Dear Friends,
On Wednesday, 174 people boarded a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv expecting an ordinary flight home. Instead, somewhere in the sky, everything changed. The captain was attacked and seriously wounded, the aircraft plunged thousands of feet, and passengers and crew were suddenly thrown into a terrifying situation. And yet, through courage, quick action, and what can only feel like extraordinary Divine protection, every person aboard survived and returned safely.
All of this happened during Sukkot, the holiday when we leave the security of our homes and sit beneath the fragile covering of a sukkah, remembering the Clouds of Glory with which Hashem protected our ancestors in the desert.
Sukkot is a celebration of the beauty of things that do not last. We build a sukkah knowing that in just a few days we will take it apart. We decorate it with beautiful fruits that will eventually ripen and spoil. We gather with family and friends knowing that no gathering can remain exactly as it is forever. And still, the Torah calls Sukkot, the Season of Our Rejoicing. Knowing that something will not last forever does not make it less beautiful. It makes us cherish it more.
On Sukkot we also read Koheles, Ecclesiastes. King Solomon describes a life in which he had seemingly everything a person could want: wisdom, wealth, possessions, accomplishments and power. Yet so much of what he describes revolves around the self. “I built for myself. I acquired for myself. I gathered for myself.” And after all of it, he is still left searching for meaning.
Toward the end, he begins to recognize it in the simple things: the sweetness of rest after honest work, eating and drinking with gratitude, enjoying life with the person you love. The things that make a life meaningful are often not the things we spend our lives chasing. They are the people beside us, the meals we share, the laughter around the table, and the moments when we stop long enough to realize how blessed we already are.
Perhaps that is also why Yizkor belongs in the middle of such a joyous holiday. Remembering those we love and miss reminds us how precious the people still beside us are. The more we understand how limited our time is, the more fully we can live it.
And so I find myself thinking again about those 174 people on Wednesday’s flight. They were given another opportunity to return to the people they love, another day to appreciate what matters most. Thank G-d for the extraordinary miracles, and for the ordinary moments we so often forget are miracles too.
As I think about what it means to return to the people we love, that gratitude feels especially personal this week. Yesterday, October 1 marked 24 years since Ettie and I were married. Twenty-four years. Wow. And somehow, it feels like yesterday. Ettie, I thank Hashem every day for the gift of sharing this life with you. For your love, your wisdom, your incredible heart, and the way you give so much of yourself to the people around you. Together, we have been blessed to build a beautiful family and home, and an incredible Chabad Naples and Preschool of the Arts family that has become a home for so many. Through it all, you never stop appreciating the little things, celebrating the big things, and reminding all of us just how blessed we are. L’chaim to 24 beautiful years. Ettie, I’d do it all over again. Every minute of it. Though for the next 24, perhaps we could leave a few minutes unscheduled.
So let us cherish these moments together. Join us for Yizkor as we remember those we love and miss, and then come celebrate Simchat Torah with us on Saturday night, October 3rd, at 7:45 pm. www.chabadnaples.com/SimchatTorah Let us dance with the Torah, sing together, rejoice together, and celebrate the gift of life and Torah itself.
The sukkah will come down. The holiday will pass. This moment will become a memory. So while we have it, let us celebrate it. Wishing you and your family a meaningful Yizkor, a joyous and uplifting Simchat Torah, and a peaceful and beautiful Shabbat. Chag Sameach!
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos