Holidays: Draw Closer Together

Holidays can be special occasions that are meaningful in many ways. Sukkot is one of my top favorites. It forces us out of our ordinary patterns into the Sukkah. It helps us to understand our relationship with God in very physical and earthy terms: through branches, through the walls of a shelter, and through a roof that is not much of a roof. The touch and feel, and the context of the holiday, are truly unique. At its core, it is meant to be a unifying, communal spiritual experience. Holidays are designed to bring people closer to Hashem but also to one another.

The language of holiday worship is also highly relational. Leviticus 23:36 says, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תַּקְרִיבוּ אִשֶּׁה לַיהוה (shivat yamim takrevu yishei l’ADONAI) “Seven days bring offerings made by fire to the LORD.” Most English translations of this passage do not capture the verb takrevu (תַּקְרִיבוּ). It does not just mean “bring, present, or even offer.” The verbal root karav (קָרַב) means “draw close, approach, and come near.” This is where the meaning is lost in English. The verse is not merely about sacrificing special holiday offerings by fire to Hashem for seven days. But we are supposed to draw closer to him each time we do it. And Sukkot is when we draw close to Hashem, not once or twice, or even for three days, but you draw close to ADONAI for seven days straight.

But beyond that, we are meant to draw closer to our God together. We all worship. We all speak to El Elyon individually. But the Torah says that on mikra-kodesh (מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ)– “time of holy assembly,” during the holidays, we are supposed to draw close to God collectively, jointly with other people (Lev 23:35). The entire chapter speaks in plural “you.” It’s meant to be a corporate worship experience and a relationship of closeness to God through unity with others. Holidays can’t be observed alone.

So draw closer to God through communal worship. We all pray. We all speak to El Elyon. But the Torah says that on mikra-kodesh (מִקְרָא־קֹדֶשׁ)– “times of holy assembly” we are supposed to draw close to God collectively, jointly with other people. It’s meant to be a corporate worship experience and a relationship of closeness to God through unity with others. Joy is not the same without it being shared with others. To draw closer to God means to draw closer to his people as well, because each and every one of us reflects his image. That is how we were made.