Sukkah of Peace

We were fortunate and blessed to have beautiful and meaningful High Holiday services at Ohr Shalom. So many people contributed, and all of our plans came together. Then, within a few minutes of breaking the fast, I saw the news coming out of Belleville, Ontario.

A man with a shotgun approached a synagogue observing Yom Kippur – just as our synagogue was doing at that very moment. He opened fire on the synagogue. A heroic constable stood between him and the synagogue and fatally shot the attacker. Thankfully, no synagogue members were injured.

This occurred just days after a man was arrested by federal agents in Pennsylvania for allegedly planning attacks against several synagogues. Another two men were arrested in England on the eve of Yom Kippur for allegedly planning to attack the Jewish community of Manchester, one year after two worshippers were killed there on Yom Kippur.

I had more to be grateful for than I realized.

Tomorrow night, we will welcome in the Festival of Sukkot. “Sukkot” is Hebrew for shelters (“sukkah” is a single shelter). Each week, in the Friday evening service, we thank God for spreading a sukkah of peace over us. On Sukkot, though, we have to build our own sukkah.

It is a reminder that we cannot simply rely on God for protection. We have to be partners with God in providing that sukkah of peace.

Going back to the High Holidays, I’ve been trying to put my finger on what made things so special this year. The Cantor and choir were great. We had 11 teens each chant a verse of Haftarah. We had dozens of people leading prayers and chanting Torah. The shofar blowing was fantastic. The family service was both fun and meaningful. We had a great crowd.

All of those things contributed. But, in the end, I think the most important thing is that we all felt safe and welcome here – in part because of the physical changes we have made and in part because of the policies we have implemented.

We worked hard to create a sukkah of peace.

God and our tradition took care of the rest.

Best wishes for a Happy –and Safe –Sukkot