Sukkot is supposed to be z’man simchateinu, the time of our joy. It’s meant to be a time when we rejoice and celebrate abundance. Yet so quickly, we see how joy can turn to sadness and anger.
I got a text message yesterday afternoon from a good friend in New York saying, “you ok? congregants ok?” I had no clue why she was texting but imagined something had happened, and after quickly opening the Daily Memphian website, I realized. Another shooting. Another reminder that somehow daily activities that should be mundane, like going to the grocery store, can be deadly. Another instance of senseless violence that destroys families and wrecks our sense of safety. Another onslaught of thoughts and prayers.
I’m reminded, so painfully, that while Sukkot is z’man simchateinu, it is also a time of vulnerability. The Sukkah itself - a temporary structure that deliberately keeps us open to the elements - does not offer us ultimate protection. In that way, part of its goal is to connect us to the fragility of life. We get rained on and the wind can knock over our shelter and, at least in some parts of the world, the chill of fall weather isn’t the most comfortable. Certainly, this week, we feel that fragility. It is nearly impossible, after yet another shooting, to feel a sense of ultimate protection. It can be hard to feel God’s presence.
I pray that our world is able to transform itself from one that values guns and violence to one that values lives and safety. I pray that our leaders use their power for good, not to simply offer thoughts and prayers from their platforms but to actually work to change our society. We cannot have this type of devastation happen again. It will, sadly, but I have to believe in a world where it’s possible for this to not be the norm.
I turn to the other Sukkah in our tradition, the Sukkat Shalom, the shelter of peace. Every evening, as the sky turns dark, we pray to God - ufros aleynu sukkat shelomekha - spread over us a shelter of Your peace. May the fragility of the Sukkah always remind us of the precariousness of life, and may it inspire us to work to create a sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace. I await that day, a time where Sukkot only has to be z’man simchateinu, the time of our joy.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
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