Sukkot is described at “Zeman simchatenu”, the time of our joy. Some of that is because this is the harvest festival and we are grateful that we have enough to eat. Our food drive continues. One way I pick up food to support this is by catching the buy one get one free sales. I buy something I need for me and donate my free one to the Crisis Center.

There are easy ways to incorporate joy into our celebrations at home. There are really only two commandments for Sukkot, to dwell or sit in the Sukkah and to shake the lulav and etrog. Building a sukkah can be a great family project. We are looking forward to having our new one up on our deck and celebrating with all of you. Can’t just muster building a sukkah. Try making one out of graham crackers and icing and other decorations as a centerpiece for a table.

There are several opportunities to shake that lulav. Come to a short festival evening festival service at 7:00 on Tuesday evening and stay for the board meeting. Wednesday we will have a short service with the students at Religious School at 6 followed by Hut Dogs. At that point we will will plant winter rye so that we have omer to count between Passover and Shavuot and yellow tulips so we have them for Yom Hashoah. THen there is PJ Shabbat with Rabbi Margaret’s famous pasta dinner at 6:00 followed by services for our littlest ones at 6:30 and services at 7:30 for the adults. Monday morning we conclude our celebration of Sukkot with yizkor at 8AM. Promise we will be done by 10 and yes there is breakfast!

Sukkot is about inviting guests to increase our joy. We even invite “ushpazin” historical ancestors to join us. Traditionally one per night, Arbaham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Nowadays we tend to add matriarchs to the list too. Try adding Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Abagial, Hannah, Huldah and Esther, the seven women prophets that our tradition recognizes. Another activity that can be fun is to have a discussion about who you like to have dinner with–in any time period of history. We have “invited” such luminaries as Christopher Columbus (was he really Jewish, maybe?) together with William Bradford, governor of Plimouth Plantation who used the celebration of Sukkot for the basis of the first American Thanksgiving, ALbert Einstein, Anne Frank and a host of grandparents and parents of blessed memory. Who would you invite?

The weather forecast looks good, but if it turns, consider renting the film Ushpizin, a 2005 Israeli film. Set in Jerusalem, an impoverished couple cannot pay their bills let alone celebrate Sukkot with joy. The husband has his eye on a beautiful etrog, well out their budget. Sweet, funny, touching, it is well worth an evening on the couch with the unexpected plot turns.

Sukkot is also a time when we think about the fragility of housing. We sing Ufros Aleinu Sukkot Shlomecha as part of Hashkivenu, “Spread over us the shelter, the sukkah of Your Peace.” I use this time to work at a Habitat for Humanity project or to work to prevent domestic violence since October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

However you choose to celebrate, enjoy. That’s precisely the point!