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September 28, 2001/Tishri 11, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 3
Power within fragile wallsEditorialIf there is ever a year to build a sukkah, this is it. For those who have not known the pleasure of erecting a temporary outdoor structure, with flimsy walls and leafy roof open to the sky, this is the year to give it a try.For others who have not had the opportunity to take their meals, entertain friends, and even, as some do, sleep in the rustic booths for which the holiday is named, this is the year to do it. As we prepare to mark the Festival of Booths, Sukkot, beginning at sundown Monday, Oct. 1, if there is one thing we have learned from the massive destruction of Sept. 11, it is the impermanence of our structures, the fragility of our lives. We needed only to see the collapse of the massive towers in New York or the Pentagon in flames, to learn the stories of the thousands of innocent Americans buried in the ruins, to appreciate the hubris of believing that we are invulnerable, that our soaring skyscrapers and fortresses impregnable. Sukkot recalls the Israelites' wandering in the desert for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land. The sukkah recreates the temporary shelters the travelers put up each night to shield themselves from cold and darkness, wind and rain. So we build our sukkah of wooden trellises or bamboo shades, leaving its roof open to sun and stars, adorning its walls with paper chains and festive holiday cards, dangling apples and pears, oranges and pomegranates from its rafters. And we confront the vagaries of nature - and of our world - even as we celebrate her infinite variety and abundance. The Jewish Thanksgiving - a term often used to characterize Sukkot - takes added meaning from its place in the cycle of the year, the time of harvest, the ingathering. And this year especially, it is important to mark the holiday as a time to give thanks for our own safety, for our shelter, no matter how insubstantial, for our family and friends who are a continuing source of succor in an increasingly worrisome world. Let us build a sukkah, gather together, and celebrate. Chag sameach! |
