SUKKOT SPECIAL: How to Find Joy in an Uncertain World w/ Rabbi Adam Greenwald
Being Jewish with Jonah PlattShow Notes
What can a temporary hut teach us about living a meaningful life?
In this special Sukkot episode of Being Jewish, Jonah sits down with Rabbi Adam Greenwald to unpack one of Judaism’s most joyful, and perhaps most misunderstood holidays.
They explore Sukkot’s ancient origins as a harvest festival tied to the Land of Israel, why Jews shake the lulav and etrog in every direction (maybe like a certain dance we all know), and why the sukkah is intentionally built to be temporary and open to the stars.
Rabbi Greenwald also explains the beautiful tradition of ushpizin, inviting the presence of ancestors and loved ones into the sukkah, and shares how anyone can find meaning in Sukkot, even without a backyard or the ability to build a sukkah of their own.
But beneath all of these traditions lies a much bigger lesson: everything we build is temporary. In a world that can change in an instant, Sukkot asks us to stop trying to control the uncontrollable and instead gather with the people we love, appreciate what we have, and find meaning and joy in the present moment.
It’s a conversation about Jewish tradition, gratitude, nature, family, uncertainty – and learning how to live fully inside a fragile world.
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Learn more about Rabbi Adam Greenwald
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