Muswell Hill Synagogue
Vayikra 22/23 March 6.02pm 7.06pm

From Yom Kippur to Succot

We had a wonderful Yom Kippur in Muswell Hill, and there was so much great feedback from members as to how meaningful the prayers were in our Synagogue. Neilah was an inspiring experience and the feeling of a community together at such an important time was uplifting. It was a time also that I could communicate ideas to you all that are close to my heart. From Jewish identity to understanding modesty; from the breakdown of the family to lessons learned from the Yom Kippur War. Here are my sermons for you to have another look at. Please do email me any comments you have. My sermons do aim to inspire; but they even more aim to provoke conversation, discussion and debate. When people told me that they discussed my sermons over their Rosh Hashana meal, that gave me lots of nachas!

Rosh Hashana Day 1 5774

Rosh Hashana 5774 Day 2

Kol Nidrei Sermon 5774

Neilah Sermon 5774

And Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur also involved great communal team work. Many volunteers put time into ensuring that things went smoothly, from our Wardens to our security team. We also had Rafi again as our Baal Tefila, with our great Rabbinic intern Sam – and along with our children service volunteers and new Youth Directors Josh and Ben we could offer again a diverse array of experiences. We also thank Living and Learning of the United Synagogue for their Yom Kippur booklet and the Office of the Chief Rabbi for publishing Chief Rabbi Mirvis’s first speech.

And now it is time for Succot! Succot is called the festival of Joy. Interestingly Pesach and Shavuot are both given names that relate to the episode they come to remind us of. Pesach is ‘Zman Cherutainu‘ or the Time of our Freedom. Shavuot is ‘Zman Matan Torateinu‘ or the Time of the Giving of the Torah. But Succot is simply ‘Zman Simchateinu‘ – the Time of our Joy.

It is interesting that the Talmud tells us that on Succot, we exit our permanent dwelling and enter our temporary one. What seems to contradict this is that we are also told – ‘ensure that your succah dwelling is like your regular dwelling’. In other words the idea of a flimsy tent or hut on Succot is not what we are mandated to do. I saw an old friend of mine post on Facebook a picture of his Succah with armchairs and sofas adorning it. It really was a comfortable abode! So we are commanded the sense of temporary – and yet told to make it like a permanent dwelling.

I would like to suggest that this dichotomy is the root of the Joy concept of Succot. In life we are thrown copious challenges, many of which create a sense of despair. If we are able to navigate the challenge with both our own initiative and our faith in G-d, then when we come out the other side, their is a sense of joy of being able to live with the challenge. This is why we are taking the flimsy temporary shelter, and turning it into something permanent and liveable in. We are taking the despair of being out in the cold and the elements, and turning it into something that gives us a sense of contentment and therefore joy.

After all – as we read in Ethics of the Fathers: ‘Who is rich? – the one who is content with what he has’.