Not the Host Anymore
Here we are, just barely after Yom Kippur and already I have an apology – I haven’t sat at the computer and blogged for a while – sorry. I’m tempted to say I’ve been swamped but then here we would be, barely after Yom Kippur and not only do I have something to apologize for but I would also be offering excuses for it as well.
So I’ve decided to break my pattern and not offer excuses and maybe not offer the apology but to actually fix the situation and get back to blogging.
It’s Sukkot and the weather here is not great. It’s rainy, cloudy, at times in the evening almost 0 degrees and during the day quite windy. The Sukkah that my family builds every year is made of canvas walls with a metal frame. Every year we worry about the wind and that our Sukkah will soon become airborne and bring the commandment into a whole new realm. This year we decided not to build it since the winds were quite strong. We are now relying on the Sukkah at the shul (made of wood) and the Jewish schools. This year we are the ones visiting in the Sukkah. From being the hosts we are now the ‘ushpizin’ – the guests.
Aside from the question of whether or not it’s polite to ask your Sukkah host if you can sit inside because you’re freezing and shivering and your teeth are chattering…the wonderful thing about Sukkot this year is that in not building our Sukkah we didn’t realize it, but we had forced a change in perspective.
It is difficult enough to be a guest in someone else’s home but being a guest in someone else’s hut has its own set of standards. It is a total change in perspective and if anything, that is what I want to take away with me from Sukkot this year.
Barely after Yom Kippur and being the ‘ushpizin’ at Sukkot, I realize that it’s not just about breaking our routine patterns – it’s also about changing our perspectives.
Such a flimsy little hut with so much potential for personal growth…who knew?
Tags: Apology, Family, High holidays, Sukkah
