Dear Shaare Family,
Thank you all so much for creating a truly uplifting Yom Kippur (which seems like ages ago) and a really special first days of Sukkot. So many people came together to make Sukkot happen that if I listed them by name I would inadvertently omit someone’s name, but all of you are included in this week’s Hakarat HaTov Corner.
Erev Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot is a special time in the Rackovsky family calendar, because it was on that day, six years ago, that we celebrated Avremi’s bris in the Shaare Tefilla Sukkah, just a month and a half after we arrived in Dallas. We still talk about the outpouring of love that we received then, and continue to receive now, and how blessed we are that Avremi and his siblings get to grow up in this community. This year, Erev Shabbat Chol Hamoed coincides with Jessica’s secular birthday, and Shabbat Chol Hamoed itself coincides with Avremi’s secular birthday.
Rabbi’s Recommendations
One of the hallmarks of Shabbat Chol Hamoed Sukkot is that we read the book of Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes- one of the more complicated and mysterious books in Tanach. Probably the most famous section of Kohelet is the beginning of the third chapter. It was popularized, and slightly emended, by legendary folk singer Pete Seeger in the form of the song “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Seeger stated in an interview that his addition of six words is what he felt gave him permission to keep more than 50% of the revenue from the song. It is worth noting that his choice to donate 45% of the proceeds for this song, to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, was a sign of his complicated relationship with Israel.
In 1965, it was covered by The Byrds, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. This song has the distinction of being the best selling song with the oldest lyrics, and the best selling popular song based on or directly taken from the Bible.
For a fascinating read on Kohelet, please read this piece, by my friend (and former Shaare Tefilla Scholar in Residence) Dr. Elana Stein Hain of the Shalom Hartman Institute.
Finally, I just finished the book High Conflict by Amanda Ripley. There is a lot in it that is really profound, and especially appropriate for the season of repentance and personal introspection. I look forward to sharing with you what I learned, and recommend that everyone read it themselves.
Shabbat Shalom and Moadim Lesimcha,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
