Rabbi Jonathan Lieberman explains the meaning of Sukkot after Yom Kippur — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, Rabbi and physician Jonathan Lieberman reflects in a column for the Jerusalem Post on the connection between Yom Kippur and the holiday of Sukkot. He emphasizes the value of time and a person's responsibility for their own actions. According to the author, Yom Kippur is a day of prayer for life, while Sukkot raises the question of how a person will use the time they have been given.

Time as an irreversible resource

Lieberman refers to a line from the prayer book stating that a person comes from dust and returns to dust. He mentions a comment by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks about the brevity of human life against the backdrop of the history of the Universe.

The author notes that money, possessions, work, and sometimes even relationships can be restored, whereas lost time cannot be returned. According to him, Judaism pays special attention to time: it sanctifies days, counts days and weeks, welcomes Shabbat and bids it farewell after it ends.

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The sukkah as a reminder of transience

During Sukkot, Jews leave their permanent homes and stay in sukkahs — temporary structures with roofs through which the sky can be seen. The author writes that this tradition serves as a reminder of the impermanence of housing, property, and human life itself.

At the same time, Sukkot is a time of joy in Jewish tradition. In Lieberman's view, awareness of transience can deepen gratitude for ordinary moments, communication with loved ones, and the opportunity to support others.

The author calls not merely for filling time with tasks, but for using it for kindness, helping people, raising children, supporting the lonely, and correcting what can be corrected. He concludes that the consequences of human actions may remain after a person's life itself.