First of all, thank you for inviting me to eat dinner in your sukkah.
I really enjoyed meeting you over Rosh Hashanna and participating in
the service and the wonderful meal that Shira and you prepared for us.
It really means a lot to know that you are right here whenever I or
anyone else needs you.
My question is about Sukkot. I don't understand why it is so important
to eat in the sukkah. What is wrong with eating in the cafeteria or my
room? It's not like Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur which are important
"High Holy Days". Sukkot is just eating in a hut. What kind of holiday
is that?
P.S. If I like your answer then maybe I will join you in your sukkah.
Sincerely,
Hut-less
Dear Hut,
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write the letter.
Let me ask you this,
Why is Rosh Hashanah important? What makes it a "High Holy Day"? A
classical answer is that it is a day where "bend our hearts like a
bent shofar", we accept G-d, in our hearts, as an authority. Another
answer is that it is the first day where we rectify mistakes made in
the last year by confessing them and regretting them in our hearts.
These two components together make Rosh Hashanah a High Holy Day.
Granted these are difficult to attain, but every year we try again,
growing a little bit more, becoming a little bit better at it.
I am sure that you will agree that these two sentiments are awesome,
important, and are an integral part of the High Holy Days.
You may be too young to remember the tech "bubble" of the 90s. I am
certain that you are aware of the housing "bubble" that has recently
crashed down around us.
We are currently living in another "bubble", a place where
materialistic items and events that are "overvalued" are being bought
and sold at ever increasing prices and as all bubbles do, it will
burst.
As a college student you know better than I the many events, parties,
causes, and social activities that compete for your "currency" of
time, energy, attention and focus.
It may very well be tempting to "spend" your "currency", but ask
yourself if you are overvaluing the "product" that you are buying.
In 5 years, how much will it matter if you attended a certain party or
social event?
A story is told of a man who complained about chest pains. His wife
told him to lie down to rest and she would call the doctor. The doctor
came to the patient's home, sat down at the bedside and took the
patient's hand in order to take his pulse. In a faint voice the
patient said, "Doctor, it is not my hand. The pains are in my chest,
near my heart." To which the doctor responded, "I know, but from the
hand we know how the heart works."
Rosh Hashanah involves the "heart". Sukkot is the service of the "hand".
Eating in the Sukkah is about showing G-d that since he is "the guy in
charge", you trust him to take care of you. It's about showing him
that you recognize that just like the Sukkah is temporary, our "real"
homes and houses and our time spent on this world are also temporary,
and that ultimately we will be shown the true value of our
"investments". It shows that we are aware that we are living in a
"bubble" that, given enough time, will burst. So we build a sukkah
with our hands and eat in a sukkah with our hands to show what is in
our hearts. To show what Rosh Hashanah is all about.
Granted it is difficult to absorb and really feel all these sentiments
in one visit to the sukkah, it is something to work towards. It
requires meditation, introspection, and it requires eating in the
sukkah! So we celebrate Sukkot every year, right after Rosh Hashanah.
Every single year matters and contributes to our understanding and
feelings.
Sukkot is not a different holiday than Rosh Hashanah, it is the
continuation, the next step.
Don't you want to finish what you started?
P.S. There is still plenty of room in the largest sukkah in the
county! If you would like to join us you can; Below is the schedule.
Sukkot Schedule
7:15pm Dinner Tonight, Monday, October 13, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
1:00pm Lulav & Esrog Shake (even if you can't come for lunch, come by
the shaking!)
1:05pm Lunch
7:15pm Dinner (second night)
You can find all these events at our facebook group "Chabad at F&M".
For more information about Sukkot visit
www.jewishenrichment.com/holiday
--
Rabbi Elazar Green
Chabad Jewish Enrichment Center
J_daism needs You! (U)
www.JewishEnrichment.com
717-368-6565
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