Repentance Out of Love
The festival of Succot is a happy festival. We celebrate the fact that Hashem took us out of Egypt and sheltered us in booths, as well as placing us in a special defence force of Ananei Hakavod – Clouds of…
Sukkot Insights
During Yom Kippur we restored our relationship with Hashem. On Sukkot we learn how that relationship should affect our everyday lives. The principal lesson we learn is that Hashem has made comprehensive provision for all our needs. This lesson is…
Sukkot Insights
The Gemoro Sukka Daf 27b states "כל ישראל ראוים לישב בסוכה אחת" – all the Jewish people are fit to sit under one Sukka. Now, while this sounds very nice, it is obviously impossible for the entire Jewish people to…
A Message from the Sukah
It says in Parshat Pinchos, 'Bayom Hashemini Atzeret Tiheye Lochem'. Targum Yonason translates this as 'We should gather ourselves from the Sukah to our homes, besimcha' - i.e. the essence of the day of Shemini Atzeret is that we are…
Sukkot Insights
My grandfather, Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Carlebach was a rabbi in New Jersey at a time of changing demographics. An older bachelor, a chazzan of a shul some distance was a regular at their Shabbat table. One Rosh Hashanah he really…
The light at the end of the tunnel
In the recent months, there have been epic moments of bonding with Hashem. A variety of emotions have filled our hearts. We have toiled through a powerful month of Elul consisting of cries to our Creator, building up to Rosh…
Are we in control or are we controlled by others?
When the Torah gives us the mitzvah of the four species on Sukkot it says “ulekachtem lachem bayom harishon” — “you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruits of a beautiful tree” — which the Sages define as the etrog — “the branches of date palms” —…
An Entire Year of סוכות
Praying for a סוכה During the Year: סוכות is a special time of the year. Once a year, for eight days, we have a variety of beautiful מצות to perform. We seem however to want סוכות the entire year! Every evening of…
