Now that Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are behind us, I am able to spare a few moments to sit down and write this letter before we begin preparing for the new holiday, Sukkot.

Here in Israel when Rosh Hashanah arrives people become a bit apprehensive. Just two years ago, New Year, Israel was thrown into a security nightmare, when the call for Jihad rang from every hilltop. Now, two years later, after losing friends and family, people still hold their breaths and pray that maybe, finally, this year, we will be able to sit under our grape vines and fig trees, peacefully enjoying the gifts of our beautiful land.

This year we spent both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur on an independent family run hilltop near Itamar (one of the communities in Samaria). Since this is the third New Year that we have spent there, people joke that we have started a new family tradition. As I expected, we all had a great time, especially Chana. She ran around (falling occasionally of course) saying “Baaa-Baaaa” and pulling us in the direction of the goat pen, which contains several hundred goats and sheep. There, with no fear whatsoever, she ran around trying to feed the goats hay and ‘make nice’ to the fluffy sheep. For a change of scenery we took her to the free-range chicken coupe. There, she had a great time running around chasing all of the chickens, in excitement. While I (mostly) and our little Doctor Doolittle were talking with the animals, Mordechai was busy praying in the family’s synagogue. In addition to leading some of the services, he had the important job of being the Ba’al-Tokea, one who blows on the ram’s horn (Shofar). On Yom Kippur, since we were all fasting, no one had much strength to run around with Chana. So, to her dismay, she only got to visit the goats once.

Although we had a great time with our friends on their hilltop, we missed our little hilltop and home. On Rosh Hashanah, four of the six families stayed and were joined by guests and occasional visitors. Although fewer families stayed for Yom Kippur, a minyan (group of ten men) was attained and services were held. Actually, they were held in our humble little home, since we are the only ones that have anything that even slightly resembles an air conditioner - which was a necessity on the unusually hot Yom Kippur day. So, although we weren’t physically there, our home certainly was. Now, as I mentioned, them has come to prepare for Sukkot. This year, since we have our pergola-wooden porch, Mordechai will not have to build a Sukkah (traditional hut, ‘booth’, which is eaten and slept in all throughout the holiday). As for Esther (my newly married sister-in-law and neighbor) and I, we have our share of work cut out for us. Since Mordechai’s whole family will be joining us for the first day of the holiday, we will have to cook for a brigade. Last bu not least, there is the task of decorating the sukkah, which we will save for Mordechai’s youngest sister. As for our neighbors, one couple is in the process of building a wooden porch similar to ours. Our newest neighbors built a huge sukkah since they will be hosting a “sheva bracot” - for his newly wed sister - one of the festive meals made for a bride and groom during the week following their wedding. We will all be helping our neighbor, who herself is a new bride prepare for this large event. Of course, all of the guests will be given a grand tour of our beautiful grounds.

As for the remainder of the holiday, our hilltop will be busting with the comings and goings of family members and friends as the tradition of “sukkah - hopping” is put into full force. With a week of “Sundays” we too plan on hopping around visiting others.

Jewish law dictates that during sukkot men must live in the sukkah as they live in their homes (eating and sleeping, etc). For seven days we open our locked doors and windows to live in a hut seeming unprotected at all. With the current security situation as it is, the obvious question arises, are we afraid? By saying no, we may be considered crazy by many - maybe just brave by a few others. The truth is (after taking the necessary security precautions) we are strengthened by our deep rooted faith. During these Sukkot days, we rely on the mercy of the Creator of the Universe to lead and protect us as He has done for thousands of years. And of course, as we pray during the Grace after meals, “May it be finally that G-d erect for us David’s fallen booth.”

This entry was posted on Friday, October 11th, 2002 and is filed under series.