Page 23 - Harlem Sukkot Companion 2020

whom vulnerability is not a temporary structure, but rather a permanent state of
being. We are reminded that we have neighbors with no homes at all.

We can never really count on the permanence of home, Sukkot seems to teach us.
But we can try to make that which is temporary, impermanent, and fleeting in our
lives feel a little bit more permanent. We can look into the face of uncertainty and
decide to step bravely inside, carrying our fine dishware and our furniture. We can
try to make our sukkah feel like home, making it our refuge for as long as we dwell
in it.

This Sukkot—amidst a global pandemic, wildfires along the West Coast, and the
persistent victimization of bodies in the public square—we may need fewer
reminders of life’s frailty. But we can move forward boldly in the face of this frailty,
committing ourselves to erect structures in spite of their inevitable ruin. We can
take it upon ourselves to face uncertainty by eagerly looking up to find the stars.
And we can take action to make home wherever we are, for ourselves and for our
communities.

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