Text Box: Marina, our neighbor who lives downstairs, shared with me on Erev Succot about a children’s story book they have about a rabbit that is traveling and for some reason didn’t have a succah. Marina speaks mostly Hebrew and my Hebrew was not good enough to get all of the details, but the story states that a turtle, an owl, and a deer all help to create a succah for the rabbit so that he can fulfill the mitzvah of Succot by working together to build a succah. Why was my neighbor sharing this story with me just before the sun set and Succot began? Well, let me tell you a true tale. In November of last year we had to move to a new apartment as the one we were in was being sold. It was all done per our lease, and the landlord and his wife are still very dear people to us. Our new apartment does not have a place for us to put up a small succah for ourselves, but I was assured that the building always puts up a succah for the whole building. We are having to leave Israel because our visas have not been renewed. I again checked to see if there would be a succah put up as we still had the materials for ours. I was assured there would be one, and sold our succah, a frame, fabric, & reed roof, on Monday, with Succot beginning Wednesday night. The man who bought it was very happy to get materials to have his own succah this year. The price for such materials, new at the stores, is prohibitive to many families. Just as I bought things second hand three years ago, he was buying this year. Well, here it was Wednesday morning and Lisa and I were doing our cleaning of the stairwell and grounds of the apartment for the Yom Tov and wondering why there was nothing going up yet in the area for the apartments’ communal succah. At 2:00 in the afternoon we found out the man who makes the succah each year had decided he was going to his sister’s and there would not be one built for our building this year. This was terrible news to us. We have slept in a succah at least one night for the past 11 years. We have had our meals in the succah and enjoyed the blessing of following this mitzvah. Now what would we do? Roseanna would spend the first night of Succot at her boyfriend’s family home and get to sleep under their succah. This is a blessing and allows her to continue in our practice, but.... Lisa and our neighbor Shalom decided we would have a succah even if it would only be sheets tied up with strings. We gathered our materials and headed outside. On the way downstairs we saw our neighbor, Marina. She smiled and said she would have her children make decorations. Outside, Lisa scrubbed the floor area by sweeping and mopping. A neighbor in the building to the south of us saw us working and asked us if we need help with some extra walls he had. (Here it is common to see walls of plywood, and some even have windows cut.) We were delighted and enthusiastically accepted. This same neighbor had helped me earlier in the day with translation to an Arab man who was picking up curtains we had put out by the sidewalk for anyone to take. He understands that we are having to move back to the USA for a time and are trying to bless others through the things that will not go with us and will not sell. We don’t throw things away that have any value; we find families that can use it. While I climbed over the low fence and vines to go to his building for the walls, this neighbor assisted me, grasping my hand to help me over. Receiving a boost from another friend, I got caught by the vines and lost my balance and fell, taking the neighbor down with me. After our tumble in the soft dirt by the fence, we got up, brushed ourselves off, and gathered the boards to hand over to Lisa, Roseanna and Shalom. While doing this I found out that he is a Rabbi at the local yeshiva. Rabbi Arieh spoke further with Shalom while we were quickly binding walls together and offered to loan us roof material from the yeshiva. Shalom, in the meantime, had put in what time he could, as he had an invitation to another succah for the first night of celebration, and had to go and prepare for that meal. I went with Rabbi Arieh to the yeshiva, and we picked up a fantastic woven reed roof that would cover about 2/3 of the opening of the succah that we are quickly throwing together. I met some students there who were delighted with the opportunity that their yeshiva could help with the succah project of the moment in this fashion. When we returned to our apartment, Rabbi Arieh went into his home to prepare for his family’s celebration. I discovered that we didn’t have enough string to bind walls and rafters together. Uh oh. It was just past 3:30p.m., and stores normally close at 3:00 on a Shabbat. I decided to make a run for it and see what I could find. On my quick walk to the local small market, I passed a neighborhood house whose yard is always overgrown like a jungle. We have never seen a person in the building. Today the woman was there and she asked me what the rush was on the eve of Succot. I told her that we just found out that our building would not have a succah, and I must get some string as we were trying to quickly put one together. Continuing on, I ran to the store and arrived just before the owner was leaving. He heard my story and sold me clothesline, challah bread, wine, and cookies ... to prepare for the succah first night. As I left, he smiled widely at me. He also knows we will be returning to the USA and said, “Behatslecha (good luck). G-d always smiles on what you do; you will make it.” On my way back home, the woman I passed at the house told me she had plenty of branches, and for this good work (mitzvah) she would charge nothing. She showed me the palms and berry bushes to use and smiled her encouragement. I dropped the supplies with Lisa and Roseanna and grabbed my saw, and ran back to her house. I was very careful to prune the plants judiciously so as to make her yard look better for her offer. After 30 minutes I was pleased with the pruning I had done and I dragged the large palm branches (taller than I am) home with some of the berry branches. It was 4:15p.m. Lisa and Roseanna had finished putting up the sheets and walls but there was still some quick tightening of some of the ties to do, plus putting the reed roof up on cross slats. The children from downstairs brought their creations. Dudu (the nickname for David) their father was with them. There were paper chains, pictures, drawings, a paper lantern, and a beautiful Mylar decoration from their Ima (mother) for the succah. As I finished the roof, the children were helping with decorations, the boys playing with Shai our dog and the girl hanging decorations. Lisa and Roseanna gathered our plastic table and chairs and brought them down. Shalom was on his way out and asked what we would do for electricity. Normally, people here run an extension cord and hang a few bulbs in the succah. I stated that when people traveled in the wilderness they were totally dependent upon G-d and had no electricity. Everybody laughed! This succah would of course have to have light, as it was in the tents and booths of our forefathers. We added an oil lamp, candles, Lisa’s Shabbat flowers, an olive wood Magen David puzzle and a tablecloth. We had just completed the succah, and it was almost 5:00p.m. Whew, we made it! Services at the synagogue would begin in 25 minutes and usher in the official start of the holiday. As we entered our apartment building, Marina and her family were on their way out of the building, dressed up to go to the town of Efrat on a special invitation they had to share the first night of Succot there. I told her how amazed I was that just 3 hours ago it seemed we would have no succah, and have to break with our tradition. Now, thanks to neighbors in the building, a friendly rabbi next door, a shopkeeper who stayed open to sell me supplies, and a lady around the corner who supplied the branches, we have the most amazing succah I have ever been part of making. Marina smiled and told me, “We have a story book about a rabbit that is traveling and can not have a succah for Succot....” It is now hours later. It is dark. We have been to the evening service at the synagogue up the street. The rabbi next door invited us to his succah for Kiddush, and we shared in that blessing with him and his family and returned to our succah. We have had our wine, special round challah bread shaped just for this season, and eaten our meal by the candlelight and oil lamp prepared before sundown to provide us with light. Sitting in the glow of the flames, looking up at the sky through the branches, I think back on how G-d has provided for we who follow in His ways. In the desert 40 years, when building up the Promised Land, when living under our own government or under the government of others, He has cared for His people through the years. He provides us with everything we need in both good times and bad. He has created us to live as a people who will pull together as a people living within His commands, and be willing to help each other out. At 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon there was nothing ready for the first night of Succot. Now I sit remembering G-d’s blessing, His promises, His kept promises and those yet to be fulfilled, and revel in experiencing the love of the family of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This succah is the result of my family (volunteers /mitnadvim) here to bless Israel, a tour guide, a policeman and his family, a rabbi, a yeshiva and its students, a shop owner, a woman around the corner, and of course G-d Himself binding us all together. During this Succot may you sit in your succah and share the story of a rabbit, who, with the help of a turtle, owl, deer, and many others gets to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling in a succah and relish in the love of G-d. I know that this rabbit feels overwhelmed with feelings of love, the branches and stars blurring through his tears. Chag sameach (happy holiday!) and Selah-

This week’s Parasha

Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

 Sept 27 , 2007  —

 Succot, and a rabbit tale

 

A special tale about our succah this year and the blessing of being part of such a great people and place… The story may seem long, but take the time.

 

Three succot (plural form of succah) in Jerusalem made with wooden walls.

< Decorations for sale.

 

Haredi man dragging long palm branches for use as the ceiling of a succah.

       V

The rabbi, assisting our succah-building efforts by loaning us walls. It is a mitzvah to do good deeds.

A succah can be any size.

It’s our Israeli succah!

Looking up at the woven reed mat and the palm branches.