A few days ago, the entire Lutz family gathered together to fulfill the mitzvah of building our sukkah. I love this ritual—literally building something all together from the ground up and finding ways to make it look beautiful (of course, I am partial to Ruby’s colorful decorations). It is such a special time to be together, phones down and distractions aside. It’s also the first time of year when we can finally be outside without worrying about the heat or the bugs, a day when we might even see a few California leaves change color. The hours of preparation spent outside in fresh air with family and dear friends is perhaps my favorite part of our Sukkot ritual.
As the sun was setting and we were decorating our sukkah, I remembered this beautiful poem, “The Light Has Changed,” special words written for our harvest holiday. Fall is so brief in Southern California that we might blink if we miss it. May the holiday of Sukkot remind us to take time outside each day, without diversions and distractions, to experience the incredible beauty of this changing season.
—Cantor Emma Lutz
The Light Has Changed
by Barbara Kavadias
The full moon reflects the message
Not just any full moon
Sukkot is heralded with the Harvest moon
Its fullness shines on us
Seemingly longer than other full moons
Just days before
The fall equinox
As modern people
With our atomic clocks
Phones and connected watches
We have calendars
Paper and electronic
The sun and the moon
In dialogue with each other
Endlessly churn out their own schedule
Reflected in our ancient
Understanding of time that
Somehow Is more relevant
Than our current
Devices and measurements
They speak to us
With light and warmth
Food and smells
Community coming together
In that ancient re-enactment
Of creation and the cycle of life
That is always on time.