From the Rabbi - November 1998

Dear Friends,

Early every morning for the past several weeks, the noise begins: hammering and drilling, scraping and sawing, ripping and tearing. There is dust everywhere - each day brings with it new tumult and chaos. At times our home seems more like a disaster area than a place where people live. Anyone who has undergone house repairs or remodeling knows how unsettling it can be.

I am in awe of the workmen who come to our house. I am not a builder. I consider changing a lightbulb a major "do-it-yourself" accomplishment. There is one time a year, however, when I pick up a hammer, climb a ladder, and build something - on Sukkot. This year, I got adventurous. I raided the discard pile left behind by the workmen and built our Sukkah largely out of scrap materials. As the expert workmen in our home hammered and nailed I was hammering and nailing outside in our temporary structure.

I got some odd looks from the work men. They had no idea what I was doing, even after I explained that I was fulfilling a religious obligation. I can't say that I blame them. Truth be told, my Sukkah didn't look very religious. Despite all of the advice I received (unsolicited) from the workmen, it still leaned to one side, swayed dangerously in the wind and looked like it was made from.....well.... scrap. But I built it with my own two hands - that's what counts.

As I gazed at my newly completed Sukkah I suddenly had a flash of insight as to the meaning of the line in Psalm 118: "The Stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." My Sukkah, built out of "rejected wood," meant so much more to me than a scrappy lean-to. As far as I was concerned it was a palace.

The pilgrims, we are told, patterned their new holiday of Thanksgiving around the festival of Sukkot. Their first harvest was pretty meager. To them, however, it was an abundance of riches.

As we gather together with friends and family for Thanksgiving this year, let us not forget to give thanks for all of the bounty that God has given. After all, seen in the proper perspective, any shack can be a castle; any meal can be a feast. I also hope that you will join us at the Interfaith Service at the Temple on Thanksgiving morning. It is a wonderful way to set a tone for a day of giving thanks.

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

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