As the sun sets tonight Jews will begin their celebration of Succot. We’ll gather in the succah and marvel at the beautiful full moon over our heads.

If you ever wonder why our holidays so often start with a full moon, I suggest going camping! During one Passover, I was leading a seder in the Moab Desert in Utah. There was no electricity or light anywhere near us and I wondered how we were going to read the Hagadah.

Well, the sun set and the full moon, without any light pollution, was so bright we could read by moonlight! It was such a nice reminder that our tradition is equally spiritual and practical.

Rabbi David Gerber is the senior rabbi of the URJ’s Congregation Gates of Prayer (Sha’arai Tefillah) in Metairie.