The mood swing from Yom Kippur to Sukkot is among the most dramatic of Jewish transitions. From sobriety to celebration, from awe-struck fear to total joy, from fasting to feasting, we re-engage with the world beyond the walls of synagogue, remembering that in physical pleasure there may also be spiritual purpose. Deuteronomy 16:15 famously proclaims Sukkot to be our festival of joy. The Talmud Pesachim 109a declares that a person must cause all of his (and her) household to rejoice on the festivals.
The sages provide various explanations for the Torah's association of Sukkot with joy, including the claim that Sukkot anticipates the world to come in which blessings will be unrestrained, whereas in this world even apparent blessings often prove disappointing. A parent blessed with children may worry whether they will survive or succeed. Another explanation for the increased joy symbolized by Sukkot relates to the harvest and the allaying of food anxiety. A midrash notes that in normal circumstances when a person serves as host, he or she may worry that the food will run out, so even in the joy of the feast there is anxiety. But in the redeemed future, there will be no lack of food. Sukkot, coming when the fruits of the field have all been gathered, allows one to feast without limit.
Being "only happy" on Sukkot turns out not to be an easily achieved goal for the festival (we are gathering outside in flimsy booths, etc). Have you ever woken up to a blown down Sukkah, endured torrential rain or inches of snow, or sat outside in over 100 degree temperatures during Sukkot? I have been through all of those in my life. However, the midrashim point the way to a different perspective. Sukkot becomes a marker of both abundance and of lack, of joy and of anxiety. It is a festival that allows us to appreciate all that we possess in the world, while gently reminding us that even the greatest abundance in this world is fleeting. Of all the festivals, Sukkot is least attached to historical narrative and most about yearning for future redemption. It teaches us to anticipate a world to come where there will be no hunger, disease or death but only love and joy.
As we head into the holiday of Sukkot amidst this pandemic, we are reminded yet again of the contrasts during this time in the Jewish calendar between joy and sorrow. My prayer for us is that even as we may not be able to celebrate Sukkot in the “regular” fashion which we have become accustomed to, we still find those moments of joy and happiness throughout this holiday.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sukkot Sameach (Happy Sukkot)!
Bat Mitzvah of Adeena Peters (Private Livestream Only)
Erev Sukkot II and Evening Services with Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose and Ellior Rose: 6:15 pm via Livestreamand FB Live(only)
Sukkot II Sunday, October 4
Sukkot II Morning Services with Cantor Sharon Nathanson: 9:00 am Special Sukkot Sermon delivered by Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose: 10:30 am (approximately) via Livestreamand FB Live(only)
Sunday Afternoon & Evening Services (and Havdalah) with Jay Englander: 6:15 pm
Friday, October 9th - Hoshanah Rabbah & Erev Shemini Atzeret Hoshanah Rabbah Services with Cantor Sharon Nathanson, Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose, and Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham: 7:00 am
Friday Night Shabbat & Yontif Services with Cantor Sharon Nathanson: 6:00 pm Candlelighting Time: 6:13 pm
Saturday, October 10 - Shemini Atzeret (including Yizkor) Shabbat Morning and Yontif Services with Cantor Sharon Nathanson: 9:00 am D'var Torah with Rabbi Neal Rose: 10:15 am
Minchah, Ma’ariv followed by Simchat Torah Hakafot: 5:45 pm Join our Klei Kodesh and select members of BAUSY for this joyous celebrationCandlelighting Time: 7:12 pm
Sunday, October 11 - Simchat Torah Simchat Torah Services and the honoring of our Bride and Groom of the Torah, Beverly and Maynard Chervitz: 9:00 am
Sunday Afternoon & Evening Services (and Havdalah) with Jay Englander: 6:15 pm
In-Person Sukkot & Simchat Torah Opportunities
Thank you to all who have pre-registered for our In-Person, Socially Distanced Sukkot & Simchat Torah events. Please keep an eye out for information regarding arrival times, parking and health and safety precautions. Please contact Anita Kraus or Liessa Alperin for more information.
Select events will take place in the Goldberg/Dalin Sukkah in the Spitzer Sukkah Garden.
Upcoming Sukkot Experiences:
Moments in the Sukkah, Various Dates & By Appointment Only. Click HERE to reserve a time.
Family Sukkot Experiences, Sunday, October 4 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am (registration is now closed)
Have Torah, Will Travel! Thursday, October 8 & Friday, October 9. Click HERE to register.
Men’s Club in the Sukkah with Rabbi Abraham, Saturday, October 3 at 7:00 pm (registration is now closed)
Sisterhood's Schmooze in the Sukkah with our Rebbetzins, October 8 at 7:00 pm. Click HERE to join the waiting list.
Simchat Torah Family Experiences, Saturday, October 10 at 3:00 pm & 4:00 pm. Please click HERE to register.
Sukkot is generously sponsored by Sanford and Gloria Spitzer in memory of all their loved ones and Dr. Marvin Mishkin in memory of his beloved wife, Marilyn Mishkin.
It's Time To Return Your Lev Shalem Machzor
If you borrowed a Lev Shalem Machzor for the High Holy Days, we kindly request that you return it to the collection cart located in our main entrance vestibule at your earliest convenience. For those with accessibility needs, please contact our office to arrange for a curbside drop-off. Thank you!
Weekday Minyan Information
Join Us For Minyan During Sukkot Sukkot is a Holy Day filled with beautiful prayer, song, and pageantry. In particular, we mark the end of the summer season and prepare for the rainy season, for the winter. As we Daven, we focus intensely on the need for blessed precipitation so that our fields will be nourished and our crops will grow. The "earthy" symbols of the Sukkah, Lulav, Etrog, Hadas and Aravah all remind us of the beauty of our Mother Earth and our responsibility to both recognize and preserve our planet. Please join us throughout these Holy Days for our moving services as we lovingly pour out our hearts like the water we so desperately need and desire at this time of the year. Good Yontiff to all!
In observance of Sukkot, Services will not be available by Zoom on Sunday, October 4 (Morning and Evening).
Virtual Evening Minyan
Monday - Friday Morning Minyan will take place virtually at 7:00 am
God, Will You Come to My Sukkah? Masked, or Unmasked? Tuesday, October 6; 5:30-6:30 PM CDT Hadar's Jewish Wisdom Fellowship I Religious Leadership Cohort - Project #3
Whereas we'd normally invite friends, family, and mystical guests into our sukkot to celebrate with us, the pandemic has left us bereft of that opportunity. Perhaps, only God will join us this year. That possibility brings to the surface theological challenges and questions pertaining to this tragic and challenging time.
In this webinar, each of three rabbis from this cohort will offer personal responses to the question: Where, or how, are you finding God now? We'll share supporting texts from our shared learning before splitting into breakout rooms to ponder the same question.
