On the anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah, I am feeling nostalgic. Many years ago, around this time, my stomach was turning at the thought of chanting and perhaps messing up.
At age 13, I, like many of us stood and chanted Torah and Haftorah and various prayers. It was one of the best days of my life and my parents chose to celebrate this moment on the Shabbat that is in the middle of Sukkot, just like this Shabbat, it is a festive and tactile holiday.
I loved building the Sukkah with my family on the Sunday after Yom Kippur. Every year, my mother drew murals on sheets which we would hang on the wall. One sheet depicted E.T. holding a Lulav and an Etrog. Another sheet had Aladdin and Jasmine, then He-man and She-ra. Sukkot was one of these holidays that only a handful of families took on. We would do a Sukkah hop from one Sukkah to another. Family and friends would invite each other over to sit in these dimly lit huts, donning winter jackets and drinking hot cocoa. It was the perfect Fall Holiday. In many ways, Yom Kippur overshadows Sukkot. We lose steam after fasting, but the fun ramps up for Sukkot and I fear that families lose this quality time together.
Like the boxes we would turn into forts when we were children, Sukkot transports us to another time when we were not distracted by cell phones and TV. We are taught that the Sukkah cannot be covered, by a traditional roof and there is a fascinating rule: that if the schach (plant-material roof) is so thick that a heavy rain would not get through, then the structure is more like a house and not valid for use as a sukkah.
We must have a Sukkah that allows the rain to come in. Imagine, the time in your life when rain and snow meant sticking your tongue out. One must be able to do that in a Sukkah. That is the whole fun of camping in general. These laws of Sukkot and the commandment to sleep and eat in the Sukkah are meant to help us loosen our proverbial ties and rediscover our inner child for we are all children of God. There is a giddiness to Sukkot and I hope you will participate for many years to come.
Our Alix Rubinger Kosher Food Pantry needs Increased membership contributions as well as ideas for other sources of income. We are now serving 15 to 20 families per week and our funds are very low. While a lot of food is contributed to our pantry from supermarkets and other synagogues, it is still necessary to purchase needed food items.
Checks can be made out to the Alix Rubinger Kosher Food Pantry or made out to CBO with an indication that the funds go to the pantry account.
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Thank you.
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