This is a Sukkah song based on the melody of “Oh What A Beautiful Morning”. The video is about the joy found by many during the holiday. It was filmed in Jersualem so if you are curious about what it looks like you will be able to get to see some of the famous city while listening to the song that describes various parts of the holiday you may or may not be familiar with. The song also talks about the mitzvah (or good deed) of eating and sleeping in the Sukkah and other things during the celebration to honor the ancient tradition that reminds people of the Torah.
One of the things that I thought about was the question of what makes a holy day beautiful. I admit I haven’t done much in terms of holy days. The sukkah I tried to help set up once ended up crooked. And although Sabbath was the main thing kept regularly if I am honest, when I was younger I didn’t always care for the Sabbath. Partly because a certain parent would tend to leave things to the last minute and get distracted with extra unnecessary tasks they would outsource to others, so for me learning about getting ready for the Sabbath wasn’t fun, it felt rushed and stressful. Some Sabbaths I enjoyed very much as there tended to be treats but often I felt bored after eating. One of my parents worked nights and would often sleep after service so I was often left without much company or things to do, but a list of things I couldn’t.
I think if we are focusing on the outward conformance or aesthetics of keeping a holy day more than the actual purpose or meaning behind what we are doing it is easy to lose sight of the beauty of it. And it is hard to find joy in something that you see no purpose or meaning in. So, it is important not to approach holy days as just something to check off of a list to do but to find a way to present it as meaningful on a personal level. Maybe it can help to remember that holy days can be simple, and enjoyed without a lot of extra work which may look nice but take away from the experience. When we can connect with something for ourselves we can see the beauty in it better, and that really makes a difference in how the holy days are experienced.
