From his childhood in Casablanca, Morocco, Rabbi Mendel Raskin remembers Sukkot back in 1973 very well.
“It was during the Yom Kippur war," he recalls. "The Arabs were marching in the streets, shouting how Israel was about to be destroyed.
"My father, Rabbi Leib Raskin, the Rebbe's emissary to Morocco, had invited a group of students and congregants to our home to celebrate the joyous holiday of Sukkot like every year with stories, soul-stirring melodies and words of inspiration. We gathered in the sukkah built on our terrace and sang the night away—but quietly, so that no one would hear.”
Now living in Côte Saint-Luc—a heavily Jewish suburb of Montreal, Canada—Raskin hosts hundreds of guests in a giant sukkah in his backyard, as well as thousands of others in a local park.
The Sukkot celebrations—known as “Simchat Beit HaShoeva,” or the "celebration of the water drawing"—have their roots in ancient Israel. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, every sacrifice included wine libations poured over the altar. On Sukkot, water was also poured over the altar in a special ceremony not mentioned in the Bible. This additional service was a cause of joyous celebration.
The nights of Sukkot were spent rejoicing this once-a-year offering. The Talmud describes how priests would kindle fires on great candelabras, lighting up Jerusalem as if it were the middle of the day. Throughout the night, pious men danced holding torches, scholars juggled and Levites played music while crowds watched with excitement. The Temple courtyard was specially furnished to accommodate this event, and a balcony was erected for women so they could observe the revelry.
Although the Temple was destroyed in 69 CE, the tradition of celebration continues, especially in the sukkah, the thatch-covered hut in which Jews eat, socialize and spend time for the duration of the Sukkot holiday. The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, emphasized the importance of celebrating Simchat Beit HaShoeva with joyous public celebrations featuring singing and dancing, which made these events a contemporary highlight of the festival of Sukkot—and nightly public celebrations will take place this week in Jewish communities large and small around the world.
Bringing Families and Communities Together
“When we first arrived here from Brooklyn in 1986, we realized that people didn't have sukkahs of their own,” says Raskin who co-directs Chabad of Côte Saint-Luc with his wife, Sarah. “So we invited them over to join us. Now we have more than 100 guests on each of the first two nights of the holiday and another 100 on Shabbat. We sing, tell stories and enjoy the holiday together.
“Thank G‑d, things have really changed over the years. While when we came you could hardly find a sukkah other than those belonging to synagogues, there are probably 1,500 homes with sukkahs these days. We have come a long way.” (Approximately two-thirds of the 30,000 residents of Côte Saint-Luc are Jewish.)
But the celebrations extend beyond the lightweight walls of the sukkah.
“I remember how in 1980, the Rebbe spoke about taking the dancing out into the streets," recalls Raskin. “He said that we should dance until the streets themselves dance with us. We went out to Kingston Avenue and began there. We danced and danced the entire night—every night of Sukkot. And don’t you think that we would sleep all day? Instead, we got up, prayed and spend the entire day with our lulav and etrog, the 'four kinds,' helping people make the blessings.
“I wanted to bring some of the fire with me here," continues the rabbi. "So after our meal, we go out and dance on Cavendish Boulevard”—the main artery of the Montreal suburb—“and continue to dance until well after midnight.”
As people drive past, most either stare in confusion or wave to the revelers. But Raskin says that some stop their cars, join in and even duck into the sukkah for a quick kiddush.
One regular guest is city councilman Mike Cohen, who attends every year with the mayor of Côte Saint-Luc, Antony Housefather.
“It is really very interesting," says Cohen. "There is a lot of spirit, and Rabbi Raskin makes it a point to recognize all of the guests. Everyone gets to share a few words in English and/or French.”
He adds that he finds it especially meaningful that Joël Lion, consul general of Israel to Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, participates in the meal and the dancing.
“Rabbi Raskin is one of a kind; he takes it to another level," says Cohen. "He really wants to celebrate, so we all get a surge of energy. A few days later, we go celebrate with him in the park, along with a few thousand people. It’s non-stop. He should be an event promoter.”
The event in Trudeau Park has been held each year since 1994, the year of the Rebbe’s passing. It attracts up to 3,000 revelers, who come to dance to lively tunes sung by big-ticket Chassidic crooners such as Avraham Fried and Dedi Graucher, and Sephardic superstars like Gad Elbaz and Moshe Giat, representing the town's mix of Sepharadic and Ashkenazic residents.
Cohen just loves the festive atmosphere of the back-to-back events: “It’s exactly what Sukkot is supposed to be all about.”
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