During Sukkot we read Ecclesiastes, Kohelet. The famous verse says “There is a time for everything under heaven.” Really? Everything? It is like the verse in the morning prayer Yotzer Or, “Yotzer or uvorei chosech oseh shalom u’vorei et hakol, who forms light and creates darkness who makes peace and creates all things.” Really? G-d creates all things? Even bad things? Even evil? I’ve wrestled with this and probably will continue to do so.

Even while we are celebrating Sukkot, zeman simchateinu, the time of our joy, we are reminded of the fragility of life. The Sukkot we build, those little booths are deliberately flimsy, non-permanent. They let the rain come in. They can blow over in a storm. But all of life is like that.

Today I had a different experience for Sukkot. My husband and I set out on a trip. I was going to pay a hospital call and then pick up something I need for the synagogue for Thursday evening. We got a later start than I anticipated. I wasn’t in a good mood despite a beautiful, sunny, warm fall day. We got to the DesPlaines Oasis and stopped for coffee. Caleb, the dog, had a chance to run. When we got back in the car, the car wouldn’t start. Nothing. Wouldn’t even turn over. No noise. I am fearing the worst.

We called AAA. They said that they would be there in about an hour. That would put all of this at the height of rush hour. Not happy. Why is this happening to me? Can’t anything work the way it is supposed to? I am worrying about the dog so close to Interstate 90, the alternator, what if we have to replace the car entirely, all sorts of gloom and doom.

Then I realized, we are really lucky. We broke down in an Oasis parking lot–perfectly safe, in broad daylight with no rain. We have AAA and towing insurance. We have the means (at the moment to deal with the financial setback of an unplanned car repair. And my mood suddenly changed.

Then AAA got there ahead of its announced time. The mechanic, Carl, from All About Automotive Inc., was personable, funny, quick and professional. It was just a simple battery change. $125.00 later, problem solved, problem over.

We continued on our way. I went to see my congregant. Despite seeming bad news and some pain, she was upbeat and optimistic. I pray for her continued strength, stamina, health and wellbeing. I didn’t get the other task

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about luck. What does it mean when we say to someone, “Good luck.”? Does that mean that there is bad luck? Does luck play any role at all? How does “beshert”, destined figure into this equation? How does the verse from Ecclesiastes fit in? Was my day good luck or bad luck? I am not sure. It just was. I think the difference is in how we respond to life’s circumstances. If we can see our days with optimism and hope, even when we are scared then perhaps that is when we really experience luck..

I learned a lot sitting in the DesPlaines Oasis today. It was truly an oasis, which is what our desert people hoped for during Sukkot. There is a time for everything, even a car battery change. It was a chance for this Energizer Rabbi to recharge her own batteries and get an attitude re-adjustment.

How do you see luck?