In ancient times it was common for multiple houses to open into one shared yard, each household had rights to the common yard.  The Talmud examines the case where Jews share a courtyard with idolaters, Samaritans, or heretics.

In order for Jews to carry items into the courtyard on Shabbat, everyone had to relinquish their individual property rights in the yard.  Our sages legislated that in order for the Jews to carry in a yard shared with idolaters, they would need to rent the rights of the idolaters during the Sabbath.  The idolaters were unlikely to do this because they would suspect the Jews were trying to cheat them, or doing some kind of voodoo.  Our sages were quite aware of this attitude and the resulting headache of renting their rights.  They wanted to disincentive Jews from sharing living space with idolaters.  By making it harder to use the common area on Shabbat, our sages hoped that Jews would avoid living with idol worshipers, and remember that there was a spiritual and often physical danger of being around them.

For yourself, realize risks you face and create incentives and disincentives to help you avoid them.  You may find that you are ordering meals instead of cooking healthy food at home.  Is there a way you can make it harder to order?  Delete the phone number or app perhaps.  If something requires more time and steps, you are less likely to go through with it.  At the same time, make it easy to cook the food you should eat, by having your dishes cleaned and ready and the fridge stocked.

Today, Hoshanna Rabbah, is the last real day of Sukkot, the festival of booths.  Outside of Israel Jews eat in the Sukkah tomorrow as well, due to ancient custom to keep the holiday for an extra day.  However, tomorrow (beginning tonight) is a separate holiday called Shemini Atzeret meaning “stop of the eigth”. This will be the eighth day after the start of Sukkot.  Shemini Atzeret is in some ways a continuation of Sukkot but in other ways a separate holiday (Talmud Sukkah 47a).

Over the seven days of Sukkot we are commanded to offer a total of 70 bulls in the Temple, one for each of the 70 main nations in the world.  Modern nations and peoples are offshoots of these 70, so every nation in the world is represented.  This reminds us of Isaiah 56:7: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”.  However, on Shemini Atzeret we offer only one bull (Talmud, Sukkah 55b). During Sukkot we dwell in the Sukkah, and our prayers involve holding the four species during Hoshannas.  Sukkot is called “Zman Simchateinu,” the Season of our Joy, based on Leviticus 23:40-43.  Those verses imply the joy on Sukkot is through the commands of the Four Species, and the Mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah itself.

But Shemini Atzeret, without the Sukkah and four species, is also called Zman Simchateinu.  The ancient Midrash Tanchuma (Pinchas 15, brought in Rashi, Lev 23:36) offers the following parable:

There was once a king who made lavish banquets for all of his nobles and servants for an entire week every year. But on the final day he told his most beloved and dedicated servant, “Prepare for me a small meal so that I can have pleasure from you.”  Like the king in this parable, God, the King of the Universe, tells His servants to prepare an ‘international party’ on Sukkot and to bring sacrifices on behalf of the 70 nations of the world. But on the final day, Shemini Atzeret, He requests us to prepare a small meal for his beloved people of Israel.  It is called Atzeret (detaining) since the King is detaining us another day, saying: “My children! I beg of you, stay with me for one more day. It is so terribly difficult for me to see you go”.

Why does God request just a small informal meal, rather than a real feast for this special occasion?  The Bnei Yissaschar (Vol.2, Ma’amarim on Chodesh Tishrei 13:1) explains that God specifically requests only a small meal with Israel because it is not the meal that is important.  God really just wants a day for us to be close to Him, the meal is an excuse.  Shmini Atzeret has no real purpose except to give our Father one more day to spend with His children.  It is a day just to connect to God, through prayer, learning, and yes eating.

This implies that for the 70 root nations of the world, the connection to the Divine is through feasting and extravagent public celebrations.  For Jews, it is more simple, something private and humble.  This leads me to an interesting insight about women.  Women evaluate men as potential mates by a number of criteria, depending on her current percieved needs and the hormones of her monthly cycle.  Women especially value an attractive, muscular man and a man of high status financial means.  They want a man’s power to protect and provisioning to provide for her.  These external markers of male fitness are the values of the 70 nations.  They correspond to the 70 bulls the ancient Jews publicly offered in the Temple.

Of course physicality is important in Judaism, as is earning your own bread.  We have discussed that Judaism is not an ascetic faith.  It is harder to use the physical elements of the world for spiritual purposes than it is to avoid physicality.  And that is the mission of the Jew.  The holiday of Sukkot is also the harvest festival and celebrates the success God has given us this year.  Sukkot is celebrated when we ‘gather in all of our crops of the land.’ Lev 23:39.  We gather and take stock of our economic situation just before Sukkot.  Our dwelling in the Sukkah reminds us that our financial means, the roof over our heads, is not permanent and not out own doing.  Our success is only in partnership with God.

Shemini Atzeret is a different level.  The eighth symbolizes going above and beyond normal nature (so too the circumcision is on the eigth day of life).  We have asked are Jewish women different?  We explored this deep question, discussing loyalty and the ability to put family, tribe, and mission above self interest.

I won’t pretend that conventional Jewish women do not value a man’s power and providing.  Women are women!  However, there is an additional criteria.  Girls raised in a traditional Jewish setting learn to value a man’s connection with God as an element of male fitness.

When a man prays he is not improving his body or wealth.  Of course we do pray for health and financial success.  But our women like a man who values prayer, who takes it seriously.  That shows he wants to have a relationship with God, and to remember that his success is from God.  This shows he is more likely to be humble in the face of adversity and work hard since God is his business partner.

A man learning ancient scripture does not mean he is physically strong or rich, indeed learning for hours saps the time other men use developing their bodies and fortunes.  But a man learning to understand what God wants from us is valuable in our subculture.  We place great importance on learning, and teach our children this value.  A man who learns has a different fitness, a spiritual fitness.  He is able to bring concepts of holiness and eternity into his home, for the benefit of his family.

Due to being raised in the context of conventional Jewish culture, women see that there is more to a man than his body, status, and wealth.  Yes, those things are still important, but there is something eternal about a man who prioritizes his spiritual growth and is able to bring concepts from scripture to life within his family.  Those aspects of spiritual masculinity can also be attractive to women who are attuned to spiritual ideals.  Shemini Atzeret is a holiday just after we celebrate the physical to examine how we can improve our spiritual life.  May we merit to succeed in this vital task.

Today we learn that if your techum, your shabbat limit, ends in another city, you can walk within that entire city.  The Gemara brings a case where this concept is not cut and dry, since Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi permitted the residents of Geder, situated at the top of a slope, to descend on Shabbat to Ḥamtan, situated at the bottom of the slope, but the residents of Ḥamtan may not ascend to Geder.  The Gemara brings various explanations of why the Hamtan men could not go to Geder:

כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אָמַר: טַטְרוֹגֵי מְטַטְרְגִי לְהוּ בְּנֵי גָדֵר לִבְנֵי חַמָּתָן, וּמַאי ״הִתִּיר״ — הִתְקִין.

The Gemara relates that when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said: This ruling was issued not due to their respective Shabbat limits, but rather because the residents of Geder would assault (Rashi: even kill) the residents of Ḥamtan. What does it mean that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi permitted the residents of Geder to descend to Ḥamtan, but not vice versa? He instituted this to protect the public welfare and prevent fighting.

וּמַאי שְׁנָא שַׁבָּת, דִּשְׁכִיחָא בָּהּ שִׁכְרוּת.

The Gemara asks: What is different about Shabbat that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi instituted this ordinance only for Shabbat? Drunkenness is common on Shabbat, when people eat and drink more than usual.

כִּי אָזְלִי לְהָתָם, נָמֵי מְטַטְרְגִי לְהוּ? כַּלְבָּא בְּלָא מָתֵיהּ, שַׁב שְׁנִין לָא נָבַח.

The Gemara asks: When the residents of Geder go to Ḥamtan, they will assault the residents there; of what use, then, is this ordinance? The Gemara cites a popular saying: A dog that is not in its place will not bark for seven years.  (It becomes scared in unfamiliar surroundings and remains silent). The people of Geder are not nearly as bold when they visit Ḥamtan as they are in their own town.

הַשְׁתָּא נָמֵי מְטַטְרְגִי בְּנֵי חַמָּתָן לִבְנֵי גָדֵר! כּוּלֵּי הַאי לָא כָּיְיפִי לְהוּ.

The Gemara asks: If so, we should be concerned about the reverse scenario, that now too, the residents of Ḥamtan, in their home territory, will take revenge on the residents of Geder. The Gemara answers: The people of Geder would not be submissive to such an extent. While visiting Ḥamtan, they would not initiate fights, but they would certainly fight back if they were attacked.

Gentlemen, this is a very useful concept to know:  when you are in new surroundings, your confidence is reduced.  You can get familiar with the lay of the land before you approach a project in a new place.  Our sages also note that alcohol can reduce this effect and encourage social confidence or aggression.

However, even on your home turf, be aware that bold men from other places might not initiate but would still resist what you are doing.  When you evaluate a social situation, look for the men who feel out of place and the local boys who are confident and collected in their environment.  You should use this knowledge to deal with each person on their level.

The Talmud brings an episode:

הָנְהוּ בְּנֵי קָקוּנָאֵי דְּאָתֵי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב יוֹסֵף, אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: הַב לַן גַּבְרָא דְּלִיעָרֵב לַן מָאתִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְאַבָּיֵי: זִיל עָרֵב לְהוּ, וַחֲזִי דְּלָא מְצַוְוחַתְּ עֲלַהּ בְּבֵי מִדְרְשָׁא. אֲזַל, חֲזָא לְהָנְהוּ בָּתֵּי דִּפְתִיחִי לְנַהֲרָא. אָמַר: הָנֵי לֶהֱוֵי שִׁיּוּר לְמָתָא.
Residents of the city of Kakunya came before Rav Yosef and said to him: Provide us with someone who will establish an Eruv for our city. The city had originally been a public city and had turned into a private one, requiring that part of the city be excluded from the eruv. Rav Yosef said to Abaye: Go, establish an eruv for them, and see to it that there is no outcry against it in the study hall, i.e., make sure the eiruv is valid beyond any doubt…

The Gemara continues mentioning the problems Abaye had making an Eruv that everyone would like. The Eruv is quite technical, and there was debate about how to exclude a portion of the town from the Eruv.  We still have significant arguments about certain types of Eruvin in modern times.

When there is something to quibble about, you can rest assured someone will object to what you are doing.  While there is a great value in doing what is right in the eyes of others (Deuteronomy 6:18), you cannot make everyone happy.  You need to decide what is right, based of course on appropriate research and planning.  While you are figuring out your approach to your particular problems, it is wise to consult others, especially with men who have seen the same challenges.  Abaye himself corrected Rabbi Zera about making an Eruv (on yesterday’s daf).

When you know you are working on your mission in the best way, with advice of experienced men, you don’t have to worry about the naysayers.

The Talmud brings a Mishnah teaching that a private town that became public (eg the population expanded) can be entirely incorporated into one Eruv, allowing carrying objects throughout on Shabbat.  However a public city that became private must leave over a section outside the Eruv to remind people that it had the status of public property, where it is biblically forbidden to carry.

גְּמָ׳ הֵיכִי דָּמֵי עִיר שֶׁל יָחִיד וְנַעֲשֵׂית שֶׁל רַבִּים? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: כְּגוֹן דִּאיסְקַרְתָּא דְּרֵישׁ גָּלוּתָא.

The Gemara asks: What are the circumstances of a private city that becomes a public city? Rav Yehuda said: For example, the Exilarch’s village was a small village set aside for the Exilarch’s family and attendants; since it was frequented by many people, it turned into a public city

This is a key concept for men who get involved in the community.  When you put yourself out there as a leader or authority, people expect you to be totally dedicated to the public.  The Exilarch, the head of the Jewish community in Bavel, had his own town with privacy, eventually many men started to enter to make requests and deal with community business.

A similar thing can happen to you when you hold yourself out as an authority.  You lose your own private space.  People entering your “space” can determine if you are real or faking it.  One of the benefits of the internet is accessibility to information, but this also allows people to claim they are experts and leaders without allowing you to see their actual life.  Many self proclaimed gurus do not practice in real space what they preach online, this is one of the dangers in modern life.

Before you hold yourself out to the public, make your life consistent with your mission, and be aware that your privacy will be reduced by your involvement with the community.

The Talmud discusses how to measure the Sabbath boundaries, including what length and materials of rope we use and how to deal with measuring hills and valleys.  If the slope is steep, we do not measure the length of the slope, but instead span the horizontal distance.  Our sages discuss how steep is too steep to include the slope in the measurement:

הגיע להר מבליעו וחוזר למידתו: אמר רבא לא שנו אלא בהר המתלקט עשרה מתוך ארבע אבל בהר המתלקט עשרה מתוך חמש מודדו מדידה יפה

We learned in the mishna: If he reached a hill, he does not measure its height, but rather he spans across the hill as if it were not sloped and then resumes his measurement. Rava said: They taught this halakha only with regard to a hill that has an incline of ten handbreadths within a run of four cubits. However, with regard to a gentler hill, e.g., one that has an incline of ten handbreadths within five cubits, one must measure the hill properly, i.e., he must include the slope itself in his measurement.

The deciding factor is if the hill or valley is too steep for people to make use of, then we do not include the slope within the techum.  Our sages state that too steep is ten handbreadths rise within a run of four cubits, this is 10/24 or a 41% grade, which is quite steep but passable.  Obviously a man could traverse an even steeper grade, especially a practiced climber with equipment, but our sages go by what an average man would normally do.

For modern men, keep in mind that certain things are doable but with greater difficulty than normal.  If you put in the preparation and energy you would probably be able to succeed, but you need to ask yourself first if it is worthwhile.  There are some jobs, some plans, some challenges that are simply more difficult than others, and only you can decide if the reward justifies the extra problems.  The same analyses should be made for including difficult people in your life.  Some people demand more of your time and energy than normal.  They are emotionally steep and deep.  If you decide the extra effort is worth it, fine, but that needs to be your own decision.

The Talmud examines the scenario when the “karpaf”, the 70 odd cubits of open space around a city, overlaps with that of a neighboring town.  Our sages allow the towns to effectively combine their Sabbath limit, allowing people to travel to the neighboring town and then even further, using the limit of the other town.  Our sages examine a case in Bavel:

Rav Safra said to Rava: With regard to the people of the city of Akistefon, for whom we measure the Shabbat limit from the far end of the city of Ardeshir, and the people of Ardeshir, for whom we measure the Shabbat limit from the far end of Akistefon, as though the two settlements were a single city; isn’t there the Tigris River, which separates them by more than 141⅓ cubits? How can two cities that are separated by more than two karpef-lengths be considered a single entity?

Rava went out and showed Rav Safra that in the Tigris river was the foundations of a wall reaching between the two cities.  Since they had once been close together until the river washed over this structure, the cities were still joined for Sabbath techum.

The lesson for us is to be aware when people had a history together.  Prior engagements and attachments change people.  When a woman shares her life with a man, there is typically some residual affection buried in her soul even when he is long gone.  If this man comes back into her life this may reawaken feelings she had though had been buried forever.  A man should be more perceptive if his woman mentions meeting an “old guy friend” and find out what is up.  If they have a shared history there can still be a remnant of those feelings impacting her behavior now.

The Talmud mentions that radishes are healthy.  Rashi explains that in the summertime when you are hot, eating radish cools off your system.  The Rambam, Maimonides, explains that in the winter a man should eat foods that warm the body, and in the summer foods that cool the body.  He was not only a major authority in Jewish law, but a doctor.  Much of ancient medical practice was through diet and exercise, maintaining health was the responsibility of the patient.

The practical wisdom here is to know how to manage yourself.  Not only your body, but your emotional and intellectual states.  If going for a walk into the woods cools your anger, be ready to do that instead of staying in a situation that is inciting you further.  If lifting weights starts your engine, do that before you will need your energy for an important meeting.  Get to know what works for you and use it to optimize your functioning.

Be aware that self management is something of a lost art.  Many people you meet will get upset and out of equilibrium and not even know how to get themselves back to normal.  You may need to help a spouse or child remember what cools them off.

The Rambam has an entire chapter in Deot about what foods are healthy for you. Protecting your health is an important command in the Bible. He concludes that if you are exercising vigorously you can get away with eating lower quality foods as you will burn them off. We see that ancient wisdom about health management is still perfectly valid today…

Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Deos 4:1 “Bodily health and wellbeing are part of the path to God, for it is impossible to understand or have any knowledge of the Creator when one is sick. Therefore one must avoid anything that may harm the body and one must cultivate healthful habits”

Rambam: Mishneh Torah: Hilchos Deos 4:14-15
14. They have given another principle with regard to physical well-being: As long as one exercises, exerts himself greatly, does not eat to the point of satiation and has moving bowels, he will not suffer sickness and he will grow in strength.  Even if he eats harmful foods.
15.  Whoever is idle and does not exercise, or does not move his bowels when he has the need, or is constipated, even if he eats the proper foods and takes care to follow the rules of medicine, will be full of pain for all his days and his strength will fade away. Overeating is like poison to anyone’s body. It is the main source of all illness. Most illnesses which afflict a man are caused by harmful foods or by his filling his belly and overeating, even of healthful foods. This was implied by Solomon in his wisdom: “Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from distress” (Proverbs 21:23); i.e., “guards his mouth” from eating harmful food or eating his fill and “his tongue” from speaking [about things] other than his needs.

Today is the first day of the holiday of Sukkot, and the Talmud mentions the techum (Shabbat boundary) for men living in temporary shacks, and the techum of the ancient Jews during the 40 years in the wilderness.  There are no coincidences in Torah, and in life generally.

On this topic the Gemara brings frightening statements about the family life of those living a nomadic existence:

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב יושבי צריפין והולכי מדברות חייהן אינן חיים ונשיהן ובניהן אינן שלהן

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Those who dwell in huts, such as shepherds and desert travelers, their lives are not lives, (they lead extremely difficult lives), and their wives and children are not always their own.

תניא נמי הכי אליעזר איש ביריא אומר יושבי צריפין כיושבי קברים ועל בנותיהם הוא אומר ארור שוכב עם כל בהמה

A baraita also teaches this idea: Eliezer of Biriyya says: Those who dwell in huts are like those who dwell in graves. And with regard to one who marries their daughters, the verse says: “Cursed be he who sleeps with any manner of beast” (Deuteronomy 27:21).

The Gemara explains that these settlements lack a bathhouse and a ritual bath, which are basic needs.  Rashi explains the problem is that when men leave the village to use the bathhouse in the city, their wives and daughters are unguarded and there is ample opportunity for adultery.  Likewise, when a woman goes to the city to use the ritual bath, she will bring a friend along, and a man will notice and go after the two women and be alone with them.  (See the Maharsha and Ben Yehoyada who have other explanations).

The Gemara teaches us the importance of logistics.  It doesn’t matter how loyal or religious these hut dwellers are, the situation they live in gives ample opportunities for infidelity.  Our sages warn us that no matter how pious the family is, the logistics here allow the women to commit adultery and you don’t want to marry into this family.

You cannot control the desires and loyalties of other people.  On a good day you might control your own.  As they say in american politics “You cannot legislate morality”.  Jewish law states “ayn apotropos l’arayot”.

However, you can often control the logistics.  This is vitally important if you or your spouse travel alone for business, and as your children grow into maturity.  Our ancient sages make it clear that you cannot pretend you can control inclinations, so you have to make an effort to set up the logistics to prevent sin.  Do not assume perfect loyalty and allow people to enter situations where it is easy to betray your loyalty.  That is false confidence.

Tonight we start the famous holiday of Sukkot, aka Succos, during which traditional Jews dwell, at least eat, in temporary structures called Sukkot.  These use natural materials for informal roofs.  The Bible states that for seven days we live in these sukkot so all our generations will know that God had us dwell in sukkot when He brought them out of the land of Egypt (Leviticus 23:43).

The Bible doesn’t always tell us the reason for Divine commands, but here it does explicitly.  Therefore, keeping the reasons for this command in mind must be especially important.

Our ancient sources teach that during the 40 years in the wilderness God protected the Jewish people with clouds that provided climate control and kept out dangerous animals, and preventing wear and tear on clothing.  This is part of the reason we leave our homes for the Sukkah, to remind us to the clouds.  Technically, our ancestors didn’t need to build a hut or tent to live in, they were well protected by miraculous clouds.  So why have the Jews build sukkot anyway?

There are many valid answers, I will suggest another:  this was a special reward for the women.  Women need to feel more settled, more at home, and need more privacy than men.  Women are known to feel a drive for “nesting” by setting up and organizing their households.  This is especially acute when they are pregnant and during their luteal phase.

The  ancient Jewish men would have been fine with just the protective clouds; the women need something more, their own private space to customize.  Our sages teach that for a Jewish woman, her home is like her personal Holy Temple, meaning that for her, keeping the home running smoothly has the importance of the priests engaged in Temple service.

Conventional Jewish wisdom also has a slogan “Kol Kvuda Bas Melech Pnima”: the real honor of a woman is inside.  This implies that women are less inclined to show off in public, and therefore her private world inside her home is where you can actually see her real talents and hard work.  So in Jewish thought, women need a private dwelling more than men do.

Our patriarch Abraham also knew this, the verse in Genesis 12:8 spells tent as “her tent”, though it is read out loud as “his tent”.  Our ancient sages (Medrash BR 39:15) point out that while travelling, Abraham would set up Sarah’s tent first to honor his wife (tent is also spelled like this in 13:3).  Abraham was aware than his wife needed a place of home more acutely than he himself did.  Also on a practical level, women need more privacy to change clothing and bathe from travel in the desert.  Our sages teach that Abraham’s own tent had openings on all sides to welcome guests.  Abraham was known for hospitality and generosity and bringing people in.

Since Abraham first set up Sarah’s tent, this implies that her tent was on a different level than his.  We can safely assume if was private and personal, and not open to guests.  This reminds us that a family first needs to be united and strong behind closed doors before they try to influence the outside world.  Even though they were both involved in spreading monotheism publicly (Gen 12:5), Abraham and Sarah had a private space reserved just for them, in Sarah’s personal tent.  It is vital for the health of a family that the home is a peaceful refuge from whatever is going on outside.  In modern times, this is all to frequently lost in the shuffle as more people work from home and technology gives the outside world a foothold in our private space.

So the Sukkah reminds us that we, and especially our women, need a private space to make our own, a life insulated from the outside world.  But why was this a special reward for the women?  In Exodus we explained that the Jewish women were loyal to their families, and we elaborated that the women used their sexual agency to seduce the exhausted and enslaved Jewish men:

As the reward for the righteous women who lived in that generation the Israelites were delivered from Egypt:  When the women went to draw water, the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged that small fishes should enter their pitchers, they drew up half full of water and half full of fishes. They then set two pots on the fire, one for hot water and the other for the fish, which they carried out to their husbands in the field, and washed, anointed, fed, gave the men to drink… Then the women would take out the mirrors, and each gazed at herself in her mirror together with her husband, saying seductively to him, “See, I am more attractive than you!”  Thus they awakened their husbands’ affection and subsequently became the mothers of many children, at it is said, (Song of Songs 8:5)  “I awakened thy love under the apple-tree”, referring to the fields where the men worked.

This, as we explained, was an amazing level of loyalty since the women could have left their husbands for the powerful Egyptian men who enslaved them, but not a single Jewish woman did so.  During the Exodus God provided us with clouds of protection, but He went one step further by having the Jewish people set up tents or sukkot as well so each family would have privacy.  I propose that this was a special reward for the loyal women.  God works on the principle of “a turn for a turn”, giving wages and punishments according to our own deeds.

Since the women were willing to go out of their way to encourage and seduce their men, even in open fields and under trees, they were given their own private space to continue building their families with dignity.  Per Jewish law, spouses join in intimacy in private; since the Jewish people would have died out in Egypt, the women were absolutely right to seduce the men in public.

For their self sacrifice and willingness to break the normal rules when the situation called for it, the women were given a Divine gift of extra privacy during the Exodus.  The Jews took this to an even higher level: our sages learn that Bilam’s prophetic statement “how beautiful are your tents, Jacob; your dwellings, Israel!” (Numbers 24:5) refers to the fact that the Jews set up their dwellings so the doorways were not across from each other.  You could not see the door of your neighbor’s tent from you own, giving a higher level of privacy as you could not witness their comings and goings.

God wants us to remember for all generations that we dwelled in temporary Sukkot in the wilderness (Lev 23:43).  This was, in part, a reward for the women who stayed loyal and made special efforts to seduce their husbands, even in public spaces.  Setting up individual dwellings also recognizes the unique nature of women to need a private space to nurture their families.  The Bible reminds us that men and women are different, and complement on another.