Here are some pictures from the first Sukkah we built at East Lake Commons in Atlanta, back in 2001. All natural, framed with long branches lashed together with ivy, not a single man-made item used in the entire structure. (The roof in this pic may not be kosher; i tried to move the bamboo around enough to keep it covered, but I'm not sure... it was a good time nonetheless.)
These last two are from a later year, when I was not there, but they give a good sense of the overall structure and atmospehere of the ELC Sukkah in all it's glory.
This year will be the sixth year of the ELC Sukkah. Paul Marquardt and Jim Lando have kept it going all these years, Baruch Hashem.
My yeshiva-mate Eitan Levy (the guy in the middle in this picture, which was on a previous post right here at The Stu) just started a blog, and my existential meanderings prompted the first post. Read on!
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My friend Caren Philips has been suffering a very very hard time. Her husband Steve, who was an amazing athlete, biking hundreds of miles through the mountains, running long-distances, bringing much joy into this world, had a terrible heart attack and is now in a persistent vegetative state. Caren has been maintaining updates on the site of her shul in Boulder.
I wrote her today, some thoughts about Sukkot. Just a flow, really, but I wanted to share.
More on Sukkot in the future. Much love.
i didn't proofread this. or reread it for logic or accuracy. it's just a friday-morning flow. hope it benefits.
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The Sukkah--- it IS about trusting God, but it is also about permanence, or its lack. the Sukkah is a temporary structure. By definition it protects you from the harsh burn of the sun. To the Greeks, the Sun was linked with Apollo, who represents truth- Emet. I don't know what us Yidden say about the sun, but i reckon the connection works by us as well.
The Sukkah protects from the harsh burn of Emet, the kind of Emet that is untempered by love. The Emet of something like-- your beloved husband is struck down mercilessly with no warning. The Sukkah a refuge from the brutality of that din.
But it is not like the safety of home. It has to be able to withstand mild winds, yes, but even a little rain gets in, and in a storm, the whole thing might go a-rollin' down into the valley.
The whole thing about Schach is that it is temporary. The Sukkah is a temporary structure. Like our lives. Like our bodies. When we are in the Sukkah we realize that all the things to which we grasp are so tenuous. They could slip away at any moment, come crashing down with the right wind.
I've been thinking a lot about the verse in Psalm 147:
Lifnei Karato, mi Ya'amod?
Before His cold, who could stand?
in some ways, God, Flinger of Ice, Blower of Frigid Snows,
is just cold cold cold. too cold for us to withstand.
and if He wanted to blast our Sukkah with an early frost (or if you were doing Sukkot in Alaska), you wouldn't stand a chance.
And yet.
And yet Sukkot is called The Chag-- THE Festival-- a time of ample joy and celebration. The Talmud describes the nightly Water Drawing at the Temple during Sukkot as wild revelries, with the great Sages doing amazing flips and gymnastics, fire-twirling, dancing, leaping into the air----
Somehow, in the midst of this radical awareness of frailty, massive joy is unleashed. The Water Drawing took place at the Temple itself, the "permanent" structure, God's sukkah. Maybe there's a clue there. WE dwell in impermanence, but the House of God is hosting a major party every night, and we are invited.
We read Psalm 27 every day, from Elul all the way through the High Holidays and Sukkot. It's got that great line-- Achat Sha'alti--- One thing I ask from God-- Let me dwell in the House of God all the days of my life, to gaze upon the pleasantness of God, and to visit His Courtyard
I think that's connected.
How to make that reality, I dunno. Meditate on it. Somehow, Hashem is both unbearable freezing cold, and desirable pleasantness. And in the Sukkah, we are reminded of both, reminded of the fact that, no matter how brutal the storm winds are, the ultimate Dwelling Place is one of No'am-- Pleasantness
1 comment:
Dear Stu,
Sorry I haven't been able to write in a bit. The creator not bis just the cold but the heat. I've been in contact with quite a few people from Isreal because of my job. First a "The Camp of Judea" in Texas wants to make tie-dyes. Then I get a call from a great lady from Isreal for some shirts. During this conversation she informs of this program to go to there. She thought it would be a great idea for me to visit where my dad came from. It was such a great talk that it renewd my intrest of actually doing it. But there always seems something in the way.
Day after day some kind of crap happens. It seems that when I fix one thing another prsents itself. I get so mad sometimes then I just make matters worse. What to do with all that frustration?
Arghhhhh!!!!Take care Happy new year.
Lukas JA SHerzer
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