From Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein Friday, October 2, 2020
Dear CBO Family,
Many people will say, “You must be so relieved that the Holidays are over” after Yom Kippur, but they may have forgotten that Sukkot is around the corner. The Harvest Holiday begins tonight and in fact, the sages believe that the Season of Repentance officially ends on Hoshana Rabbah (next Friday). There is one law of Sukkot that is particularly curious to me this year.
The roof of the Sukkah (Schach, pronounced S’hah), as we know, must be organic. It cannot still be connected to its original source, which means that branches that are still growing from a tree cannot be used as shade. The schach also needs to not decompose while it is being used. It should remain intact all the way throughout the holiday. The schach must be able to be independent of it’s original source, but not crumble for 8 days. There is a metaphor in here about the life of each individual.
As children, we learn independence from our parents. There is a saying that the role of parents is to teach their children how to live without them. We teach them how to thrive and stand on their own two feet. Like the schach, we want them to withstand the trials and tribulations of time. Like the shade that the branches provide, we want them to give to those around them, but not so much that they take over. We must be able to see the stars through our schach. It cannot be all about them. There is a recipe here for a life of strength and balance.
Yom Kippur taught us how fragile life is and it challenged us to change our lives so we can make the most of them. Those thoughts may make a person want to recede from life. It is frightening to confront our mortality. Sukkot, and the idea of schach in general, present the necessity to emerge into the world, realize we are sturdier than we think, and dare the wind to knock us over. Life does that to us sometimes, and we come back year after year to show that if we do get knocked down, we don’t stay down for long.
May you know that you are stronger than you think you are and you have so much to offer those in your life.
Shabbat shalom and Chag sameach, Rabbi Bernstein
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Mazal Tov to Nina Khaimova and Iller Abramov on the naming of their daughter, Katherina Abramov.
A special thank you to Rabbi Bernstein & Cantor Kowitz for the meaningful High Holiday services. Special birthday wishes to Jamie Diamond and to Marty Kaufman.
Thank you to Jackie and Scott Brecher and Mrs. O. for coordinating the Shabbat Under the Stars Jr. in the Sukkah.
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Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism