Shalom dear friends of Israel today 8th of October at sunset until 15th of October nightfall we will with many millions of Jewish fellows and Christians all over the world celebrate the feast of the Lord also called SUKKOT (15-12 Tishrei). Please read with me the Torah as follows: Lev 23:39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. Lev 23:41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Lev 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: Lev 23:43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Lev 23:44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD. Sukkot is one of three pilgrimage holiday - a time set aside to reconnect to our roots. A time for coming together to rejoice and give thanks for all that we are and all that we have. And much more. It is different than the other two pilgrimage holidays, Passover and Shavuot. Passover commemorates the concept of freedom. Shavuot acknowledges the purpose of our existence, our religious identity. Sukkot, on the other hand, incorporates the meaning of the other two and adds a significant dimension - Sukkot emphasizes the tenuousness of our lives, the fragility of our existence and the temporariness of our sojourn. Sukkot also is a reminder of Gods protection. Just as the sukkah we erect gives us shelter, God attempts to shelter us from the consequences of our choices. Just as the temporary dwelling reminds us how precarious is lifes journey, God attempts to guide us through the paths we determine for ourselves. And just as the lodging can disappear without warning, God reminds us how fleeting our existence is and comforts us in our time of need. The holiday is known by several names, my favorite being Zman Simhateinu - a time for celebrating. We have just completed our High Holiday observance and we are satisfied that our expressions of contriteness and our wishes for a better tomorrow have been accepted. It is certainly a cause for jubilee. Additionally, Sukkot gives us the opportunity to succeed in our efforts to understand that all is not good nor is everything bad. We need to learn that good and bad are connected, and we are the link that can separate them enough to give meaning to our lives. Sukkot enables us to comprehend the true meaning of life: to be thankful for all the harvests of our days. And God is where God should be - in our hearts and minds, in our deeds and actions, in our relationships and understanding of each other. Sukkot should help us realize that we are responsible for each other and that there can be no true jubilation without this moral standard. The Rabbis loved to demonstrate this with the story of a man sitting in a boat filled with many people. All of a sudden the man began drilling a hole under his seat. The other passengers were outraged and admonished him for doing something so foolhardy. His reply was that he was drilling the hole under his seat and could not understand the commotion. Everyone exclaimed that if he continued to drill the hole the boat would fill with water and everyone would drown. We are responsible to others for our actions and for the consequences that will result. We are responsible to God for those things that relate to our spiritual well being. We are responsible to ourselves to ensure that our lives will have meaning and purpose. Our lives are tenuous, our existence indeed fragile and the gift of life so temporary that we must take the time to celebrate, rejoice and give thanks. Then the ultimate blessing of the season - sukkat shalom - peace in our homes, which translates into peace in our lives, will be our reward. Chag Sameach Sukkot
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:17:39 +0000
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