Beth Shalom
Oceanside Jewish Center

Sukkot: Before Fulfillment,
There must be Accountability
Sukkot, First Day 5764

Sukkot is a festival of fulfillment. Once a year, as the fall approaches, we gather to celebrate the blessings of the past year. We give thanks for the gift of God's bounty and take pleasure in surveying our own accomplishments. Sukkot is the harvest festival, a time to look at what we've gathered and what God has given us. Having surveyed our blessings, with Lulav and Etrog in hand, we come to "rejoice before the Lord."

I'd like to think that Sukkot is also the reward we get for making it through the High Holy Days. After the vigorous liturgical gymnastics of the Yamim Noraim and the physically difficult fasting, God rewards us with an opportunity to kick back and simply be happy. We sit in our Sukkah, we dance, and we sing. We've earned the right to rejoice.

More than any other holiday, Sukkot is associated with happiness. It is even referred to as "Zman Simchataynu - the season of our rejoicing." In the Talmud, this holy day is called "He-Hag," "the festival," because Sukkot is considered to be the quintessential celebration. Timing is everything. It's no accident that the happiest time of year follows in the footsteps of our holiest and most solemn season.

The atonement and purification rituals of Yom Kippur inspired a sense of exuberance and joy. Holiness gives way to happiness. Self-reflection and atonement lead to a cathartic sense of renewal. We enter Sukkot feeling innocent and pure. Having led the people through the Days of Awe, the High Priest invited the people to celebrate with him. But before they could do this, they had to undergo a deep and honest process of transformation. Fulfillment was a product of hard personal work and personal growth. Having given a strict accounting of their lives the people could now rejoice.

The Yom Kippur rite in the ancient Temple contains a model of how we go about looking at our lives and taking responsibility for ourselves which precedes Sukkot. We re-enact this ceremony each year in the Avodah service on Yom Kippur afternoon and we read about it in the Torah portion on Yom Kippur morning.

Before the Temple could be cleansed of impurity, true repentance had to take place. The Kohen made three offerings, each accompanied by a sincere confession of sin and an honest desire to change. He would offer a bullock and confess his sins and those of his family, then the sins of the priesthood and finally the Kohen would offer a confession for the entire people. Only then, with the Temple cleansed, could the celebration begin.

Repentance, of course, involved much more than just a confession of ones sins. Moses Maimonides spells out the steps necessary for sincere repentance: "Repentance involves forsaking sins and removing such thoughts from ones way of thinking and resolving never to do it again."

The Yom Kippur rite which we've just completed, then, teaches us that accountability and fulfillment go hand in hand. One leads to the other. And that's something Americans need to be thinking about these days.

This past week California elected a new governor. Apparently accountability and fulfillment have nothing to do with one another! I can't help but wonder what this election really means or what it says about us as a nation. While it's easy to dismiss the recent political antics in California as "very west coast," I suspect that Californians are setting a frightening new tone for our nation as a whole. After all, Californians have long been pace setters for our nation. What was the message? If you don't like your leaders or decisions simply throw them out and start over. And popularity is more important than personal character and integrity.

We watched incredulously as a state elected a governor and then chose to support a recall on his election. What ever happened to the people's choice? What does this recall say about the democratic process? If a small group of people decide they don't like the first election can they simply start a petition to have another. Why would anyone want to run for office even for a brief tenure even they knew they were going to be second guessed by their opponents from the very start?

Worst of all, California chose to elect a man who is better known for his feats on the silver screen than his ability to lead government. Not this is the first time this has happened. But what is disturbing is that when it became clear that his personal behavior left much to be desired, no one seemed to really care. Not that this doesn't have a precedent in American society either. Instead, Arnold Schwarzenegger piously confessed his sins and simply went on with the campaign. He said that he had "acted badly" and that on the set of those sinful Hollywood movies he had sometimes been a bit frisky. "If my actions (notice - not If I) hurt anyone," he said, "then I'm sorry."

I'm sure he is. But I don't believe that the Terminator's pronouncements are a true sign of accountability. And there is nothing to celebrate in his election. I acknowledge that Schwarzenegger has done some good things but that doesn't make him a leader and certainly not a governor. More than just electing an ill-suited politician, Californians have done irreparable damage to our democratic system. Once again we've shown that accountability is not as important as popularity. If you're famous enough in America then you don't have to explain your actions. The cult of the personality has won out over integrity, accountability, and responsibility. And that's a tragedy for all of us. It's another blow to the primacy of character in America.

I must tell you that I have more problems with Mr. Schwarzenegger's infidelities than I do with his purported comments about Adolph Hitler. Not that I take such comments lightly. However, Schwarzenegger's comments were made long ago and may very well have been taken out of context. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven himself to be an opponent of Anti-Semitism. Even more important he has been a proponent of education for people of all backgrounds and races.

But we can't say the same thing about his treatment of women. If he was anyone else, Arnold would have been handcuffed and tried as a sex offender for his obscene treatment of women. These actions didn't happen long ago but as recently as the past few years. To dismiss such behavior is just plain wrong.

I don't know much about Mr. Gray Davis but I do know that he was elected by the people and he was attempting to serve his state as best he could in difficult times. I suspect most people who voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger weren't voting against Gray as much as they were voting for the Terminator or Conan the Destroyer or maybe "the Kindergarten Cop." And that's not how we should be choosing our leaders.

As we celebrate Sukkot I hope we will see this holiday as part of a package. This seasons demands honesty, self reflection, accountability from us, and it leads to fulfillment and happiness. No part of that equation can be left out. Life's gifts belong to those who earn them, not those who know how to charm the public. Sukkot follows Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Will Mr. Schwarzenegger make a good governor? I don't know. He might surprise us. But I don't like the idea of electing someone of questionable character no matter how charismatic or charming they may seem. I believe that we should elect people who have earned the right to serve and proven themselves worthy. I may not be a Californian but I'm just as offended by the debacle that took place this week.

Best wishes for a joyous Sukkot. My you find fulfillment that you can enjoy because you really earned it!

Hag Sameach!