During the final moments of Yom Kippur, as the sun begins to set and everyone in the sanctuary glances hesitantly at their watches for the conclusion of the N'ilah service, I look forward to reading one of my favorite passages from Mishkan HaNefesh, our Yom Kippur machzor.
The emotional high of the Days of Awe is still an uplifting memory as Sukkot arrives. We have attempted to cleanse our souls, and if we are really honest with ourselves, we might admit that we are feeling pretty good about the experience. Ironically, perhaps we might even be feeling a bit smug.
The relatively brief Torah reading for the first day of Sukkot offers a quick summary of the who, what, when, where, and why of this sacred celebration-the third and final observance in the cycle of three pilgrimage festivals.
The home-repair season is drawing to a close in my part of the country, and I still have not fixed my roof. That omission weighs on me. I want to protect my household and my house; I think each of us does. So we build our roofs and our walls and try to live safely. But Rav Kook is right: That is not enough. Destruction can still come, whether by flood or by poverty or by airplane. Sukkot reminds us of the vulnerability with which we live.
Torah Commentary
Rushing to Joy
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Let Us Remember the Fragile and Precious Nature of Life
The emotional high of the Days of Awe is still an uplifting memory as Sukkot arrives. We have attempted to cleanse our souls, and if we are really honest with ourselves, we might admit that we are feeling pretty good about the experience. Ironically, perhaps we might even be feeling a bit smug.
The Makeshift Sukkah: An Enduring Institution Framing an Eternal Covenant
The relatively brief Torah reading for the first day of Sukkot offers a quick summary of the who, what, when, where, and why of this sacred celebration-the third and final observance in the cycle of three pilgrimage festivals.
What a House Is
The home-repair season is drawing to a close in my part of the country, and I still have not fixed my roof. That omission weighs on me. I want to protect my household and my house; I think each of us does. So we build our roofs and our walls and try to live safely. But Rav Kook is right: That is not enough. Destruction can still come, whether by flood or by poverty or by airplane. Sukkot reminds us of the vulnerability with which we live.