We have passed through the gates of Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur. For each of us I pray that we are sealed for a new year of grace, health, and happiness. Welcome to the other side! Now we celebrate in the sukkah! But before we cut loose, I want to straighten out one common misconception about the Hebrew calendar.

Most of believe that Yom Kippur is the climax, the pinnacle, the zenith moment of the Jewish year. Certainly if we measure importance by synagogue attendance, Yom Kippur wins. However, if we consider our calendar design and what is occurring in the natural world right now, we might pause to consider the true importance of Sukkot. Have you noticed how dry it is in the forests in and around the Bay Area and Israel? Have you noticed the news about wildfires all across the West?

In ancient times, we we celebrated these holy days as if our lives depended on them, because our lives actually depended on them. We understood then, I believe, that Yom Kippur was a deep preparation process for the big moment of the year — Sukkot.

Between Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur, we are each individually judged and sealed for the coming year. Then on Sukkot, “the world is judged for water” (Mishneh Rosh Ha-shanah 1.2). The importance of water, of course, cannot be overstated. Water is life itself. Our bodies are mostly water; our earth is mostly water; we cannot live more than a few days without this elixir of life.

The rabbis understood the ultimate significance of water: “The Day of the Rains is as great as the day of the Giving of the Torah” (Talmud Ta’ani7a). Nothing, then, is as important as water and the rains that bring water to us.

During the next step in these holy days, we move from personal teshuva to a collective Sukkot experience where the destiny of life on earth hangs in the balance. Like shamans, we are admonished to work with this water in the coming days: “Pour water before Me on Sukkot, so that you will be blessed with good rainfall during the year” (Rosh Ha-shanah 16a).

I believe remembering this part of our holy day journey is a critical tikkun, or cultural healing, for our times. We have largely forgotten our influence on the world and the waters that nourish the world.

For those joining us for Sukkot on the Farm, I look forward to celebrating and honoring the waters together during our Saturday evening water ritual. If you cannot make it to Sukkot on the Farm this year, I hope you will take time during your Sukkot gatherings to collectively honor and pray for good rains in the coming year, and in so doing celebrate and honor Creation herself.