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Erev Sukkot 5779 A Sukkah Havdalah - NPLS

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Erev Sukkot 5779 A Sukkah Havdalah Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein 23 September 2018 I can’t be 100% accurate, but this must be my hundredth Sukkot sermon, taking into account the years I gave two… Erev and Morning each time… and if you add in a few Shabbat in Sukkot discourses, you can see why I feel a bit Tabernacles worn out. Regulars who have actually listened to the sermons and have a good recall will know that, though I don’t think I ever repeated one verbatim, they all sounded much the same. A few, no doubt dwelt on the fact that I was once the world expert on the lulav and etrog, having done my Rabbinic thesis in 1970 on the subject. Nowadays you can download all the facts on Google… my only salvation is the thought that Mr Google read my thesis as the source of his or her posting! All sermons a rehash of harvest, thankfulness, pilgrimage, rain, beauty of nature, homelessness, hospitality, ecology or, if no children present the erotic image of the lulav and etrog. Post Yom Kippur my thoughts turned again to the subject…is there anything new to say. Then I recalled an essay by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg (in his Eternal Journey) That introduces Sukkot as a sort of Havdalah after Yom Kippur. Havdalah the ceremony to close Shabbat that utilises the four senses to provoke memory of the holyday whilst it is still fresh in your memory. After the long fast and serious prayers and melodies, Sukkot comes as a joyous festival, as a welcome contrast. On Yom Kippur we eat nothing, we smell perhaps only the halitosis of our fasting neighbour, even the Torah scrolls are just plain to our sight and we hear the sound of much the same prayers over and again and the sound we wish to hear above all is the single sound of the shofar announcing the day is ended. On Sukkot we eat fruit and other goodies, we smell the etrog, we feel the lulav and listen to its rustle as we shake it and hopefully look with joy at the variegated beauty of the sukkah. All the four senses combined in one Chag. I suppose that Sukkot has always had about it a sense of relaxation and wellbeing, a change in tempo and mood. For the ancient farmer, indeed the modern one as well, it was true rejoicing especially if a good harvest had been gathered in. A sense of relief and safety, that one will survive into winter and beyond. In our modern world, where our food supply seems guaranteed, maybe less reason for anxiety. But who knows with Brexit coming up. And safety… up in Edinburgh where Sharon I led Yom Kippur services, we were lucky to be closeted indoor for the day, because outside a storm raged, trees were down, electricity wires broken. Come Neilah several people in the congregation, who lived miles from the Edinburgh had to make emergency plans as there was no transport home…some in fact having to lodge with other members of he congregation. No trains or buses. Our only inconvenience was next morning our train to London was cancelled but we managed to get on the next one with the boon of actually getting a seat, though many had to stand. A slight inconvenience for us, but also with the relief that we were delayed only by half an
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Page 1: Erev Sukkot 5779 A Sukkah Havdalah - NPLS

Erev Sukkot 5779

A Sukkah Havdalah

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein 23 September 2018

Ican’tbe100%accurate,butthismustbemyhundredthSukkotsermon,takingintoaccounttheyearsIgavetwo…ErevandMorningeachtime…andifyouaddinafewShabbatinSukkotdiscourses,youcanseewhyIfeelabitTabernacleswornout.Regularswhohaveactuallylistenedtothesermonsandhaveagoodrecallwillknowthat,thoughIdon’tthinkIeverrepeatedoneverbatim,theyallsoundedmuchthesame.Afew,nodoubtdweltonthefactthatIwasoncetheworldexpertonthelulavandetrog,havingdonemyRabbinicthesisin1970onthesubject.NowadaysyoucandownloadallthefactsonGoogle…myonlysalvationisthethoughtthatMrGooglereadmythesisasthesourceofhisorherposting!Allsermonsarehashofharvest,thankfulness,pilgrimage,rain,beautyofnature,homelessness,hospitality,ecologyor,ifnochildrenpresenttheeroticimageofthelulavandetrog.PostYomKippurmythoughtsturnedagaintothesubject…isthereanythingnewtosay.ThenIrecalledanessaybyRabbiJonathanWittenberg(inhisEternalJourney)ThatintroducesSukkotasasortofHavdalahafterYomKippur.HavdalahtheceremonytocloseShabbatthatutilisesthefoursensestoprovokememoryoftheholydaywhilstitisstillfreshinyourmemory.Afterthelongfastandseriousprayersandmelodies,Sukkotcomesasajoyousfestival,asawelcomecontrast.OnYomKippurweeatnothing,wesmellperhapsonlythehalitosisofourfastingneighbour,eventheTorahscrollsarejustplaintooursightandwehearthesoundofmuchthesameprayersoverandagainandthesoundwewishtohearaboveallisthesinglesoundoftheshofarannouncingthedayisended.OnSukkotweeatfruitandothergoodies,wesmelltheetrog,wefeelthelulavandlistentoitsrustleasweshakeitandhopefullylookwithjoyatthevariegatedbeautyofthesukkah.AllthefoursensescombinedinoneChag.IsupposethatSukkothasalwayshadaboutitasenseofrelaxationandwellbeing,achangeintempoandmood.Fortheancientfarmer,indeedthemodernoneaswell,itwastruerejoicingespeciallyifagoodharvesthadbeengatheredin.Asenseofreliefandsafety,thatonewillsurviveintowinterandbeyond.Inourmodernworld,whereourfoodsupplyseemsguaranteed,maybelessreasonforanxiety.ButwhoknowswithBrexitcomingup.Andsafety…upinEdinburghwhereSharonIledYomKippurservices,wewereluckytobeclosetedindoorfortheday,becauseoutsideastormraged,treesweredown,electricitywiresbroken.ComeNeilahseveralpeopleinthecongregation,wholivedmilesfromtheEdinburghhadtomakeemergencyplansastherewasnotransporthome…someinfacthavingtolodgewithothermembersofhecongregation.Notrainsorbuses.OuronlyinconveniencewasnextmorningourtraintoLondonwascancelledbutwemanagedtogetonthenextonewiththeboonofactuallygettingaseat,thoughmanyhadtostand.Aslightinconvenienceforus,butalsowiththereliefthatweweredelayedonlybyhalfan

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hour.Yetasimpleandbriefreminderoftheunpredictabilityoftheweatherandtheeffectitcanhaveonyourlife.ThisyearinEngland,IfearmorethanafewSukkahswillbeblownaway…atimelyremindermaybeofglobalwarmingand,yestheverysymbolofthefestival…impermanencenotsolidity.Backtohetrain…travellinghome…it’sagreatroutefromEdinburgh,especiallythefirsthourasthetrainskirtsthecoast,theseabelowthecliffs,thesunlightinguponthewaves,thefieldswiththeharvestsdone,afewfarmersbringinginthelastcorn,andthetreeswithfirstsignsofchangingcolour.Andevenfurthersouthintheflatlands,thefields,emptyyettidiedup,justwaitingforthenextplanting.ItwaslikeaHavdalah,awelcomerelief.Andareminderofhowbeautifulisthelandandhowtimeless.Thoughwewererushingbyat120milesandhour,theviewoutsidere-enforcedofthefactthatnaturetakesitscourseasithassincecreation,andthatautumnisreadytotakeoverfromglorioussummer.AndRabbiWittenbergquotedlinesfromapoembyShelley,sofitting,especiallythisyear:

Owildwestwind,thoubreathofautumn’sbeing,Thou,fromwhoseunseenpresencetheleavesdeadAredriven,likeghostsfromanenchanterfleeing,Yellowandblackandpaleandhecticred…

AndthoughitnowslipsbyunnoticedanditsimpactlessenedbecauseinourSiddurwesaythewordsthroughouttheyear:traditionally,weaddintheAmidahfromSukkottoPesach:Mashiveha-ruachoomoridha-geshem…whomakesthewindtoblowandtheraintofall.OurSukkotprayeris…Thattheblowingdoesnodamageandthattherainfallingisforthegoodoftheearthnotfordamage.Windandrainweneed…astheprayersays,mayitbeLivrachav’loliklallah…Mayitbeforgoodandnotharm.


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