Weekly Message

October 16, 2024
14 Tishrei 5785
Sukkot

Dear Friends,

Sukkot is upon us - the holiday of fragile structures, buzzing bees, aromatic etrogs, waving palms, meals eaten outdoors, the reading of Ecclesiastes, and a celebration of simply being alive, amidst the uncertainty of a good harvest and a good year ahead.

Sukkot is the holiday that enjoins us to celebrate the moment and to put ourselves in the now, all the while acknowledging how fragile it all is. It also stresses the importance of inviting others into our fragile abode, whether they be our ancestors or our friends and neighbors. This year, the fragility truly resonates for all of us. We are in the eye of a storm, and we do not have control of what awaits us in the future. But the truth is, we never do.

Our ancestors were wise to create a holiday that celebrates the now, even in times of duress. This year Sukkot seems to come at the perfect time, in a moment where the best we can do is to be in the moment as fully as we can. Now more than ever, we, who live in a non-agricultural setting, have gained an understanding of how interdependent we are as human beings and how much we rely on one another for every kind of sustenance.

This feeling is not a comfortable one. It must not have been comfortable for our ancestors either as they brought their harvest offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem, especially in those years when the harvest was less than plentiful. And yet they celebrated. This, after all, is the holiday called the Chag, the festival. We celebrate what we have, not what we do not have.

After hearing the Unetaneh Tokef prayer numerous times over the High Holy Days, with the knowledge of what could go wrong and what could go right in the year ahead repeated again and again, why celebrate? Why is this a time of celebration, even in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of a sense of fragility?

Now we dance and now we are grateful for what we have. There is no time like the present to acknowledge what we have and to understand the work needed to create solid ground beneath us and those around us. It is difficult work. When we work hard, and we manage to accomplish something, we absolutely need to stop and celebrate.

It was heartening this year to see the many different hands coming together to build and decorate our Sukkah. It is a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together. It may seem a small accomplishment, but it resonates. Many hands together can create something wondrous.

Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach,
 

Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn