Dear Co
ngregation Kehillah and Friends,
As our High Holy Days season together has drawn to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for being part of Kehillah, for joining and participating in our High Holy Days experience and for reaching into your hearts to share an energy that was palpable throughout our Days of Awe.
Take a moment to remember how inspired you felt during the High Holy Days. Now, during the festival of Sukkot, Zeman simchateinu - the time of our rejoicing and happiness - we are being asked to connect our good intentions of the High Holy Days to action, creating hope, joy and unity that is needed now more than ever.
Sukkot lasts for eight days (seven in Israel and in the Reform movement), during which time we are instructed to eat and even sleep in sukkot (little huts), living in them as we would in our homes. The sukkot remind us of the fragility of life as well as of the protective clouds that hovered over our ancestors and protected them as they wandered in the desert on their way to Israel.
Given that there are many opportunities for spiritual enrichment, what was one moment during the services that you felt was particularly powerful? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Ivdu et Hashem b'simcha. Serve G-d with joy...and in gratitude.
We make special blessings on the lulav (three myrtle branches, two willow twigs and a palm frond) and etrog (citron), known as 'the four kinds.' The 'four kinds' remind us of four types of people, who together comprise our people, all of whom are essential! Another interpretation is that the 'four kinds' correspond to four parts of the human body (the spine, ears, lips and heart), all of which together, are meant to be in service to G-d. The first and the last days of the festival are 'holy days'; the last days are both part of Sukkot and separate holidays themselves: Hoshana Rabba (when the judgments of Yom Kippur are made final, according to rabbinic tradition), Shemini Atzeret ('the eighth day of assembly,' taking an extra day to 'say goodbye' after the long holiday season), and Simchat Torah ('rejoicing with the Torah,' on which we read the very end of the Torah and immediately start over from the beginning, celebrating amid singing and dancing).
Enjoy time in our sukkah through sunset on Sunday, October 20 -- email Renee to reserve your sukkah time and fulfill the mitzvah of eating in a sukkah.
And don't forget to RSVP to Renee for Simchat Torah -- we have a fun and challenging program planned for Monday, October 21, starting at 5:00 p.m.
A
kavannah
for candle lighting for Sukkot
Holy One, Guide me - guide us in celebrating life as we realize and actualize our unique and indispensable purpose in this world.
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The Torah readings are specially designated for the Sukkot festival: "Mizmor shir l'yom ha-shabbat; tov l'hodot l'Adonai. A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day: it is good to give thanks to G-d." Did you know that the pilgrims got the idea for Thanksgiving from our festival of Sukkot?
Chag Sameach (a happy holiday) and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
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