This has been a year of tremendous trauma. I have come to believe that Sukkot is the PTSD holiday. In several ways, it is designed to address the trauma of our lives:
1. The Hebrew name for Egypt, Mitzrayim, is associated with narrowness, “tzar.” After the constriction of slavery and the inability to escape, comes Sukkot. In the desert, there is space. The sukkah is un-claustrophobic by its nature. Since there is no covering on the roof, you can see the outside. You are not hemmed in, which is one of the triggers of trauma. This is what we pray for our hostages to experience again, and soon.
2. The Rabbis say “sukkah” refers to the sukkah of clouds that God provided for the Israelites as they walked through the desert. Being taken care of, a gentle shade over your life, is calming after the brutality of Egypt. Fear is soothed by caretaking.
3. The sukkah reminds us that we are not alone. Not only do we invite other people into the sukkah, but traditionally, we also bring in the ushpizin – historic figures from the Jewish past who share our history and gave us their dreams. The vision of the stars above is a further reminder of God’s presence. As Van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother Theo: “I feel a tremendous need for religion, so I go outside at night to paint the stars.”
4. Like a mikveh, the sukkah is done with one’s entire body. As we have learned – particularly in the classic work on trauma The Body Keeps the Score – trauma is stored in the body. Also on Sukkot, we build something. Creating helps heal.
5. Sukkot is the only holiday whose name is an emotion – Z’man Simhatenu, the time of our joy. Trauma robs joy. Sukkot encourages us to feel joy, reminding us that it is good and healthy to be happy. This holiday that returns us to nature, to greenery and the elements, lifts our spirits. It has been an awful year. Sukkot can help bring us back to wholeness.
