The Jewish festival of Succot reminds us of the fragility of our own existence. Jews around the world sit, eat (and in hotter climates than Britain - sleep) in a temporary dwelling outside of their homes that is made with a porous organic roof.
Many Jews observe the festival out of deference for tradition and the observance of Jewish laws but perhaps more than ever the Festival of Succot has greater meaning. The festival takes us out of home comforts - centrally heated, insulated environments with hot and cold running water on demand - to a world where the cold can be felt, the wind blows and the rain comes in.
Some Jews are looking for contemporary meanings of Succot. For many British Jews this came home over 20 years ago when the great storm of 1987 coincided with the end of Succoth and blew off Sukkah roofs across the South East of England. I found our Sukkah roof, made of bamboo and leaves, a quarter of a mile away. The storm was a reminder to us all how fragile our environment can be. Since then, environmental disasters have been on the increase - the horrendous floods this summer in Doncaster and Hull, the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, the virtual destruction of New Orleans, rising sea levels and melting ice caps.
Most ancient cultures have a flood story in their scriptures and many have notions that humanity has a responsibility or guardianship over the earth and its creation. An ancient midrashic text quotes God as saying to the first human "See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to set it right after you."
There is growing environmental movement in many religious communities. Earlier this year David Miliband launched the Big Green Jewish Website. This initiative saw a coming together of different traditions from across the Jewish community in order to emphasise the need for change.
Succot marks the historic period where Jews wondered for 40 years in the desert where they were transformed from a slave people to a nation. It was said that a generation needed to pass away before the Jewish people were ready for nationhood. In other words, change does take time and perhaps it can only happen if we all choose to do it one step at a time. The Jews in our Bible story had a long-term vision and goals. Environmental policy needs the same treatment: wholesale changes in social attitudes. Change will never come from election-focussed politicians until we want it. It is an inconvenient truth but we all need to do more as countries, communities and individuals.
I go away from Succot trying to think a bit greener and as I sit in my Sukkah writing this I can hear James Naughtie barking at George Osbourne on the Today Programme over the effectiveness of environmental policy. I switch off the radio, smile and decide that I'll be walking to the station today.
