Rabbi Howard Morrison

As a child, doing Mitzvot right after Yom Kippur was an important theme, at least for my dad.

As a one-man house committee for the shul, for many years - dad, I, my brother, and a few others came back to shul after breaking the Yom Kippur fast to build the shul Sukkah. On the following day, the three of us would build our backyard Sukkah, comprised of green canvas walls and a bamboo carpet of Schach. My mom and two sisters would prune branches from the front lawn and tuck them into the Schach. These practices went on for many years.

Long before the internet, emailing, and texting - When I was in rabbinical school in New York during the 1980's, I received a package from my folks from the Boston area. In it was the weekly edition of the local Brookline newspaper. The cover story depicted my family's age-old Sukkah pancaked to the ground after a strong wind blew it down. Somehow, the paper picked up on the story. My parents thought I would get a kick out it. Instead, I called in a panic to see if everyone was alright, and complained why I was not told sooner. My family did rebuild the Sukkah quickly right before the holiday began.

I have been blessed to know of many Sukkahs throughout my life. When personal circumstances prompted me to move from a home, where I always had a personal Sukkah, to a condo building, where I cannot build my own Sukkah, I am comforted that many people now invite me, and that I can bring my own meals to the Beth Emeth Sukkah. When that transition happened, I donated my Sukkah to the shul. Kelvin, the shul custodian, tells me that each year, parts of my Schach are added into the Beth Emeth Sukkah. So, a part of me remains right here.

Sitting or dwelling in the Sukkah means so much to me - family, friends, and meal celebrations from the past; a one-month club house before dad insisted on taking it down; sitting under the sun by day and the moon with its stars by night; rushing inside after Kiddush when the rains came in strong; or rushing inside before the lunch meal was over because the bees decided to hijack our meal on a hot day. Yes - The Sukkah meant fun, but the Sukkah also meant an appreciation for nature, and a realization that we sat under God's providential care.

Whether you have your own or not, I encourage everyone to have an experience of sitting and eating in the Sukkah this year.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison