After the most uplifting moments of Neilah and the final blast of the shofar, we would think that we get to rest. Yet, we do the exact opposite. We run to build our sukkah and prepare for our next set of festivals. The sukkah has limits. It must not be less than ten tefachim, 32 inches from the ground, and it must not be more than 20 amot, 30 feet.

On the other hand, Maimonides teaches that there is no limit for its width.

In other words, the Sukkah can be built a width of several miles. This is an important lesson as to the role of the sukkah. The people we invite fit within the width of the sukkah, not its height. The sukkah is not about how tall we can build a building, but a sukkah is about who gathers inside.

Over this Yom Kippur, our Sinai Temple community witnessed sacred moments of gathering. Each of our sanctuaries and chapels were bursting at the seams. The need to gather in a sacred space was evident. As we build our sukkot, we gather again–this time, within nature’s elements, in the fragile existence of a sukkah.

This Shabbat, we also commemorate the two year commemoration of October 7th. We must never forget and we must always remember. We will gather in song, in prayer, in words of Torah, and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Our sukkah will be big enough for all of us, miles and miles wide, to ensure that when we gather, we will always be together.

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, and Am Yisrael Chai.