Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

By the time you read this, we will be past Yom Kippur looking toward Sukkot, which begins this Sunday evening. Sukkot is Z’man Simchateinu, the Season of our Joy. This emotional swing from the difficulty of confronting our behavior on Yom Kippur actually begins with the Yom Kippur concluding service, Neilah, which ends the day on a high note.

It is always gratifying to see the community come together at the end of a long Yom Kippur day, and the emotional charge for me serves as a catalyst for getting back to work with a renewed sense of hope. Celebrating Sukkot in the Manheim Garden, performing the mitzvah of welcoming guests into our Sukkah, feeds that sense of hope — the gratifying feeling of doing for others and broadening our sense of community.

Notwithstanding the many challenges facing our world, I am hopeful we can carry the feelings of hope and joy we get from Sukkot into our year to come, 5783. To all, a Chag Sukkot Sameach!