We are midweek into Sukkot. I had not heard of it before, most likely because I do not know much about the Jewish people wandering in the desert, for forty years, looking for a promised land. It is believed that was a time that God protected them and there are celebrations called The Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. It was customary for the people to set up a temporary hut to represent the nomadic life spent in the desert. It used to be that only men were allowed in the hut, “The Sukkah”. It was decorated in fall decorations. It is a time they celebrate the end to their slavery. In modern times, women are included, and they are called “ushpizot”. I have really been led to think about spiritual equality of the genders, this week.
In ancient times the aspects of their God were celebrated in loving kindness, strength, splendor, eternity, glory, foundation and kingship (each day, a new aspect, for the week).
With the development of many new rituals for women over the past decade, inviting Ushpizot to your sukkah can be added to the list of creative innovations. Each night, a different woman can be celebrated; Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda and Ester. The seven women are named in the Talmud.
Sarah was the wife of Abraham who traveled with her husband from Ur to Egypt and back. She is the woman who could not have a child and finally did in her old age, with the birth of Isaac (whose name means “laughter”).
Miriam was the sister who hid Moses in the bullrushes, then talked the Pharoah’s daughter to adopt him and have the daughter hire her as nursemaid. Since Moses was saved, they believe they were saved. She became the leading woman dancing and singing after crossing the sea of reeds.
Deborah was a military hero in the battle between the Israelites and Canaanites and judge who became a prophet.
Hannah was also a childless woman who prays for a child and gave birth to Samuel.
Avigail was a wealthy man’s wife who begged for her husband, David’s, life.
Huldah was also a prophet who was known to prophesize.
Esther was one of the virgins given to the harem of a king and eventually becomes Queen who saves her people by finally telling that she was Jewish.
At this time, the Jewish people consider what to leave behind and what to take on into their future. The women are finally coming into their own type of equality. They were the shakers of the fronds of palm, myrtle, willow and citron trees which are new symbols used during this time. Still, though, many religious laws keep the women inequal. There seems to be an underlying ideology that women were too busy in the home, raising children, and tending to their men, that they were not involved in the spirituality/religious aspects of the Jewish people.
There are double-sided compliments about women, though, in that, if they are righteous, they will gain a greater reward by God. Their speech is only 9/10 of the importance of men. They are more intuitive. Give a man joy and goodness and should be loved by her husband more than himself. They are the reason that Israel was freed from Egypt. They are more emotional and tender-hearted. They have greater faith. They are more discerning. They were only privileged to the torah’s writings about how to run a household and raise children and please their husbands. There are quite strict rules on modest dress. Jewish women, of the different sects, have different freedoms, roles and responsibilities. It is believed that religious edicts trump social laws so women have had a hard go of it to try to obtain equality and to even define what that means.
There is ongoing work against extremism within the Jewish communities and different groups. Extremists still promote fear and hatred of women. Free agency, autonomy are frightening things to a patriarchal society; the more rigid, the more fear and hatred. Even female dress is being despised t the point where young girls, who want the most freedom of rights, are spit on, shoved, threatened. The women are coming to terms with finding their voices.
We have it so easy where we live. Our freedoms have been won through women standing up for women. How, then, do we condemn, judge, and look down on women, in our own societies, and yet say we want equality. I was brought to bear a burden of my own in such a stupid way. I fussed over the men in my life dressing as if I owned them. You know, I was still under the influence of conditioning where I thought the way a man looked, out in public (clean clothes, well-shaven, groomed) as symbolic to how much I cared for him. What a blow that was to my ego to realize I was living in fear of other women who ironed, pressed, (bossed) my partners until they were up to what (I thought) was symbolic of how well |I took care of things. I still struggle with that, betimes.
We have to care about each other. We have to have compassion. Women have been through all the struggles, at all times, that our partners go through. Yes, sometimes if feels like we are drug along by their shirttails. Yes, their decisions and actions affect us. We are only disempowered if we choose to be. Our spirituality is idealistic. Expressing our spirituality (read: religion) is individualistic. I think this might be the biggest struggle of all.
Covid has taught us a huge thing: We do not think the same; we do not believe the same; have we become closer or more divisive, as women? This week, as I research and consider Sukkot, I consider what a trail of tears women are still going through in trying to find spiritual equality.
What think you? What do we discard? What do we keep?
©Carol Desjarlais 9.25.21
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