The Torah refers to the festivals of the Jewish calendar with two designations: as mo’adim, appointed times and as miqra’ei kodesh, sacred convocations. “These are G-d's appointed times," reads the introductory verse to the Torah's listing of the festivals in the book of Leviticus, “sacred convocations, which you shall call in their appointed times" (Leviticus 23:4).אלה מועדי ה מקראי קודש אשר-תקראו אותם במועדם.

A festival is an appointment in time, an encounter with an event and phenomenon in our history. It is an opportunity to call forth the particular holiness of the day, to tap the spiritual resources it holds. Freedom on Passover. Wisdom on Shavuot. Sukkot speaks to our yearning for community.

The Yiddish writer Avraham Reisen's poem, ”A Sukkeleh," means "A Little Sukkah" and really concerns two sukkot, one literal, the other metaphorical. This translation, by Rabbi Avi Shafran, tries to maintain the rhyme of the original.

A sukkaleh, quite small

Wooden planks for each wall

Lovingly I stood them upright

I laid thatch as a ceiling

And now, filled with deep feeling

I sit in my sukkaleh at night

A chill wind attacks

Blowing through the cracks

The candles, they flicker and yearn

It's so strange a thing

That as the Kiddush I sing

The flames, calmed, now quietly burn

In comes my daughter

Bearing hot food and water

Worry on her face like a pall

She just stands there shaking

And, her voice nearly breaking

Says "Tattenyu, the sukkah's going to fall!”

Dear daughter, don't fret

It hasn't fallen yet

The sukkah will be fine, understand

There have been many such fears

For nigh two thousand years

Yet the sukkahleh continues to stand.

Reisen also wrote a short story, “The Big Sukkah,” about a man who was the poor cousin and unable to host people in his home. One year, he builds a big sukkah and all his relatives came to spend time there. His dignity was restored through annual family gatherings in this temporary hut.

The Sages also speak about a big Sukkah. Leviticus 23:42 reads:

In sukkot, you shall dwell for seven days; all citizens of Israel shall dwell in sukkot.

בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃

The Hebrew word sukkot, which is the plural of sukkah, is spelled without the letter vav, meaning that the word can also be read as sukkat, a singular noun. Using the rabbinic approach of multi-meaning hermeneutic interpretation, the verse was also understood to mean that "all citizens of Israel shall dwell in the sukkah." Explains the Talmud: the Torah wishes to imply that "it is fitting that the entire people of Israel dwell in a single sukkah.”"ראויים כל ישראל לשבת בסוכה אחת” (TB Sukkah 27b)

Obviously, no sukkah is large enough to hold the entire Jewish people. What is the intent of this vision of “big tent” Judaism—with all of the Jewish people together in one sukkah?

It is important to recall the fractious nature of our community. Two Jews, three opinions. Lost on an island, the isolated survivor builds two synagogues. Various Jewish sects were active during the time of the second Temple. There were intense arguments in the Warsaw underground during siege of ghetto.

As we mark the 50^th anniversary of post-Holocaust German-Israeli relations, we take note of the powerful pro-Israel comments by Chancellor Merkel in an interview published on YNet. Still, we should also remember that there was intense debate over this relationship between David Ben Gurion and his major critic, Menahem Begin.

Believe it or not, occasionally even in our own day, we can find ways to be disagreeable. Some people think that synagogue politics can be conflictual. I draw your attention to recent division and disagreement within our community related to national and international politics.

Everyone knows that the American Jewish community is riven between Democrats and Republicans. Rabbis report a lack of civil discourse in their communities and an inability to discuss issues related to Israel without splitting congregations. Instead of Israel uniting Jews, it has become a source of deep division.

Canada has generally been more tolerant of diversity. But we are in danger of shading over into this intensely negative criticism and division.

Recently, a supporter of a local Liberal candidate invited people to a political gathering. One of the invitees sent a widely circulated email attacking the Liberals and the hosts. The Jewish Defence League came to protest at the event. Police had to be involved to ensure security. It is sad that those who support one of the major parties of Canada would be so vilified.

During the intense debate about the Iran agreement, the Jewish Council on Public Affairs organized a four-part series of webinars to brief people about the elements of the proposed accord. Wendy Sherman of the State Department and Dore Gold of the Israeli Foreign Ministry each had time to make a case for the differing sides. The last webinar featured President Obama who was asked questions by representatives of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs. This was an opportunity to watch and listen to the President of the United States defend this foreign policy initiative.

Our Federation made the webinar available to UJA donors because this issue is vital to our concerns here in Canada. For doing so, the leaders of UJA Federation were attacked for giving “air time” to an enemy of Israel. When I explained to one person that Israel and the Jewish community would still have to have a relationship with President Obama after the vote, I was asked whether I wanted to model myself after Hillel Kook or Stephen Wise, who chose different approaches to deal with President Roosevelt during the Holocaust.

Public debates among candidates within ridings that draw members of the Jewish community sometimes get quite nasty. Yet CIJA is appreciative that all the major parties support Israel. We can’t allow Israel to be identified with one party. That would be dangerous to ensuring that support for Israel maintains a parliamentary consensus. And the message of CJPAC is clear: whatever your perspective or party preference, get involved.

We have to do better than to disagree disagreeably. Perhaps that is the message of the Big Sukkah. One sukkah for us all. Even if we disagree, we should do so with respect for the other position. As with Reisen’s short story, a sukkah should be a source of dignity.

Years ago, Rav Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook wrote about the proximity of Yom Kippur and Sukkot. He said that as long as we are plagued by pettiness and other character flaws, we cannot attain true collective unity. But after experiencing the holiness of Yom Kippur, we merit an ever-increasing harmony among the diverse sectors of the nation. Conflicting views become integrated and unified. Through the spiritual ascent of the Days of Awe, we attain a comprehensive unity. During this special time, it is as if the entire nation is sitting together, sharing the holy experience of the same sukkah.

Of course you know that on Sukkot—with the exception of Shabbat—we take the ארבעה מינים, the four different types of vegetative life, and we bring the four plants together. Sages compared these fruits and leaves to different types of people:

•  The lulav—palm has taste but not smell, representing those who study Torah but do not possess good deeds.

•  The hadass—myrtle has a good smell but no taste, symbolizing those who possess good deeds but do not study Torah.

•  The aravah—willow has neither taste nor smell, pointing to those who lack Torah and good deeds.

•  The etrog has both a good taste and a good smell, standing for those who have both Torah and good deeds.

We bring them together into agudah aẖat—one bundle—to remind us that all types together make up a community.

The quality imparted by Sukkot is communal unity. That unity is not a slogan or a false hope. It can embrace difference, as long as the disagreements and differences can be articulated in a respectful way. Our covenantal interdependence is expressed by the four kinds of plant life brought together on Sukkot, and by the sukkah's embrace of every Jew—every type of Jew, and every individual Jew—within its walls.

On the Facebook page, Humans of New York, there was a photo of a person with a lulav/etrog set who was explaining the Sukkot symbols. "It's a myrtle branch, a willow branch, a palm branch, and an etrog. They symbolise the four different types of Jews."

“Can you hold them apart so I can see them better?”

"They're supposed to stay together.”

And so we should.