Shabbat Chol
Hamo’ed Sukkot
Torah: Exodus
33:12-34:26 / Haftarah: Ezekiel 38:18 - 39:16
“Sukkot: The
Value of Hospitality”
Dear Friends,
While the Sukkot festival celebrates the harvest,
it is also reinforces our Jewish value of hospitality. A sukkah booth generally has no locks to
fasten, no doors to close and no windows to seal. It is open to all who want to enter. Welcoming guests reminds us of the
declaration we make at the start of the Passover seder, “Let all you are hungry
come and eat.”
Our Jewish value of hospitality comes from the
stories of Abraham and Sarah who welcomed travellers to their tent. In one story, Abraham ran to greet three men
and insisted that they come to his tent to eat and rest. Instead of asking servants, Abraham himself
did the cooking and serving, and even washed their feet. From this we learn
that the host should welcome and serve guests in his or her home and sukkah!
When it comes to festivals (and truly everyday) the
Jewish people is one huge family. When
we see travellers coming through our communities, we welcome them into our
homes. When we ourselves are traveling
far from home, we instinctively seek out members of the Jewish community in the
cities and countries we visit and enjoy the warm welcome we receive. Sukkot reminds us that all Jews are
responsible for one another. We are one
people.
Please come to our Shabbat Sukkot service this
Friday evening, October 21st. Two nights later, experience our Simchat Torah
celebration on Sunday evening, October 23rd, when we share dinner, dance with
our Torah scrolls and unroll a scroll to read from the end and the beginning.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
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