Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Cantor Jamie Gloth
Melissa Rudman, Executive Director
Arlene Bryer, President
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October 2, 2020 | 14 Tishrei 5781 |
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Dear Friends,
Before sharing with you a few thoughts about Sukkot, while the sounds of that last great TEKIAH GEDOLAH! at the end of Yom Kippur are still reverberating in my ears, I want to acknowledge and thank the many people who came together to enable us to offer High Holiday services to our community during this truly unprecedented time. These include the leaders and members of all of our committees -- in particular, our 2020 High Holiday Committee and our Reopening Committee --, other lay leaders who performed tasks behind the scenes, our staff -- who worked very hard under challenging conditions and with demanding time constraints -- as well as all of those who participated in or supported our services. The list goes on and on -- which is evidence of the kind of community spirit that is at the heart of our congregation. Many thanks to all of you!
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The sobriety of Yom Kippur has given way to the anticipation of a joyful Sukkot. At the core of our observance of Sukkot is the paradoxical symbol of the sukkah, which represents shelter, and yet also fragility. (If you are a Mayyim Bialik fan and would like to watch her fun 5-minute video introduction to the holiday, scroll to the bottom of this email and click on the Youtube link.)
This year -- in which we’ve been sheltering in our homes -- is a truly strange time to be leaving our homes to enter the sukkah.
This year, we didn’t need any reminders of how fragile things are, yet we certainly got one. Only two days after erecting our congregational sukkah, the winds huffed and puffed and blew that sukkah down:
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After seeing this picture on Wednesday, I wasn’t too optimistic about that sukkah ever rising from the ground. And yet, just one day later, this is what we saw:
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Amazing! Many, many thanks to our wonderful team of sukkah builders (and re-builders). These include: Bruce Berns, Ken and Robin Metzger, Peter Krupp, Jeff Katz, Keith Lewinstein, Dan Brown, Hal Bryer, Alan Geller, Rob Hass, and Howard Kaufman (Apologies to any whose names were inadvertently omitted from this list!).
Another piece of really good news: About twice as many of us purchased lulav and etrog sets this year.
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This is fantastic. On the other hand, I believe that fewer of us are building sukkot this year. Though unfortunate, this is understandable: in this era of mask wearing and social distancing, few of us have been entertaining others in our homes. And even though sukkot are not inside but outside, they are still partially enclosed; thus, social distancing rules continue to apply.
If you still have a yen to build your own sukkah this year (and you can still do so during Hol HaMoed, the intermediate days of the festival), my recommendation is to build a “minimalist” one. It is possible, in accordance with Jewish law, to build a really small yet entirely kosher sukkah with about a dozen poles, some string, and a few bamboo mats to put on top. Seriously. Click here for an illuminating video produced by Hadar that describes how minimalist the walls can be. Feel free to reach out to me for further guidance:
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Whether you have your own home sukkah this year or not, I strongly urge everyone to find some time over the holiday -- even if it is only for a few minutes -- to enter a sukkah and recite the Shehehiyanu blessing:
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam, she-he-hiyanu, v’kiyamanu, v’higianu lazman ha-zeh.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us in life, and sustained us, and helped us to reach this festive occasion.
If you can take a lulav and etrog and recite the daily blessing over them in the sukkah, even better. Click here for information on signing up to do this in our congregational sukkah on the second day of Sukkot.
I said above that this is a strange time to be leaving our homes to better understand the true meaning of shelter. And yet, it’s a particularly appropriate time. For we’ve learned anew this year that our homes, though built with bricks and mortar, cannot fully protect us from our environment. Sitting in the sukkah, breathing the fresh air, and putting on that extra layer to stay warm reminds us that we live in a remarkably interdependent world. The entire planet -- the entire planet -- is experiencing the effects of the coronavirus pandemic right now. Ultimately, the entire planet will have to work together to address the challenges we will face going forward. These include climate disruption, and its pernicious effects: human displacement, economic dislocation, etc., etc. By nudging us out of our homes at this time, our tradition is gently reminding us that we all have to work together -- or ultimately, none of us will be safe.
Let me wish all of us a happy and healthy Sukkot:
Hag Sameach and Good Yom Tov!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
P.S. Please join us for morning services on the first two (Yom Tov, or holy) days of Sukkot and on Monday morning (the first intermediate day of the holiday). Click the homepage of our website for details.
P.P.S. Oh yes: to watch that fun (and thoughtful) 5-minute video starring Mayyim Bialik, in which she not only presents the practices of Sukkot (or "Succos", as she pronounces it) but also shares her take on its ultimate meaning, click here.
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