The sukkah built on Hartford Seminary’s front lawn to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot was a bit battered by a few days of wind and rain, but it served its purpose on Tuesday as an interfaith group gathered to learn about the holiday and eat a simple meal together.

Jewish Studies Professor Deena Grant explained the theological underpinnings of the holiday, a seven-day occasion for rejoicing that reminds the Jewish people of the 40-year period during which they wandered in the desert living in temporary shelters. The shelters, Professor Grant said, were flimsy because they could not be permanent, and the message is that man-made structures do not protect us but God does.

Before eating pizza in and around the sukkah, those in attendance joined with Professor Grant for a traditional blessing involving a palm frond, two willow branches, three myrtle branches and an etrog, a type of citrus fruit native to Israel.