D
uring the Sukkot
holiday, the Pico-
Robertson neighbor-
hood of Los Angeles erupts in
joyful celebration. Our 40-plus
kosher restaurants all have suk-
kot attached. \
There’s a sukkah
on top of Ralph’s
supermarket.
One could con-
ceivably sukkah
hop to a different
hut every five
minutes and not
exhaust the inventory.
Google “Sukkah’s on Fire” to
see my music video showcasing
an assortment of local sukkot,
accompanied by a wacky paro-
dy of the Jerry Lee Lewis “Great
Balls of Fire” classic. The next
video in the cue will likely be
my brother Yom Tov’s enor-
mous Jerusalem-based sukkah
going up in flames. A well-
placed security camera caught
the tragic conflagration, and his
kids mischievously added my
song as a soundtrack.
For those driving down Pico
Boulevard, it must look strange
to see all the Jews happily
parading with palm fronds. I’m
sure people wonder what we are
doing with those sticks. Well,
what are we doing with those
sticks? Waving the lulav is per-
haps our most primordial chok
(superrational commandment).
We circulate the four species
(willow, myrtle, palm and cit-
ron) in six directions during
the daily Hallel service and then
hold them aloft while marching
around the bimah.
It’s really weird and a lot of
fun. Some say we are unifying
four types of Jews with vary-
ing degrees of knowledge and
merits. Another theory: the
species represent our spine,
eyes, mouth and heart. Some
say waving in six directions plus
the center acknowledges God’s
omnipresence. Others maintain
it invokes a blessing for rain
or favorably impacts the lower
seven kabbalistic sefirot (Divine
qualities).
We have epic parties of our
own in our 20-foot squared
sukkah and often potluck with
neighboring families. We cre-
ate a new decorative theme
each year; past innovations
have included Japanese Spa,
Autumnal Splendor, Four
Species Disco and my per-
sonal favorite, a Nacho Libré-
6 | SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021
essay
The Joy of Sukkot
Sam Glaser
PURELY COMMENTARY
continued on page 8
1942 - 2021
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