I’m feeling a little disoriented right now. But I don’t think I’m the only one.
Are you also?
Like, if people ask you where you live, is the answer more complicated than it should be? Are you back in your parents’ house? Couch-surfing at a friend’s place? Renting somewhere month-to-month?
What about your workplace? Would you say you have one? Is your bed considered a “workplace?”
What about the future? Do you feel that you have job security? Will the COVID-19 vaccine come out this year? Who will win the U.S. Election, and what will unfold as a result?
I don’t mean to scare you. The truth is that there’s no way that I can be scarier than the news. They do a great job at this.
I actually want to point out that amidst the instability, you may have started to stumble upon a deeper sort of — stability.
What I mean by this is that when we feel that everything is in flux, we are forced to turn inwards and double down on what we know to be true. To find terra firma wherever it may be.
I’ve heard of quite a few people who have switched careers or are seriously thinking about it. I’ve seen dozens of couples get engaged and get married much quicker than they would have before. They have less hang-ups about trivial things that they would have normally made a big deal about and shlepped on about for a year or more.
Focused on the important things, we’ve become bolder. Bolder, because we actually see clearer.
With all the craziness going on in the world, Jews around the globe have gotten out of their comfort zones at Home Depot, have hauled 2 x 4s and bamboo mats, and are just now putting the finishing touches on the precarious shacks, called “sukkahs,” on their balconies or in their backyards, in which they will eat, sleep and hang out in for the next week.
Aside from “shack” the word “sukkah” means “to see through.” Living life with more of a sense of physical vulnerability allows our eyes to peer through the usual illusions of stability and focus our vision on the spiritual truths that we may have not felt the need to rely upon until now.
Rediscovering and learning to rely on these deep truths fills us with the joy of feeling truly alive.
May we all find stability in a seemingly unstable world and rejoice in our journeys side-by-side.
Happy Sukkot.