Taking joy in God’s bounty

Sukkot is one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar, a seven-day period known as the “season of our rejoicing” that follows shortly after the solemnity of Yom Kippur.

Sukkot commemorates the 40-year period during which the Jewish people wandered in the desert wilderness on their way from Egypt to Israel.

The word sukkah means booth, and refers to the temporary shelters Jews lived in during their wanderings. Jews around the world build sukkahs outside their homes and, following a biblical commandment, spend as much time as possible inside the structures during the holiday. Families eat meals in them and even sleep in them.

Sukkahs come in many shapes and sizes. And as shown in sukkahs throughout Southern California, decorating them can be a lesson in improvisation.

But many rules govern their construction. For example, their roofs must consist of things that grow from the ground, such as bamboo reeds or palm fronds, arranged so that they leave just enough open space to see the stars at night.

“We build sukkahs to show that . . . we must put our trust in God, as he protected and sheltered us in the desert for all those years,” said Rabbi Reuven Mintz from the Chabad Jewish Center of Newport Beach. “That’s what we ought to focus on as we build the brick and mortar in our lives.”

Sukkot also is a major festival, a time when Jews celebrate the final harvest of the year.

During the holiday, they shake a lulav (a palm branch held in the right hand alongside willow and myrtle branches) and an etrog (a fruit similar to a lemon held in the left hand) to symbolize the riches of God’s natural bounty.

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duke.helfand@latimes.com