Sukkot provides an opportunity to think about the truly essential values of life. This week, the tottering sukkah reminds us of life’s fragility, of how ephemeral everything physical is. We do not need much help bringing all that to mind this year, as we still mourn those who were murdered or fell in battle, still pray for the hostages to return home, still yearn for a bit of peace and quiet.
Are we, then, exempt this year from the holiday of Sukkot? Certainly not! After all, Sukkot also reminds us of something vital in these times: when we find ourselves in a fragile, unstable place, we need to recall what is truly important— being with family and friends, slowing our pace, connecting to the land and the sky, and to find there our real happiness.
On this Sukkot festival, as we sit in our sukkah with family members and dear friends, let us be mindful that this is what is really essential, that we need nothing more, and that we are blessed, for not everyone has the privilege of enjoying what we do, especially this year.
May this Sukkot be truly joyous, may the hostages return home, may the war come to an end, enabling us to reconstruct what has been destroyed.
