Beautiful, well-written piece! Thank you! Especially loved this excerpt: "The Jewish answer to insecurity has therefore never been simply to build stronger walls. It has also been to build stronger Jews."
I believe so much in the importance of difference and am glad you mentioned that in your fine article on Sukkot. I do not as a Jew ever feel inclined to explain my difference, even though to many I do not fit the mainstream, and have often been asked to explain. And even though I do not fit easily into any category, I happily respect and embrace all of them.
When I first came to Israel as a woman in my late forties, alone and intending to travel all over, it was the period of Sukkot and I was staying in Jerusalem leading up to Simchat Torah. One morning I stood on the rooftop of the hostel I was staying in and viewed ultra-orthodox male Jews walk across the rooftops opposite to The Kotel or back to their homes after shopping, prayer book in one hand and plastic bag in the other. They walked with swift surety, not looking left or right, and I thought ... so many Jews, of all kinds I've seen ... so many, all in one place, not scattered, it's wonderful. Everything is connected, the rooftops, the narrow streets by stone arches, washing hangs from balconies and flags on rooftops announce proprietorship, pride and, I thought, defiance, too. I felt connected and yet knew I was an observer, which did not worry me.
I wrote of this later for the Israel Jubilee edition of the Melbourne journal Generation, editor, Mark Baker. And I wrote, too, of sensing a Presence while standing on the rooftop. Simultaneously, church bells were ringing, fragmented within the sound of the sonorous muezzin spreading over the City; above and around, imbuing the sounds, was Presence. I was acutely aware of it - it had come upon me unsought. I was high up in Jerusalem, with the washing, carpets and flags, a wire fence stretching across one rooftop securing its rubble, and the Shekhinah. The blood flowed through my veins strong and sure, the sun splashed light on stone, on my arms and bare toes, and my soul shone through my eyes.
The historical and spiritual connections between Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the origins of Thanksgiving in the New World.
The Pilgrims’ journey mirrors that of the Israelites: both groups experienced religious oppression, migration, dire conditions, starvation, sickness, and death before ultimately finding freedom and blessings in a new land. In 1621, only 53 Pilgrims survived their first brutal winter, with nearly half of their population lost. Their initial Thanksgiving reflects the themes of Birkat HaGomel—the Jewish blessing of gratitude for surviving illness, enduring freedom from imprisonment, and safely crossing the ocean to reach a destination.
Similarly, Sukkot is a Jewish agricultural and historical holiday celebrating both the harvest and the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert. The holiday’s traditional water offerings and prayers for rain serve as a reminder that a bountiful harvest is not solely the result of human effort, but that God and nature ultimately sustain us.
I am a moderately to less than moderately observant Jew. My favorite religious acts are building and hanging out in the sukkah.
As thoughtful and beautifully written a discussion of Succos as we need and the holiday deserves.
Beautiful, well-written piece! Thank you! Especially loved this excerpt: "The Jewish answer to insecurity has therefore never been simply to build stronger walls. It has also been to build stronger Jews."
Very nice. Very very nice. Kol hakavod.
Yasher koach, Josh. A beautiful and very meaningful D’var Torah on Sukkot. I’m sharing with some friends. Mazel Tov and Chag Sameach.
I believe so much in the importance of difference and am glad you mentioned that in your fine article on Sukkot. I do not as a Jew ever feel inclined to explain my difference, even though to many I do not fit the mainstream, and have often been asked to explain. And even though I do not fit easily into any category, I happily respect and embrace all of them.
When I first came to Israel as a woman in my late forties, alone and intending to travel all over, it was the period of Sukkot and I was staying in Jerusalem leading up to Simchat Torah. One morning I stood on the rooftop of the hostel I was staying in and viewed ultra-orthodox male Jews walk across the rooftops opposite to The Kotel or back to their homes after shopping, prayer book in one hand and plastic bag in the other. They walked with swift surety, not looking left or right, and I thought ... so many Jews, of all kinds I've seen ... so many, all in one place, not scattered, it's wonderful. Everything is connected, the rooftops, the narrow streets by stone arches, washing hangs from balconies and flags on rooftops announce proprietorship, pride and, I thought, defiance, too. I felt connected and yet knew I was an observer, which did not worry me.
I wrote of this later for the Israel Jubilee edition of the Melbourne journal Generation, editor, Mark Baker. And I wrote, too, of sensing a Presence while standing on the rooftop. Simultaneously, church bells were ringing, fragmented within the sound of the sonorous muezzin spreading over the City; above and around, imbuing the sounds, was Presence. I was acutely aware of it - it had come upon me unsought. I was high up in Jerusalem, with the washing, carpets and flags, a wire fence stretching across one rooftop securing its rubble, and the Shekhinah. The blood flowed through my veins strong and sure, the sun splashed light on stone, on my arms and bare toes, and my soul shone through my eyes.
So well written. I am inspired . It has re ignited my hope in the future in the survival of my people.
This one brought me to tears. Thank you.
Beautifully written
Beautifully written!
The historical and spiritual connections between Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the origins of Thanksgiving in the New World.
The Pilgrims’ journey mirrors that of the Israelites: both groups experienced religious oppression, migration, dire conditions, starvation, sickness, and death before ultimately finding freedom and blessings in a new land. In 1621, only 53 Pilgrims survived their first brutal winter, with nearly half of their population lost. Their initial Thanksgiving reflects the themes of Birkat HaGomel—the Jewish blessing of gratitude for surviving illness, enduring freedom from imprisonment, and safely crossing the ocean to reach a destination.
Similarly, Sukkot is a Jewish agricultural and historical holiday celebrating both the harvest and the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert. The holiday’s traditional water offerings and prayers for rain serve as a reminder that a bountiful harvest is not solely the result of human effort, but that God and nature ultimately sustain us.