wine, other clothes and jewelry, and children with treats, Yereim explains that each person should express their joy in ways that they find enjoyable. (Pesachim 109a, Yereim 427)

Why joy?

Sefer HaChinuch continues to explain that people need joy like they need sleep. God commands us to rejoice for our own sake, but that happiness has a deeper meaning, it is a happiness in the miracles and goodness that God grants us as a people. Shir HaShirim Rabba (1) explains the verse “’This is the day that God made, we will rejoice and be gladdened in it:’ We will rejoice and be happy in the Holy One, blessed be He, in Your salvation, in Your Torah, in Your awe.” This is a time to enhance the aspect of joy in our relationship with God, the joy of closeness with God.

While there is a commandment to rejoice in all festivals, Sukkot is seen as the epitome of this joy and known as Zman Simchateinu, The Time of Our Joy. It is also referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Gathering. In the Land of Israel it is right before the rainy season. In an agrarian society this is the time one looks at their yield for the year, to take stock of what God has provided them for the coming winter. In Judaism it is the finale of the Days of Awe, when we ask God for rain and sustenance for the coming year, and also a time we take stock of everything God has given us to this point. A time we affirm that this is all from God.

We learn in Pirkei Avot “Who is rich? One who is joyous in their lot.” God has chosen what to provide for us – the gifts and the challenges. During Sukkot, when we take stock of all these things, and we accept them with joy and gratitude, affirming that God has given us what we need to survive, to thrive, and to serve God in this world. We rejoice in all this as we rejoice in our relationship with God.

During this difficult time we need this joy more than ever. As rejoicing in the festival is the one mitzva of Sukkot you are obligated to fulfill, I urge you to follow the opinion of Yereim and figure out a way to make this joy your own. What brings you joy? How can you find joy in your relationship with God? How can you express joy with your lot in life?

With prayers of a year filled with blessings and goodness, and with the hope that this Sukkot brings you and all of Israel joy.

This is your space to make the joy of this festival your own.