Ten days after Rosh HaShannah, Chairman Jeremy Jacobson led services for Erev Sukkot on zoom on the 14th of Tishri. Those who zoomed into Jeremy’s thoughtful service, saw their dining room table laden with fruits from Mai and Jeremy’s garden, saw the inside of Jo Richler and Paul Kleiman’s special Succah and watched Mai wave the etrog and lulav.
The service stressed the importance of Sukkat commanded by Torah, to dwell in booths for seven days in remembrance of the 40 years spent in the desert when the Israelites made their exodus from Egypt. The two elements of the festival, Jeremy stressed, were about abundance and thanksgiving for a plentiful harvest as well as a reminder of the fragility of life.
And so, like so many Jewish observances, this service and festival was a mixture of how temporary, unpredictable and uncertain all life is, how important the concept of spiritual in-gathering and renewal are, and how important it is to celebrate what we have and how good life can be.
Hag Sameach!