Rabbi Stiefel's Monthly Article

Current October 2025

Rabbi Sharon Stiefel

         Sukkot: Holiday of Fragility

         When I lived in Israel for a year, I loved walking around the different neighborhoods and taking photographs of sukkot, the temporary huts built during the holiday of Sukkot. I would see the most delicate ones made of branches and fabric, seemingly ready to tip over if there were a heavy rainfall and/or strong wind. And then I would see a sukkah made of strong boards with a built-in door with a lock. 

When Davida and I were looking to purchase a sukkah several decades ago, one of the selling points of the one we chose was that it had been designed by an engineer.  Our basic canvas and metal frame sukkah has never collapsed over the years we have owned it, and in Minnesota, that means it has encountered snow! 

            The imagery of a sukkah is used daily in the Hashkiveinu, a prayer that is recited only in the evening.  In the Hashkiveinu we ask for God to watch over us and guard us as we sleep. We ask for a security blanket for protection, and this cover is described as a sukkat shalom, a sukkah of peace.

Flimsy, fortress-like or basic, for a sukkah to be kosher it must follow the dictates of Jewish law. Commenting on the use of the phrase “May You spread over us a sukkah of Your peace,” Rav Kook, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel, described the sukkah as a flimsy and temporary structure. He further stated that Jewish law validates a sukkah even when it has gaping holes, when it is built from little more than two walls or has large spaces between the walls and the roof. Even such a fragile structure still qualifies as a kosher sukkah. 

Rav Kook reflected that the same is true regarding peace. Even an imperfect peace between neighbors, or between an individual and the community, is worthwhile. The value of peace is so great that we pray for it even if it will make us vulnerable and fragile like a flimsy sukkah. Shalom is so precious, so vital, that even if it is not wholly attainable, it is still worthwhile to pursue it, no matter how tenuous it may seem.

We live in a world marked by conflict, division and uncertainty. The sukkah reminds us that even fragile structures can offer shelter. This message feels especially urgent this year as we are witnessing wars, political instability, and humanitarian crises that shake our sense of security and test our capacity for hope. Let us remember that peace, even when incomplete, is still peace. Just as a sukkah does not need to be perfect to be holy, our efforts toward reconciliation, understanding, and harmony do not need to be flawless to be meaningful. This Sukkot, (this year sundown Monday, October 6 through Monday, October 13), may we open ourselves to the blessings of vulnerability, and may we seek and cherish every sukkah of peace we can build—no matter how delicate.

Davida and I welcome you to our sukkah on Sunday, October 12 from 2 – 4 pm. All are welcome!  Wishing everyone a joyous Sukkot. Chag Sameach – Happy Holiday!