What the Sukkah can teach us about individuality in Judaism

Succot is here, and there are many accompanying laws. So many walls. So many tefachim. This type of roof. Do all walls have to be finished? What does the roof have to be made of? So many Halachos.

Why all these regulations? Does Jewish law attempt to ensure that each of us builds exactly the same sukkah as a giant? halachic Robot army?

Well, we all know that won’t happen. Actually everyone Sukkah What was built in my neighborhood this year is both halachic and unique. Even those that are prefabricated, by the time the decorations are hung, they are as unique and special as the family that built them.

In fact, Sukkah City, a design competition, invited artists to design Sukkot while sticking to it halachic parameters, the resulting works were incredibly creative and fantastically unique. There was Sukkot made of cardboard, spikes and bamboo. One had a tree trunk for a roof. Another was made of tangled wires. Every artist followed the same thing Halachos we follow when building our own Sukkot Each year, each of the 600+ designs submitted managed to somehow be different from all the others! (Go to www.sukkahcity.com to view images.)

So conformity cannot be the goal of these rules, because if that is their goal then they have failed spectacularly in every way Sukkot.

In fact, Rabbi Beryl Wein points out that conformity is not only not a Torah goal, but is actually the opposite of Torah! He suggests that there are twelve tribes because it is important to Am Yisroel to include different personalities. He writes:

“…the Torah emphasizes here the…difference between unity and conformity. Each of the tribes…brings something different to the table of society…The task of the Jewish people…is to create the unity of spirit and commitment that the Torah represents, without falling into the trap of tyrannical conformity.”

In his opinion, conformity cannot be the goal because conformity is a trap to be avoided! So what’s the point of having so many rules?

You might not think so, but as an artist I find rules very necessary. Many people have the romantic idea that artists like to be free and unrestricted and able to express themselves without limits. But in fact, one of the most difficult things anyone can ask of me as an artist is to ask, “Make a picture of something.”

Anything? How do I choose from the infinite choice of ANYTHING and figure out what to create? Art direction like that freezes my creativity faster than a cold night Sukkah without chicken soup!

But if you ask me:

-Make art that celebrates Rosh Hashanah

Or

Illustrate a 32-page picture book tzedakah

Or

Paint a mural that reflects Jewish ideals
Then I can come up with something! These boundaries give me a framework to work within and a goal to work towards.

Albert Einstein felt similarly. Well, the fictional Albert Einstein in Steve Martin’s play Picasso in Lapin Agile, did. Martin wrote the following scene:

Einstein (indicates a painting by Matisse): What makes it so great?

Sagot: I’ll show you what makes it great. (He goes to the bar and gets the Matisse. He takes it out of the frame. He holds up the frame.) That’s what makes it great.

Gaston: The frame?

Sagot: The boundaries. The edge. Otherwise everything is possible. Want to watch a soccer game where the players can run into the stands with the ball and order a beer? No. You have to stay within the boundaries to make it interesting. In the right hands, this small space is as fertile as Eden.

So perhaps the goal of Halachos is to help us use our own creativity with every serve Hashem in our way. United in spirit, as Rabbi Wein says, but unique in our path.

… Ul’korban akriv lo ess nafshi, Ess nafshi Hayechida –I will offer [to God] my soul, my own unique Soul.

This year’s sukkah is a pre-made version and is decorated with colored fairy lights, projects from my children and some plastic fruits from Michael. How is your sukkah unique to you?

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