I couldn’t write yesterday. My mind was clouded and overcome with the lingering thoughts and visions from the Yom Kippur services I attended. I stayed in a hotel close to the synagogue, so I wouldn’t have to drive back and forth to the various services.

Yom Kippur is always an extremely emotional time for me. The prayers speak to me, the Cantor and his voice always causes me to be a bit teary-eyed, with his soulful, plaintive and almost heart-breaking sounds that emanate from his mouth.

But, this year, there was more emotion due to some of the attendees. Just before service began on Sunday night a group of about 20-24 servicemen and servicewomen entered the synagogue in army fatigues, and wearing yarmulkes. Most of them looked to be between the ages of 18-24, maybe one or two were in their early 30s. The youthful looks of their faces, and the seriousness of their expressions overwhelmed me, and struck me to the core.

During the service when the Rabbi held the Torah, and began to walk with it through the aisles of the synagogue I was in awe at the sight unfolding. As she proceeded towards the rows that the service men and women were sitting in, she made sure that she walked through those particular rows, deliberately, and stopped in front of each military person so they could have the opportunity to touch the Torah, and not have to stand in a line at the end of their row. The army troops touched the Torah with the corner of their siddurs, and kissed the siddurs afterwards. It was such a powerful moment to be a witness to.

I can’t begin to tell you what that visual evoked in me. I couldn’t help myself, and tears just flowed from my eyes. It was one of the most beautiful, inspiring, poignant and important moments that I have witnessed, ever, in my entire life. It was a profound experience to be able to be a minute part of that moment. To be in G-ds presence, with the Torah so close at hand, exposing the humanity and the hearts of those army individuals, as their serious and sober expressions told it all, was extremely illuminating.

It affected every person in the synagogue, both during the services on Sunday night and on Monday, when they returned.

I know that this sounds simple, and that my prose is not filled with dramatic or intense content, but you literally had to be there to bear witness to the scene. It was overpowering in so many aspects.

May their journeys in the line of duty be safe ones. I pray that they were sealed in the book of life for another year.

~~~
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth/Sukkot, is almost upon us. During the festival “temporary booths or dwellings” are built and inhabited, meals are eaten inside them, and some families sleep in them. It is a lovely tradition, referred to as “Z’man Simchateinu”, or “the Season of our Rejoicing”. It is symbolic of the “temporary booths” the Israelites dwelt in when they were wandering in the desert for forty years.

Making a family tradition out of hand building a sukkah/succah can be a joyous experience. It can be frustrating to those who are not good with building or creating with their hands. But, the joy normally overtakes the frustration, in my opinion, as memories are also built. Memories build our internal and spiritual succahs, and the remembrances are handed down to future generations.

Sukkahs are made from products of the earth, but the products may no longer be attached to the earth.

Sukkahs are built outside, but there can be an exception. Building one from scratch doesn’t have to be a tedious endeavor. Getting the family together and having each person participate, brings lovely meaning to Sukkhot and to the creating of the Sukkah. Sukkahs are often built by trial and error, and family participation can lighten the burden.

If one’s health doesn’t permit it, just eat your meals in it, and if that isn’t possible. enter and stay as much as possible. One who is in ill health is not obligated to eat in a Sukkah, and if the weather makes it difficult to do so, the same applies, and one is exempt.

If one has medical issues, they can just eat their meals inside the sukkah. Some times that isn’t possible, due to severe medical problems, where individuals can not eat or sleep outdoors (severe allergies to certain indigenous environments, immune system problems, etc. If one is not in good health, it is not required of them that they eat in a sukkah. If weather conditions are a problem, the same applies…there is no obligation.

For those with severe medical issues, etc., and can’t be outdoors, you can create a makeshift Sukkah, a tent, inside your home, by using an old 100% cotton sheet (the roof must be organic), with three sides. It’s easy to build by looping the corners of the sheet to a non moving ceiling fan, and letting the sheet hang down. One can make creative canopies or tents by tacking or draping organic material from a ceiling and letting the sides hang down. It can then be used to fit a chair/s inside it, with a small table made by turning over a large and sturdy cardboard box. You could also build it by tacking an organic sheet to the walls of an alcove in your house. You can add photographs, hand crafted items, hangings, etc. inside. It is simple, yet effective and fulfills the mitzvah of Sukkot.

Sitting inside a sukkah brings one to ponder our ancient people, the Jewish culture and its traditions, how they wandered and survived for forty years, and the true meaning of Sukkot, as part of our heritage.

Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
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Wednesday September 30, 2009 – 12 Tishrei, 5770