- When we look at the physical structure of this kitchen, what can we learn about its purpose and function - who or what kind of person is meant to be in it?
- What kinds of meals are meant to be cooked in it?
- What is the cooking experience like in this kitchen?
- How many people live in this apartment?
Session Takeaway (before the session):
We can use Sukkot as a model for Hospitality: Be intentional about:
- designing SPACE,
- involving PEOPLE, and
- using TIME
(credit: Meghan Rodarte, MH Staff)
אַ֡ךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּאָסְפְּכֶם֙ אֶת־תְּבוּאַ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֶת־חַג־ה' שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֖י שַׁבָּתֽוֹן׃ מ וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃ מא וְחַגֹּתֶ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ חַ֣ג לַֽה' שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָ֑ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ מב בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃ מג לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶֽם׃
Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of the 'hadar tree', branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick leaved trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And you shall keep it a feast to the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that citizens in Israel shall dwell in booths: that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel᾽el to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
- Based on these verses, can you determine anything about what a Sukkah should look like? It's exterior? Interior? Placement?
- What experience is one supposed to have in the Sukkah?
- What characterizes some of the spaces you've been in in your life when you felt this way?
Building Code or Hospitality Code?
For the next 13 minutes, take a look these texts (and see some of the fun real-life creations) and try to upack how the intentional creation of the space, involvement of people, and timing of the holiday work individually and together to create a welcoming, egalitarian, and joyful atmosphere.
(א) סֻכָּה שֶׁהִיא גְבוֹהָה לְמַעְלָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, פְּסוּלָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מַכְשִׁיר. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ גְּבוֹהָה עֲשָׂרָה טְפָחִים, וְשֶׁאֵין לָהּ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּפָנוֹת, וְשֶׁחַמָּתָהּ מְרֻבָּה מִצִּלָּתָהּ, פְּסוּלָה. סֻכָּה יְשָׁנָה, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי פּוֹסְלִין, וּבֵית הִלֵּל מַכְשִׁירִין. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא סֻכָּה יְשָׁנָה, כָּל שֶׁעֲשָׂאָהּ קֹדֶם לֶחָג שְׁלשִׁים יוֹם. אֲבָל אִם עֲשָׂאָהּ לְשֵׁם חָג, אֲפִלּוּ מִתְּחִלַּת הַשָּׁנָה, כְּשֵׁרָה:
(1) A sukkah which is more than twenty cubits high (32 ft/960 cm) is not valid. Rabbi Judah validates it. One which is not ten handbreadths high (16 ft/480 cm), or which does not have three walls, or which has more sun than shade, is not valid. An old sukkah: Bet Shammai invalidates it and Bet Hillel validates it. What is an “old sukkah”? Any one which they made thirty days before the festival; but if they made it for the purpose of the festival, even at the beginning of the year, it is valid.
...the sukka requires three walls; two of the three are walls in the standard sense, and the halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai comes and reduces the dimension of the third and establishes it as one handbreadth.
- What are the basic requirements of the walls here?
- How might the experience of being a guest in this Sukkah differ if the walls were too low, or too high, too enclosed or too open?
- What about if it was more sunny than shady inside the Sukkah?
- What lessons might the debate that the Sukkah not be "old" teach us about how we construct our spaces, and about our own self-care as hosts?
The above image can be found in the Sukkot Exhibit from Neot Kedumim.
The above image can be found in the Sukkot Exhibit from Neot Kedumim.
(ד) הִדְלָה עָלֶיהָ אֶת הַגֶּפֶן וְאֶת הַדְּלַעַת וְאֶת הַקִּסּוֹם וְסִכֵּךְ עַל גַּבָּהּ, פְּסוּלָה. וְאִם הָיָה סִכּוּךְ הַרְבֵּה מֵהֶן, אוֹ שֶׁקְּצָצָן, כְּשֵׁרָה. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כֹּל שֶׁהוּא מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה וְאֵין גִּדּוּלוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ, אֵין מְסַכְּכִין בּוֹ. וְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל טֻמְאָה וְגִדּוּלוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ, מְסַכְּכִין בּוֹ:
(4) If one trained a vine or a gourd or ivy over [the sukkah] and put skhakh (the material for the roof) on top of it, it is not valid. But if the skhakh is more than them, or if they cut them, it is valid. This is the general rule: whatever is susceptible to [ritual] impurity and does not grow from the ground may not be used for skhakh, but whatever is not susceptible to [ritual] impurity and does grow from ground soil may be used for skhakh.
- Things from nature that have been crafted into utensils (i.e., a branch turned into salad tongs) are considered "susceptible to impurity." Only plant-based materials that have NOT been transformed in this way can be used as the Sukkah's roof.
- What do you think this quaity can teach us about creating welcoming, vulnerable, and egalitarian spaces? (no right answers!)
גמ׳ ת"ר כל שבעת הימים אדם עושה סוכתו קבע וביתו עראי כיצד היו לו כלים נאים מעלן לסוכה מצעות נאות מעלן לסוכה אוכל ושותה ומטייל בסוכה מה"מ דת"ר (ויקרא כג, מב) תשבו כעין תדורו
The Sages taught: All seven days of Sukkot, a person renders their sukka their permanent residence and their house their temporary residence. How so? If they have beautiful vessels, they take them up to the sukka, which was typically built on the roof. If they have beautiful bedding, they take it up to the sukka. They eat and drink and relax in the sukka. The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? The Gemara explains that it is as the Sages taught: “In sukkot shall you reside” (Leviticus 23:42), and they interpreted: Reside as you dwell in your permanent home.
- According to this text, what are the qualities or features that make a space feel like a permanent at-home vs. a temporary/liminal space?
- What would you add to this list?
And the Rabbis say: Although they said that a person does not fulfill their obligation on the first day of the Festival with the lulav of another, they fulfill their obligation with the sukka of another, as it is written: “All the homeborn in Israel shall reside in sukkot” (Leviticus 23:42). This teaches that all of the Jewish people are fit to reside in one sukka.
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What can we learn from the idea that the Sukkah should be open to everyone, and the four species need to be individually owned, at least on the first day?
(ד) הָעוֹשֶׂה סֻכָּתוֹ בֵּין הָאִילָנוֹת, וְהָאִילָנוֹת דְּפָנוֹת לָהּ, כְּשֵׁרָה. שְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה פְּטוּרִין מִן הַסֻּכָּה. חוֹלִין וּמְשַׁמְּשֵׁיהֶן פְּטוּרִין מִן הַסֻּכָּה. אוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין עֲרַאי חוּץ לַסֻּכָּה:
(4) If one makes their sukkah between trees, so that the trees form its walls, it is valid. Those who are agents to perform a mitzvah are exempt from [the obligations of] sukkah. People who are sick and their attendants are exempt from [the obligations of] sukkah. One may eat and drink casually outside the sukkah.
The above image is from Gabrielle Berlinger's "Framing Sukkot: Tradition and Transformation in Jewish Vernacular Architecture" (2017) published by Indiana University Press.
The above image is from Gabrielle Berlinger's "Framing Sukkot: Tradition and Transformation in Jewish Vernacular Architecture" (2017) published by Indiana University Press.
The above image is from Gabrielle Berlinger's "Framing Sukkot: Tradition and Transformation in Jewish Vernacular Architecture" (2017) published by Indiana University Press.
- What are some of the interesting things you noticed about the Sukkah structure and design (walls, roof, inside, etc.), and why do you think the rabbis instituted it be created that way? Think about space, people, and time...
The Skhakh/Roof:
- Universal across Jewish customs
- Coverage for all under the roof without distinction
Walls:
- See the skakh (and what it reminds us of)
- Low walls = low barriers to entry
- Too high = in the shadow of walls, not skakh (God)
- Fewer restrictions = can be more solid or less, welcoming of all citizens, but by nature/structure, intentional and limited
Timing
- "Time of Joy"
- Harvest and gratitude
- Cold and vulnerable
- Bring one's own first fruits
Inside:
- Should feel home-y, without losing sight of the temporary
- Bringing full self under the protection of the Sukkah
- Beautifully designed, and functional
Again, Sukkot Hospitality = Intentional about SPACE, PEOPLE, and TIME (credit: Meghan Rodarte, MH Staff)
Quick Tips
People
What is the purpose of my event, and who is it for?
Don’t make guesses or assumptions about past (college, camp) / future (kids...); ask questions and be curious
Avoid the Fundamental Attribution Error (when in doubt, assume the best about the person)
Are people being put to work? Do they feel important?
Are people's senses being engaged? Which?
What are my needs and theirs? Have I named them?
Space
Is my event welcoming and accessible from before beginning and through after the end?
Are object placed with appropriate foods (e.g. wine with wine opener)?
Are my labels, cabinets, and appropriate rooms labeled?
Is it clear where the life of the event is, and where it's not (e.g., close irrelevant areas, directions)?
Virtual
Use everyone's environment to fill the contextlessness of virtual gatherings, e.g., people should have sukkah decorations or fruits, etc. in their backgrounds (Priya Parker)
Different conversations in different zoom rooms
Time
Set realistic start time, start with apps and drinks
"90% of what makes a gathering successful is put in place beforehand" - Priya Parker
How am I integrating my event with the time/season interact with my event?
Create, communicate, and facilitate a schedule
Frame your event
Virtual
Kiddush/Cocktail hour before the event, i.e. have people bring drinks/appetizers of their choice and screenshare their phone numbers for one on one phone chats (Priya Parker)
To see a great graphic about building longer tables, rather than higher walls, when we have more than enough to share, check out "Build a Longer Table Print" from Radici Studios.