My Conversion Story Journal

September 30, 2023

I had a magical shabbat. I did have a couple people that said they were surprised that I came the week right after Yom Kippur. I admitted that it was a lot, but I loved being there. I wanted to be there. Today is the second day of Sukkot and we did a lot of special prayers including the Hallel which is amazing to hear. It definitely set me up for my magical afternoon.

I sat in my first sukkah today. This week is the holiday of Sukkot. The sukkah is a hut built out of flimsy materials with a tree branch roof. It must have the sky visible and rain should be able to come through slats in the ceiling. It is the celebration of the provision of Hashem as they were rescued from Egypt by G-d. They dwelt in huts like the sukkah that is created during this holiday. It is required to eat in a sukkah for a week.

The first one I was in was the sukkah at the Chabad where I attend shul. It had tarps for the sides and a pergola and branches for the roof. Apparently, there is a shortage of pergola because of the Canadian wild fires. That is where it is shipped from to the US for this special holiday. I had kiddush lunch in the sukkah. It was beautiful and everyone was happy. The weather was warm and there were few clouds in the sky. It was a perfect afternoon.

I was then invited to the Rabbi's house again for lunch. His wife is just the sweetest woman ever and the best cook. I am not even close to her ability to cook. She always has so much food for the people there. They have a total of 10 children, all grown. A couple of their children were there with their families so there were a lot of people there again. We had lunch in the sukkah. I felt very honored and blessed to be able to spend shabbat and the first day of Sukkot with that family.

One tradition the Rabbi has is to go around the table(s) and introduce yourself and say something on the topic he designates. They were all obviously used to the tradition. It was fun listening to them interact as a family. There was so much love and laughter. We were asked to say our names and our favorite Sukkah memory. I, of course, do not have a sukkah memory since it was my first day ever being in a sukkah. Their sukkah was the second one that I was in, and both were on the same day.

I will not get a chance to be in another sukkah until next year. I live in the middle of no where and in a townhouse. I will look forward to being where I can enjoy them all week next year and every year after that.

There is a special feeling when sitting in the sukkah. I bet it is beautiful under the night sky, just as it was in the sunlight. There is a warmth, a feeling of being blessed, and a special glow that comes from within that can't be described, only experienced.