Chol HaMoed Sukkot Sunday Morning

Yom rishon, 16 Tishrei 5770, first day Chol HaMoed Sukkot.

Getting an early start on the first day of Chol HaMoed gives me the chance to get some nice photos.

We had a special guest, a friend the boys grew up with back in the Old Country.  As is so often the case in this holy place, the guys are together again, going to yeshiva.

Here, the Dearly Beloved and Shaya remind each other of how to tie the lulav.

While they davened the special prayers for the intermediate days of the Sukkot festival, I took a stroll around the the new neighborhood of the yishuv, and took a few more shots of the most recent settlement construction.  (I'll delve into the old neighborhood later, to prove to my friend in New Zealand that we do have more green here than she imagines.  Though it cannot be argued that G-d gave NZ a special measure of green.)

This fierce guard dog is protecting his owners' newest home.

Peeking in through one open sukkah door, we saw some lovely art work, and asked the owners if we could take a few photographs.  They were happy to oblige, and gave us a little of the history of the beautiful papercuts.

The work was done by the grandfather, who is in his eighties.  It is clear that his hands and eyes are still sure.  His son proudly explains to us that he still takes care of himself, still maintains his own garden.  Before the Holocaust, this grandfather did beautiful papercuts in Hungary.

Thankfully, he survived, to produce beautiful art here in Israel -- some from paper, and some in the form of strikingly handsome children and grandchildren.  Thank you, Hashem, for the few bright lights You did not allow to be extinguished.*

Quiz question:  Which are the temporary dwellings here?

Fun observations aside, these trailers are the way a lot of young people start out in Israel.  The Dearly Beloved and I have very fond memories of our very first and very simple home together.  May these young people share equally happy memories of their first "mansions," from within their future beautiful, permanent, child- and grandchild-filled homes here in the hills of Judea -- or wherever else in this Holy Land they choose to build and grow.

Home again.  Kedusha, in my own precious sukkah.  Baruch Hashem!

This post is in part for you, Micha and Suri.  Thanks for sharing, and adding some of your light to our chag.

*Dear Hashem, now that You have caused us to see the film of Gilad (ben Aviva) Shalit, still alive and well, please bring him home to us.  You are the only One who can.


For a translation into English of Gilad's words, please visit A Soldier's Mother.

Chol HaMoed:  intermediate days of seven- or eight-day festivals

Lulav:  palm branch used during the Sukkot holiday; also refers to a collection of palm, myrtle and willow branches

Kedusha:  holiness
Chag:  holiday

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Sukkos / all around the world...

Yom shishi, 14 Tishrei 5770, Erev Chag Sukkot.

With cleaning and cooking and sukkah-building being top priorities the last few days, I have no time to write.  But you are just as busy, and have no time to read.  Here are some pictures to look at, when you take that well-deserved break.

Here are a few of the sukkot going up around Neve Daniel.

Classy sukkah, yes?  Well -- wait till you see the house that goes with it:

Now I know it makes sense to you.  Classy house, classy sukkah.

I know this fellow has a big sukkah -- but does he really need all that schach???  (Just kidding.  He shleps in schach for all of us to purchase, at very reasonable prices.)

Here is Mizrachi Mansion going up.

I know I've probably said it before; but Sukkot is my favorite holiday.  One of the reasons is because the Dearly Beloved builds me a house with his own hands, and with the help of our sons.  It is filled to the brim with simplicity and genius and love.  There is kedusha there.

We had some time before the aforementioned cooking and cleaning to visit Yerushalayim and Ramat Beit Shemesh and Beitar Illit.  Here are some of the beautiful and interesting scenes that reminded us of why we love living in our country with our people.

(Hey -- who's that guy screaming "Remember Gush Katif!" whilst observing the attention to detail of the Chareidim?)

News flash:  Israel's President, Shimon Peres, invited neighborhood children in Yerushalayim to help him decorate his sukkah.  Politics aside -- this is not a happening thing at the US White House.

The real Chez Mizrachi, ready for ushpizin, meals, holy hanging out, music, and as many guests as wish to drop by.  We look forward to seeing you here.

Chag sameach, from Mishpachat Mizrachi to all of our family everywhere!

Sukkot 5769: After-Action Report

Yom revi'i, 23 Tishrei 5769, Isru Chag.

At the end of the holiday of Sukkot, there is a ceremony to "say farewell" to the Sukkah, our home for the last seven days.

The Dearly Beloved and I sat in the waning light, watching the sunset weaving pink and blue threads through the black plastic burlap of our western sukkah wall.



"What was your favorite moment in our first sukkah in Israel?" he asked.

I didn't even have to think. "It was an off-hand remark you made. I was reminding you of the time, that it was almost Shachrit. You said not to worry, that you wouldn't miss davening. That there is a Torah reading every day during Sukkot, and that you hadn't missed a Torah reading since you made a deal with G-d. I asked you what the deal was. Your reply touched my heart. 'I asked Hashem to please get rid of the Cellulitis. I said I would use my legs to get me to shul to touch His holy Torah, every time it was out.' I was so moved by the simple faith of that bargain."

While it is not recommended that we make deals with G-d, I know that The Dearly Beloved will keep his end of his bargain, even if Hashem decides at some point that he can serve Him best by struggling with another bout of Cellulitis. But get this: between 2002 and 2004, my husband had increasing attacks of Cellulitis in his legs. It really appeared that this was going to be our "new normal." In 2004, he had to cancel a trip to Israel with me, his first trip to Israel since 1991. His doctor said that the risk of DVT was very great, and that it could kill him if he flew. He was very disappointed; and I had so hoped this trip would finally convince him that it was time to make aliyah. Apparently, he made this deal with Hashem, unbeknownst to me, over this event. In 2005, he was able to take the family trip that caused all of us to decide to move to Israel. He flew with me again the following year for our pilot trip; and in 2007, we finally came Home. (And, he hasn't had Cellulitis since, bli ayin hara.)

I realized, sitting in the sukkah this year, that it may have been my husband's simple act of turning his health over to Hashem that caused Hashem to finally say yes to our aliyah.

"What was your favorite moment?" I asked him, in return.

"There were two. Working with my son on building it. And the melave malka, when our neighbors came by and played music with us."

I remembered that my favorite moment at another friend's sukkah actually took place as she walked us to our car afterward. She had invited us to speak and play music before a large group of her students. At the end of her event, she asked everyone to share a moment of silent contemplation, to lock in the sukkah experience. Some sat with eyes closed. Others studied the walls and decorations. As we were leaving, she and I shared that we two had been looking intently at each face... because to us, "the sukkah" was not the walls and decorations, nor even the schach, but the people. These were the true "walls of the sukkah."

The Dearly Beloved and I reminisced for several more minutes, and realized that all of our special moments were about people. Then he gave me a short d'var Torah. "We have to be careful not to get too focused on the structure of the mishkan or the Temple or the shul. Hashem said 'Build me a mishkan so that I may dwell in them.' He didn't say 'it.' Our sages learn from this that He wanted to dwell inside of each of us, and inside of the collective Jewish people. The structure helps us to focus, but it is the achdut, the unity, that is critical to Hashem's plan."

Master of the Universe...may there always be upon us a heavenly protection from Your holy abode, to save us from all sin and iniquity, from evil occurences, from malevolent periods that are stirring to come upon the world." ( -- from the "Farewell to the Sukkah" service on Shemini Atzeret)


May we Jews together create the achdut to merit that protection.