Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha

We are building our sukkah tomorrow, no today.  Wow, I really should go to sleep.  But, there's so little time to write.

We are building our sukkah in the morning.  There are just a few halachot about building a sukkah.  The walls must be at least ten t'fachim high.  One tefach is about the width of an adult's hand (across the knuckles, no thumb).  It may not be more than 20 amot.  An ama runs from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.  It must have 2.5 walls, and a roof made of cut, natural materials.  It must be temporary, and actually be taken down, and put back up.  A possible temporary structure you never take down doesn't count.  The roof must cast more shade than sun, but you must be able to look through to the stars.

Most people build their sukkah between Yom Kippur and Sukkot.  In fact, there's a tradition of putting in the first nail (if your sukkah uses nails, ours doesn't) after break fast.  There's never enough time tough, so we're putting ours up his long weekend.  I plan on putting in a window.

I love Sukkot, and I love sitting in my sukkah.  I want time to decorate and enjoy the sukkah.  The Hag is not enough.  I think about Sukkot and our sukkah regularly.  Whenever we travel we buy a souvenir for the places we go to hang in our sukkah.  We have a scavenger hunt to find the interesting objects among the decorations.  Thank you to Aliza Spiro and family for both those ideas.  This year there will be an iguana from Guantanamo Bay.  Come and see it.

As if the year-round shopping weren't enough to keep Sukkot in my mind, I think about it every night.  When we recite Hashkiveinu at Maariv, I read the words, "ufros aleinu sukkat shlomecha..."

Hashkineinu Hashem Ehloheinu l'shalom, v'ha'amideinu Malkeinu l'shalom, ufros aleinu sukkat shlomecha.  Lay us down Hashem, our God to peace, and stand us up, our Ruler, to peace, and spread over us sukkat shlomecha, the shelter of Your peace.

Sukkot is z'man simchateinu, the time for rejoicing or happiness.  I love the idea that we have a designated time to be outside.  Yes we have walls and a makeshift roof, but we are exposed.  We cannot forget that nature is around us.  We have some protection, but our true protection is God's peace.

I cannot read the words sukkat shlomecha without thinking of our sukkah.  It is a place of peace.  The house, especially around Yom Tov, gets chaotic.  It is noisy.  It feels full and sometimes crowded.  The sukkah, though small, is an island in the chaos.  Shaded by the skakh dripping with memories, our childrens' hand prints on the wall, it seems cosy rather than crowded, joyous rather than noisy.

Ufros aleinu sukkat shlomecha; I look forward to my time spent with you.

Lech l'shalom, v'laila tov.